SAR youth welcomes integration strategies 10:15, October 23, 2022 By ZHENG CAIXIONG in Guangzhou ( China Daily Young people from Hong Kong, Macao encouraged to contribute to motherland The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has pointed out the development direction of the country and will help young people from Hong Kong and Macao better integrate into the development strategy of the motherland, youths from the two Chinese special administrative regions have said. As Chinese, they feel extremely honored and proud of the prosperity and strength of the motherland, they said, adding the report further encourages young people from Hong Kong and Macao to contribute to the country's economic construction and development. William Yu, a young entrepreneur from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said he has witnessed the country's rapid development in various fields and its rising international status. The country's economy, science and technology, people's livelihood and ecological protection have all made a qualitative leap in the past decade, he said, adding that he was proud of his motherland. The central government has firmly grasped the most immediate and realistic interests of the people, introduced more measures to benefit the people's livelihood and firmly promoted common prosperity for the people in the previous years, according to Yu. The report said China is pursuing green development and promoting harmony between humanity and nature. This was of great reassurance to Yu, who has stood firm in his pursuit of a career in a rural area. Yu operates a tea plantation of more than 800,000 square meters in rural Huaiji county, which is under the administration of Zhaoqing, a city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He expects to grow his tea company to become a bench mark in the tea industry at least in Zhaoqing, and to play a role in building up the rural economy. Cheng Ka-man, a senior partner at law firm Kuong Iok-kao in Macao, said the CPC is united and has led the Chinese people in overcoming many difficulties and problems in the past decade. Cheng said she was proud the country has made historic achievements and undergone historic changes after it withstood risks, challenges and tests in politics, the economy and from nature in the previous years. "As a lawyer from Macao and a lawyer in the GBA, I will actively contribute to promoting the rule of law in the country and serving the people with a pragmatic and professional attitude to show the world the professionalism of Chinese lawyers and the charm of China under the rule of law. "Young people from Hong Kong and Macao should be the supporters and builders of the policy of 'one country, two systems'," she said. Cheng was one of the first four lawyers from Hong Kong and Macao to be allowed to practice in nine Guangdong cities in the GBA after she was certified to practice by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Justice in July. Waldo Wong said "one country, two systems", under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy, will help ensure the sustained prosperity and stability in the two SARs. "The construction of the GBA has benefited youths from Hong Kong and Macao, and helped them better integrate into the country's development strategy," he said. Wong said he made the right decision when opening a physical fitness center in Guangzhou, over nine years ago, as the mainland has a myriad of entrepreneurship and business opportunities. As a Hong Kong entrepreneur, Wong said he has benefitted from the country's rapid economic growth. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu) BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee will meet the press on Sunday after they are elected at a plenary meeting on the same day. The new CPC leadership will be elected at the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. They will meet Chinese and foreign journalists in Beijing at around 12 p.m. The event will be broadcast live by China Media Group and Xinhuanet. It will also be relayed simultaneously by television and radio stations across China, as well as news websites, new media platforms, large outdoor screens and mobile televisions. It's a new age, and ghosts and spirits are not limited to antiquities and unholy items anymore, at least in the movies. There are several films to date that have managed to incorporate technology with paranormal events. Here are five movies that show just that. 'Prince of Darkness' The film by John Carpenter may be an oldie, but he managed to add the elements of science and technology into a paranormal movie. It tells the story of Satan with the mission of trying to summon his father, the Anti-God, as mentioned in Bloody Disgusting. The movie definitely fits outside the norms of horror movies, depicting evil as something tangible, which was shown as a green liquid in a cannister. Since science comes to mind when you see an unusual liquid substance in a container, a priest decided that quantum physics would be the better approach to battle evil. The priest calling a scientist for help is probably the right move. It's not everyday that members of the church discover a sentient green liquid, and discover that God and Satan were extra-terrestrials. 'Shutter' The movie "Shutter" is the kind of horror movie that will stay with you. You never would've imagined that you'll be afriad to take pictures after watching a film. Shutter is about a man who is able to capture ghosts which cannot be seen by the naked eye, through pictures. According to Collider, there are legends and myths that suggest that photographs can capture or trap a soul. This prevents them from returning to the mortal or astral realm. Now, can you imagine taking several photos, and in each, the ghost is moving closer and closer to you? Yikes. Read Also: Scariest Movies Of All Time: 5 Movies That Gave The Biggest Horror Of Our Lives 'Unfriended' "Unfriended" is a timely film for issues of today, mainly, cyberbullying. The story starts with the anniversary of a friend's suicide due to an embarrassing video of her uploaded on the internet. Since the internet has grown in the past few years, it would surely be horrifying to see a humiliating video of you spread like wildfire. In this film, you'll see how one by one, those who were responsible get picked off by no other than the ghost of the person that was bullied. 'One Missed Call' The movie is just an adaption, which was originally a Japanese movie by Yasushi Akimoto, but the premise stays the same. People start getting voicemails from themselves even though they have not recorded it yet. The recording tells them how they will die in the future, in detail. The film also shows how there is no way to stop your impending death once you receive the voicemail, which would definitely stir up feelings of anxiety if you imagine yourself in that situation, not having a way out. 'Host' The story is about a group of friends trying to stay in touch amidst the restrictions of the pandemic. As they started on their weekly call, one of the members of the group decided to bring in a medium. The group attempted to hold a virtual seance. One of the members pretended to feel something, which leads to them summoning unfriendly entities. The suspense builds up as the medium, the only one who knows how to close the session, gets cut off every now and then. The movie shows terrible and unfortunate deaths, brought by pranks and diving into unfamiliar paranormal practices. Related Article: #EntertainmentTech Netflix's Halloween Comedy Category is Perfect for Horror Movie Haters Property damage was reported at the Midnight Oil, 631 Signal Mountain Road. Police spoke with two men - one driving a 2021 Toyota Highlander and one an employee with Petro Imaging. The employee told police that he owns the mobile lighting repair business and was making repairs to the lighting over the gas pumps. He said that while working on the lights using his bucket truck, the other man was refueling his vehicle at the pump below his lift. While working on one of the lights, the fixture suddenly came disconnected and fell, impacting the top of the mans vehicle. As the fixture fell from the roof of the mans vehicle, it also caused damage to the passenger side of the vehicle. The car owner said that he was not injured by the falling light fixture. When checking the mans vehicle, police did see obvious damage to the top center of the vehicle, as well as the top of the right-side rear passenger door. Both men were then given a report number documenting the events that led to the damage to the mans vehicle. * * * While on routine patrol I observed a vehicle take off from a red light at a high rate of speed in a residential area at Bailey Avenue/S. Holtzclaw Avenue. Police caught up with the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop, noting the vehicle was traveling 45 mph and that the tag was expired. Police gave the driver a warning for the offenses of speeding and improper registration. * * * A suspicious occupied vehicle was reported on E. 12th Street. Police spoke with a man and woman in the vehicle, who said their friend lives in the house they are next to, and that their power steering had gone out in the van, so he allowed them to park it there. The man showed a possible warrant. NCIC verified the warrant, but it is non-extraditable from New Hampshire. Both were cooperative. * * * A man told police someone stole his electric scooter from his job on E. Main Street. He said he just uses the scooter to get to work since he lives so close. He said the theft occurred between 1:45 and 3:34 p.m. He said he will be emailing police a picture of the scooter to attach to the report. * * * Police were called to 305 Druid Lane on a call of an abandoned vehicle. Police found a gray Jeep (AL tag) illegally parked in the roadway, causing a traffic hazard. The vehicle was open, keys were in the ignition and there were several tools and other miscellaneous items in the vehicle. Police checked the area and were unable to locate the owner. Due to the vehicle being a traffic hazard, police towed the vehicle to Cains. * * * An employee At Academy Sports, 2220 Hamilton Place Blvd., told police a white female stole possibly $400 in clothing. He said the woman ran out of the store and ran towards Shallowford Road. Officers searched the area, but could not locate the woman. * * * A woman told police she was notified that her trailer and her vehicle were broken into at 5704 Marlin Road. There were two generators that were in the trailer. The vehicle was not broken, only ransacked through. The trailer's door was pried open and broken. There is no suspect information. Owners of the building will look at video footage to see if anything comes up on camera. * * * Police were called for a suspicious vehicle on 44 Maude St. due to it being parked next to the fire hydrant. Police were unable to make contact with the owner of the vehicle. Registration for the vehicle was run and came back not stolen. An unattended vehicle sticker was placed on the car for it to be removed within 48 hours or it would be towed. * * * A verbal dispute was reported at the Goodfellas Pizzeria, 1208 King St. Police found a man and woman who were actively arguing with each other. Both were arguing over who was owner of a tent. Based on the fact that they were boyfriend/girlfriend and there being no way of determining ownership, both agreed to separate from each other for the morning. The man agreed to allow the woman to leave with the tent, due to him already owning a tent. * * * A noise complaint was reported at the Park Terrace Apartments on Manor Road. Police spoke to the resident of the apartment where the noise was coming from. He said he was trying out his new speakers. Police told him to turn the music down and he complied. * * * A woman on Mountain View Court told police that her grandmother has been harassing her via phone for weeks. She said her grandmother keeps calling her about some man and accusing her of sleeping with him. The woman said she would like law enforcement to request her grandmother leave her alone. Police spoke with the grandmother, who said she was no longer going to be contacting the woman and requested the woman be trespassed from her property. Police informed the woman of this and notified her that she was not to return to her grandmother's house or she would be arrested. * * * A pharmacist at the Walgreens, 5478 Highway 153, told police he spoke with a white male who came through the drive-through and asked for an over-the-counter option to treat warts, which the pharmacist told him was not available. He said the man was visibly irritated by this information, but drove off. Later the man called the pharmacy to ask the same question, but started making threatening statements to the female employee who had answered the phone. He told her, "I'll kick your a** and "I'll get you fired." The employee said she disconnected the call. The man then called back and spoke to the pharmacist and complained about the employee he had spoken to earlier and said, "She'll get what's coming to her" before the pharmacist disconnected the call. The employee does not want to press charges at this time. The pharmacist said Walgreens will likely trespass the man when given the opportunity. The Beatles First Drummer Pete Best Shared What He Would Do if He Saw the Guilty Paul McCartney In 1960, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon welcomed a new member into their band: the drummer Pete Best. Best would remain with the group for two years, but before they ascended to global stardom, the band fired him. They asked that their manager, Brian Epstein, be the bearer of bad news, and they did not speak to Best about their decision. Decades later, Best doesnt talk badly about the bandmates who unceremoniously cut him from the group. He shared what he would do if McCartney ever did want to meet up with him. Paul McCartney, Pete Best, George Harrison, and John Lennon | Hulton Archive/Getty Images The Beatles fired their first drummer to hire Ringo Starr In 1960, McCartney recruited Best to join their band. He was a local drummer who became popular with fans in their early shows at Liverpools Cavern Club. He remained with the group for two years and traveled with them to their residency in Hamburg, Germany. In August 1962, however, his time with the group ended suddenly. Unbeknownst to me, theyd approached Ringo, he told the Telegraph in 2018. On this day in 1962, @TheBeatles stepped into Abbey Road for the first time and auditioned in Studio Two for the late Sir George Martin and Parlophone Records. The session was the only EMI recording to feature Pete Best on drums, who was then replaced by @RingoStarrMusic. pic.twitter.com/IaJOJN21sN Abbey Road Studios (@AbbeyRoad) June 6, 2020 McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison didnt want to fire Best themselves, so they asked Epstein to do it. He said, Pete, I dont know how to tell you this. The boys want you out those were the words and its already been arranged,' Best said. That was another key word. Arranged. Ringo joined the band on Saturday. It was a closed shop. I asked why and he said, Because they think hes a better drummer. The bomb was dropped. Pete Best shared his feelings about Paul McCartney these days Best said that while he wouldnt necessarily change the course his life took, he wishes that his bandmates had talked to him face to face. Im not saying Id change the outcome, but at least give me the decency of being there and [letting me] confront them, he said. When asked about whether or not he thinks McCartney owes him an apology, Best deflected the question: Ask him. He said he has not spoken to his former bandmate or his replacement, Starr, since The Beatles fired him. He acknowledged that McCartney seems to want to meet with him, but he wants to leave it to his former bandmate to organize that. For Best, if McCartney wanted to ease his guilty conscience, he would have to be the one to reach out. Paul has always hinted that hed like to meet up, he said. The doors always been wide open. Im not the guilty person, you know? Whether he wants to do it on a public basis or a private one, its his call. He wouldnt want a meeting between them to be contentious, though. Were senior statesmen now, he said. How many years weve got left on the planet is really predictable. Lets talk about things in general. Stick a bottle of Scotch on the table and lets have a good old bash. Pete Best said he tries not to have hard feelings toward Paul McCartney or the rest of the band Though he took the firing hard, Best now says he wouldnt change how his life shook out. He wouldnt want to be a showbusiness commodity like all of The Beatles. He can take solace in the fact that he helped the biggest band in the world succeed. 6th March 1961, The Beatles kicked of a week of lunchtime sessions at The Cavern. This was the groups fourth appearance at the club. The line-up was; John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best. For more history, visit https://t.co/HG1QEaGHAF pic.twitter.com/XZiM7CG0eu The Cavern Club (@cavernliverpool) March 6, 2020 Yes, they are the most famous musicians in the world, he said. And regardless of what happened, I played a key part in that. RELATED: Paul McCartney Still Thinks About Something John Lennon Told Him During a Fight Mila Kunis has shown remarkable range as an actor throughout the years, appearing in both comedies and dramas. From films like Friends With Benefits to Bad Moms, shes known for her relatable humor. However, it was Kunis performance as Rachel in the romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall in 2008 that truly catapulted her to stardom. And apparently, she had an interesting experience on set. Mila Kunis starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall Actress Mila Kunis attends Universal Pictures World Premiere of Forgetting Sarah Marshall on April 10, 2008 at Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. | John Shearer/WireImage Forgetting Sarah Marshall, directed by Nicholas Stoller, follows Peter (Jason Segel), a struggling musician. Peter travels to Hawaii to recover from a breakup. He finds his ex-girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell) and her new boyfriend (Russell Brand) staying in his hotel. The film, produced by Judd Apatow, was a critical and commercial success. In the movie, Kunis portrays Rachel, the hotel concierge at Peters Hawaiian resort. The two characters eventually develop feelings for one another, and in the end, Peter chooses Rachel over Sarah. Even though Kunis had starred in That 70s Show before and voiced Meg on Family Guy, her appearance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall was one of her first leading roles in a major Hollywood production. Mila Kunis bought alcohol for a minor while filming Forgetting Sarah Marshall 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' starring Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, and Kristen Bell released in theaters on this day, 14 years ago pic.twitter.com/yS9L93lRCF MovieRankings.net (@LightsCameraPod) April 18, 2022 In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kunis discussed her career. She opened up about an incident that took place at a Hawaii resort hotel during the making of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. As the star established, the resort was bustling with guests who were in town to see loved ones stationed at a nearby military base. I was of age, I was 22 at the time, Kunis prefaced. I remember grabbing myself a drink. And there was a kid there that had his whole camo on, and he couldnt get a drink, and he was like 20 I think. And I was like, Oh my God, youre fighting for our country, and you cant get a drink. Ill get you a damn drink.' The actor said she bought the soldier a drink. But the resort staff was not happy about her doing so because the soldier was a minor. The staff then went ahead and reported Kunis to the films producer. While she was reprimanded, she got to stay. However, she didnt pull the move again. The movie led to many more big roles for Mila Kunis Forgetting Sarah Marshall was released during the height of success for comedies produced by Judd Apatow. And it remains one of Kuniss most beloved comedic performances. She and many of her co-stars became household names thanks to its popularity. Following the movies reception, Kunis went on to feature in a slew of major releases, including Black Swan, Ted, and Jupiter Ascending. However, few have hit the way Forgetting Sarah Marshall did. In 2022, Kunis starred in (and produced) a mystery thriller for Netflix. The film, Luckiest Girl Alive, is an adaptation of Jessica Knolls novel of the same name. It stars Kunis as Ani Fanelli, who comes face to face with her past when an incident from her youth begins to find its way into her present, hurting the life shes built for herself. The movie marks a decidedly different turn for the generally comedic star. RELATED: Mila Kunis Wasted So Much Time On This Common Vice She Had to Stop For 1 Year HGTV fans love Renovation Island, as it shows how married couple Bryan and Sarah Baeumler took on the task of restoring an entire island. The Canadian natives risked it all to move their family down to the Bahamas in the hopes of making the Caerula Del Mar resort into something fantastic. And Sarah reflected on what its like working side by side with her husband. Heres what she said about the hurdles. Bryan Baeumler and Sarah Baeumler started Renovation Island in 2017 Renovation Island star Bryan and Sarah Baeumler | HGTV Canada via YouTube Bryan and Sarah Baeumler met way before Renovation Island was ever on the table. According to HGTV, the couple met back in high school in 1991, but their romance didnt flourish until 2001. The couple went on their first date, and the rest was history. Bryan proposed to Sarah while on a trip to Nova Scotia in 2004. While the day was full of mishaps, Sarah happily accepted the proposal. They tied the knot that same year and had four children down the road. Neither Bryan nor Sarah grew up in show business, but they both earned TV deals in adulthood. By 2017, they took on Renovation Island as a couple. Bryan and Sarah spent $2 million purchasing the abandoned resort in the Bahamas, and so far, it seems to be paying off. The show began airing on HGTV Canada in 2019, and its going strong into 2022. She talks about overcoming hurdles in her marriage, as shes married to her business partner Bryan and Sarah Baeumler seem to make excellent business partners. But partnering with your spouse certainly has its ups and downs. Sarah spoke to Millionairess Magazine about her experience working with Bryan on Renovation Island. Weve now been married 16 years, and you go through all different times during your marriage that you look not only at where you are in your marriage, but we would also look subsequently at where we are in our careers, Sarah shared. There are times when one of us or the other perhaps was more focused on growth of the business or on a project that they were committed to, and the other one almost took a backseat, and vice versa. Sarah then described her relationship with Bryan as a beautiful pendulum, as there are times when they have different focuses in their lives. However, they always focus on their drive toward happiness together. [We] realized that there will be some hurdles along the way, but that together, we can make these goals happen. What is Bryan Baeumlers and Sarah Baeumlers net worth? Bryan and Sarah Baeumler clearly make an excellent team, as Renovation Island proved a huge success. Celebrity Net Worth shows the couples worth is approximately $20 million. Today, Caerula Del Mar is doing quite well. Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas in August 2019 and affected the lives of many of the employees. Then, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused issues in reopening the resort. But the resort reopened in October 2020 with new pandemic protocols in place. Travelers can now book their stay on the Caerula Del Mar website. For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel. RELATED: Renovation Island: You Can Rent Bryan and Sarah Baeumlers Florida Vacation Home on Airbnb In the October 23 episode of Sister Wives, Christine Brown and Kody Brown discuss what to do with her home in Flagstaff, Arizona. While preparing for her move to Utah with Truely Brown, Christine is trying to figure out whether she should sell her home or not. So did the Sister Wives star end up selling her home? Heres what we know. Christine Brown, Sister Wives Season 17 | TLC Christine is deciding whether or not to sell her home in Flagstaff In the October 23 episode of Sister Wives, Christine sits down with Kody to discuss what her plan is regarding whether or not she should her home in Flagstaff. Were moving and keeping this house, the mother of six tells Kody. Christine and Kody Brown of TLCs Sister Wives | TLC/YouTube In just a matter of weeks, Ysabel is moving to North Caroline to college. However, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Christines other daughter, Gwendlyn, is not able to move into a dorm and is going to need a place to stay. Christines idea was to keep her Flagstaff home after moving to Utah with Truely, just so Gwendlyn can stay there and it would make it easier for Christine to come back for visits to Flagstaff. Kody liked the idea of keeping the house for just the convenience it brings. Thats actually probably a really good idea, he tells her. Did Christine sell her home in Flagstaff? In September 2018, Christine and Kody originally purchased the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home for $520,000. The 2,400-square-foot house sits atop a 2.5 acre lot with views of the surrounding mountains. While Kody and Christine bought the home together, he was removed from the deed in August 2020, making her the sole owner of the home. Christine Browns home in Flagstaff, Arizona | Realtor It appears that Christines plan to keep the house changed after her conversation with Kody. According to the listing (via Realtor), on August 5, Christine listed the home for $725,000. The house stayed on the market for a few months before selling on Ocotober 8, 2021, for $700,000. Fans are assuming that with the conversation she had with Kody, she used the money from the Flagstaff home to put towards her new $1.1 million home in Murray, Utah, where she currently resides with Truely. Kody wants Christine to put the money toward paying off the Coyote Pass property Kodys other idea was to sell Christines house and put the money towards paying off Coyote Pass so Janelle can actually build on it. Christine was admitaly against that idea. If Im going to sell my house, Im going to keep the proceeds from selling my house. And put it towards the next house that I purchase. So if I sell, Im not gonna put that money into Coyote Pass, Christine tells the cameras. She said that she isnt going to live on the familys property, therefore it doesnt make sense for her to put any more money into Coyote Pass. Kody claims that the house belongs to the family, since he paid the downpayment of it. Ive been making every payment on this house. Every one. So no, I wont be giving him any of the money from the sale of my house, Christine says. In the preview for the upcoming October 30 episode of Sister Wives, Christine stands her ground regarding making decisions on her Flagstaff home. My name is the only name on this house. So legally, i get to make all the decisions, she says. New episodes of Sister Wives Season 17 air Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC. RELATED: Sister Wives: Everything To Know About Meri Browns Bed & Breakfast Lizzies Heritage Inn With Halloween season upon us and trending shows like the new Netflix series about Jeffery Dahmer on everyones mind, revisiting the stories of some of the worlds most infamous serial killers is a hot topic right now. Two of those killers include H.H. Holmes and Jack The Ripper, known for their heinous murders that occurred in Chicago and London during the 19th century. Although they committed crimes in two different countries, recently, certain scholars and conspiracy theorists are beginning to believe that H.H. Holmes and Jack The Ripper were the same people. H.H. Holmes was known for building his deathly Murder Castle in the late 1800s. Holmes purchased an empty lot and built a three-story hotel that was referred to as the Castle. Holmes would place ads and offer jobs to women so they could interview for a position at the hotel. What these poor women did not know was that Holmes designed the hotel to be a death trap. It was filled with trap doors, soundproof rooms, and chutes that carried victims down to his personal laboratory. It is said that those who entered the Castle would never exit. When he was finally caught and arrested, Holmes confessed to killing 27 people. However, many believe that his real victim count could be as high as 200 people. He was sentenced to death and executed on May 7th, 1896. Just a few before Holmes opened his hotel in Chicago, a killer was causing chaos in the city of London. A murderer, who is now one of the most famous in history, was given the name Jack The Ripper when one mysterious figure went around killing women in the slums of London. One of the most significant parts of Jack The Rippers story is that he was never identified, and his killings came to a rather sudden halt in 1888. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Many nations around the world have lost heads of state due to various reasons while they are still in office. Some got sick. Some were assassinated. A handful have died in plane crashes. Here is a rundown of five of those presidents who have died in plane crashes: Boris Trajkovski (Macedonia) On February 26, 2004, the President of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, was on his way to Bosnia and Herzegovina when the plane he was passenger of crashed. None of the other passengers and crew survived the plane crash. Trajkovski had been serving as president since November 19, 1999. According to a report by Al Jazeera, "Officials in Bosnia said the president's official executive jet appeared to have smashed into a mountain in fog." Lech Kaczynski (Poland) Lech Kaczynski became the President of Poland December 23, 2005, and was still in office when he passed away. He was one of the passengers of a Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft that crashed on April 10, 2010 near Smolensk, Russia. The Kaczynski and the other 95 passengers and crew onboard perished. The other passengers include his wife Maria Kaczynska and senior military figures. According to a report by The Guardian, there are those who believe that the crash was a result of foul play. Related Article: ICYMI, Flight Bound for Turkey Aborted as Passengers Receive Plane Crash Photos in Their Phones l Habyarimana (Rwanda) and Cyprien Ntaryamira (Burundi) You are probably wondering why these two presidents are together in one entry on this list. That is because these two heads of state died in the same plane crash. Yes, you read that right. Juvenal Habyarimana became President of Rwanda on July 5, 1973, while Cyprien Ntaryamira became the president of Burundi on on February 5, 1994. Both presidents were still in office when they died. According to an entry in Google Arts and Culture, a plane carrying both presidents was shot down on April 6, 1994, with surface-to-air missiles. The plane was already preparing to land in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. No one survived the plane crash. The assassination of both presidents, particularly of Habyarimana, is said to have triggered the Rwandan genocide. Samora Machel (Mozambique) When Mozambique gained its independence, Samora Machel became its first president in 1975. He was president from June 25, 1975, until the day of his death. On the fateful day of October 19, 1986, the president was on his way back to Mozambique from a summit held in Zambia. He and the other passengers and crew boarded a Tupolev TU 134A to make the trip, according to South African History Online. However, before the plane could reach the capital of Maputo, it crashed in the Lebombo mountains near Mbuzini, South Africa. Machel did not survive, but nine other passengers did. As of press time, it has not been determined if there was foul play involved in President Machel's death. Read Also: 3 Plane Crashes That Have Made It to the Guinness World Records Archeologists find tomb of Saint Nicholas, 4th century bishop and inspiration for Santa Claus St. Nicholas was persecuted for his faith under Emperor Diocletian but lived to see Constantine rise to power Archeologists have found the tomb that holds the remains of Saint Nicholas underneath an ancient church in Turkey. Nicholas, who became the basis for the Christmas character Santa Claus, died more than 1,600 years ago. This is an extremely important discovery, the first find from that period, Fox News quoted Osman Eravsar, chairman of the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, as saying about the discovery in a church in the Demre town in southern Turkey. After rising sea levels in the Mediterranean submerged the church, a second church was built there centuries later. Now we have reached the remains of the first church and the floor on which Saint Nicholas stepped, Eravsar said, according to The Daily Mail. The tiling of the floor of the first church, on which Saint Nicholas walked, has been unearthed. Researchers have been examining the foundations of the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre for decades. They also recently uncovered a fresco of Jesus at the site. When the screed floor slab laid in the 1970s was removed where it was, an excavation was carried out to find out whats under it, Eravsar explained. The result was an early fourth century floor covering of the church. In 2017, when archeologists found the tomb but couldnt confirm, The Daily Sabah newspaper noted that the finding was considered surprising, as the remains of St. Nicholas were believed to have been smuggled to the Italian city of Bari by Italian merchants in the year 1087. The Santa Claus Museum, formerly an ancient church with a sarcophagus attributed to the Christmas saint is located in the town of Demre, added the news site. A fourth century bishop who lived under the Roman Empire, St. Nicholas was persecuted for his faith under Emperor Diocletian but lived to see Constantine come to power and legalize Christianity. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died Dec. 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave, notes the St. Nicholas Center. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6 (Dec. 19 on the Julian Calendar). Many stories have emerged about Nicholas generosity, with these tales eventually helping to form the mythology of the modern Santa Claus. According to History, St. Nicholas was introduced into American popular culture toward the end of the 18th century when groups of Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of his death. The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick's Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). Christian evangelist awarded $11,000 for arrest; police apologize The Metropolitan Police in London has apologized for falling "below standards" in the case of a Christian evangelist who was wrongfully arrested twice while preaching the Gospel at the city's Speakers' Corner. Hatun Tash, who critiques and debates the Quran and Islam at Central London's Speakers' Corner, has received 10,000 (about $11,304) in compensation and costs, the Christian Legal Centre announced Friday. In late September, Inspector of the Metropolitan Police Directorate of Professional Standards Civil Actions Unit, Andy O'Donnell, sent Tash a letter formally apologizing for service that fell below the department's "requisite standard." "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you for the distress that you have suffered as a consequence of these incidents," O'Donnell wrote. "I hope that settlement of this claim and this recognition of the impact of what happened will enable you to put these incidents behind you." The police arrested Tash, the director of the ministry Defend Christ Critique Islam, in May 2021 and December 2020 at Speakers' Corner, a traditional site for public speeches and debates. In the first instance, Tash was assaulted, abused and harassed by a group of Islamic men for wearing a t-shirt featuring a picture of Muhammad while participating in weekly debates, according to the Christian Legal Centre, which represents Tash. When officers asked the group to leave, they refused and continued to intimidate Tash, as was seen in a video. The officers then requested Tash to leave, and when she refused, they arrested her. In the second instance, officers cited COVID-19 regulations to detain Tash after she encouraged officers not to hinder another preacher's right to free speech. Two months later, Tash was stabbed in front of police at the same location by a man in a black Islamic robe in broad daylight. No arrest has been made, according to CLC. "Police inaction has led to what happened to me," Tash told the media at the time. "It is heartbreaking that we live in a society where police do not want to arrest a Muslim for fear of being called Islamophobic." Tash has donated the settlement payout to the CLC. She hopes this is "just the beginning of the police doing more to protect Christian freedoms and free speech at Speakers' Corner." "The police have repeatedly taken away my rights and told me that they cannot protect me because they do not want to offend a certain group of people, which has been very disturbing. "I believe Jesus Christ is the good news for Muslims, the police and the world. Police need to protect my rights as l tell others this good news. My hope is that many Muslims will come to faith in Jesus," she said in a statement. "More must be done to properly deal with Islamic violence and intimidation at Speakers' Corner. We don't live in Pakistan; we don't live in Saudi Arabia. I am Christian, and by default, I believe that Muhammad is a false prophet. I should be allowed to say that in the UK without being stabbed or repeatedly arrested." In his apology letter, O'Donnell said that "MPS constantly strives to maintain the highest professional standards" but "incidents occasionally arise when the level of service falls below that standard." "This pay-out to Hatun is a rare admission by the police that they got it wrong," CLC Chief Executive Andrea Williams said in a statement. "If Hatun is silenced by violence at Speakers' Corner, we are all silenced." Last August, a court ruled that Hazel Lewis, a 50-year-old preacher arrested under the Public Order Act while preaching outside Finsbury Park tube station in North London last February, had not been threatening or abusing. The accusation against the preacher included that she had made a child cry and used threatening language as she told one of the accusing men that he was "an advocate of Satan." In July 2021, evangelist and missionary Ryan Schiavo was arrested in London for preaching that homosexuality is a sin. He later told The Christian Post that "things are getting very bad" in the United Kingdom and other Western countries. Last May, Pastor John Sherwood, the 71-year-old minister of the Penn Free Methodist Church in north London, was arrested for preaching about the biblical definition of marriage being between one man and one woman from Genesis 1. Pastor kills himself during rape trial A 51-year-old Georgia pastor on trial for several charges, including the rape of a minor, killed himself during a court recess. The deceased, identified as Christopher Daron Smith, former pastor of Word of Truth Outreach Ministries in Columbus, took his own life during a five-minute recess given by the judge during the trial before the last witness was to be heard Wednesday, WTVM reported, citing Smiths defense attorney, Shevon Thomas II. Smith, who killed himself behind Thomas office at a government center courtroom, was arrested in 2019 on charges of child molestation after a police standoff, wherein he barricaded himself inside a home with a firearm and threatened to shoot himself, Church Leaders said, adding he eventually surrendered peacefully. Outside of funerals, Ive never seen a dead body before. My first thought was shock. I was yelling at him to get up, telling him to get up. My mind was racing a million miles a minute, Thomas was quoted as saying. The attorney added that he would continue to pray. This is only the second trial that I have had, and for it to end this way, I just couldnt see it coming. Smith, who faced life in prison if convicted, was on trial in Superior Court Judge Maureen Gottfrieds courtroom on two counts of aggravated child molestation, child molestation, sodomy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, The Ledger-Enquirer reported. Smiths attorney had sought a mistrial based on a witness sequestration issue, but the judge denied the motion. Thats when he requested a short break so that Smith could walk to his car to retrieve his glasses. But he never returned. After Thomas found his body, Gottfried dismissed the jury to end the trial. Gunmen kill Christian woman, daughter in attack on church service in Nigeria Police in Nigeria are searching for suspects who stormed a church near the capital city of Abuja and shot dead a woman and her young daughter who were attending a Sunday worship service where several other churchgoers were injured. It's believed it was a targeted attack. The gunmen arrived on a motorcycle and attacked the Celestial Church in Kogi states Lokoja area, about 65 miles from Abuja, last Sunday, the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian reported. When they entered, they started shooting at everyone outside the church, a witness was quoted as saying. I went and hid inside a cassava farm, the witness added, comparing the incident to an action film. Speaking to journalists, Jerry Omodara, Kogi states top security official, confirmed the attack and the consequent death of two people but did not comment on the affiliation of the gunmen. It looked like it was organized against that particular church, because their altar was burned with petrol they went with, The Associated Press quoted Omodara as saying. Another senior police officer, SP William Ovye-Aya, was quoted as saying, There was a distress call made to our command over the attack, which left two female worshipers dead, and several others injured. On getting the alert, our command quickly deployed a response team to the area with a view to restoring normalcy in the area and arresting the perpetrators. About a week after the attack, its not known if the suspects have been arrested, or even identified. This was the second targeted attack on a church in Lokoja area in three weeks, the newspaper said. In late July, the Evangelical Church Winning All said in a report that suspected Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists had killed six of its pastors and kidnapped 27 others from the church group over the past seven months. Northern Nigeria has been engulfed by terrorist attacks carried out by Muslim extremists who invade predominantly Christian communities, Mac Philips, a coordinator of ECWAs Evangelical Missionary Society told Morning Star News at the time. In May, unidentified terrorists killed two Catholic priests in the states of Kaduna and Edo. Also in May, the Islamic State terrorist group released a video showing the execution of 20 Christian civilians in Borno State in revenge for the killing of their leader in Syria by the United States special forces in February. The video, released by an IS-linked news outlet, showed a masked militant executing a Christian civilian while saying it was revenge for the killing of their leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, an Iraqi Islamic terrorist and the second caliph of the Islamic State. On Pentecost Sunday earlier this year, gunmen suspected to be Islamic Fulani herdsmen barged into St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, in southwestern Nigeria, opened fire and detonated explosives while the congregation was celebrating Mass, killing at least 50 worshipers, including women and children. Catholic News Agency has noted that more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country worldwide at least 4,650 in 2021, and nearly 900 in the first three months of 2022 alone. Travel: 3 places to visit this fall The fall shoulder season is arguably the best time of the year to travel. Regardless of whether you postponed travel for the better part of three years because of coronavirus or you decided to avoid the crowds of summer, the following three places in no particular order are perfect to visit as the pages of the calendar turn and the weather becomes crisper. Arlington, Virginia Arlington is a place that people visit without ever knowing. Located directly across the Potomac River from the countrys capital of Washington, D.C., this is where Reagan National Airport is located. Airport notwithstanding, Arlington is a destination in its own right with plenty for visitors to see and do. In fact, it is home to five major memorials and monuments, including the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial and the U.S. Air Force Memorial. The big draw is Arlington National Cemetery, which contains both the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the grave of slain President John F. Kennedy. The cemetery is also where you find Confederate General Robert E. Lees Arlington House. If you go: Stay at the Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport. Beverley, England Surrounded by the Yorkshire countryside, Beverley is one of those classic English towns. Towering over the town is Beverley Minster, a Gothic masterpiece that rivals many cathedrals in bother grandeur and size. The twin-towered church is so impressive that it has been used by filmmakers as a double for Westminster Abbey in London the royal peculiar that most recently hosted the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Much of the similarity comes from the mid-15th century towers, which the acclaimed church architect Nicholas Hawksmoor used for inspiration when designing the abbeys west towers in the first half of the 18th century. As with so many other medieval churches and cathedrals, Beverley Minster underwent significant change during the Reformation, when the old religion of Roman Catholicism and its trappings of chantry chapels, statuary and saintly relics were lost, sold or otherwise destroyed. Among the surviving period fabric are an Anglo-Saxon stone chair next to the high altar that once upon a time provided a form of sanctuary for criminals who sat in it, the Norman-era baptismal font and 68 exquisite carvings under the hinged seats of the quire stalls. If you go: Stay at The Kings Head, which overlooks where Beverleys weekly Saturday market is held. Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is the dictionary definition of a Southern town. While it is quintessentially Southern, it is also a vibrant college town, thanks to the University of Mississippi. For many, the big draw is Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner. The acclaimed writer used Oxford and surrounding Lafayette County as the setting for the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. Beyond all things literary, Oxford is anchored by the Square and a postbellum county courthouse. Facing the courthouse are a mixture of eateries and old-school shops frequented by a mix of students, professors, college administrators and even retirees attracted to Mississippis low taxes. There are also two notable antebellum churches connected to Faulkner: St. Peters Episcopal Church, a handsome Gothic Revival brick edifice near the Square, and College Hill Presbyterian, a Greek Revival kirk. The minister of College Hill married Faulkner, an Episcopalian, and his wife, a divorcee. If you go: Stay at the Graduate Oxford Hotel. Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post. Christian baker who refused to bake cake for lesbian wedding prevails in court A court has ruled that the Christian owner of Tastries Bakery in California acted lawfully when she refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple and instead referred them to a different bakery, citing her sincere religious belief that marriage is intended to be between one man and one woman. Catharine Cathy Millers only motivation, at all times, was to act consistent with her sincere Christian beliefs about what the Bible teaches regarding marriage, Kern County Judge Eric Bradshaw wrote in the verdict, The Bakersfield Californian reported Saturday. That motivation was not unreasonable, or arbitrary, nor did it emphasize irrelevant differences or perpetuate stereotypes, the judge added, concluding that the state's Department of Fair Housing and Employment failed to prove Miller intentionally discriminated against Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio five years ago in violation of Californias Unruh Civil Rights Act. Its been a long five years, Miller was quoted as saying. Im hoping that in our community we can grow together and we should understand that we shouldnt push any agenda against anyone else. On Facebook, the bakery wrote, We appreciate your prayers and support as we joyfully continue to do business with you in the future. The Thomas More Society, which supported Miller in the lawsuit, called it a First Amendment victory. Theres a certain irony there, that a law intended to protect individuals from religious discrimination was used to discriminate against Cathy for her religious beliefs, said Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society Special Counsel and partner at LiMandri & Jonna LLP. Cathy believes in the Bible, noted Jonna, noting that Miller was harassed by opposing attorneys for her adherence to its teachings. In February, State Attorney Gregory Mann asked Miller, Do you try to follow everything that the Bible says? Miller responded, I do my best, but Im a sinner, but I do my best. Mann then asked, Do you follow some of the eating practices from the Old Testament in terms of not eating pigs, not eating shellfish, et cetera? Jonna pointed out that the state questioned the sincerity of Millers faith. The fact that they called Millers open and sincerely held beliefs into question is almost as disturbing as quibbling over her status as an artist. Del Rio called the ruling disappointing. We anticipate that our appeal will have a different result, she was quoted as saying. When Eileen Del Rio wrote about the incident on Facebook in 2017, it led to a flood of criticism against Miller, so much so that she said she had to temporarily take down the Tastries Bakery website and Facebook page. The state's Department of Fair Employment and Housing later petitioned the court to issue a restraining order against Miller and her bakery to force the company to make cakes for same-sex weddings or stop making wedding cakes altogether if she refused. My conscience doesnt allow me to participate in certain activities that are contrary to my biblical beliefs. I pray that we can all come to an understanding so that we can continue to get along, Miller explained at the time. In 2018, Superior Court Judge David Lampe rejected the states petition, saying Millers decision is protected by the First Amendment. After Losing Case, Calif. Still Trying to 'Persecute' Baker Who Refused Gay Wedding Cake, Lawyer Says A law firm representing a Christian baker who recently earned a legal victory when a California court ruled she did not have to make a gay wedding cake says the state is still trying to "persecute" their client. California Superior Court Judge David Lampe ruled earlier this month that Cathy Miller of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield had a First Amendment right to refuse to make a same-sex wedding cake for Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio. The Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, the law firm representing Miller, filed a motion last week in response to a likely appeal by the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The Fund labeled the DFEH's litigation a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP), which is a term describing a suit meant to silence or censor an individual or group. The Fund's motion seeks to use California Code of Civil Procedure's statute prohibiting SLAPP lawsuits, found in Section 425.16. "Defendants informed the DFEH that unless they dismissed their civil action, they would file an anti-SLAPP motion and seek their attorneys' fees," read the motion. "The DFEH did not budge. As a result, Defendants brought the present anti-SLAPP motion to strike the DFEH's complaint. The Court should grant the motion, and dismiss this case." According to Charles LiMandri, chief counsel of FCDF, "The State is more interested in persecuting Cathy than honoring the court's well-reasoned ruling, so this motion keeps us on the offensive to protect Cathy's First Amendment rights." Last October, Rodriguez-Del Rios filed a complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Miller over her refusal to make them a gay wedding cake. Last December, Judge Lampe ruled against a request by the DFEH to issue a temporary restraining order against Miller's business. On Feb. 5, Lampe ruled against the state, arguing that Miller's religious objections to making gay wedding cakes is protected by the First Amendment. "Furthermore, here the State minimizes the fact that Miller has provided for an alternative means for potential customers to receive the product they desire through the services of another talented baker who does not share Miller's belief," wrote Lampe. "Miller is not the only wedding cake creator in Bakersfield. The fact that Rodriguez-Del Rios feel they will suffer indignity from Miller's choice is not sufficient to deny constitutional protection." Miller's case comes as the United States Supreme Court considers the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which is centered on a Colorado baker named Jack Phillips and whether he could refuse to make a gay wedding cake due to his sincerely held religious beliefs. The high court heard arguments in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case last December, with a decision expected to be released by late June. This week in Christian history: Siege of Lisbon, World Congress on Evangelism Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance. Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births and notable deaths. Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown by most people. The following pages highlight anniversaries of memorable events that occurred this week Oct. 23-29 in Christian history. They include the consecration of a prominent French cathedral, the taking of Lisbon during the Second Crusade, and the first World Congress on Evangelism. 1 2 3 4 Next Parental Rights Amendment introduced in Congress amid 'grassroots groundswell' A constitutional amendment to protect parental rights was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week amid heightened concerns about the state of public education in the United States. Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., introduced the measure on Tuesday. With Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress, it is unlikely that the amendment will pass before the current session of Congress ends next January. But supporters want to "get the ball rolling" in hopes the 2022 midterms shake up the power dynamics in Congress and statehouses. The proposed amendment contains five sections, with one declaring that "the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children is a fundamental right." The proposal also contends that "the parental right to direct education includes the right to choose, as an alternative to public education, private, religious, or home schools, and the right to make reasonable choices within public schools for one's child." "Neither the United States nor any State shall infringe these rights without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served," the proposed amendment continues. "The parental rights guaranteed by this article shall not be denied or abridged on account of disability. This article shall not be construed to apply to a parental action or decision that would end life." In a statement, Lesko said she believes the amendment is necessary to "protect parents" from left-leaning school board officials and "government bureaucrats" who have "actively worked to undermine parental rights and eliminate educational choices for families." As a proposed constitutional amendment, the Parental Rights Amendment has a higher threshold to clear than most legislation before it can take effect. It must secure the support of two-thirds of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, and then three-fourths of the state legislatures must ratify it. The Parental Rights Amendment, crafted by the advocacy group ParentalRights.org, has been introduced in every U.S. Congress dating back to the 110th Congress, which convened from 2007-2008. In an interview with The Christian Post, Will Estrada of ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation said introducing the amendment in the current session will "get the ball rolling so we can hit the ground running" in the 118th U.S. Congress, which begins Jan. 3. "This is the first time that the amendment has been introduced when everybody across the country has been talking about parental rights," he said. "But the thing that's different this time is [parental rights] was not a high priority among the general population for the longest amount of time. That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when parents were home from work, working from home, when kids were doing Zoom school at the kitchen table and parents were disappointed ... with the quality of public education." Estrada told CP, "the moment has arrived where parents across the political spectrum are upset that their right to direct the education, upbringing and care of their children has not been respected." "[W] e're seeing a groundswell for parental rights that we've never seen before in the history of ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation," he stressed. Estrada told CP that he and other advocates are already discussing with allies in Congress about holding House subcommittee hearings, full committee hearings and voting the amendment out of committee in the 118th Congress. While the U.S. House held hearings on the Parental Rights Amendment in 2012 and 2014, the U.S. Senate has never held such hearings. He predicted that the U.S. Senate will introduce a separate version of the Parental Rights Amendment in the 118th U.S. Congress, noting that it has an additional provision not present in the House version proclaiming that "no United Nations treaties shall be ratified that alter or abridge the fundamental right of parents." "I am optimistic that will change in the next Congress," Estrada remarked. While U.S. Supreme Court precedent dating back to 1923 recognizes the importance of parental rights, Estrada believes parents "can't just rely on Supreme Court precedent." "It should be enshrined in the text of the Constitution to show that it is such an important right," he asserts. Jim Mason, chairman of the board for ParentalRights.org, cited the current political climate surrounding the role of parents in education as evidence that a Parental Rights Amendment is needed. "The Supreme Court in 1923 said 'the child is not the mere creature of the State,' but many of today's bureaucrats have lost sight of that," he said in a statement. Estrada said "discussions and battles in public schools and school boards over who's going to make decisions for minor children" suggests that the right of parents to determine how to "raise their children, educate their children, care for their children, [and] make medical decisions for their children" are being infringed. In 2020, Estrada's organization contested a law passed in Washington, D.C., allowing students 11 and older to consent to vaccinations in schools. The law prohibits insurance companies from stating in an explanation of benefits that the children had been immunized. The advocacy group secured a preliminary injunction in federal district court, blocking the policy. The District of Columbia declined to appeal. Parents nationwide have expressed concern about some school district policies that prevent parents from being informed if their child identifies as the opposite sex at school. "Parents love their kids more than any government official who's paid to be there," Estrada said. "[T]hey would lay down their life for their children, and they knew their children better than even the most well-meaning government official." Estrada acknowledged that "amending the Constitution is not something that should be done lightly" and characterized the process for passing the Parental Rights Amendment as a "journey of 1,000 miles." His advocacy organization will rely on a "grassroots groundswell of parents in all 50 states." "We're urging our grassroots to call their U.S. representative, ask him or her to cosponsor the Parental Rights Amendment since this is something that everyone can join in with," Estrada said. The Parental Rights Amendment has secured the support of the religious liberty law firm Alliance Defending Freedom, which has won several religious freedom cases before the Supreme Court. "Parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children," ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Advocacy Strategy Emilie Kao asserted in a statement endorsing the effort. "Sadly, as parents have stood before local school boards and state legislatures across the country to claim that right, they've been met by government officials who declare themselves the ultimate determiners of what's best for children. This includes growing instances of schools actively hiding controversial curricula and critical information about children's mental and physical health from parents." ParentalRights.org supports similar protections at the state level. Data compiled by the advocacy organization reveals that 15 states have statutes that define and protect parental rights: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. The group identified 19 states that do not have statutory protections for parental rights but whose courts have effectively treated parental rights as fundamental rights: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin. California, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon and South Dakota have neither statutory nor court-enforced protections for parental rights while it is unclear whether courts in Nebraska, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have courts that recognize parental rights as fundamental rights. Baptist church denies breaking the law after hosting Idaho GOP rally A Baptist church in Idaho is pushing back against criticism after being accused by an atheist group of "breaking the law" by hosting a GOP rally. The Idaho Republican Party held its "Keep Idaho Red" rally at First Baptist Church (FBC) in Coeur d'Alene on Monday, drawing what the GOP described as a "packed house." The event featured Idaho GOP chairwoman Dorothy Moon, along with statewide and federal candidates, as part of what the Idaho GOP called a "fun, family-friendly rally" to offer "folks the opportunity to hear from our entire slate of candidates from the top of the ticket to your local officials all in one place." An Oct. 17 tweet from Idaho GOP reads: "Packed house tonite [sic] at our #KeepIdahoRed Rally in CDA. Thank you First Baptist Church for opening your doors, to our GOP candidates for being there to speak, to voters for attending & most importantly thank you to our hardworking volunteers who made it happen! #WeAreIdaho #idgop" Packed house tonite at our #KeepIdahoRed Rally in CDA. Thank you First Baptist Church for opening your doors, to our GOP candidates for being there to speak, to voters for attending & most importantly thank you to our hardworking volunteers who made it happen! #WeAreIdaho#idgoppic.twitter.com/l3eKJoldCT Idaho GOP (@IdahoGOP) October 18, 2022 The following day, the organization American Atheists accused FBC of "breaking the law" by hosting the event. The law in question is the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 measure named after then-Senator Lyndon Johnson that prohibits nonprofits from maintaining a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status if they engage in partisan political activism. The group tweeted: "The First Baptist Church in Coeur d'Alene is breaking the law! Report them to the IRS." The group included a link to a page on the IRS website titled "How Do You Report Suspected Tax Fraud Activity?" American Atheists President Nick Fish took it a step further and suggested the Idaho GOP is "just openly bragging about breaking the law now." Under the U.S. tax code, churches and other tax-exempt organizations are "absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of [or in opposition to] any candidate for elective public office." The tax code also states that churches can hold "certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner." A spokesperson for FBC Coeur d'Alene told The Christian Post that the church "did not endorse any specific candidate" during the rally and that the Idaho GOP was allowed to use the facility only after the group "accepted First Baptist Church (FBC) Mission Statement and Bi-laws, and agreed to open the event with prayer, and to remain respectful during the event." According to the spokesperson, FBC allows the use of its facility to groups that agree with the church's mission statement and bylaws and "agree to promote respectful and Christian behavior and beliefs through any use of the facilities. " All events at FBC are also expected to be opened in prayer. "American Atheists and other organizations and groups might be included in the use of our facilities if they meet these conditions," the spokesperson added. Fish did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post. According to Nonprofit Issues, the IRS allows charity organizations that ordinarily rent their facilities to the public to rent facilities to political candidates at standard rates without being deemed to be intervening in a political campaign. Since its enactment, the Johnson Amendment has been a frequent source of controversy for churches and other nonprofits over what some say is a denial of the First Amendment right to take political stances. In 2017, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding more leniency for churches defying the Johnson Amendment, but it was not officially repealed. A teaser image of SBS' "Besties in Wonderland If I Go Only Once" / Courtesy of SBS By Kwak Yeon-soo As the world opens back up, broadcasters are on board to shoot travel reality shows overseas. Countries worldwide, including Korea, have been lifting border control regulations related to the pandemic recently. This month, two shows that feature the cast traveling abroad were unveiled. KBS' travel show "Battle Trip," which ended its four-year run in April 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19, has returned with season 2. The first two episodes of "Battle Trip 2," which aired on Oct. 15 and 22, showed Aiki and Gabee's trip to Vietnam and Yerin and Kim Hee-jung's trip to Thailand, respectively. "The cast have travel tips that are as good as travel experts. Our show will provide a perfect guide to how to travel in an endemic world with insider tips and destination information," the show's production team said. SBS will launch "Besties in Wonderland If I Go Only Once," starring EXO's Suho, actors Lee Kyu-hyung, Lee Sang-yi, Lim Ji-yeon, Lee You-young and Cha Seo-won on Oct. 27. Except for Lee Kyu-hyung, the remaining cast are alumni of Korea National University of Arts. The show, directed by "Law of Jungle" producer Lee Ji-won, will follow the group of actors visiting Queensland, Australia enjoy vacationing. "The cast will experience a wide variety of activities from sea to sky, meet with native animals of the rainforest and explore wildlife in Australia," Lee said. Scenes from KBS' travel reality show "Battle Trip 2" / Courtesy of KBS Destroying a childs future to keep them happy for the moment Many years ago, I saw a cartoon in a magazine depicting a group of people standing around a man who was lying on the ground. Someone was crying out, Is there a doctor in the house? In response, a doctor appeared. But he was not the kind of doctor they needed. It was Dr. Jack Kevorkian, infamous for his support of physician-assisted suicide and with instruments of death in his hand, who came forward to help. This was a cruel joke back then. But in todays world, it is not a joke at all. The doctor you call to help your child in the short-term child might be the doctor who hurts your child in the long-term. In video footage obtained by the Veritas Foundation, Dr. Daniel Metzger, a doctor with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health expressed concern about the regret that researchers are finding among young adults who transition to the opposite sex when they were children without fully understanding the ramifications. Dr. Metzger acknowledged the findings of Dutch researchers and others that many children who transition, upon becoming adults, regret the decision they made. As young teens (or even younger) they assured their doctors and parents that they were fine with the prospect of not having biological children as a result of the proposed treatments, thinking they could easily adopt a child when they got older. But when the time came to adopt, they discovered it wasnt so easy. In other cases, when they realized that having a pet dog was not the same thing as having their own child, reality started to sink in. Yet Dr. Metzger was fully aware of this, stating that these minor children are not really capable of giving informed consent to such life-altering treatments, treatments that will sterilize them (and/or maim them) for life. He said, The Pediatric Endocrinology Society meeting some of the Dutch researchers gave some data about young adults who have transitioned and have reproductive regret. Like, regret, and its there, and I dont think any of that surprises us. How could it surprise them if they were being honest with themselves? Really now, common sense tells us that no 13-year-old girl can fully understand the ramifications of having her healthy breasts removed. No 14-year-old boy can fully understand the ramifications of taking sterilizing hormones. Not only so, but the growing number of destransitioners tells us that the practice of transitioning children is terribly wrong. And a growing body of scientific evidence confirms all this, with several countries now reversing themselves and banning the practice of transitioning children. Why, then, does Dr. Metzger continue to advocate for this terribly dangerous practice? He gives this shocking justification: We try to talk about it [transgenderism], but most of the kids are nowhere in any kind of brain space to talk about it really in a serious way. Thats always bothered me, but you know, we still want the kids to be happy, happier in the moment, right? Seriously? You will sterilize a child for life because you want them to be happier in the moment? You will mutilate their healthy body parts because you want them to be happier for now? This is the kind of thinking responsible parents work against all the time, telling their children they cannot have what they want now because it is not good for them in the long run. This is what parenting is all about: having the long view, not the momentary view. Thats why you dont let your 6-year-old son have chocolate chip cookies for breakfast and ice cream for dinner no matter how much he cries about it. It would make him happier in the moment, but it would be detrimental to his health over the years. Thats why you make your kids go to sleep at certain times, even though they dont want to. And thats why you dont let them watch certain movies, even though theyre in tears, desperate to watch the latest hot flick. This is what responsible parents do. Should we expect anything less from the medical profession? When our two daughters were teenagers, they told my wife and me that we were way too strict, much stricter than their friends parents. I told them to write out a list of what they would do differently if they were the parents, asking them to hold on to the list until they had children of their own. Its something we still laugh about today, with their kids ranging in age from 16 to 21, as their list included things like no curfews and no restrictions of activities of any kind. Thats why we were the parents and they were the children. They were incapable of making some of these critically important decisions at that age, and if we were strict, it was for their long-term good. There are some things you simply cannot take back and some decisions you cannot unmake. Thats why you cannot get a tattoo in most states in America unless you are 18 years old, which makes sense. It is a lifelong decision. As explained on a tattoo website, "If youre excited about getting your first tattoo, you need to know how old you have to be to get a tattoo in the US. There are many reasons why theres an age limit on getting tattoos. The fact that its a commitment you make for life, is one reason why you shouldnt rush into getting inked." "The law doesnt classify you as an adult until your 18th birthday. This means there are restrictions on the decisions youre allowed to make before you turn 18. It may not seem like a positive thing, especially when you desperately want to get a tattoo. However, getting a tattoo isnt something you should do on a whim, so the age requirement can save you from future regret." And this is just about getting a tattoo, which cannot be compared to the chemical castration or genital mutilation of children. Yet today, leading medical professionals, people who are supposed to give you good counsel, people who are supposed to help you and your kids make the best health decisions, are sacrificing the long-term mental, emotional, and physical well-being of your children for their momentary happiness. Is that not a serious form of medical malpractice? 9 errors of the Gospel of self-fulfillment Since the dawn of the positive thinking message of Norman Vincent Peale in the 20th century, there has been an avalanche of preachers teaching variations of this message. (The health and wealth prosperity gospel, name it and claim it, along with various modes of motivational types of preaching.) When the objective is self-fulfillment, the message often reduces the gospel of Christ to appease the narcissistic dreams of half-baked Christians. The following are nine errors of the Gospel of self-fulfillment: 1. The cross of Christ is absent I have read many motivational Christian and secular books from all genres and the one glaring truth missing is the cross of Christ. Jesus told His followers that they had to take up their cross and follow Him (Matthew 16: 24). That is to say, we are called to appropriate the power of the finished work of Calvary to our self-centered desires so we can fulfill His will. (Read Galatians 2:19-20 to see how the Apostle Paul taught the church to apply the cross to their flesh.) The cross is absent from the Gospel of self-fulfillment because it is antithetical to its essence. That is to say, the cross rebuts the notion of attempting to live without suffering as it contradicts the idea of living a life based on self-fulfillment. In reality, God calls us to do many things that we do not like and that do not grant us great happiness. Paul even said that he did not count his life of any value so that he may finish the ministry the Lord gave him (Acts 20:24). 2. It empowers egocentric dreams One of the famous mantras today is that you can be anything you want to be or all our dreams can come true. However, the reality is that not all of our dreams and desires are God-given or grounded in reality. (Reality includes self-awareness regarding ones natural ability and talent.) This kind of teaching makes people disillusioned if their desire is not rooted in God. 3. There is rarely a mention of sin I do not remember reading anything substantive about the consequences of sinful living in the dozens of motivational books I have read. These books and preachers only focus on positive things and rarely mention how the practice of conscious sin can derail a persons calling. Unfortunately, this gives believers the impression that living a holy life is inconsequential to fulfilling their purpose. Of course, scripture teaches us that nothing can be further from the truth (1 Corinthians 10:6-14; Hebrews 3-4). 4. People are not taught to admit weakness. 2 Corinthians 11-12 detail how the Apostle Paul had no issue bragging about his weaknesses. This grounded Paul and his readers in reality and helped them understand how believers need to depend upon the power of Christ to fulfill their calling. Unfortunately, many in the self-fulfillment camp rarely admit their weaknesses in public because it goes against their public personification of perfection, personal victory, and success. 5. It promotes the fallacy of no limitations. I have learned the hard way that I have personal limitations. Understanding my natural and spiritual strengths, proclivities, and weaknesses helps me focus. I do not waste my time trying to walk outside the lane of my assignment and abilities. This flies in the face of those who take Paul out of context and cite, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. In this passage, Paul was not referring to accomplishing whatever he wanted but that he could fulfill Gods calling despite his financial challenges (Philippians 4:10-13). 6. Failure and pain are not part of the process. Another life lesson I have learned is that I cannot avoid pain while fulfilling my purpose in Christ. Sometimes pain is self-inflicted and can be avoided, but often it is out of our control since it has to do with the deleterious actions of others. Also, sometimes we make the wrong decisions that cause us to fail in a particular endeavor. The only person who does not fail is the person who never attempts to do anything challenging. The key to success is not to avoid failure but to fall forward and learn from the experience. 7. The goal is often happiness Many come to church seeking happiness, but happiness is not the top priority God has for us in this life. Our highest calling is to know God and obey Him, not to seek a life of self-fulfillment and pleasure (Philippians 3:3-12). The unhappiest people I know are the ones whose primary motivation in life is to be happy. However, the happiest people on earth are the ones who live to serve God and others. 8. It is individualistic Another grave error of the gospel of self-fulfillment is that it is based upon individual fulfillment and destiny. In Scripture, there is no individual earthly vision, mission, purpose, and destiny. Everything we do is interrelated with other people because we are all part of the same body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Of course, the major exception is when every person stands before the Judgment Seat of Christ. There, we will stand as individuals without the ability to use another person or situation as a scapegoat (2 Corinthians 5:10). 9. It doesnt teach the whole counsel of God. The apostle Paul said that he was free from the blood of all men because he taught them the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27). When we only accentuate certain truths to the exclusion of other truths in the Bible, we are guilty of reflecting the wrong image of God and His Word. Many preachers of the Gospel of self-fulfillment focus on the goodness and love of God to the exclusion of His righteousness, holiness, and justice. Scripture teaches us that righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (or rule); hence when we exclude this side of God, we are left without a divine foundation. In closing, whenever we expose ourselves to only one teaching genre, we become unbalanced and eventually find out our belief does not comport with real-life experience. 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. In recent years, the popularity of post-credential programs has shot up; with much of the demand coming from international students. How Indian students are changing the educational demographic of Canada In recent years, the popularity of post-credential programs has shot up; with much of the demand coming from international students. How Indian students are changing the educational demographic of Canada In recent years, the popularity of post-credential programs has shot up; with much of the demand coming from international students. How Indian students are changing the educational demographic of Canada In recent years, the popularity of post-credential programs has shot up; with much of the demand coming from international students. Asheesh Moosapeta Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A International students are changing the demographics of education in Canada, with Indian international students overwhelmingly leading the charge. Discover your options to study in Canada According to Statistics Canadas September 12th report, the demand for post-college credential programs (PCC) (credentials typically requiring some other form of post-secondary education first to be eligible) has shot up in popularity in Canada, increasing from 6% of all graduations in 2014 to over 13% of all college graduations in 2019. While these PCCs are popular for the career-specific training that they can provide studentsby far the largest explanation for the rise in popularity has been the correlated increase in international students at colleges. International students made up 67% of those graduating with a PCC in 2019, and of these, Indian international students made up 53% of this group. This means that of the 33,200 graduations with a PCC that happened in 2019, over 17,700 of these were to international Indian students. This is a unique phenomenon as for most other educational programs, Indian students represent a minority within the total demographic of graduates in Canada. Immigration outcomes for these students What outcomes did these international students face? Overall, 80% of those who graduated with a PCC in 2015 had obtained permanent residency (PR) within 5 years of graduating. International students often make immigration considerations when choosing their education paths; this can be seen by the comparative percentages of people in a masters program (71%), a non-postgraduate college certificate/credential (69%), and with a bachelors degree (50%) who graduated in 2015 and achieved PR. Of these individuals who achieved PR, Indian students accounted for more than 80% on average of all applicants across these four streams of education, with the highest proportion being those graduating with a PCC (85%). International students from other countries achieved PR at lesser percentages than Indian students, throughout all programs. Wages and work outcomes for these students According to Statistics Canada, international students who graduated with a PCC in 2015 earned $44,000 in 2019. This total was more in line with earnings of those graduating with a bachelors in 2015 ($ 47,000), and more than those with a non-postgraduate college certificate or diploma ($ 38,000). The benefits of a Canadian education Studying in Canada, especially for the purposes of finding work and/or immigrating to the country afterward can be a hugely beneficial move. Not only does a Canadian degree or credential (from a Canadian Designated Learning Institution) carry worthwhile skills and deliver an internationally accredited quality of education (which in turn can help greatly in trying to acquire high-paying work in the Canadian market); but international students in Canada are able to work part-time during their studies (thereby having a means of taking care of themselves). Studying in Canada is also a very strong way to improve ones Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score; the primary way that federal skilled immigration candidates will be assessed by the Canadian government. Canadian international students have multiple immigration pathways open to them, and (as evidenced by the data in this report) can be successful not just within the Canadian job market, but also in their bids for PR. Discover your options to study in Canada CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. By Yi Whan-woo The ratio of national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) in Korea is rising fast, and it will grow more than 2.5 times as much as the combined average of the ratios of the world's 35 advanced economies between 2017 and 2022, a government source said Sunday on condition of anonymity. Citing data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the source said that the national debt-to-GDP ratio of Korea will increase from 40.1 percent to 54.1 percent during the 2017-2022 period. The 14-percent increase is comparable to a 5.5-percent increase among the world's 35 richest countries from 71.6 percent to 77.1 percent in terms of the combined average national debt-to-GDP ratio for the cited period. "The ratio of Korea is still lower than that of the advanced economies, but it is accelerating at much faster level," the source said. The source noted that the ratio curve for the 35 advanced countries has been flattening after peaking in 2020 at 82.8 percent, whereas the curve for Korea on the other hand has been on an upward trajectory. The government source attributed the sharp rise in Korea's national debt to the pandemic stimulus policy embraced by the previous Moon Jae-in administration. In July, the current Yoon Suk-yeol administration announced a plan to shift to a belt-tightening mode in an attempt to reduce the national debt to pre-pandemic levels. Correspondingly, the IMF expects the national debt of Asia's fourth-largest economy will be worth 57.7 percent of its GDP in 2027, slightly down from its previous forecast of 59.8 percent. But it appears that the Yoon administration's belt-tightening policy will fall short of curbing the increase in the national debt-to-GDP ratio in the longer term, as this increase is also driven by Korea having the world's lowest fertility rate and being a rapidly-aging society. The IMF defines the magnitude of the national debt as the sum of debt securities and loans from central and regional governments, plus those from public organizations. Under the same definition, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecast Korea's national debt-to-GDP ratio to reach 150.1 percent in 2060. The Korea Development Institute (KDI), a state-run think tank, and the National Assembly Budget Office each view the scope of national debt to include more narrowly only debt securities and loans from central and regional governments. Nevertheless, the ratio is expected to be 144.8 percent in KDI's forecast and 161 percent in the National Assembly Budget Office's projection for 2060. "The numbers suggest Korea's burden from debt will become about three times larger from 2022," another government source, said, also on condition of anonymity. By Anna J. Park The Financial Services Commission (FSC), along with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and other government agencies, attended the fifth Plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) held in Paris, France, from last Thursday to Friday, joining the international anti-money laundering organization's efforts to fight cross-border crime and terrorism. According to the FSC Sunday, Park Jung-hoon, the Commissioner of Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU), held a meeting with Raja Kumar, the president of the FATF, on the sidelines of the plenary meeting schedule. Park also held bilateral talks with Executive Secretary of the FATF Violaine Clerc, as well as Kevin Vandergrift and Joel Godard, who lead the FATF's Training Institute (TRAIN). The Korean government has voluntarily been paying contributions to the program operations of the FATF TRAIN. During the meeting, KoFIU chief Park discussed the efficient management of TRAIN programs, while TRAIN leaders expressed gratitude for Korea's contributions to the agency. Both parties also vowed to cooperate consistently on further programs. Meanwhile, the FATF's plenary meeting last week was the first meeting presided over by Raja Kumar, since he began the two-year-term presidency of the organization in July of this year. The participants acknowledged the anti-money laundering agency's strengthened standards on authorities' approach to information, transparency and asset recovery, meaning the return of illicit proceeds by criminals to crime victims. The international organization's members also approved a project report on the impact of illicit proceeds generated from the supply chains of fentanyl and related synthetic opioids. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. This file photo, provided by Korea's trade ministry, shows then-Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, left, and the Gulf Cooperation Council's Secretary-General Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf posing for a photo after their agreement to resume talks for a free trade agreement in Riyadh on Jan. 19. Yonhap Korea and a group of Arab countries will hold another round of negotiations for their free trade deal next week, Seoul's trade ministry here said Sunday. Korea and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will begin the sixth round of official talks for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Seoul on Monday for a five-day run, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The GCC involves six countries the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. Various issues will be on the table during the upcoming meeting, including goods and services trading, country of origin, digital trade and intellectual property rights, the ministry said. Korea and the GCC resumed FTA negotiations earlier this year following a 13-year hiatus, with two related sessions held in March and June, respectively. The two sides agreed to push for a trade deal in 2007 and had three rounds of talks between 2008 and 2009. But their negotiations had stalled as the council announced a suspension in 2010. Trade volume between the two sides came to $46.6 billion in 2020, according to government data. (Yonhap) The top diplomats of Korea and Austria expressed hope for the expansion of cooperation between the two sides as they had talks here Sunday. Speaking at the outset of the meeting with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, Foreign Minister Park Jin said his government would like to further strengthen the bilateral "strategic partnership" forged in 2021. In that sense, Park said, Schallenberg's visit to Seoul is "very timely" as a "very important opportunity" for the development of the ties. He added that the two countries are close friends and partners for cooperation, marking the 130th anniversary this year of forging diplomatic relations. The Austrian minister pointed out the two nations have much in common in terms of open society and trade. (Yonhap) So it has happened. After all the various claims from the Boris Johnson camp, their man has dropped out of the latest Tory leadership race. Rishi Sunak is effectively Prime Minister. It is of course sad for Boris, but by a wide margin the best outcome for the country. The prospect of Rishi and Boris Johnson going down to the wire was a deeply alarming one. Britain has got what it so sorely needs a clear result, around which warring Tory factions can, with luck, settle and coalesce. A deal between the two candidates was never on the cards. The danger was that Rishi would easily win the vote among Tory MPs but that the result would be reversed in the ballot of Conservative Party members. There could have been a stand-off in which some of Mr Sunak's supporters refused to accept Mr Johnson as leader. Now that Boris Johnson has dropped out of the latest Tory leadership race, Rishi Sunak is effectively Prime Minister That would have led to chaos, and the inevitable fall of the Government followed by a landslide Labour victory. The Tories might have been finished for a generation. Now there is some hope. For all Boris's qualities, the truth is that Rishi was the stronger of the two contestants. I discount Penny Mordaunt as being inexperienced, and very possibly (like Liz Truss) not up to the job. In different, happier circumstances, Boris might have deserved another chance. He is a man of immense and unusual gifts as well as considerable flaws whom it is not easy to reject. Yet this turbulent and divisive man shouldn't now be leader of our country. Britain is in a mess. Putin has created an energy crisis. The pandemic has thrown the public finances into disarray. And for the past few weeks Liz Truss has taken us on a mad, and wholly unnecessary, white-knuckle ride on a big dipper that has further frayed our already jangled nerves. What most of us long for, I submit, is calm, stability and competence which is what Rishi Sunak offers. He understands numbers and economics which Boris emphatically does not. Somehow the sight on Saturday of the blond bombshell bounding off his aeroplane at Gatwick made me yearn for peace and quiet. So did that picture yesterday of the rather manic-looking ex-prime minister, with one thumb in the air and a pugnacious expression inviting us to join him on the next phase of his journey. Not for me, thank you. Not now. The prospect of Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson going down to the wire was a deeply alarming one Whereas Rishi's presence in No 10 will soothe the markets, the sight of the free-spending Boris back in his old job would have rattled them. Rishi offers us hope that this convulsive period in our national life which has lasted pretty much since the 2016 EU Referendum might not go on for ever. To be specific: Mr Sunak has a chance of re-uniting the Tory Party, and healing some of its wounds, because, unlike Boris, he is not viscerally hated by a sizeable chunk of its MPs. This is a crucial point in his favour. Moreover, although Rishi is often said, wrongly I think, to be on the Left of the party, he has attracted the support of several key figures on the Right, including rising star Kemi Badenoch, Steve Baker, Suella Braverman and Boris's former chum, Lord Frost. All of them are solid Brexiteers. Consider this point. If Rishi Sunak were the Establishment patsy that his detractors have alleged, I don't believe he would have backed Brexit in 2016. As a young MP who had only been in Parliament a year, he had much to lose by offending the pro-Remain party hierarchy. Naturally, I don't think he's perfect. As Chancellor during the pandemic, he was chiefly responsible for the furlough scheme, which covered 80 per cent of salaries up to a cap of 2,500 a month. It lasted too long and was too generous. Tens of billions were squandered on other ill-conceived Covid measures such as Test and Trace or lost to fraud. Some of the 400 billion Covid debt that has been built up in proportion to the size of Britain's economy, one of the largest in the world could have been avoided with more prudent management. I discount Penny Mordaunt as being inexperienced, and very possibly (like Liz Truss) not up to the job But as Prime Minister at the time, Boris Johnson should also accept responsibility for this extravagance. In fact, he was a more fervent evangeliser for lockdown than Mr Sunak, who resisted calls for a third misguided episode last December after the Omicron variant was detected. Another error that can reasonably be laid at Rishi's door is the rise earlier this year in National Insurance. Its recent reversal is virtually the only positive achievement of Liz Truss's administration. Britain was the only major economy to raise taxes in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and with an energy crisis looming. That was Rishi's decision, with Boris, despite some qualms, offering covering fire. My argument is not that everything that Mr Sunak has touched has turned to gold. He was a competent rather than an outstanding Chancellor. But he has shown that he understands the markets, and correctly forecast their panicky reaction to Liz Truss's unfunded tax cuts. By the way, one argument sometimes deployed against Rishi namely that he was Boris's ruthless assassin is overdone. Didn't Margaret Thatcher connive in the removal of Ted Heath as PM, and indeed Boris Johnson in the defenestration of Theresa May? It is admittedly true that Mr Sunak is an unknown quantity as the occupant of No 10, whereas Boris's strengths and defects are known to all of us. The truth is that Rishi hasn't been given the opportunity to show he can be an effective national leader. It is a risk we have to take, as we do with all new prime ministers. For the past few weeks Liz Truss has taken us on a mad, and wholly unnecessary, white-knuckle ride on a big dipper Ah, I hear some Boris supporters say, what about the polls over the weekend suggesting that Boris would do better than Rishi against Sir Keir Starmer? My answer is that no one can know. How well Mr Sunak does in two years' time will be determined by how successfully he grapples with the daunting economic problems that face us. It was far too early for Boris Johnson to return, though his time could conceivably come again. His failings are fresh in the electorate's mind, and his achievements not yet sufficiently treasured. The admittedly biased Commons committee investigating whether he misled the House has barely begun its inquiries. At a moment when the country craves stability, the return of Boris Johnson would have brought more tumult and discord. I don't doubt he would have done some things right if given the chance, but he was too divisive a figure to run this country in its present disrupted condition. If he and Rishi had been able to make a deal and unite the Tory Party, that would obviously have been splendid. But it wasn't realistic. Rishi couldn't contemplate being subservient to Boris, and Boris was unable to imagine being inferior to Rishi. Now that Rishi Sunak is on track to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, there is a hope I put it no more strongly of measured, stable government. The Conservative Party has an infinitely better chance of holding together than it would have done if Boris Johnson had won. This country has been crying out for calm and competence. Rishi Sunak is the only person who can bring our long national nervous breakdown to an end. Another used on impressive show with carved pumpkins and suspended ghosts Horror enthusiasts have shared the very spooky decorations they've come across ahead of Halloween. From zombies crawling on the lawn to a headless horseman holding a pumpkin and ghosts galore, these people from the US have gone all out with their hair raising decorations, with the best ones making their way to trivia website Bored Panda. One person built a very impressive headless horseman decoration on their front lawn. Meanwhile, another person propped skeletons dressed as pirates outside of their house, with the buccaneers drinking and singing merrily. Another evil genius from Chicago stuffed bags made of duct tape and dressed them as zombie version of their friends in order to create a zombie invasion on their lawn. From zombies crawling on the lawn to a headless horseman holding a pumpkin and ghosts galore, these people from the US have gone all out with their hair raising decorations, with the best ones making their way to trivia website Bored Panda. Pictured: skeletons dressed as pirates A very creative person created a beautiful headless horseman holding a pumpkin on their lawn Hell's fire! Someone made their mantel piece the central part of their Halloween decorations with skulls and evil pumpkin Spookalicious! A homeowner from Iowa decorated their house with this display. They had to import it from Florida Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! These inventive neigbhors came up with an intricate display inspired by the Tim Burton character One neighbor attached a balloon to a sewage grate in a hint at Stephen King's horror masterpiece It In Georgia, these ghosts made of shredded sheets and holding hands put on a ghoulish display A horror fan, from Idaho, decorated their balcony with a plethora of carved pumpkins and ghosts One reveler got into the spirit by creating a spooky display where Barbie dolls could be seen carrying a corpse Legend has it, the skeleton is still waiting for the road assistance team to come help them with their car Enter if you dare! A New Yorker decked their hall with carved pumpkins, lanterns and candles as well as a ghostly creature I got a bone to pick with you! A very creative homeowner decorated their lawn with a couple of skeletons walking their dogs Want to hear a campfire story? Someone from Maryland shared their grandmother's very spooky decorations Another evil genius from Chicago stuffed bags made of duct tape and dressed them as zombie version of their friends in order to create a zombie invasion on their lawn But with cosy season in full swing she picks out her best autumnal styles With the cosy season well and truly a gogo, I wanted to highlight what is hitting the right notes for me this autumn after letting off steam about a few bugbears first The M-word! Its been building for months but weve suddenly hit peak menopause. I cant scroll social media without bumping into someone who wants to discuss it all at great length. Of course, its tremendous that we can talk openly about symptoms and without embarrassment; discussions that have no doubt helped many through an uncomfortable and confusing time. But I think theres a danger of defining ourselves by our ovaries. As a fortysomething friend, planning to return to work after three children, told me: Now they are all in school this should be my time to find myself again. But all anyone wants to describe me as is perimenopausal. How is that helpful for me? Joanne Hegarty (pictured) says that the cosy season is now fully upon us. Hitting the right notes this autumn belted jacket by Massimo Dutti. Trousers by Joseph Knitted bibs (yes, really!) Touted as the new stylish accessory, the idea is that you wear one over a shirt or under a coat instead of a scarf. To me, they look as if youre about to dribble. Ew! Bags that look like broccoli and croissants. I kid you not these surreal accessories were big news at the recent fashion shows. Meanwhile, on the set of And Just Like That, which is filming its new season in New York, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) has been seen with a pigeon clutch by JW Anderson. Not chic! On the set of And Just Like That, which is filming its new season in New York, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker, pictured) has been seen with a pigeon clutch by JW Anderson The heiresss new clothes (or lack of them). I loved the outfits in Netflix drama Inventing Anna, based on the life of stylish fake heiress Anna Delvey. So I was disappointed to learn that the real Anna, whos just left prison, has been banned from posting on social media. I know shes done bad things, but how are we going to know what shes wearing now? Now for the pluses Trouser suits and cowboy boots I saw this combo at Paris Fashion Week on former French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt, who opted for a pinstripe suit with her boots. And it looked tres stylish. Copying Nothing looks sexier than a slightly undone satin shirt Satin shirts (slightly undone) Worn under blazers, nothing looks sexier. Im after a navy one. The joy of giving on sharing app Olio. So far Ive donated my sons old play kitchen and two bedside tables, which have been collected by nearby Olio users. The husband thinks hes next. GET STRAPPED IN Pumps, 189, age-of- innocence.com Ballet pumps and Mary-Janes are back in a big way. And The Chic List couldnt be happier. I prefer my ballet flats with a strap, and these red velvet ones from Age of Innocence are festive perfection. FOR LADIES WHO LOUNGE Dressing gown, 85, onehundredstars.co.uk If you like beautiful dressing gowns and luxurious kimonos, check out my go-to brand One Hundred Stars I guarantee youll find something to put on your wish list. THE JEAN GENIUS Jeans, 120, levis.com Consider the straight-leg the new denim choice for your capsule wardrobe. Super versatile, you can pair them with a knit, shirt or blazer and add ankle boots or heels. Swap in an evening top and they are night-out ready. 26 APRIL 2015 Meghan Markle She talked a lot about the dogs The Duchess of Sussex first appeared in YOU when she was 33. Victoria Woodhall, then deputy features editor, recalls: When I said yes to an interview with a little-known US actress for YOUs weekly feature introducing up-and-coming talent, I knew Id have some explaining to do. Who on earth was Meghan Markle, and why would readers care? The Duchess of Sussex first appeared in YOU when she was 33. She was interviewed by Victoria Woodhall, then deputy features editor Unless you were a fan of the US legal drama Suits, which at the time was shown only on Dave in the UK, its unlikely Meghan would have been on your radar. In the US, though, it was a different story the show had six million viewers, and Meghan had been in it since 2011. Victoria was taken aback outside the restaurant where they met. I heard all these flashbulbs go: they were for her. There was definitely a buzz about her. According to Victoria, the future Duchess was very polite, very sweet, very beautiful. They talked about her role model Madeleine Albright, the celebrity interviews (such as Serena Williams) on her blog The Tig, and her rescue dogs: She talked a lot about the dogs. When she appeared on the arm of Prince Harry a year later, Victoria thought, Oh my God! 16 OCTOBER 1994 Kate Moss She turned up very late. Johnny Depp rang her several times' Even though 20-year-old Kate was very late for the YOU photo shoot in New York, she was very professional remembers Shelly Vella, YOUs fashion director Even though 20-year-old Kate was very late for the YOU photo shoot in New York, she was very professional remembers Shelly Vella, YOUs fashion director, who was freelancing for the magazine back then. In the flesh she isnt the Kate you see in the photos shes very unassuming, Shelly says of the session, seen above, littered with Corona beer bottles and Marlboro Lights. At the time, Kate was dating Johnny Depp. Disappointingly for the team, her Hollywood beau did not accompany her to the shoot although he did ring her several times, the calls being fielded by Kates manager. 23 MAY 2010 Rihanna She asked for 20 eggs' Then picture editor Eve George photographed Rihanna several times but what she remembers is Rihanna asking for 20 boiled eggs Then picture editor Eve George photographed Rihanna several times but the occasion that sticks in her mind is when her crew wanted at least 20 boiled eggs for the 22-year-old star. Although Eve obliged, Rihanna turned up fantastically late having stopped off at some fast-food place on the motorway. And the boiled eggs? They went uneaten. 26 AUGUST 1995 Naomi Campbell 'She called me into her cubicle and told me to shave her' At 23-years-old Naomi Campbells first appeared on the cover of YOU in 1993. Two years later, Shelly Vella had an interesting experience with the model Naomi, then 23, first appeared on a YOU cover in October 1993 a shoot Eve George, the then picture editor, says was completely delightful we had a lovely time. Two years later, Shelly Vella then working as a stylist for YOU had a different experience. Having booked the model a suite in Claridges, Naomi was several hours late to the shoot with underwear brand Agent Provocateur. When Naomi finally came down she asked me what my star sign was, says Shelly. I told her Gemini and she instantly warmed to me obviously that was how she gauged people. A little later, Shelly recalls, There was a small changing cubicle and she called me over Shelly, come here! whereupon she handed me a Bic razor. Ill leave the rest of that story to your imagination.' 25 OCTOBER 2009 Taylor Swift Her fans rescued our photo shoot' Taylor Swift was 19 when she appeared in the pages of YOU magazine. She called in the help of her London fans to distract the paparazzi Our London location shoot with Taylor, 19, was spotted both by her fans and the paparazzi. Picture editor Eve George thought, That scuppers it. Then she had an idea: I said to the fans, Every time the paps take pictures, jump up, be in their way, and Ill get you a picture with Taylor. And they did it! 26 AUGUST 2001 Britney Spears I worry she'll be bald at 20' Britneys mother Lynne, who accompanied the 19-year-old on our photo shoot, possibly foretold the stars breakdown six years later (when she shaved her head): Im so tired of putting rinses in her hair, said Lynne. Some mothers worry about their kids doing drugs. I worry shell be bald at 20. 10 MARCH 1985 Helena Bonham Carter Soon it will all be over for me, the fame bit' Helen Bonham Carter was just 18 when she appeared on YOU's cover in 1985 for her leading role in Trevor Nunn's Lady Jane Grey The baby-faced budding star was just 18 when she appeared on YOUs cover in 1985 for her leading role in Trevor Nunns Lady Jane Grey. Although Helena had enjoyed her experience, she wasnt certain that her future lay in acting. I have to be very careful about it now because soon it will all be over, the fame bit. The now Bafta-winning actress went on: I have to think long term. I would say no to another film immediately. If I took another part now my career could easily be dictated by the postman and the offers he might bring. I wouldnt want that. I want to shape my career myself, and I havent decided yet if I want to be an actress.' Theres nothing like going to a wedding to make you reflect on your failed marriage. Thanks to Covid, and my age and stage, I havent sat in the aisles and watched a bride and groom declare their undying love and to forsake all others for almost a decade. It was certainly the first wedding Ive been to with the boyfriend. And, as we sat there, my ten-denier-clad thighs brushing his suited legs, the silence and solemnity made it impossible not to reflect on our own journeys. The unsaid crackled between us. My mind was a tumult of emotions joy, gratitude, hurt, hope. And sadness. Most of the time I sideline the latter but not here. Not listening to the same lines I said all those years ago. It was impossible not to reflect on vows smashed and rings flung back at each other in anger. Rosie Green (pictured) says that a wedding makes her reflect on her failed marriage. The UK-based journalist explains what it was like attending her first wedding with her boyfriend But there was so much joy too. Here was a couple so deeply in love; so grateful to have found each other. The bride radiated happiness and the grooms devotion was obvious. It was touching. Much more informal than my own ceremony, they had written their vows (sweet and not showy) and combined them with short readings. There was no choir, Corinthians or Wagner procession music. But the ceremony took me back to my late 20s when there was a wedding every other week (and a hen do in between). It was a time of dancefloors and party favours, free bars and tiaras. High heels, control underwear and dodgy uncles with ponytails. It was that passage from Captain Corellis Mandolin about love not being the promulgation of promises of eternal passion but what is left over when being in love has burned away. It was travelling to two-star hotels in random locations on a Friday night and nursing pre-wedding hangovers in the morning. It was sliding into the pews in the nick of time, top tables, never-ending speeches, first dances and cakes that cost more than a washing machine. Was my wedding the best day of my life? I dont know if it was. It was brilliant, dont get me wrong, but could I relax? Could I really feel it? I dont think so, mainly because of the weight of expectation loaded on to it. In some ways the formality of the occasion felt restrictive, rather like my Vera Wang dress. My ex-husband and I had more fun on holidays or impromptu get-togethers, more meaningful moments kicking the leaves on a Sunday morning walk or seeing the first smiles of our babies. The occasion was as restrictive as my Vera Wang dress When I reflect on making my vows, I had no doubt at the time that we would be together for ever. But then I didnt anticipate the twists and turns and challenges of life. I didnt know myself or my defence mechanisms. I didnt understand how to voice my needs clearly and neither did he. Ive learnt that what keeps you together isnt a fear of being alone, a sense of duty or even a burning passion. Its about being true to yourself and your needs. And respecting theirs. Even if you do all that, you can still outgrow each other sometimes you are just no longer right together. Today I am more grateful and more self-reflective. Am I cynical about marriage? No way. Am I bitter? Certainly not. I was truly happy for this couple; I wish them well and have every hope they will grow old and grey together. But some things dont change, even decades on. My boyfriend and I were still scribbling the wedding card in the car (emergency buy from the garage). Still quaffing post-ceremony champagne at a rate of five glasses per hour. We still didnt anticipate the food famine (who remembers to eat something before you go?), so the boyfriend consumed table eights bread basket in one minute. And we left it so late to look at the wedding list, the couple now have three tumblers, six silver spoons and a half a duvet from us. Plus ca change, plus cest la meme chose. Controversy surrounding the new series of The Crown is a 'positive' thing for Netflix, a brand and pop culture expert has said following the release of the show's explosive trailer. The comments come as series five, which is set to air on Netflix from November 9, has faced criticism from a number of sources since the release of its trailer, with one royal biographer branding the programme 'deliberately hurtful'. Focusing heavily on the fallout between Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki and King Charles (then Prince of Wales) as portrayed by Dominic West, the new series will showcase a number of low points for the royals, spanning the 90s. Among them are Charles and Diana's marriage breakdown, the late royal's controversial Panorama interview and the notorious tampongate phone call between the King and Queen Consort. But while some have blasted the show, including the Queen Mother's official biographer William Shawcross, who branded the series 'odious' and 'deliberately hurtful', brand and pop culture expert Nick Ede said this controversy will stand it in good stead. Controversy around series five of The Crown is making it 'must watch TV for Netflix', according to a brand expert (pictured: Dominic West playing the role of Charles in the show) Among the controversial storylines, the royal drama will portray the breakdown of Charles and Diana's marriage (pictured: Elizabeth Debicki as Diana) Another low point the series highlights is the 1992 Windsor Castle fire, just one of the things that went wrong during the Queen's 'annus horibilis' He told FEMAIL: 'The controversy and publicity surrounding the new season of the Crown can only be a positive thing for Netflix. 'The Crown has become must watch TV and one of the streamers biggest shows. This publicity will make the brand stand out even more and all eyes will be on it when it is released.' Netflix lost subscribers during the first two quarters of the year, prompting questions about its long-term viability among some. While recent reports show the streaming service has starting gaining subscribers, picking up 2.4 million in the third quarter, growth is still slower than during the beginning of the pandemic. According to Nick Ede, publicity around The Crown, one of the streaming service's most notable shows, could help it grow its customer base further. He said: 'Netflix needs these key moments to keep gaining subscribers and now that the crown feels even more relevant more and more people will want to watch it. 'The crown is always released in the 4 quarter of the year so its not about cashing in its about scheduling. It was always going to be released and always was going to be controversial. Netflix is facing fury over plans to dramatise Princess Diana's final moments before her tragic death in Paris in its new season of The Crown (pictured: Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown, season five) One of the most controversial aspects of the series is how it will tackle the death of Diana, with Netflix facing scrutiny over the decision to recreate the final days of Princess Diana, shooting some scenes in Paris, where she died. According to The Sun, even crew members are concerned in relation to the scenes depicting the lead-up to Diana's death, with one reportedly saying: 'It feels as though a line is being crossed.' Netflix insists Diana's death, in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in central Paris, will not be recreated in the new series. But one set source reportedly told The Sun: 'To be going back to Paris and turning Diana's final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable. Imelda Staunton made her debut as a stern-looking Queen in the midst of her annus horribilis in the trailer for The Crown series 5 which was released by Netflix recently Meanwhile another storyline with show King Charles' relationship with the Queen Consort (played by Olivia Williams) 'The show always tried to present a fictional version of royal history with as much sensitivity as possible. But lately, as things get closer to the present day, it feels harder to strike that balance.' Meanwhile, a production source has said that media outrage over inaccuracies and the lack of sensitivity in airing the series so close to the death of the Queen is 'spooking' the broadcaster. The source said: The show has never been about sensationalism but it has also always been a drama. For the first years it seemed that everyone was happy to tolerate it. The Crown, created and written by Peter Morgan, has been a hit for Netflix since it was first released in 2016. But the source revealed that Morgan had become increasingly uncomfortable as the series of The Crown edged closer to the present day. They said: 'The truth is that it was easier to write the earlier series because, firstly, there is a wealth of historical documentation, plus a consensus over more of what happened, and you can be more broad brush dramatically and people dont find it hurtful. Show creator Peter Morgan has reportedly become increasingly uneasy as the drama has started to approach the current day (pictured: Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown, season five) 'Peter is always trying to get to the truth. There is always reams and reams of research. 'However, people are more loose-lipped about Princess Margaret 50 years ago than John Major in 1991. 'Peter is very aware of all of it and it is a struggle. He insisted on announcing that series five would be the last, even though Netflix didnt want to announce it. It didnt want to kill the golden goose. 'Then, a few months, later he had changed his mind and he said that he was writing series six. But this will be it. He won't go any further towards the present day. It's already uncomfortable enough.' The source added: 'He is quite traumatised by the criticism. He has not done anything to be sensational. The show would be a different show if he sought the sensational.' A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, assigned to 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deploys flares during a Bomber Task Force mission over the Pacific Ocean in this June 25 photo. UPI-Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft are highly anticipated to fly over the Korean Peninsula as part of a planned combined air exercise with the South Korean Air Force a decision that can serve as a strong message to deter North Korea's belligerence. Last week, four B-1Bs arrived in the U.S. territory of Guam for a Bomber Task Force mission amid concerns that Pyongyang's seventh nuclear test might be imminent. In June, four Lancers traveled to Andersen Air Force Base there for a similar reason. As for their arrival, the U.S. Seventh Air Force said the Lancers will partner with more allies for several training missions in the Indo-Pacific region this time, raising conjectures that they might take part in the joint drills. Starting Oct. 31, South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a large-scale aerial exercise, formerly known as Vigilant Ace, for a five-day run, and it will feature some 250 aircraft, including the F-35A and F-35B stealth jets, according to the South Korean military. The B-1B is one of three nuclear-capable strategic bombers of the U.S. Air Force alongside the B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress, and it has often flown to the Korean Peninsula in order to show off the U.S.' extended deterrence when North Korea has stoked tensions. North Korea is believed to be have been preparing for another nuclear test since the first half of the year. In addition, its closest ally, China, finished its National Congress of the Communist Party, Saturday, at which President Xi Jinping was re-elected for an unprecedented third five-year term. As some had pointed out that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would refrain from detonating another nuclear device so as not to disrupt Beijing's important political event, expectations are now running high over the possibility of the nuclear test and thus, the U.S. may send the bombers to the peninsula to deter any envisaged provocation. "It is not appropriate to comment on whether the B-1Bs will participate because the detailed plans are not yet finalized," a military officer said. However, the military are said to be considering the current situation on the peninsula to be as serious as it was in 2017, when North Korea threatened to test a hydrogen bomb in September 2017 and the B-1Bs flew off the North's eastern coast to send a strong warning to the country a mission that marked the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft had flown off North Korea's coast during the 21st century. In December 2017, one Lancer participated in the Vigilant Ace exercise as well. Royal fans have been overjoyed to see Princess Charlene return to her duties The twins, seven, were pictured in their school uniforms close together Princess Charlene of Monaco has delighted royal fans after sharing a photo of her children, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, in their official school photo. The twins, aged seven, look adorable as they beam in front of a textured background with their heads together, demonstrating their close sibling relationship, in a photo shared by Charlene on Instagram on Friday. She shared the photo with the caption: 'Growing so fast' with two heart emojis. Gabriella and Jacques are the children of Charlene, 44, and her husband, Prince Albert of Monaco, 64 - and last month they were spotted donning their red school uniforms for their first day of term at Francois dAssise-Nicolas Barre after the summer holidays as their parents took them to the private school. Princess Charlene of Monaco has delighted royal fans by sharing an adorable picture of her twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, seven Princess Charlene shared photo of herself stroking a rescue dog at the Society of the Protection of Animals (SPA) shelter in Peille earlier this month The mother-of-two, who often shares snapshots of her life on Instagram, commented alongside the image of her twins 'Growing so fast' Royal fans were heartened to see the dedicated mother back in action following a spell in hospital in her native South Africa, where she was recovering from complications from a 'severe ear, nose and throat infection' she contracted in May 2021. In her absence, Prince Albert did the first day of the school run alone that year, while Charlene was on the mend. Since her return to public life earlier this year, Princess Charlene appears to be back to normal and is taking on several royal duties. In September she travelled to London with her husband where the royal couple attended the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey. More recently, Charlene visited an animal shelter in a village between Monaco and the French Alps on Friday - which she and Prince Albert had opened a month earlier. The couple put on a united front and held hands after declaring the animal shelter open in September. Princess Charlene spent almost a year away from Monaco after undergoing treatment for an unspecified condition. She was pictured stroking a rescue dog at the Society of the Protection of Animals (SPA) shelter in Peille. Charlene has been president of the animal welfare charity since last month. The Princess - who was announced as SPA's new president earlier this year - opened the premises with her husband Prince Albert II last month. In the caption, the mother encouraged her 450,000 followers to support their local animal charities. She wrote: 'Went to visit the Monaco SPA. Please support a local SPA or animal shelter near you. 'Thank you. Merci. With all my love.' Since re-engaging with royal duties the Princess has put to bed rumours of a possible divorce or permanent move to Switzerland. In an interview in the latest edition of Monaco-Matin newspaper, she said: 'I am very happy to be back in Monaco and with my family.' Princess Charlene says she is 'focusing all her energy' on her children Gabriella and Albert, both seven, since returning to Monaco. Pictured on September 3, 2022 Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince Charlene of Monaco attend the State Funeral of The Queen at Westminster Abbey on September 19 She told the newspaper that she was determined to overcome her problems. 'My state of health is still fragile and I don't want to go too fast,' she said. 'The path has been long, difficult and very painful.' Referring to her seven-year-old twins, Gabriella and Jacques, Charlene said: 'When I returned to the Principality, I focused all my energy on my children, my husband and my health because they are my priority.' Princess Charlene returned to public duties in May, making the occasional public appearance with her husband Prince Albert and her children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella by her side. Princess Charlene wowed fans with her solo appearance at Paris fashion week at the Palais de Tokyo to watch the runway show for Swiss fashion house Akris from the front row The South African swimming champion delighted fashion fans on her second appearance at Paris Fashion Week when she donned a grey blazer She posed with Albert for a portrait marking their 11th wedding anniversary, and joined him in taking her children back to school in September. She was also been spotted on the front row of many Paris Fashion Week shows, earlier this month, showcasing her signature style. Princess Charlene attended the Akris Womenswear show and on a second outing sat in the same row as stars Jennifer Connelly, Cynthia Erivo, Janet Jackson. British women have long gazed enviously across the Channel at sophisticated French beauty superstore Sephora. With its high-end brands and limitless choice, its colours, scents and glamour, Sephora was the beauty editor's favourite destination on trips to Paris, and a secret indulgence of savvy holidaymakers. Now, with the opening last week of Sephora's UK website, at last it is available to British shoppers. I swear I could hear the whoops of delight from my apartment in Paris. So what is it about Sephora? I grew up in a small town in Alsace, far from the chic and sophisticated French capital. Camille Yolaine (pictured) grew up in a small town in Alsace, far from the chic and sophisticated French capital When I was a child there was a Sephora ad that played before the film at the cinema. It showed a girl wandering alone at night in the shop's aisles, shy at first, then trying some blusher, before throwing glitter into the air, swirling with highlighter dust, painting every colour of the rainbow on her face and laughing out loud. At the end of the clip, the lights would come back on and she would be standing in the middle of the shop on a normal day. The tagline was: 'Why would you have to dream at night about what you can do during the day?' The first time I saw the ad I became hooked on make-up. I was eight too young to go to Sephora and try lipsticks, obviously but I started sneaking into my mum's drawer in the bathroom. The trouble was, she'd never been what you'd call a beauty addict. A bit of Guerlain Terracotta bronzing powder, an old brush, a mascara all dried-up. I craved colours, textures, powders, scent. As a teen, I finally had the chance to go fantasy beauty shopping at Sephora on my school lunch-hour. It smelled good in there. There were hundreds of different colours. When Camille (pictured) became a teen, she finally had the chance to go fantasy beauty shopping at Sephora on her school lunch-hour All the brands I'd read about in my aunt's fashion magazines were on display Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, Lancome. I'd return to school smelling of ten different fragrances, my cheeks a bit too rosy to pretend it was all natural. The teacher frowned; my friends laughed. I hoarded the scent samples the sales assistant gave me in my bag, feeling like an adult. I couldn't talk to my mum about this fascination because she has always been into 'natural beauty'. To her, this didn't mean nude make-up with subtle contrasts, smart highlighter or brushed eyebrows. It meant just a touch of mascara. She did have a knack with Guerlain's Terracotta, though. She applied it carelessly on her cheeks and nose, but in a way that somehow worked. This one single treasure so precious I never dared touch it was purchased on her annual trip to Sephora. All of this meant I had to find another beauty guru in the shape of my aunt. She looked very much like my mother, but, as an artist, had a completely different attitude. She loved products that were also beautiful objects think vintage perfume bottles, lipsticks in beautiful cases and fragrances you could find only at special stores when she went to Paris once a year. She was touched by my questions. 'Why do you use a serum before your cream?' 'Why do you have ten lipsticks that all look the same?' She laughed. Her philosophy was that there is no 'why' when it comes to beauty products. Choose things because you love a shade of lipstick, the name of a nail polish, a beautiful bottle of perfume. My friends had mothers who spent a fortune in Sephora: the more expensive a product, the better. I was the one who, over the years, started recommending a shampoo from a not-yet-famous brand you could find at the back of the store, or the incredible face brush Parisian editors were raving about. I became a beauty editor myself, writing for French Vogue, and even creating my own beauty brand. While my local branch is now on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, when I return to Alsace, I always visit Sephora. Stepping inside reminds me of my first glimpse of a glamour so tantalising, I made it my world. sephora.co.uk My best Sephora buys Guerlain Terracotta Powder (40) My beauty must-have. Perfect for winter, for summer, for parties and days when you feel a bit gloomy, it's sunshine in a powder compact. Sephora Collection Colourful Blush (12.99) For 95 per cent of the time I use my lipsticks as a blusher. For the remaining 5 per cent, I use this. I have a major crush on the colours and every time I go to Sephora I find them impossible to resist. Sephora Collection Colourful Blush (12.99) Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (19) La Neige means 'snow' in French and I think it's super poetic. Also, I love the idea of a lip sleeping mask. I've been using this for years. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil (18.50 for 50ml) This works wonders on dry skin and can be used everywhere. 'Prodigieuse' means tremendous, which it is. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil (18.50 for 50ml) Christophe Robin Instant Volumizing Mist With Rose Water (30 for 150ml) This mist is the miracle product I use when my hair looks depressed. It smells of roses and the rhassoul in it, made of natural mineral clay, brings amazing volume. Koala mattresses have long been synonymous with those cute and fluffy creatures we aim to protect in our Australian eucalyptus trees - with their products just as cosy as the animals they share a namesake with. The brand, which was founded by childhood friends Mitchell Taylor and Dany Milham in November 2015, rose to prominence for being one of the first 'mattresses in a box' with anti-disturbance technology - meaning you could safely balance a glass of wine on the bed and jump up and down without it tipping over. This sort of claim is so useful when it comes to sleeping in a bed with someone else, ensuring their nightly moves, stretches and rolls don't wake you up too. The company's Calm As mattress, which has become its most awarded, makes just as many bold claims as the original design the company launched with, claiming that 'CoolMax Tech' helps you wake up cool and dry. The company's Calm As mattress , which has become its most awarded, makes just as many bold claims as the original design the company launched with, claiming that 'CoolMax Tech' helps you wake up cool and dry From a survey of more than 5000 Australians the Calm As is the 'Product of the Year' in the mattress category and Bedbuyer also awarded it Australia's 'Best Foam' Mattress in a Box in 2022 From a survey of more than 5,000 Australians the Calm As is the 'Product of the Year' in the mattress category and Bedbuyer also awarded it Australia's 'Best Foam' Mattress in a Box in 2022. FEMAIL put the sturdy mattress to the test to see why it has hundreds of five-star reviews and whether the almost $2,000 price tag - for a king-size - is worth it. Firstly, as all good mattress in a box owners know, the arrival of Koala's Calm As mattress comes with very few headaches. It was delivered straight to my door, in said large box, that only needed to be cut open to watch the mattress inflate itself before my very eyes. The company recommends leaving the mattress to self-inflate for an hour before lying down on it to ensure you're getting maximum efficiency, so I set about getting rid of my old mattress while that happened. The mattress cover comes in a separate box and easily zips around the mattress itself, allowing you to decide whether you want it to be 'firm' or 'medium-firm'. I opted for firm - as a personal choice - but can easily switch it as I see fit in the future. The company recommends leaving the mattress to self-inflate for an hour before lying down on it to ensure you're getting maximum efficiency, so I set about getting rid of my old mattress while that happened The process was extremely seamless. I'd often wake with a sore back in my old bed but one night on the Koala mattress was all it took to wake up pain-free and ready for action. Koala puts this down to the multi-layered three zone support that helps to relieve pressure on your hips, back and joints while you get some rest. My partner's sleep rhythm and tossing and turning has yet to wake me up - although in the king size we're also miles away from each other - and humid nights like the ones Australia's east coast is currently experiencing are no match for the magic cooling tech. I'd never slept on a mattress in a box before but it has certainly opened my eyes up to the potential for online-only stores to rank better in comfort and value than their store-bought counterparts. Koala has three different mattresses to choose from - each in a different price bracket - so there is easily an option for every budget, but the Calm As - which is mid-range - has certainly got my vote. I'd never slept on a mattress in a box before but it has certainly opened my eyes up to the potential for online-only stores to rank better in comfort and value than their store-bought counterparts Other Australians are just as celebratory of the bed. 'After sleeping on my new mattress I'll never go back to a traditional spring. Absolutely lives up to the hype and is perfect for light sleepers. Shipping was fast and assembly was easy. Love it! Would recommend it to others,' one woman wrote online. 'We first slept on a Koala mattress when visiting my brother in July. It was the most comfortable mattress I have slept on. When we got home I looked out for a sale and purchased the Calm As Queen. It has fantastic support and is extremely comfortable to sleep on,' said another. A third added: 'I am enjoying how comfortable and supportive the mattress is. My lower back pain has improved. Excellent that it is same day delivery'. An Aussie mum has urged parents to ensure they can practice first aid on a child after her young son almost died choking on an apple slice while watching TV. Mum-of-four Ashlie Johnson, from Toowoomba, Queensland, frantically tried to remove the bite-sized fruit piece from little Declan's throat when he started choking, but was horrified when several back slaps failed to shift it. The mum rang for an ambulance 'less than a minute' after the two-year-old started choking while her partner Tyson Hodge, 34, continued to try and dislodge it. The incident, which happened earlier this month, saw the tiny tot rushed to hospital where x-rays showed the small piece of apple lodged in his lung. Mum-of-four Ashlie Johnson, from Toowoomba, Queensland, frantically tried to remove the bite-sized fruit piece from little Declan's throat when he started choking Doctors were unable to remove it during a 90-minute procedure, so Declan, who was starting to turn blue, was sedated and ventilated. He was then whisked by air ambulance to another hospital to be examined by specialists who eventually managed to scoop it out. Now the mum-of-four is urging parents to know choking first aid and call for medical help if a child starts choking. 'We were very terrified and upset but we knew that he was in the right place [in hospital],' she said. 'There was always that fear in the back of our heads that we could have lost our baby - or that we still could. 'We don't have our first aid certificate, we basically went off our instincts as parents that something wasn't right.' Now the mum-of-four is urging parents to know choking first aid and call for medical help if a child starts choking (pictured with his dad in the hospital) Ms Johnson served Declan what she considered to be a healthy snack of apple slices while watching TV. She was horrified minutes later when he let out what she described as a 'weird scream'. 'He was walking towards me with his arms up, wanting to be picked up, but he was red in the face and trying to cough,' she said. 'He eventually coughed, and was coughing quite hard and quite profusely.' She scooped him up and started hitting him on the back in a desperate attempt to dislodge the fruit. When her attempts failed, her partner took over while she called for an ambulance. Declan was rushed to Toowoomba Base Hospital at 6.15pm, where an x-ray showed a small piece of apple lodged in his lung. After attempts to shift it failed, the tot was sedated and airlifted to Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane to see a specialist. After attempts to shift it failed, the tot was sedated and airlifted to Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane to see a specialist (pictured on the flight) 'Before surgery they thought that the apple had moved in his lung, which caused his oxygen levels to drop,' she said. 'He was in distress and he was starting to go blue. They put him onto a ventilator so they could run his whole breathing for him. 'We flew to Brisbane, he pretty much went from the helicopter to the theatre.' An hour after Declan was admitted, she got a phone call to say the surgery had been successful. 'I was so happy to hear he was okay because they weren't sure whether he would have had to go to ICU or be kept on a ventilator but he didn't need to, which was great,' she explained. The following day Declan was given the all-clear to go home. Now Ashlie wants to raise awareness about the importance of choking first aid so parents know what to do. An hour after Declan was admitted, she got a phone call to say the surgery had been successful 'What I have found [since] is that some parents may not recognise the signs of a choking episode,' she said. 'There needs to be more information regarding them. I'm still learning a lot, it's all a learning curve.' Previously, a paramedic revealed why you should never put your fingers in a child's throat while they're choking using an informative demonstration. Tiny Hearts Foundation founder and paramedic Nikki Jurcutz shared the video on TikTok to inform people about the little-known fact. 'Getting the food out with your fingers could push it further down,' she explained, making it even harder to rescue the distressed child. Instead back blows and chest thrusts are the only option to be performed on the child, and they are very effective if performed properly. You shouldn't put your finger down a choking child's throat as you could push the object further into the child's airway. Instead, back blows and chest thrusts should be performed on the child 'This tube is the size of a child's airway. If your little one has a complete obstruction, no air can get in or out,' Ms Jurcutz explained during the demonstration. 'Getting it out with your fingers could push it down further. 'Back blows and chest thrusts are your only option and are very effective when done properly.' Followers of Tiny Hearts Foundation were grateful for the information being shared. 'This is such a great demonstration to why this is the best method, thank you,' one follower said. 'For the first time, I've clearly understood the manoeuvre required, due to this brilliant demo. Thank you,' another said. 'I'm a nurse and this is the best representation I have ever seen,' one woman added. Followers of the Little Hearts Foundation were very grateful for the advice, 'for the first time, I've clearly understood the manoeuvre required, due to this brilliant demo. Thank you' Others expressed their deep fear of choking and their own trauma from it. 'I once choked for like two seconds. It honestly was traumatizing enough. I felt the panic and fear wash over me. Always cut the food for children,' one TikTok user said. Another user advised people to always cut fruits: 'quarter small whole foods, cut in quarters and length wise quarters. You can get away with halves for most blueberries and raspberries.' 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. Ms P.C. writes: My parents held a Sun Life Financial of Canada policy, which became payable after they both died. The second death was my mother's, early in February this year. The company was informed within a couple of days, yet we are still waiting for the payment. It does not respond to emails or pick up the phone after 4pm and, despite promising to call back, it never does. Its customer care is appalling. We were told that payment was approved in May, but since then there has been no progress. We now wonder whether it has the funds. Soaring delay: Sun Life had yet to pay six months after a policyholder died Tony Hetherington replies: The easy part of this situation was to say yes, the company (which is not the same as the British company called SunLife Ltd) does have the funds to pay the 126,427 that is due to you and your sister following the deaths of both your parents. It is the internal administration of Sun Life Financial of Canada that has caused problem after problem. You notified the firm and made a claim on the policy in February. In April, you called and were told there was a backlog of claims. You called twice in May and got no answer. At the end of May, the phone was answered and you were told you would be called back within five days, but no call came. In June, you were told your claim was in a queue and would be paid 'any day now'. But in August, you were told your claim was still waiting to be authorised. Later in August, you were told the claim would be 'escalated'. Yet at the end of August, you were told your claim was with 'the referral team' due to its value, and should be dealt with in the following days, which, of course, it wasn't. I put all this to Sun Life Financial and asked what had caused such a serious backlog of claims. I asked the company to explain why you were informed in August that your claim was waiting to be authorised, when you had already been told in June it was in a queue to be paid. The answers are a mixture of technical failure and human error. The company told me: 'In November 2021, we completed the migration of our customer and policy administration services to a new system.' This involved a transfer of more than 470,000 records, and it was not completely successful, meaning that some policy values had to be calculated manually, which in turn meant finding and recruiting skilled staff. This led to a backlog. But why was your claim delayed for so long? I was tod: 'The example of Ms C is exceptional and is particularly unfortunate as we should have paid this bereavement claim in June.' Given its high value, your claim needed to be authorised by a senior official. Records showed this authorisation was requested, but in fact your claim was never passed on to the right person. The company told me: 'This is a result of human error. We will learn from this.' After I contacted it, Sun Life Financial got in touch with you to apologise. It has now paid 127,015 to include interest, and separately sent you a cheque for 500 to say sorry for the distress and inconvenience. 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. Last year, about 200,000 children left primary school without being able to read or write. The problem was already pretty bad before the pandemic. Now it is much worse and is predicted to become even more acute over the next few years. The issue has widespread ramifications. More than 7million adults in the UK can recognise only the most basic words and that number is likely to grow. Illiteracy limits job prospects, affects self-esteem and can even reduce life expectancy, with a total economic cost estimated at 81billion a year. Head start: Philanthropic investment firm Literacy Capital contributes 0.9% of its assets to literacy Sharon Pindar experienced all this personally. Her mother could not read or write and suffered emotional and physical harm for much of her life. So when Paul Pindar turned to his wife on a dreamy holiday five years ago and asked what she would like to do with the rest of her life, she said simply she would like to teach children to read. Those few words spawned an idea Literacy Capital, a fast-growing investment company with a twist. The shares are 3.89 and should gain ground, despite the choppy economic climate. Driven and highly successful, Paul Pindar co-founded the consultancy Capita when he was still a young man, taking it from a 330,000 venture in 1987 to a FTSE 100 company valued at 8.5billion when he retired as chief executive in 2014. Fast forward to 2017 and Pindar was working with his son Richard, a former accountant, on a number of private business ventures. The duo decided to combine their financial nous with Sharon Pindars charitable mission and Literacy Capital was born. The company invests in all kinds of small but promising UK firms and helps them to grow. Investments are made for the long term, sectors such as gambling and low-cost alcohol are avoided and the group donates 0.9 per cent of the value of its assets every year to literacy charities. This novel approach delivers financial and social results. Companies in the Literacy Capital portfolio are growing fast and the groups shares have risen significantly since listing on the stock exchange in June 2021. As the company has grown, so have its charitable donations. To date, more than more than 4million has been gifted to literacy charities, including Sharon Pindars own endeavour, Bookmark, which works with almost 200 schools, offering one-on-one reading sessions to struggling children. The two enterprises are run separately but there is a symbiosis. Many of the businesses that Literacy Capital acquires are run by their original founders, who would rather sell their firms to a company with a philanthropic slant than one run entirely for financial gain. As a result, Pindar senior and junior are approached dozens of times a week with offers of businesses for sale. Most are rejected, however. The Pindars are looking for firms with genuine, long-term potential, through economic cycles. There are just 18 companies in the Literacy Capital portfolio and results to date are impressive. Butternut Box was founded by a couple of investment bankers cooking healthy dog food in their families kitchens. Literacy Capital invested in the business in 2018, when the founders were still operating from home. They were feeding a thousand dogs and annual turnover was about 1million. Today, Butternut Box feeds more than 150,000 pooches, turnover runs into tens of millions and the group operates from an eight-acre site in Doncaster, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Literacy Capital has a stake of almost 6 per cent in the firm and prospects are bright. Many businesses in the portfolio are owned outright, including the two largest investments, Grayce and RCI. Founded by a husband and wife, Grayce recruits, trains and employs graduates in IT and related fields. Literacy Capital acquired the business in 2018, when the founders were looking to reduce their involvement, but sell to a buyer that would look after and nurture the firm they had built. Literacy Capital has since invested time and money in the business and sales have risen fivefold. RCI tells a similar story. The firm works with the police and the NHS, providing specialist support to victims of crime and assault. It was founded by four partners, who were looking for a buyer to help them build the business. Literacy Capital bought the group in 2018, strengthened the management, made four acquisitions and expanded into areas including data analytics to help NHS trusts reduce waiting times. Demand is strong and revenues are growing at pace. An update on the portfolios performance is expected later this week and should show Literacy Capital continuing to deliver. The group does not pay dividends yet but that is likely to change within a couple of years. Reassuringly, too, Paul and Sharon Pindar own 28 per cent of the business, Richard has a 10.7 per cent stake and several members of the team recently bought shares. Midas verdict: Literacy Capital offers shareholders a chance to invest in a business that is growing fast and doing good. At 3.89, the shares are a buy. Bookmark is also seeking volunteers, offering a different kind of reward. Traded on: Main market Ticker: BOOK Contact: literacycapital.com or 020 3960 0280 Keeping the cost of investing down is always important, whereas in turbulent times, when most portfolios are falling, it is absolutely integral to preserving your wealth. One way to work out whether you're getting good value for money is seeking out a little-known number, known as the active share. Investment experts use it as an indicator of how hard their fund managers are working for them. Then, if they find their fund managers are not justifying their fees, they can ditch them for a cheaper option. It's a tool that ordinary investors can use too. Indicator: One way to work out whether you're getting good value for money is seeking out a little-known number, known as the active share Watch out for closet trackers There are two main approaches you can take when investing. You can either buy an active fund, which is a selection of investments hand-picked by an expert fund manager. Or you can go for a passive fund, which buys all of the investments in a particular index. For example, a passive fund that tracks the FTSE 100 simply buys all of the 100 UK-listed companies in that index. Active funds tend to cost more because you are paying for someone to pick your investments. The hope is that their expert knowledge allows them to spot the best investments and produce a higher return than the index they are benchmarked against. But this is where investors need to watch out. Sometimes, active fund managers simply put together a portfolio that looks almost identical to the index they are trying to outperform. These funds are so-called closet trackers because they dress themselves up as active funds but in reality do no more than hug their benchmark. 'Given the additional fees that actively managed funds charge, there is little value investing in one that consistently looks like the benchmark it's trying to beat,' says Ryan Hughes, head of investment partnerships at investment platform AJ Bell. New analysis from investment platform Interactive Investor has found that ten per cent of all investment funds are 'closet trackers'. The power of the active share The active share is a measure of how different a fund's portfolio looks in comparison to its benchmark. It is expressed as a percentage. So if, for example, a fund has an active share of 40 per cent, 60 per cent of its holdings will be the same as a passive fund that follows the same benchmark. Jason Hollands, managing director of wealth manager Evelyn Partners, says: 'The active share is effectively the extent to which a portfolio differs from its benchmark index. 'A high active share is therefore an indication that the fund is taking bolder positions than the index in the hope of delivering investors outperformance.' How to pick the right number As a rule of thumb, if you are paying for active fund management, you should expect a high active share. Hughes says that funds with an active share of over 80 per cent should be seen as 'sufficiently different to the benchmark'. He adds: 'Below that, investors would probably be better off investing in a cheap tracker fund.' Rob Morgan, investment analyst at broker Charles Stanley, believes that upwards of 70 per cent active share is 'a good sign'. 'There is no right or wrong number,' says Morgan. 'But we like to see a high figure to demonstrate differentiation of an active investment approach.' James Yardley, research analyst of investment group Chelsea Financial Services, says investors should consider the active share over time. 'There may be times when good fund managers pull back and drop their active share down to 60 per cent because of market conditions, but then they may increase their active share up to 80 per cent in the future,' he explains. Ask your broker for the figure Some fund managers, such as Edinburgh-based Baillie Gifford, disclose their active share on their monthly factsheets, but others do not. 'If I were cynical which I am it comes as no surprise that the fund firms that do publish this ratio tend to have a high active share,' says Kyle Caldwell, collectives editor at investment platform Interactive Investor. 'Fund firms are not required to publish this ratio, so it is not widely available. But it should be.' Yardley, at Chelsea, suggests asking your fund broker if the active share is not apparent on your fund's factsheet. There are also some quick checks that you can do that should give you some idea whether a fund has a low or a high active share: Check the fund performance: If a fund is closely tracking the performance of its benchmark, it could be a closet tracker. If it has good and bad years when compared to the index, it probably has a high active share. Check the number of holdings: A concentrated fund of between 20 and 40 holdings is likely to have a high active share. Yardley says that a fund with 150 plus holdings is often a red flag for a closet tracker. Look at the top ten holdings: If the list of top ten shares held in the fund is simply a list of familiar stocks, the active share is likely to be low. Save fees with cheaper trackers If you find out that some of the funds you hold have a low active share, replacing them with cheaper tracker funds could save serious cash while yielding similar investment results. Hughes says investors can expect to pay around 0.85 per cent per year for most closet trackers. Replacing them with cheap passive funds charging just 0.07 per cent per annum, such as the iShares FTSE 100 tracker, would save around 150 in charges every year, Hughes says. This is based on an investment of 20,000. Hughes adds: 'These savings are significant and over the long term will make a huge difference to investors' wealth.' Experts' choice of low-cost funds There are several cheap tracker funds you could use to replace your closet trackers. As well as the iShares FTSE100 tracker, Hughes suggests the Fidelity Index World fund, which has ongoing charges of 0.12 per cent per year and gives exposure to the world's largest companies. Last year it fell 2.9 per cent, but it is up 34 per cent over three years. A word of warning It is worth remembering that although the active share is a useful measure, it should not be used to assess the worth of a fund on its own. Nor should you assume that a high active share automatically equals investment outperformance. 'It's one ingredient in the mix,' says analyst Morgan at Charles Stanley. 'Active share doesn't make something good or bad. It's just something to take into account in your assessment of an investment fund.' 'A high active share doesn't mean an investment fund will outperform,' Ryan Hughes agrees. 'All it tells you is that the performance is likely to be different to that of the index it's trying to beat. It could be better, but may also be worse.' Demand in clothing shops has proved surprisingly resilient over recent weeks, retail sources tell Whispers. That's despite the chaos all around. But there are signs of pain. Chief executives have remarked that online sales have weakened more dramatically than anticipated this autumn. Are punters finally weaning themselves off their trigger-happy addiction to online shopping? A good sign: Tony Shiret, a veteran retail analyst at stockbroker Panmure Gordon, has his eyes on Next, upgrading it last week from hold to a buy Undoubtedly, the impact of higher prices, energy bills and mortgages hasn't yet fully hit stores. That is likely to change soon. But winners emerge from every downturn. Tony Shiret, a veteran retail analyst at stockbroker Panmure Gordon, has his eyes on Next, upgrading it last week from hold to a buy as the shares dropped nearly a fifth in a month. He said: 'We expect Next to be able to manage its way through the downturn in demand we are likely to witness soon. Its medium-term prospects are not properly recognised in our view.' Moonpig shares being weighed down Moonpig's shares have been 'pretty anaemic', points out stockbroker Davy. They floated early last year at 3.50 and now trade at 1.28, having fallen 31 per cent in the past month alone. They are being weighed down by fears that its recent acquisition of Buyagift, which sells 'experiences' such as spa days and posh afternoon teas, may not perform that well in a downturn. Despite this, Davy suggests it's the 'highest quality business' among the IPO class of 2021. And Moonpig has raised its guidance five times since floating. One to keep an eye on. Second-largest shareholder backing UKCM UK Commercial Property Reit (UKCM) can take comfort knowing its second-largest shareholder will back this week's resolution calling for the company to continue operating. Investec Wealth & Investment holds 11 per cent and believes shares in the FTSE 250 firm, which has a 1.7billion portfolio, are 'oversold'. That will boost UKCM after the group earlier this month revealed the meeting would be held to decide its future. The vote is triggered whenever its share price falls below its net asset value for at least 90 days. UKCM shares have fallen around 21 per cent this year. The trust has 'unanimously' called on its investors to back the resolution. Its largest investor, insurer Phoenix Group, has already pledged its support. Could Vin Murria land knockout punch at Saatchi? M&C Saatchi appears to have fended off the advances of both Vin Murria and communications firm Next Fifteen, as the latter bowed out this week. M&C's Moray MacLennan is bullish on the ad agency's prospects as a standalone firm. But investors may be bracing for Murria's next move. The tech supremo, who owns a large slice of M&C, has made no secret of her opposition to the status quo. The stock has fallen more than a third since the bid saga began. Sources believe M&C may not have heard Murria's last. Perhaps MacLennan may yet regret drubbing Murria's offer by using an image of a boxer with 'Low Price' and 'High Risk' emblazoned on his outsized gloves. Could she still land a knockout punch? Hundreds of investors who lost money in the Woodford scandal three and a half years ago have said they will join a High Court claim against two key parties involved in the debacle. Litigation specialist RGL, which issued the claim nine days ago on behalf of 3,200 investors who suffered immeasurably from the suspension and dismemberment of Woodford Equity Income fund, says more than 500 investors have emerged in recent days to join the claim. RGL's High Court move, exclusively reported in The Mail on Sunday last week, targets Link Fund Solutions and investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown. Compensation claim: Hundreds of investors who lost money in the Neil Woodford scandal have said they will join a High Court claim against two key parties involved in the debacle It believes both failed investors as the 3.8billion Woodford fund imploded, resulting in big investor losses. RGL says Link failed to look after the interests of the fund's 300,000 investors as manager Neil Woodford shifted the portfolio from blue chip UK shares and into risky illiquid firms. As the fund's authorised corporate director, Link's duty was to safeguard investors. As for FTSE100-listed Hargreaves Lansdown, it recommended the fund right up until its suspension in June 2019 despite internal concerns that the portfolio was becoming riskier. In June 2019, 134,000 clients of Hargreaves Lansdown had direct holdings in Equity Income, and 160,000 had indirect exposure through multi-manager funds run by the platform. After our report, Hargreaves Lansdown chief executive Chris Hill said he would stand down by November 2023. Last week, founder Peter Hargreaves, its largest shareholder, accused chairwoman Deanna Oppenheimer of overseeing a 'diabolical' performance. Shares in Hargreaves Lansdown have fallen more than 50 per cent over the past year. The Financial Conduct Authority has yet to publish its report into the demise of Equity Income. But it has informed Link it faces a 50million fine and a 306million compensation bill. A vital Bill to prevent mutuals being snapped up by private equity firms and milked for cash is being pushed through Parliament. The Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill, tabled by Labour MP Sir Mark Hendrick, is due for its second reading in the Commons this week. It would help mutuals such as life insurer LV, which are owned by their members, to raise money from external investors if they need more cash. Preventative measures: The Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill, tabled by Labour MP Sir Mark Hendrick, is due for its second reading in the Commons LV, founded in 1843 to help the poor of Liverpool bury their dead, was offered for sale to US private equity giant Bain Capital last year by its management. They claimed LV desperately needed money to modernise and that it was unable to raise capital from its members. The deal was voted down following a campaign by the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. Sir Mark, supported by organisations such as the Association of Financial Mutuals and consultancy Mutuo, now wants to make it easier for mutuals to raise cash. He said: 'I want to come at this from an agenda that should suit the Government. Co-operatives and mutuals are about self-help. People pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps and trying to get on with life and business without necessarily needing the state to look after them.' There are four pillars to his Bill. The first would be 'fixing' a 2015 law designed to allow institutional investors, such as pension funds, to invest in mutuals. Although the law was enacted, it came up against Revenue & Customs, which decided it would hit any organisations that tried to use it with corporation tax. Sir Mark also wants to extend the scheme to co-operatives. In addition, he believes that members should be allowed to vote to protect the savings that have been stored up within mutuals for generations. The Bill would give members the ability to protect this cash for ever, so it could be used only for the purposes the business specified. Finally, Sir Mark also wants to reform the outmoded laws governing friendly societies. Peter Hunt, managing partner of Mutuo, said: 'Why would the Government not want to do this?' Law-enforcement authorities here said Sunday they have busted an online gambling ring based in China for illicit operations in Korea, worth a total of 5.7 trillion won ($3.9 billion). Twenty suspects were arrested, and 171 others face prosecutors' probe without detention, according to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency. They are accused of running the gambling sites from January of 2014 until July last year through the China headquarters in charge of a server and local operating units in Korea, and presumably earning 65.7 billion won in gains, 6.7 billion of which has been already confiscated or forfeited. Investigators said the suspects had used the server in China as part of efforts to dodge police crackdown, frequently relocating their operation sites in Korea. (Yonhap) Lord Hollick, chairman of an official committee investigating Britain's water industry, this weekend slammed executives and regulators for failing to prevent the discharge of millions of tons of raw sewage into rivers and said it could cost at least 150billion to tackle the problem. The Labour peer, a former owner of Express Newspapers, spoke of his 'dismay' over evidence presented to the Lords Industry and Regulators Committee on the appalling state of water infrastructure, following decades of under-investment. There were 375,000 untreated sewage leaks into rivers in 2021 alone, according to the most recent figures. Hollick said that the state of Britain's sewage and water systems was a 'very serious issue' that was going to take 'a great deal of funding and investment to put right'. He added that the lowest figure he had so far heard for the investment needed tackle the sewage problem was 150billion. Problem: There were 375,000 untreated sewage leaks into rivers in 2021 alone, according to the most recent figures Ending leaks could add 100billion to the bill, he said. Other estimates for the upgrades needed have ranged up to 600billion. The money would probably come from the water companies, along with significant sums from taxpayers and higher bills for customers. Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, told the committee he had not been aware of the scale of the problem until the monitoring of water quality was stepped up over the past two years. Hollick said he had been 'surprised' by Bevan's comments. The industry is overseen by regulator Ofwat and the agency. Hollick said: 'It is a surprise neither the Government nor the two regulators took action some time ago. It's an industry-wide failure which has now got to be put right.' He added that the public had helped reveal the extent of the pollution and leaks, saying: 'MPs have been hearing for a long time from constituents that they can't swim in the river or the sea. We're going to be very interested to hear from Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena as to why the Government hasn't been more decisive and insistent sorting this out.' Ofwat's chief executive and chairman will this week appear in front of the committee, and Jayawardena in coming weeks. Plans to cap revenue generated by green energy firms are a 'threat to the investment needed to safeguard the country's energy security', an industry body has claimed. The Government's Energy Prices Bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords today, contains proposals for a revenue cap on low-carbon energy makers such as wind and solar farms. Storm: The Government's Energy Prices Bill contains proposals for a revenue cap on low-carbon energy makers such as wind and solar farms Revenues above this cap will be taxed at a much higher rate. But Energy UK said the proposals are a 'de facto windfall tax' on green energy firms, which would be 'more punitive than that levied on oil and gas producers'. Energy providers that rely on fossil fuels will see only their profits, not revenues, taxed at a higher 25 per cent rate and will also benefit from an 80 per cent investment allowance giving them a 91p tax saving for every 1 they invest. Energy UK's Adam Berman, said: 'It's astonishing the Government has proposed a scheme that would penalise investment in clean, cheap, low-carbon generation in favour of polluting oil and gas extraction.' Profit warnings from UK companies have hit their highest level since the financial crisis, according to EY. A total of 86 statements downgrading profit forecasts were issued by companies over the third quarter of 2022 the largest number for July to September since 2008. This is up from 51 over the same time last year, and 64 in the second quarter of this year. Warning: A total of 86 statements downgrading profit forecasts were issued by companies over the third quarter of 2022 the largest number for July to September since 2008 It comes as companies are battling with rising costs, especially energy bills, driven by the aftermath of Covid and the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the cost-of-living crisis is causing consumers to cut back on spending. The acceleration of profit warnings was particularly notable among consumer-facing businesses such as shops, travel firms and food producers, EY said. Jo Robinson, a partner at the firm's consultancy arm EY-Parthenon, said: 'Businesses are facing an unprecedented combination of headwinds including rising costs, slowing demand and excess supply.' Companies including Next, Primark-owner Associated British Foods and The Hut Group have all shaved down their profit guidance in recent weeks. Anyone who's worked in retail would have plenty of stories about strange customers and co-workers and their bizarre experiences with them. My time at JB Hi-Fi was certainly no different. JB-Hi-Fi 'HACKS' EVERY AUSSIE NEEDS TO KNOW JB Hi-Fi employee Auj Mirza revealed her best 'hacks' for saving money and getting the best customer service while shopping at the electronics giant. 1. If a product goes on sale shortly after you buy it, you can ask for a refund on the difference in price within a span of two weeks after the purchase 2.If you want to be served as soon as possible, go to the Apple desk and a staff member should come and serve you fairly quickly - depending on busy the store is 'If you want to get served as soon as possible, go to the Apple desk because I can guarantee someone will come serve you ASAP,' she said. 3. Staff are likely to give you a discount if you buy a large number of products at once, but only if you ask them 4. If a product is out of stock in one store, ask for it to be transferred from another JB-Hi-Fi store. You can also check the stock at other nearby stores or have the product ordered to the store you're at 'If you go into the store and they don't have the stock of the product, just tell them to transfer the stock in from another store.' 5. Staff and security may assume you are trying to steal something if you wear a hooded jumper and wear the hood over your head 6. JB Hi-Fi matches prices if you see a product that is cheaper at another electronics store. However, JB-Hi-Fi does not match prices from online stores 'If you see a product that is cheaper at another store, show us, because we will price match,' she said. Ms Mirza encouraged customers to ask staff for help, revealing that common items including hard-drives, SD cards and Apple accessories were kept behind the counter. She also revealed that JB Hi-Fi would refund customers the difference if they bought a product a few days before it ended up going on sale. 'If you buy a product from JB Hi-Fi and that same product goes on sale, literally bring it back within two weeks and we will refund you the difference,' she said. Advertisement What it's like working at JB Hi-Fi: JESSE HYLAND speaks out about his time at the popular retail chain From barefoot customers drinking alcohol inside the store to middle-aged women refusing to open handbags that were clearly bulging with stolen items, staff chasing thieves all the way to their cars, youths trying to ram a huge speaker into a security guard, and a staff member who was caught stealing. But my most memorable experience was the time a middle-aged woman tried to push past me into a staff room - then threatened to call the cops on me. I worked at the JB-Hi-Fi Jamisontown store in Sydney's west for about three years from 2016 It was around the time I finished my Communications degree at Western Sydney University (University of Western Sydney back then) and was looking for work in my field. In the meantime, I was employed as a 'media advisor' in the JB Hi-Fi software department. To put that in layman's terms, I worked in the DVD and music section - mainly due to my knowledge of film and television. I worked in the DVD and music department at JB-Hi-Fi and had many strange customer interactions One day an older lady, possibly in her 50s, entered the store pushing a repackaged TV that she had apparently purchased from us. She pushed it towards the counter and demanded the staff give her a refund as her TV was 'broken'. Expensive products like TVs that are 'broken' need to be checked before a refund can be issued. But this lady wanted an immediate refund. When the counter staff tried to explain to her that a manager needed to check if the TV was actually broken, she became irate. She blasted them, claiming she was 'late' for her bus and needed a refund immediately. A manager took her TV out to the back storeroom to check it as she hurled abuse. I had only briefly seen the commotion happening in front of me as I walked past. I was in a staff room researching a title for an order. In a matter of seconds, the woman unexpectedly ran around the counter and burst through the staff room door. She started to hurl abuse at myself and my bewildered colleagues. A co-worker forced the woman out of the door before she turned to me and said: 'Can you make sure she doesn't get in here.' I got up out of my seat, exited the staff door and was met with the snarling face of a woman who clearly had something wrong with her. I put my hands up against the frame of the staff door as the woman began screaming and ordered me to move out the way. My most bizarre interaction came from a woman returning what she alleged was a 'broken' television. She claimed I assaulted her are she barged through a staff door and shouted at my colleagues When I didn't respond, she charged at me and started pushing me. When I didn't budge, she tried to push past me - attempting to squeeze through the space between my arm and leg. I re-corrected my posture as she forced her body weight against me, which caused her to fall backwards. The woman alleged that I 'assaulted' her numerous times before she grabbed her phone and started to record me. She started talking to herself and then told her 'viewers' that I had assaulted her and that she was going to call the police on me. I simply responded: 'I didn't assault you. You fell over.' By this time a manager had poked his head out from behind the staff door and told me to wait inside. I waited inside the staff room for the next half an hour or so as the woman followed employees around the store - filming them on her phone and abusing them. The managers had had enough. They gave the woman her TV back and firmly told her to leave the store. She continued arguing with them, threatening to call the police on the worker who 'assaulted' her. I had one colleague approach me and ask if I wanted to talk to her after she demanded to speak to me. I refused. She then left the store in a huff, pushing her big television across the floor once again in front of onlookers who had gathered to watch the dramatic scene unfold. The woman told my managers that she would call the police and wait for them to arrive outside the store. She never called the police. The whole experience had been quite distressing for some of my colleagues who had been at the centre of the woman's abuse. One co-worker was left in tears. I was still trying to process what had happened. Managers reviewed CCTV footage of the interaction between myself and the woman but found no instance of assault. I had many bizarre encounters with odd customers over the period of time I worked at JB-Hi-Fi. You tend to accept it as part and parcel when you work in retail. But the positive experiences far outweighed the negative as the majority of people I dealt with were friendly and simply looking for assistance. It's also why I've always made an effort to be friendly with retail staff - as you never know what kind of crazed person is going to come through that front door. Female lawyers are seething about what they believe is a sexist and patronising LinkedIn post by a partner at a prestigious law firm after he posted photos of the company CEO vacuuming the office. Senior lawyer Trent Johnson posted the images of his boss, Kelly Phelps, in smart office wear and a high heels running a Dyson-style stick vacuum over the carpet at Travis Shultz and Partners' office in Brisbane this week. In one of the photos, Ms Phelps - who Mr Johnson reveals started as the firm's administration assistant and worked as a paralegal before becoming CEO - appears not to know she's being photographed. In the second photo, posted alongside a message saying 'thanks for unloading the dishwasher, too!' Ms Phelps is caught smiling, with the vacuum off to one side. On LinkedIn, Mr Johnson accompanied the photos with a lengthy caption which said: 'I'm a firm believer that true leaders are those that set the best example, not only in front of the team but also when no one is watching. 'It's no use talking the talk and walking the walk if behind closed doors you're a different person. 'This is our CEO Kelly Phelps... She's done the hard yards and has her own family commitments but still gets in early and before all the phones start ringing makes sure we look professional. Brisbane law firm CEIO Kelly Phelps vacuuming the company's office carpet in an image posted by a senior partner who also thanked her for emptying the office dishwasher Senior partner Trent Johnson's post about his firm's CEO doing the office housework has caused a blow-up on Facebook by women lawyers who urged him to 'sow some respect' and 'hire a cleaner' Compensation law partner Trent Johnson's post on Linkedin about his CEO attracted good comments from colleagues but it was a different story in a debate on Facebook among female lawyers 'She's not your typical CEO, in a good way. And by the way Kel, thanks for unloading the dishwasher too!' Below his post colleagues and associates commented 'Go Kel!' and, from another woman, 'service leadership is always the best'. Most praised Mr Johnson for his post - including Ms Phelps who said it was a 'great post'. A male principal of another Brisbane law firm gushed 'You're a superstar!!! I saw a list of values from a start-up in the US last year and one of their values read: 'We are all floor sweepers'. 'I loved what that statement implies, and you are demonstrating that perfectly: No one is above picking up a broom (... or a vacuum, or emptying the dishwasher).' But it appears that women lawyers were not so enthusiastic about Mr Johnson's post, believing that he, and other male lawyers, should be cleaning up the office. On Facebook, one female lawyer fumed: 'Talk about propagating a stereotype?! 'This post has done it for me today. How about the male partner who posted this unload the dishwasher. Trent Johnson posted online that his CEO 'did the hard yards' and made their prestigious firm's office look good by vacuuming and emptying the dishwasher Mr Johnston's comments and his photos of the female boss doing the office housework did not impress women lawyers in a debate on Facebook who accused him of 'propagating a stereotype' and adding menial work to her CEO responsibilities '(To) top it off he's getting comments from people saying how he is a good leader for the 'shout out'. 'And yes I understand he was coming from a 'good place' but far out... do better.' Another woman lawyer wrote: 'I wish he'd realised that a better way to show her some respect would be to hire a cleaner and encourage staff to put their own dishes in the dishwasher. 'I'm sure she'd appreciate not having to do that kind of crap on top of her CEO responsibilities.' Prestigious Brisbane law firm Travis Schultz & Partners' CEO, Kelly Phelps (above) has unwittingly become the centre of an online blow-up by women lawyers complaining that her colleague's Linkedin post was sexist One woman legal partner said the law firm partner's comments only served to underline negative perceptions about women and that she had to empty the office dishwasher during the pandemic because the male lawyers didn't even think to do it One female partner at a legal firm remarked: 'His comments reflect a lack of understanding of deeper issues, like the fact she works hard to make up for the negative perceptions attached to being a woman and a mother.' The lawyer said that last year during Covid lockdown, 'I, a, partner was unpacking the dishwasher. 'Not because I wanted to show good leadership, but because none of the men ever thought to do it. They probably never noticed or realised it was me unpacking it. 'It's not exactly value for money for your CEO to be unpacking the dishwasher on her salary instead of doing CEO things either.' On its website, Travis Shultz and Partners says they are 'compensation lawyers with compassion' and offer 'cutting edge expertise without the price tag'. The firm has offices on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns, and its managing partner is 'highly regarded Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law Travis Schultz'. Trent Johnson (left) with his firm's managing partner Travis Schultz (right) and colleagues pose by the Story Bridge and the Brisbane river near the company's head office One woman posted on Linkedin a slightly teasing remark about Johnston cleaning the office, but the CEO said everyone did office housework at Travis Schultz & Partners CEO Kelly Phelps was cleaning Travis Schultz & Partner's (above) office with a stick vacuum when she was photographed and her image put online causing female lawyers to question a male partner's comments about her In a video on his firm's website, Mr Schultz said, 'some say that our values are a bit old-fashioned. 'I guess you could say there's something in that. We insist on being a compensation law firm with a community conscience.' Travis Schultz & partners Community & Brand manager Liberty Moore told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Johnson and Ms Phelps 'have a great working relationship' and that his post was in recognition of his appreciation of her work. 'We have a bit of a philosophy that we all pitch in,' Ms Moore said. 'Trent waters the plants, Travis takes out the rubbish, we have cleaners but everyone chips in.' She said remarks were Mr Johnson 'trying to be pure of heart' about Ms Phelps. Mr Johnson told Daily Mail Australia that his Linkedin post was 'a positive acknowledgement of the supportive nature of our team'. 'It reiterated that we all help each other with whatever needs to be done at that time, irrespective of gender or position,' he said. 'If this post caused any offence, that is regrettable as this was never my intent quite the opposite in fact.' Ms Phelps also responded, saying 'Trents post only speaks to half of what occurred that morning, as Trent and I worked together to ensure everything was ready ahead of our scheduled meetings for the day. 'While I was vacuuming, Trent was cleaning the kitchen and taking the bins out no one escapes the office housework at TSP!. 'In our team your position doesnt define your role, there is no job too small or too big and that is a sentiment thats shared across our organisation. 'Everyone is happy to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty in a bid to ensure we maintain the highest of professional services for our clients and the community.' A Virginia mother has been charged with murder and child neglect after her four-year-old son died from eating a large amount of THC gummies. Tanner Clements was found unresponsive at the family's home in Spotsylvania on May 6 and was taken to hospital, where he died two days later. His mother, Dorothy Annette Clements, 30, told police that he had eaten a gummy, but said there was only one in the jar, and they were CBD. Officers seized the empty jar, but analysis showed they contained THC, the potent compound that gives pot its high, instead of CBD. Toxicology results showed the child had extremely high levels of THC in his system. Dorothy Annette Clements was arrested on October 20 and charged with the felony murder of her four-year-old son, who died in May after eating THC gummies Tanner Clements died after eating gummies his mother left in the house On May 7, she wrote on Facebook: 'My littlest love, it's time for you to take a walk I can't go on with you. 'Your nanny will watch over you and guide you until I can make it there. Just know you will me missed and loved always and forever.' In his obituary, his family wrote: 'Tanner was an amazing, energetic, fun-loving little boy. 'He loved superheroes, being outside, playing hide and seek and making everyone laugh.' He is survived by his older brother, Tahlor Clements. Before she was charged, Clements told WUSA-TV that she thought she had bought CBD gummies from a Fredericksburg store and had no idea that what she bought actually contained THC. She said the boy suffered from a 'cardiac episode' and reported that it was determined her son 'had something odd with his heart.' Gummies made of THC and CBD are indistinguishable to the naked eye, and look to children like candy Clements was a mother of two - Tanner and his older brother, Tahlor The little boy's death was ruled as accidental, and his cause of death was delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol toxicity The detective wrote that the attending doctor reported that if the boy had received medical attention shortly after eating the gummies, his death could have been prevented. On October 17, a Spotsylvania Grand Jury indicted her on felony murder charges, and she was arrested on October 20. She is being held without bond, the Spotsylvania County Sheriffs Office said in a statement posted on Facebook. Felony murder is the accidental killing of a person in the commission of certain felonies. The child's death was ruled accidental, and the cause of death was delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol toxicity, according to LaKeisha Johnson, administrator for the office of the Chief Medical Examiner Central District. While some states have banned such products, others have worked to set limits on them. Virginia's political leaders grappled during this year's legislative session with how to regulate products with THC, aiming, in particular, to rein in the sales of items with delta-8. But they failed to reach a consensus amid fierce pushback from the hemp industry. A state task force has been meeting to consider options for next year's session. The Food and Drug Administration warned last year that products containing delta-8 THC 'have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA for safe use in any context.' From December 2020 and February 2022, the agency said it received 104 reports of adverse events involving products containing delta-8 THC. National poison control centers received 2,362 cases of exposure to such products during the same period, including one pediatric case coded with an outcome of death, according to the FDA. A federal judge in Texas ruled on Friday that relatives of people killed in the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max planes are crime victims under federal law and should have been told about private negotiations over a settlement that spared Boeing from criminal prosecution. The first Max crashed in Indonesia in October 2018, killing 189, and another crashed five months later in Ethiopia, killing 157. All Max jets were grounded worldwide for nearly two years. They were cleared to fly again after Boeing overhauled an automated flight-control system that activated erroneously in both crashes. The full impact of the Texas ruling is not clear, however. The judge said the next step is to decide what remedies the families should get for not being told of the talks with Boeing. Some relatives are pushing to scrap the government's January 2021 settlement with Boeing, and they have expressed anger that no one in the company has been held criminally responsible. Forensic teams and workers are pictured on March 12, 2019, recovering wreckage from a Boeing Max flight that crashed outside of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia Investigators with the U.S. National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) look over debris at the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 on March 12, 2019 Relatives of crash victims mourn at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board Family members of the flight's main pilot, Captain Yared Getachew, carry photographs of him as they mourn at the scene Boeing Co., which is based in Arlington, Virginia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Boeing, which misled safety regulators who approved the Max, agreed to pay $2.5 billion including a $243.6 million fine. The Justice Department agreed not to prosecute the company for conspiracy to defraud the government. The Justice Department, in explaining why it didn't tell families about the negotiations, argued that the relatives are not crime victims. Officials examine victims recovered from the Lion Air jet that crashed into Java Sea in October 2018 However, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, said the crashes were a foreseeable consequence of Boeing's conspiracy, making the relatives representatives of crime victims. 'In sum, but for Boeing's criminal conspiracy to defraud the FAA, 346 people would not have lost their lives in the crashes,' he wrote. Naoise Connolly Ryan, whose husband died in the second Max crash, in Ethiopia, said Boeing is responsible for his death. 'Families like mine are the true victims of Boeing's criminal misconduct, and our views should have been considered before the government gave them a sweetheart deal,' she said in a statement issued by a lawyer for the families. A friend of the undocumented migrant accused of stabbing eight and killing two Vegas showgirls in Las Vegas has revealed that the killer was a stripper in his own right. An anonymous 'former friend' of Yoni Barrios, 32, is speaking out after Barrios was charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder for his deadly rampage on the Las Vegas Strip. He claims that Barrios was largely transient, having never 'held down a regular job' despite his extravagant-looking social media presence and he even occasionally worked as a stripper in gay bars in both Los Angeles and Vegas. The ex-friend said that Barrios would lead on both women and men - despite being straight, they believe - in an attempt to get money out of whoever wanted his affections. He also would work whatever jobs he could get and that Barrios enjoyed projecting a partying lifestyle, according to the New York Post. A friend of the undocumented migrant accused of stabbing eight and killing two Vegas showgirls in Las Vegas has revealed that the killer was a stripper in his own right An anonymous 'former friend' of Yoni Barrios, 32, is speaking out after he was charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder for his deadly rampage on the Las Vegas Strip He claims that Barrios largely was transient, having never 'held down a regular job' despite his extravagant-looking social media presence and he even occasionally worked as a stripper in gay bars in both Los Angeles and Vegas The ex-friend said that Barrios would lead on both women and men - despite being straight, they believe - in an attempt to get money out of whomever wanted his affections He also would work whatever jobs he could get and that Barrios enjoyed projecting a partying lifestyle, according to the New York Post 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. It's unclear if Barrios was using his victim for money. 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. But Lacey's office 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, court records say. Barrios was also prosecuted for driving dangerously and without a license in Riverside, California in 2016. Yoni Christian Barrios, 32, who is charged with murdering two and attempting to kill six more on Thursday, could have been incarcerated if not for the failings of LA DA Jackie Lacey's office Lacey (above), who has since left office, waited over a year to prosecute Barrios, whose case finally went to court last year but was thrown out for violating the state's speedy trial laws Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, (pictured) was stabbed to death in the broad daylight attack, which also claimed the life of Brent Allan Hallett, 47 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 (LVMPD). Sources at the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News they believed he is an undocumented migrant and does not have a visa. A criminal docket for Barrios obtained by DailyMail.com shows he was charged in July 2019 with criminally injuring a spouse, cohabitant or fellow parent in an act of domestic violence. If charged as a felony, perpetrators can be sentenced to up to four years in prison. Barrios docket says the alleged incident occurred on August 18, 2018. Lacey filed the case a year later, but the first pre-trial hearing was left until more than two years later on April 8 2021. The court documents say Barrios pleaded not guilty and the case went to trial but was dismissed the same day by the judge because it had languished in the court system for too long. The docket at LA Superior Court cites California Penal Codes 1381, 1381.5, and 1382 for the cases dismissal. According to these codes California Penal Code, prosecutors must bring a case to trial within 60 days of filing an indictment for a felony. The court, unless good cause to the contrary is shown, shall order the action to be dismissed in the following cases In a felony case, when a defendant is not brought to trial within 60 days of the defendants arraignment, PC 1382 says. If Barrios had been put on trial promptly after the case was filed in July 2019 and convicted, he could have faced up to four years in prison, and would not have been free to commit the alleged two murders and six attempted murders with which he was charged this week. Despite the docket information, a Los Angeles DA union executive denied Lacey's office fail[ed] to bring him to trial. Eric Siddall, Vice President of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, told DailyMail.com: If the case was thrown out by the judge, it was probably because of witness issues.' Barrios, pictured Friday, faced domestic violence charges that could have left him in jail for four years, unable to commit Thursday's brutal attack The US Immigration and Nationality Act also lists a domestic violence conviction as one of the key criteria for the deportation of an illegal immigrant. During her tenure as LA DA from 2012 to 2020, Lacey styled herself as tough on crime and even pursued death penalty cases in the face of a moratorium from Governor Gavin Newsom. But she came under fire from justice campaigners for her delay in prosecuting some prominent figures including West Hollywood Democrat donor Ed Buck, who injected multiple male sex workers with lethal doses of drugs at his apartment. She was also criticized by the Black Lives Matter movement for failing to prosecute police officer Clifford Proctor for shooting dead Brendon Glenn, despite a recommendation from former LAPD chief Charlie Beck. Barrios has another criminal record in Riverside, east of Los Angeles. In April 2016 he was caught speeding and driving without a license. He was given a citation and paid a fine. According to his LVMPD arrest report, Barrios lived in Los Angeles and traveled to Vegas on Tuesday to stay with a friend, but when they reneged on the offer he headed to the strip and ended up attacking a group of showgirls to let the anger out.' Anna Westby, 26, (above) recalled the moment her coworker at Best Showgirls in Vegas, Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, died in her arms during Thursday's stabbing attack Digiovanni, who was also a teacher, was fatally stabbed in the heart. Pictured: Digiovanni (left) in her showgirls costume on the Vegas strip One of the victims was Maris Digiovanni, 30, Westby's coworker at Best Showgirls in Vegas, who died in her friend, Anna Westby's, hands after they were approached by Barrios. 'He pulled up a knife and he showed it to us as if modeling it,' she told the New York Post. 'Before we could say anything at all. He grabbed the knife and he stabbed Maris in the heart,' she said. The moment was so shocking to Westby, 26, that she didn't even have time to worry about herself as she tried to apply pressure to Digiovanni's wound. '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?' After stabbing Digiovanni in the heart, Westby said the man slashed a fellow showgirl, Victoria Caytano. Westby said she and Digiovanni tried to run, but to no avail. 'Maris made it only about 15 feet before she collapsed,' Westby told the Post. 'And he came after me and stabbed me in the back, and he ran off.' The showgirl's boss, Cheryl Lowthrop, said her employees are still reeling over the incident as they mourned Digiovanni, who also worked as an elementary school teacher. Lowthorp has started a GoFundMe page to help her employees impacted by the tragedy and to cover funeral expenses and other costs for Digiovanni's family. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia set a Jan. 12 hearing to determine if Barrios will face trial in state court on charges that could have him confronting a possible death penalty, and ordered him to remain jailed without bail. A grand jury could indict Barrios before that time. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said prosecutors will decide in the coming weeks whether to seek the death penalty in the case. A mum of three has opened up about how she was scammed out of $154,000 as a warning so others don't have to go through the horror she did. Tricia Harding was devastated when she was swindled in an elaborate phishing scheme and wants banks to do more to ensure others aren't conned the same way. The scam started when Ms Harding, who lives in Queensland's Sunshine Coast region, sent an email to her children in April saying she wanted to give them some money. She and her husband, Peter, has sold their house and wanted to share some of the money with their kids, so contacted them asking for their bank details. A Queensland mother was devastated when she was swindled in an elaborate phishing scheme and wants banks to do more to ensure others aren't conned the same way. Pictured is a mock up of a bank transfer Hackers often use email addresses very similar to the real ones known by a person in an attempt to scam them. Pictured is a stock image of an email account But replies seeming to be from her son Simon and daughter, Amy, were not really from them - though the address were near identical to her children's emails. The only difference was an extra letter added to the addresses. The cybercriminal sent separate bank details, supposedly from Simon and Amy, to Ms Harding, and she transferred $154,000 to the crook. When her children told her the money had not come through, Ms Harding realised something terrible had happened. Her daughter Amy told her she didn't have a Commonwealth Bank account. What is phishing? Phishing is where a target or targets are contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as someone else, such as someone they know or a legitimate institution. The purpose is to lure the person being scammed into providing sensitive data such as banking and credit card details and passwords. Advertisement 'Your heart sinks I clicked on the email address and showed her and she said "I didn't send that",' Ms Harding told the Courier Mail. After realising the depth of what happened, she thought 'what happens now, where's my money?' An investigation showed that Simon's email to his mum been intercepted, deleted and then sent from a very similar address with the scammer's bank details. While Amy's email to her mum had got through, the criminal sent another email from the fake Amy with details of a different bank account to send the money to. David Lacey of cyber security specialists IDCare said the scammer probably hacked Ms Harding's email and created what are known as forwarding rules. 'These are rules that deliberately share to external email accounts, such as the criminal's account, emails Ms Harding receives that may contain specific words or characters such as BSB or $ signs,' Dr Lacey said. Cybercriminals do this so they don't have to read every email the person they hack gets, but are alerted straight away to the ones containing information the can use in a scam. David Lacey (pictured) said email phishing scams are very common Email phishing accounts for almost one in ten of the people who contact IDCare for help. Dr Lacey said the experience is 'very concerning for Ms Harding, her mental health and well being, confidence in engaging online, and privacy'. People caught up in such crimes are at a risk of their identity being misused again, as are people who have sent information to the victim. Dr Lacey said there were some simple precautions which could be taken to protect yourself online, such as using multi-factor authentication, strong passwords and regularly checking filtered or deleted messages. Ms Harding contacted the banks where her money was sent to, as well as her own, and she eventually got all her money back after five months. 'It was a long process of waiting and just hoping,' she said. Ms Harding said banks have a responsibility to match names to account details, which already happens overseas. It's understood he was unwell for quite some time prior to his tragic death Beloved actor Robbie Coltrane's cause of death is listed as multiple organ failure on his death certificate, according to a new report. The Harry Potter star died aged 72 on October 14. At the time of his death, he was reportedly suffering from sepsis, a lower respiratory tract infection, Type 2 diabetes, heart block and obesity. These factors - combined with the organ failure - cumulatively led to his premature death. Coltrane's ex wife Rhona Gemmell registered his death in Glasgow, according to the Daily Star. It's understood he'd been unwell for some time leading to his death. Beloved actor Robbie Coltrane's cause of death is listed as multiple organ failure on his death certificate Coltrane played Hagrid, the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, in all eight of the Harry Potter films and was the first to be cast in the movies after JK Rowling personally picked him out Robbie Coltrane (left) pictured alongside his Harry Potter co-stars (L-R) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Alan Rickman (behind) He was rumoured to have had serious health issues earlier this year after he was forced to pull out of London's Comic Con in June due to medical reasons. The Scottish star, whose real name is Anthony Robert McMillan, was best known for playing the beloved Hogwarts gamekeeper Hagrid and starring as criminal psychologist Dr Eddie 'Fitz' Fitzgerald in the 90s ITV drama. He won the Best Actor BAFTA three years in a row for his role as Dr Fitz as well as two BAFTA Scotland Awards. He even voiced the BBC adaptation of King Charles' children's book, The Old Man Of Lochnagar. Coltrane leaves behind Ms Gemmell, who he married in 1999, sister Annie Rae and his children Spencer, who was born in 1992 and Alice, born in 1998. He was one of the UK's most-loved comedians before turning to acting, where his first major serious role was playing Fitz in ITV's drama series Cracker. Tom Felton and Emma Watson were among the Harry Potter stars who paid tribute to Coltrane, who played Hagrid Coltrane character Hagrid was one of the most-loved characters from Rowling's magical series Throughout his illustrious career, he also starred alongside comedy and acting legends including Julie Walters, Ben Elton, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Siobhan Redmond. Coltrane's agent Belinda Wright described him as a 'unique talent' and said the star died on Friday. She added: 'Please respect Robbie's family's privacy at this distressing time.' In a statement, she said: 'My client and friend Robbie Coltrane OBE passed away on Friday October 14. Robbie was a unique talent. 'For me personally I shall remember him as an abidingly loyal client. As well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent, brilliantly witty and after 40 years of being proud to be called his agent, I shall miss him. In his later years, he appeared less frequently in film and television, but returned to be interviewed for HBO's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts - where he spoke of how his legacy as Hagrid would live long beyond him. Coltrane (centre) got his huge acting break in the ITV drama Cracker, in which he starred as Dr Fitz Speaking on the special, he said: 'The legacy of the movies is that my children's generation will show it to their children, so you could be watching it in 50 years' time easy. 'I'll not be here sadly...but Hagrid will' Speaking on the special, he said: 'The legacy of the movies is that my children's generation will show it to their children, so you could be watching it in 50 years' time easy. 'I'll not be here sadly...but Hagrid will.' After the shock news of his death, former co-stars and colleagues began paying tribute to the 'one of a kind' man. Daniel Radcliffe remembered his Harry Potter co-star as 'one of the funniest people' and an 'incredible actor'. The actor, who starred in the lead role in the fantasy series shared fond memories from set in a statement, saying: 'Robbie was one of the funniest people I've met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set. 'I've especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban, when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid's hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up. 'I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he's passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.' Coltrane pictured while starring in The Pope Must Die - one of many films for which he received high praise Coltrane was awarded an OBE for services to drama in the 2006 list of honours (pictured after receiving the OBE) Emma Watson, who starred as Hermione in the franchise, released a heartbreaking statement on Instagram which said: 'Robbie was like the most fun uncle I've ever had but most of all he was deeply caring, and compassionate towards me as a child and an adult. His talent was so immense it made sense he played a giant - he could fill ANY space with his brilliance. 'Know how much I adore and admire you. I'll really miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughs and your hugs. 'You made us a family. Know you were that to us. There was no better Hagrid. You made it a joy to be Hermione.' Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, said on Instagram: 'One of my fondest memories of filming Harry Potter was a night shoot on the first film in the forbidden forest. I was 12. 'Robbie cared and looked after everyone around of him. Effortlessly. And made them laugh. Effortlessly. He was a big friendly giant on screen but even more so In real life. Love you mate - thank you for everything.' Warwick Davis, who starred alongside Robbie Coltrane as Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films, has paid tribute to the 'always jovial' actor who has died aged 72. He wrote: 'I was saddened to learn that fellow Harry Potter cast member, Robbie Coltrane died today. 'Always jovial, he brought warmth, light and laughter to any set he walked on to. RIP Robbie, Beloved Giant of comedy.' Cargo ships carrying Ukraine grain are anchored as they wait in line for the inspection on the Marmara sea, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 22. EPA-Yonhap Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu/ Tass-Yonhap Russia's defense minister held rare telephone talks with his U.S. counterpart Friday, after pro-Kremlin officials said they were turning Ukraine's southern city of Kherson into a "fortress" as Kyiv's forces advance. Few details emerged of the conversation between Russia's Sergei Shoigu and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin but both sides confirmed they had discussed Ukraine. "Topical issues of international security including the situation in Ukraine were discussed," said Russia's defense ministry. "Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing war against Ukraine," said a Washington spokesman. It was only the second call between the ministers since Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24. Back in May, Austin had urged Moscow to implement an "immediate ceasefire". U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin/ AP-Yonhap At the time, Russia's invading force had been beaten back from the capital Kyiv but were making steady gains in the eastern Donbas and Kharkiv regions and had consolidated their position in the south. Six months on, however, Ukraine's forces have pushed back. Kyiv's forces in recent weeks aided by Western weapons have been advancing along the west bank of the Dnieper river towards the region's main city, also called Kherson. The first major city to fall to Moscow's troops, retaking it would be a major prize in Ukraine's counter-offensive. Kyiv said Friday it had retaken a total of 88 towns and villages in the region since launching its offensive to retake Kherson in the late summer while President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the capture of Russian arms by his forces in the region. Kherson 'fortress' Moscow-installed authorities in the region on Friday accused Kyiv's forces of attacking a bridge being used by civilians. "Four people were killed," pro-Moscow official Kirill Stremousov said on Telegram. "The city of Kherson, like a fortress, is preparing for its defense." Russian investigators said later two of the dead were journalists and that 13 people had been wounded. Advertisement A member of a professional sky diving team has been killed after plummeting to earth during a pre-game show arranged by a Tennessee high school. Richard Sheffield, 55, was part of a troupe of skydivers recruited to entertain spectators ahead of the Musket Bowl - an annual Washington County rivalry game between David Crockett and Daniel Boone high schools. Footage from the scene shows Sheffield, an experienced skydiver whose whole family also enjoys the sport, attempting a stunt landing. The trick appears to go wrong, and Sheffield falls from the sky into an area behind the stadium. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Richard Sheffield, a passionate skydiver, was killed on Friday while performing for a crowd in Tennessee Sheffield is seen on Friday night parachuting down to entertain the crowds at the Musket Bowl Sheffield appeared to attempt a stunt, which went wrong Sheffield was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead 'Today just doesn't feel real, and the hardest day of my life,' his son Stacey wrote on Facebook. 'Yesterday we lost one of the most important people in our lives, my Dad. 'I'm so thankful for the relationship we had. We talked every single day, multiple times a day.' Sheffield and his wife Kim were married for 38 years, and were parents to twin sons, Stacey and Casey. Stacey added: 'Being able to skydive with your Dad is another level of cool. 'One thing Dad loved the most was going fast, and that's how he went out. 'People look at what we do and say it's crazy, and well, maybe it is, but Dad lived a full life, and he taught us to do the same. 'He made an impact on everyone he met.' Sheffield's son Stacey said: 'One thing Dad loved the most was going fast, and that's how he went out' Sheffield was married to Kim for 38 years Sheffield was remembered as 'the best Dad, husband, and Pops there was' Sheffield is pictured with some of his grandchildren The Sheffield family are pictured at a Christmas event. His sons paid glowing tribute to their father Stacey said his father was 'country as hell, and people loved to make fun of the way he talked' - adding: 'But man, if I could just hear it one more time...' He concluded: 'He was the best Dad, husband, and Pops there was. 'You may not have made it to 120 years like you always said, but you sure tried to get that out of 55. 'Until we fly again, Dad. I love you. Blue Skies.' Casey said their father taught them to skydive at the age of seven, and said he lived without regret. 'To think I can't just pick up the phone to call him doesn't feel real,' Casey said. 'He was the first person I called when I needed help. He was the rock of our family. 'He was the coolest, nicest, most bad ass dad around and we are so lucky to have the time with him that we did. 'But one thing is for sure, he went out living, with NO REGRETS.' Casey said his father was aware of the danger, but wanted to live life to the full. 'He knew the risks, we all did. 'But he loved to go fast, and that's ultimately how he went out. 'We loved flying together and I'm thankful to have shared the sky with him.' Penny Mordaunt vowed to fight on last night despite her chances of winning the Tory leadership fading rapidly. With Rishi Sunak on more than 100 declared backers, and Boris Johnsons allies briefing that he had privately reached that threshold, Ms Mordaunts prospects looked bleak. Last night, just 23 MPs had publicly given her their support far fewer than the 67 who initially backed her in Julys leadership race. Candidates must get the support of at least 100 of the 357 Tory MPs to enter the next round, meaning no more than three can battle it out. A source close to Ms Mordaunt, pictured left, insisted that she was a fresh face who was not tainted by association with the psychodrama between Mr Johnson and his former Chancellor. Penny Mordaunt vowed to fight on last night despite her chances of winning the Tory leadership fading rapidly Her struggles to rally support come after she sparked fears among foreign embassies last week about an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, after repeatedly refusing to explain Liz Trusss absence from Parliament. At least nine times, Ms Mordaunt told MPs there were genuine and good reasons for Ms Truss not being in the Commons to face a grilling about the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng following his shambolic mini-Budget. But Ms Mordaunt declined to share those reasons, sparking concerns among foreign diplomats based in London that she was being briefed about Russia testing nuclear weapons after President Vladimir Putin had threatened their use. Filling in for Ms Truss, Ms Mordaunt said the Prime Minister was not hiding under a desk. Questioned further about the Prime Ministers absence, Ms Mordaunt said: I cannot disclose the reasons; I have asked if I can. I am being very genuine with the House on this matter. After it was suggested that Ms Truss was tendering her resignation, Ms Mordaunt said there were very serious matters, as well as economic matters, in her in-tray, muddying matters. Moments later, Ms Truss walked into the Chamber, having had a meeting with Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers. A Foreign Office source said they could not rule out that embassies had made calls to check in about the situation in Ukraine. The Partygate investigation does not have any new bombshell information which could see Boris Johnson kicked out of Parliament, insiders have claimed. The former Prime Minister is looking to make a return to Downing Street following Liz Truss's resignation this week. However, it has been suggested the ongoing Parliamentary investigation into the Partygate scandal could see Mr Johnson indicted and perhaps even expelled from Parliament. A committee led by Labour MP Harriet Harman will hear evidence on rule-breaking during the Covid-19 lockdown next month. Mr Johnson is expected to be questioned by the Privileges Committee during its investigation. If he is found to have misled Parliament, he could be kicked out and face a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency. Boris Johnson is weighing up a return to Downing Street after Liz Truss's resignation Allies of Boris Johnson have urged Tory MPs to cancel Parliament's Partygate probe into whether Mr Johnson misled MPs if he returns as Prime Minister The decision could see Mr Johnson removed as Prime Minister if he does return to Downing Street at the end of the Conservative leadership contest this week. However, Westminster insiders have said all the information available to the committee has already been made public by the Sue Gray report earlier this year, The Sun reported. A source said: 'It's wrong to suggest there is new damning evidence. 'There has been no additional material. Pictures of the events are already in the public domain.' Meanwhile, allies of Mr Johnson urged Tory MPs to cancel the Partygate probe into his conduct if he does return as Prime Minister. A former minister close to Mr Johnson said the new government would have to table a Commons motion to halt the 'malicious' inquiry by MPs that could see him suspended from Parliament. The Commons privileges committee is investigating whether Mr Johnson misled MPs when he initially said no parties took place in No 10 in breach of lockdown rules. The inquiry, led by Labour's former deputy leader Harriet Harman, has been branded a 'witch hunt' by critics, who believe the former PM's enemies are trying to end his political career. An ally of the PM said that if Tory MPs were serious about him becoming prime minister again, they would have to act to end the inquiry by backing a Commons motion to cancel it. 'If Boris does return then one of the first things we will need to do is move a motion to knock down this politically motivated stunt,' the source said. 'Too many Tory MPs have been played by Labour into backing this inquiry. The whole thing is totally unconstitutional and has to end now.' Royal Mail is under fire over a plan that will leave households with vast numbers of stamps they can no longer use. The company is to introduce new barcoded stamps after Christmas. These will replace ones that many people still have tucked away in their drawers or wallets. Royal Mail are introducing new postage stamps with barcodes (pictured) after Christmas However, campaign groups warn that customers could lose out on significant sums after successive price rises. The cost of a first-class stamp increased by 10p to 95p in April. That compares with just 60p a decade ago. It means a book of 12 stamps is currently worth 11.40. Critics claim that many people do not yet know about the plan and Royal Mails trade-in scheme to swap unused stamps for new ones is too complicated. Consumer expert Martyn James said: For a company thats all about communication, Royal Mail has singularly failed to communicate the most radical change to postage in decades. It doesnt matter that you can exchange existing stamps. For many people, they simply wont learn of the changes till after the deadline or will find the exchange rules illogical and confusing. The postal service has set a deadline of January 31 for customers to use up their old stamps. After that, customers will have to trade in their stamps for new ones. But critics say many are not yet aware of the delivery services intentions Mr James called on Royal Mail to extend the deadline. Old postage stamps will not be able after January 31, there will be a scheme to swap old stamps but critics claim many people are unaware and that it is too complicated Experts have long advised households to buy books of stamps before each price rise to save money. Many Britons have unused stamps in drawers, purses or stationery boxes. Those who want to trade in their old stamps after the cut-off date will have to fill in a form and send it with their stamps to an office in Scotland. Forms can be printed off from the Royal Mail website or collected from a delivery office but, crucially, warn campaigners, unused stamps cannot be swapped at post offices. Royal Mail said it announced its transition to barcoded stamps last February as part of a nationwide publicity scheme. The barcodes will allow customers to track letters and parcels through the firms app. The company said this was followed by a further awareness campaign in which leaflets were delivered to 31 million households and messages were posted on social media. The new stamps are already on sale, but non-barcoded versions are still being sold until stocks are exhausted. Campaigners are calling on Royal Mail to simplify the exchange process for old stamps and more widely publicise that the change is taking place However, older Britons are likely to be most at risk of falling foul of the new scheme because they rely on postal services far more than the younger generation. Dennis Reed, of the campaign group Silver Voices, called on Royal Mail to be more considerate to older people when explaining the change. He warned that the firms exchange process was convoluted and called for a more intensive public information campaign. Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake said he was unaware of the change before speaking to The Mail on Sunday. He joined campaigners in calling for Royal Mail to turbo-charge its efforts to boost awareness. Mr Hollinrake urged Royal Mail to extend its deadline and be lenient with those who miss it. Royal Mail said it was keen to ensure that no customers are left out of pocket following the transition. The firm added: People who cannot use their stamps before January 31 can swap their non- barcoded stamps for barcoded equivalents free of charge. Britain is at risk of a rabies outbreak from dogs trafficked into the country on fake paperwork, experts have warned. Government officials say they are considering tightening laws on bringing animals over from the EU after vets sounded the alarm about the very real threat. The main issue lies with dogs being smuggled into EU countries from Serbia, where rabies is still present, then given official pet travel documents which allow onward travel into the UK, with their true origins concealed. The alert follows repeated warnings from charities about the health of smuggled animals. Britain is at risk of a rabies outbreak from dogs trafficked, mainly from Serbia, into the country on fake paperwork (stock image) At a recent veterinary conference, Helen Roberts, head of non-livestock disease policy at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, spoke of the rabies risk. According to the publication Vet Record, she said that ensuring every dog is tested for the disease before entering the country was something we [at Defra] are looking at. She said: Its the commercial dogs, the strays, the ones that are picked up and sold on different websites as being, This is cute little Bobby, wouldnt you like to let him into your life These are the ones we worry about because we dont know their past history. Her remarks follow a warning from a Serbian police source who said thousands of dogs were being trafficked into the EU each year. Under current rules, dogs coming into the UK on an EU pet passport must have a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before entering the country. However, they do not require a blood test. Dogs from unlisted countries are meant to have a vaccination and a test, because the jab does not always stop dogs developing rabies Dogs from unlisted countries with a high rabies risk, such as Serbia, should have both a vaccination and a test, because the jab does not always stop dogs developing the disease. Traffickers who exploit the loophole to evade the blood test risk bringing dogs into the UK that are incubating rabies that goes undetected. Paula Boyden, veterinary director the Dogs Trust, said: We are aware of illegally imported dogs from Serbia. Anecdotally there seems to be a thriving trade. It is very worrying. I would like to see more controls on dogs between non-EU and EU countries. The British Veterinary Association is calling for all dogs entering the UK to be given a blood test 30 days after inoculation, and want the wait for travel extended from 21 days to 12 weeks. Last night, Defra denied there were any plans to introduce mandatory testing for all dogs entering the UK, which has been rabies-free since 1922. Tony Blair's organisation has received funds from a Russian billionaire who has been sanctioned for his ties to the Kremlin, according to new documents. The latest accounts for the former Prime Ministers non-profit institute reveal its links with industrial mogul Moshe Kantor, who was born in Russia. Sanctions on Mr Kantor, who is worth an estimated 8billion, were imposed by the Government in April following Russian President Vladimir Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The Government said Mr Kantor was the largest shareholder of fertilizer company Acron, with vital strategic significance for the Russian government. We are showing the Russian elite that they cannot wash their hands of the atrocities committed on Putins orders, a Government Minister said at the time. Originally from Moscow, Moshe Kantor (left) now has British citizenship. He was awarded Russias Order of Honour by President Vladimir Putin (right) in recognition of his professional achievements' Documents filed with Companies House reveal Mr Kantor made annual charitable donations to the Tony Blair Institute which was enough to support around two members of staff. The institute set up to support globalisation said it no longer received funds from him, but did not say whether it had returned any that had already been donated. Mr Blairs former links with the oligarch led to a prestigious role on Mr Kantors European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, which appointed the former Labour leader as its chairman in 2015. The ECTR was listed among the Tony Blair Institutes wealthy donors. But their relationship ended in April after Mr Kantor was added to the UK sanctions list, alongside other seven oligarchs. His vast wealth stems from his shareholding in Acron. Originally from Moscow, Mr Kantor now has British citizenship. He was awarded Russias Order of Honour by Putin in recognition of his professional achievements. In recent years he has arranged for delegations to meet the Russian leader in his role as President of the European Jewish Congress. The wealthy Russian has long cultivated deep ties with British politicians and Establishment figures, including the Royal Family. The Tony Blair Institutes links with Mr Kantor are just one example of the non-profit organisations reach among the global elite. The institutes latest figures revealed that turnover surged from 40.25million to 71.8million last year, while the number of staff has grown from 263 to 440. Mr Blair does not take a salary for his role as its executive chairman. Dame Deborah James's friend and fellow campaigner in the fight to find a cure for bowel cancer said she would have been 'thrilled' to see the latest breakthrough in treating the disease. Ms James, who was dubbed Bowel Babe and hosted podcast You, Me and the Big C, died aged 40 in June this year. The final four weeks of her life saw her raise an incredible 7million for charity through her Bowelbabe Fund - money which is helping the work of Cancer Research UK. Dame Deborah James's friend and fellow campaigner in the fight to find a cure for bowel cancer said she would have been 'thrilled' to see the latest breakthrough in treating the disease Now a team of experts funded by the charity have undertaken new research to prevent bowel cancer growing in its later stages, the Mirror reports. Steve Bland, husband of Deborah's podcast co-host Rachael, who passed away from breast cancer in 2018, said Deborah would have been 'thrilled' by the 'extraordinary' news. He said: 'It's extraordinary what's happening in the world of cancer and the speed at which research is moving. 'The passion and drive that people have to make the lives of cancer patients better is amazing. I'm sure this is something Deb would have been thrilled about.' But, he added, the full extent of the impact of Ms James's funding is unlikely to be seen for 'decades', with the money for this specific project allocated several years ago. A team led by Edinburgh University's Dr Kevin Myant has been able to block the messages telling cancer to grow by targeting a gene that avoids healthy cells, making it 'more vulnerable to treatment'. Steve Bland, husband of Deborah's You, Me and the Big C podcast co-host Rachael, who passed away from Breast cancer in 2018, said Deborah would have been 'thrilled' by the 'extraordinary' news 'When we grew bowel cancer cells in the lab and blocked a gene which the cells need to run splicing, they stopped growing. 'When we blocked the same gene in normal bowel cells, they grew normally,' he explained. The scientist added that the need for improved bowel cancer treatments, particularly when it is detected at the late stages, is 'urgent'. He said this research could open up new approaches to treating the disease. Dame Deborah James (right) pictured with her You, Me and The Big C podcast co-hosts Lauren Mahon (centre) and Rachael Bland (left) Each year in the UK about 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer, with the incidence rate of the disease in under 50s having risen by 32 per cent in the past ten years. A Cancer Research UK spokesman said: 'The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK will support causes and projects that Deborah was passionate about. 'These include funding clinical trials and research into personalised medicine that could result in new treatments for cancer patients.' Shortly before her death, James was made a dame for her 'tireless' work by Prince William. She also fundraised extensively, and went on outings, including a trip to Royal Ascot. NHS plans for tighter rules on transgender treatments for children have been welcomed by campaigners but criticised by trans-rights pressure groups. NHS England has outlined its strategy to replace the Gender Identity Development Service at the controversial Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London. The plans include putting medical doctors in charge rather than therapists or psychologists. They also state that staff should not automatically affirm a childs desire to socially transition to the opposite gender and add that puberty blocker drugs can only be prescribed as part of an NHS research programme. NHS England has outlined its strategy to replace the Gender Identity Development Service at the controversial Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London Stephanie Davies-Arai, of campaign group Transgender Trend, said the moves were welcome. Trans-rights group Gendered Intelligence described the approach as a completely needless pathologisation of social transition. The proposals are out for public consultation. Blood donors frustrated they cannot get an early appointment are being urged to book ahead by NHS bosses, to stave off a prolonged crisis this winter. Ten days ago, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) issued a four-week-long amber alert as blood stocks ran low. The publicity resulted in thousands of Britons trying to book appointments, but many were told the next available slots in their area were weeks, or even months away, which has put some donors off. Blood donors frustrated they cannot get an early appointment are being urged to book ahead by NHS bosses, to stave off a prolonged crisis this winter The squeeze on appointments has been made worse by donor staff shortages which NHSBT said was the main cause of supplies running low in the first place. Last night consultant haematologist Dr Lise Estcourt, associate medical director for blood transfusion at NHSBT, said: We understand the frustrations of donors, but if sessions close to them are full, thats a good sign that we are filling appointments. 'The need for blood is ongoing, so we would encourage donors to book the next appointment available to them and to keep that appointment. Among those having to wait until next year to give blood is languages teacher Joanna Irving from Bedfordshire. She was told that the next available appointment in her area was in February, despite her being a former donor with blood O negative the type in short supply. Ms Irving, 52, said NHSBT insisted on treating her as a new donor because she had not given blood for five or ten years, and had archived her records. She was told: Because we dont have any electronic records, we have to process you as a new donor. Their whole IT system seems to be working against them, Ms Irving added. Blood stocks have risen from their record low tens days ago, but hospitals are still being urged to be careful with blood, potentially delaying operations Annoyed at how difficult the process had been, she did not book the February appointment although said she might ring back. Blood stocks have risen from their record lows ten days ago. At that time there were just two days of O negative blood supplies left a third of the six days supply the NHS likes to have. Last Friday stocks of O negative and O positive had risen to just above four days. Hospitals are still being urged to be careful with blood, potentially delaying operations. Boris Johnson was last night locked in talks about striking a unity leadership deal with Rishi Sunak as a Mail on Sunday poll found that the former Prime Minister would offer the Tories the best chance at a General Election. Mr Johnson is arguing that if he were to re-enter No 10 with his former Chancellor in a senior role, it would avoid a divisive battle, sources told this newspaper. Mr Johnsons hand in the negotiations is strengthened as he would most likely win any ballot of Tory members. In return for giving his former Chancellor a top job, Mr Johnson would expect strict loyalty, an ally said, and if he couldnt secure it, he would leave Rishi to it. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at Gatwick Airport in London, after travelling on a flight from the Caribbean to start talks with MPs over a potential leadership battle Meanwhile, a Deltapoll survey for this newspaper found that if a General Election was held today, Labour would have a lead of 25 points and an astonishing majority of 320. But if Mr Johnson were Prime Minister, the lead would be cut to ten points, with a Labour majority of just 26. When voters were asked how they would vote if Mr Sunak were the leader, Labour had a lead of 17 points and a projected majority of 124. Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, who is struggling to get enough MPs to back her bid, would lose to a Labour majority of 216. Mr Johnson, who flew back to the UK from his Caribbean holiday yesterday, aims to join Mr Sunak in an alliance in the national interest, in the words of one supporter. However, plans for a face-to-face meeting yesterday afternoon were delayed, with both sides blaming the other for the hold-up. The two men have been political foes since Mr Sunaks resignation this summer helped to bring down Mr Johnson. Boris Johnson was last night locked in talks about striking a unity leadership deal with his former chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured) Last night, allies of the former Chancellor questioned the Johnson camps claim that they had the private backing of the 100 Tory MPs needed to secure a place on the ballot. They suspect they were being bluffed into folding too soon. By yesterday evening, the number of MPs offering their public backing had reached 128 for Mr Sunak, 54 for Mr Johnson and 23 for Ms Mordaunt. Mr Sunaks supporters believe that if he wins the MPs backing by a large enough margin, then Mr Johnson will not feel he has the authority to submit himself to the members vote. International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch became the latest MP to declare her support for Mr Sunak, describing him as the man for the job. Former No 10 chief of staff Steve Barclay and ex-Brexit Minister Lord Frost have also publicly backed Mr Sunak. Meanwhile Former Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was backing Mr Johnson because he had a proven track record, joining Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in Mr Johnsons camp. Ms Dorries tweeted about Mr Johnsons return: The boss is back. And writing in todays Mail on Sunday, she says: Only Boris is a proven winner. If Sunak is chosen, I fear we would enter uncharted and potentially dangerous waters. Mr Johnsons father, Stanley, predicted that his son would put his name forward, saying: He believes there are things to do still, despite the lure of lucrative post-Premiership speaking offers. Hes ready to give those temptations up to endure the slings and arrows, he said. Mr Johnson let it be known that he was up for it in the wake of Liz Trusss resignation on Thursday. After he landed at Gatwick with wife Carrie, he headed to Westminsters Millbank Tower, a few hundred yards from where Mr Sunak was based, and hit the phones to round up support from MPs, including from those who have already publicly backed Mr Sunak or Ms Mordaunt. Ms Patel said that under Mr Johnson, the Tories won the biggest mandate in a generation, adding in a statement: Boris has a proven track record getting the big decisions right, standing up for Ukraine and our values. But Dominic Raab, who was Deputy Prime Minister under Mr Johnson, said his former boss would be distracted by the Commons Partygate probe if he were to become Prime Minister again. Mr Raab said: The issue is that within days of us having a new Prime Minister, which is, at the latest, next Friday, the Committee on Privileges and Conduct is going to start taking oral testimony, including from Boris. He added that it doesnt seem possible for a Prime Minister to give the country the attention that it requires while that inquiry is ongoing, adding: Wed be back in the groundhog day of Partygate. Weve got to have the country and the Government moving forward. Mr Raab is backing Mr Sunak, saying he has the broadest appeal and can restore trust. Joe Twyman, Deltapolls co-founder, said: Among those vying for the Conservative leadership, it is Boris Johnson who leads the pack. It is, however, a demonstration of the difficulty the Conservative Government are in that no candidate would be able to prevent a Labour majority as things stand. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with delegates, specially invited delegates and non-voting participants of the 20th CPC National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2022. Xi had group photos taken with them. Other leaders also took part in the meeting. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Sunday met with more than 2,700 delegates, specially invited delegates and non-voting participants of the 20th CPC National Congress in Beijing. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was greeted by long and warm applause at the Great Hall of the People. He had group photos taken with them. Other leaders also took part in the meeting. The 20th CPC National Congress was held from Oct. 16 to 22 in Beijing. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with delegates, specially invited delegates and non-voting participants of the 20th CPC National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2022. Xi had group photos taken with them. Other leaders also took part in the meeting. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) Members of the Russian Emergencies Ministry carry an elderly woman evacuated from the Russian-controlled city of Kherson, in the town of Oleshky, Kherson region, Russian-controlled Ukraine Oct. 22. Reunters-Yonhap Pro-Russian authorities on Saturday urged residents in the southern Kherson region, which Moscow claims to have annexed, to leave the main city "immediately" in the face of Kyiv's advancing counter-offensive. The call came as President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 36 rockets overnight in a "massive attack" on Ukraine, following reported strikes on energy infrastructure that resulted in power outages across the country. And Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida became the latest world leader to reproach Moscow for its talk of using nuclear weapons. Kyiv's forces have been advancing along the west bank of the Dnipro river, towards the Kherson region's eponymous main city. Kherson was the first major city to fall to Moscow's troops, and retaking it would be a major prize in Ukraine's counter-offensive. In recent days, Russia has been moving residents in the region which Moscow claims to have annexed in September east to Russia, in efforts Kyiv has denounced as "deportations". "Due to the tense situation on the front, the increased danger of mass shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the left bank" of the Dnipro river, the region's pro-Russian authorities announced on social media. A Moscow-installed official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, told Russian news agency Interfax on Saturday that around 25,000 people had made the crossing. Sergiy Khlan, the Ukrainian deputy head of the Kherson region, said Russians were removing property and documents from banks and the passport office as they withdrew. Ukraine's general staff said Moscow's forces had abandoned two more settlements in Kherson and were evacuating medical personnel from a third, accusing them of looting local civilians. Earlier Saturday, Japan's Kishida denounced Moscow's comments regarding the possible use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. "Russia's act of threatening the use of nuclear weapons is a serious threat to the peace and security of the international community and absolutely unacceptable," he said. The 77-year period of no nuclear weapons use "must not be ended", said Kishida, speaking in Australia. The parents of a seven-year-old boy who died from toxic fumes in his home have delivered a petition of 117,000 signatures to Downing Street demanding a public inquiry. Firefighters and Zane Gbangbolas parents urged Liz Truss to end the cover-up during her last days as Prime Minister. Zane died during flooding in Chertsey, Surrey, in 2014. Cyanide is suspected to have seeped in from an old military landfill site. Zane's mum Nicole, pictured at a protest with Jeremy Corbyn outside Parliament in 2014, has now eight years on handed a petition to Downing Street demanding a public inquiry As Environment Secretary, Ms Truss pledged to resolve this case as quickly as possible but eight years later Zanes parents are still fighting authorities for answers. His mother Nicole said: We will die fighting if we have to. Fire crews detected cyanide in the home. The incident also left Zanes father Kye paralysed. A coroner blamed Zanes death on fumes from a petrol pump used to clear floodwater. But this newspaper found official files that showed hydrogen cyanide was detected in Zanes home the night he died, and incident logs said the petrol pump had not been in use. A Government spokesman said: The Environment Agency provided detailed evidence to assist the independent coroner in reaching his conclusions.' Donald Trump has called for the authors and publishers of the leaked Supreme Court draft of Roe v. Wade to be locked up - unless they reveal the source of their bombshell scoop. Addressing a rally in Robstown, Texas, on Saturday night, the former president said that the person who provided the draft decision to POLITICO for their May 3 story should be rooted out. He said the way to get the reporters, Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward, to reveal their sources - a fundamental violation of journalistic ethics - was to threaten them and the publishers of POLITICO with jail. 'You know in this country they leak all over the place - even on the Supreme Court,' he said. 'By the way, you have to find the leaker.' He then called for them to be imprisoned if they refused to say who handed them the draft document. DailyMail.com reached out to POLITICO for a response but representatives have yet to issue a comment or statement. Donald Trump on Saturday night called for the journalists behind the May scoop about the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade to be locked up Alexander Ward, POLITICO's national security reporter, and Josh Gerstein, senior legal correspondent, co-authored the May 3 story The May 3 scoop by Ward and Gerstein caused shockwaves, and sparked an investigation to find the source of their report The former president is seen taking the stage on Saturday night in Texas Trump supporters are pictured at Saturday night's rally in Texas Trump supporters are pictured at the rally in Robstown, Texas, on Saturday 'You know how you find the leaker?' Trump continued. 'They say you can't find the leaker. He leaked all about Roe v. Wade. 'This person leaked from the Supreme Court - never happened. 'And they don't want to mention this as they think it's so terrible. 'You take the writer - they say they're never going to find it, they're going through phone records, it's been a long time - you take the writer and the publisher of the certain paper. And you say, who is the leaker? 'National security. And they say we're not going to tell you. 'And you say, OK, you're going to jail. 'And when this person realizes they are going to be the bride of another prisoner very shortly, he will say: I'd very much like to tell you exactly who that leaker was. It was Bill Jones, I swear he's the leaker! 'They don't want to do that. But that's the only way.' Trump also, during the rally, gave his strongest hint yet that he would seek re-election to the White House in 2024. The 76-year-old said he would 'probably have to do it again' referencing another run for president of the United States in 2024. 'I ran twice. I won twice. I did much better the second time than I did before,' he said. 'Getting millions more votes in 2020 than 2016 and likewise, getting more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country by far. And now in order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again.' 'The silent majority is back stronger than ever before,' said Trump at the close of the rally. 'My fellow citizens, this incredible journey we are on together has only just begun.' Demonstrators carry the lead banner of the Women's March for reproductive rights in Washington DC on October 8 Women in Washington DC are seen demanding abortion rights on October 8 Activists in Washington DC demand access to abortion for all women in the U.S. on October 8 Locking up journalists for refusing to reveal their sources would put the United States in the same category of countries as China, Myanmar, Egypt and Belarus. The Committee to Protect Journalists' annual report found that, as of December 1 2021, 293 journalists were imprisoned in 37 different countries - up from 280 in 2020. China was far and away the worst offender, holding 50 journalists prisoner. There were no journalists in behind bars in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Gypsy Guillen Kaiser, CPJ's advocacy and communications director, told VOA there is a common theme across countries jailing journalists. 'Authoritarian governments are portraying journalists as unfair liars and criminals,' she said at the time. 'That narrative serves political polarization plaguing the world and is also a critical component in erosion of trust in the free and independent media worldwide.' Trump has previously called for the leaker to be found, but has not previously suggested they be imprisoned if they refuse to disclose their sources. 'The U.S. Supreme Court MUST find, reveal, and punish the 'Leaker.',' he wrote in June on his own social media network, Truth Social. 'Very easy to do - Go to the reporter who received the leak. 'This is a tremendously serious matter that has never happened, to anywhere near this extent, before,' he added. 'The Court will be compromised and demeaned until this very big problem is solved!' Donald Trump in June demanded that the person who leaked a Supreme Court opinion showing the overturn of Roe v. Wade be found and punished The nine justices of the Supreme Court: clockwise from top left - Amy Coney Barrett; Neil Gorsuch; Brett Kavanaugh; Ketanji Brown Jackson; Sonia Sotomayor; Clarence Thomas; Chief Justice John Roberts; Samuel Alito; and Elena Kagan. The nine are pictured on October 7, to mark Brown Jackson joining the court Gerstein and Ward's story reverberated around the world and sparked immediate response - with both pro-life and pro-choice activists taking to the streets. On June 24, their reporting was proved correct and the Supreme Court published its official decision overturning 60 years of federally-guaranteed access to abortion. John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, condemned the leak of the draft decision and launched an investigation the day after the bombshell publication. 'This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here,' he said in a May 3 statement. 'I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak. 'To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. 'The work of the Court will not be affected in any way. We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce permanent employees and law clerks alike intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law. 'Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court.' The marshal of the Supreme Court oversees about 260 employees, including the court's police department, which has the power to arrest people on the grounds of the court. People with access to a draft decision would be the nine justices and the people working in their chambers, including their clerks and staff nearly 50 people in all. So far Roberts is yet to announce that the source of the leak has been found. Justice Elena Kagan called the leak 'horrible' and 'terrible' and an 'obvious, blatant violation of the court's rules.' THE 26 STATES TO OUTLAW ABORTION NOW THAT ROE V. WADE HAS BEEN FORMALLY OVERTURNED Alabama Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kentucky Louisiana Michigan Mississippi Missouri North Dakota South Dakota Oklahoma Tennessee Texas Utah West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Georgia Iowa Ohio South Carolina Advertisement Boris Johnson will walk away from 5 million a year if he becomes PM again, says his biographer Tom Bower. He has lined up a series of US speeches for up to 250,000 a time and signed a 1.5 million deal to write his memoirs, which will be put on hold should he return to No 10. He was on track to earn 5 million this year but if he wins this vote, eventually the skys the limit, said Mr Bower. Boris Johnson will walk away from 5 million a year if he becomes PM again, says his biographer Tom Bower A Netflix producer added: If he returns to power, his value will only go up. Everyone loves a comeback story, especially American corporations. Mr Bower said Mr Johnson could easily match the estimated 100 million Tony Blair has made since quitting No 10 in 2007. An Australian man has gone viral with a video he posted to social media complaining about the nice looking housing commission flats in his area. But the response has not been what he seemingly was looking for. The video, which was posted to TikTok on Saturday night, already had nearly 9,000 likes and 1,500 comments by Sunday afternoon. 'What a country Australia is,' the man said in a sarcastic, implying people living in the housing commission homes were bludgers. Pictured is the public housing complex featured in a video that has gone viral on TikTok 'Look at that, those are commission houses or council flats, government provided houses. 'Look at the cars and stuff, man. That's provided by the government,' he said. The man continued with him saying he works '55 hours a week. I think I paid seven hundred and something dollars tax this week alone. 'I'm paying off a mortgage - I don't live in a place that nice,' he said. He finished by returning his attention to the fact that there were cars parked at the block. 'Look at the cars. Good country this one, mate.' But most commenters did not share his views suggesting that people on welfare are getting an easy ride. 'They're new... Would you like them to build it so it looks old?' asked one. This high rise block in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood is what public housing used to look like Another said 'it's okay to look after other Australians mate. How's it affecting your life? You're gonna pay the same tax regardless. It's okay to help others.' There was also a suggestion for the video maker to 'quit your job and default on your debt and see just how easy it is for those living below the line'. A woman offered a possible explanation for the cars that bothered the man so much. Poll Do you think that people eligible for public housing should get a nice looking place to live in? Yes. Everyone deserves a chance to have a roof over their head No. They should be given only the most basic form of housing available It depends. Some people are poor through no fault of their own, but some of them are just bludgers Do you think that people eligible for public housing should get a nice looking place to live in? Yes. Everyone deserves a chance to have a roof over their head 201 votes No. They should be given only the most basic form of housing available 222 votes It depends. Some people are poor through no fault of their own, but some of them are just bludgers 270 votes Now share your opinion 'I'm a disability support worker,' she said. 'Some of these flats are custom built for wheelchair access and those cars are ours when we're working with clients.' Another person talking about the vehicles in the video said 'those cars are all at least ten years old bro'. There was also a comment on the man's tone of voice on the video, with a poster saying 'Now say it again but without the bitterness. This is a good thing.' That providing this sort of housing is 'a good thing' was a common consensus among commenters. The accommodation certainly looks a lot nicer than some of the older housing stock given to people on welfare in the past. A commenter pointed out that 'probably pensioners live there' and another said 'So you're complaining that people that require assistance have access to it?' There was some support for the video poster, though. 'They do their homework and know how easy our system is to take advantage of,' said one. Another said that they 'worked for Social Housing & couldn't understand why a single pensioner lived in a 3 bedroom unit!!' 'It's shocking how much they get,' said another poster in agreement. But overall, the commenters saw decent social housing as positive, with the person who wrote 'It's nice to know if I get injured I can fall back on that,' speaking for many. Queensland Police say proposed powers to inspect the devices of child sex offenders will help unmask paedophiles who are finding ever more ingenious ways to hide their crimes. The legislation, to be introduced to Queenland's state parliament this week, will allow police to enter the residence of a reportable offender to inspect digital devices. 'This will go a very long way to evening the playing field,' Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Denzil Clark said on Sunday. Paedophiles are increasingly using sophisticated technology to hide their crimes online 'At the moment our power of entry is in relation to confirming reportable offender's personal details. 'When it comes to a device inspection, we do not have that current power. We have to do it with the consent of the person, or we have to do it outside the premises.' Police Minister Mark Ryan said since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic authorities had continued to identify new technology used by offenders to target children. 'It is a very alarming and disturbing trend,' he said. 'Advanced anonymising software exists, such as virtual private networks and hidden phone applications, allowing these predators to remain invisible online.' There are more than 17,000 convicted paedophiles in Australia. Western Australia alone has more than 3,500 on its register for a population of less than 2.7 million The proposed laws would require reportable offenders to disclose use of anonymising software as well as vault and black hole applications along with unique identifiers assigned to their digital networks. A new offence, with penalties of up to five years' jail for failing to comply with a requirement to produce a digital device for inspection, will also be introduced. 'These offenders are the lowest of the low and I am determined they'll have nowhere to hide,' Mr Ryan said. The steady growth in sex offences has fuelled cries for a national public registry of sex offenders and more drastic measures such as chemical castration. Official stats up to 2020 show the number of sexual offenders charged by police in Australia has grown by 13 per cent in a decade. There are more than 17,000 convicted paedophiles in Australia. The brutal rape and murder of 12-year-old Sian Kingi (pictured) led to a law making it tougher for sex offenders to get early release from jail Western Australia alone has more than 3,500 on its register for a population of less than 2.7 million. High profile crimes such as the multiple rape and stabbing of 12-year-old schoolgirl Sian Kingi in 1987 have led to changes such as Sian's Law, which makes it tougher for sex offenders to get early release from jail. However, the regular calls for a national public registry of sex offenders have gone unheeded despite the backing of the Morcombe family. Daniel Morcombe was just 13 when he was abducted and murdered in December 2003, while waiting for a bus to the shopping centre. Advocacy group the Daniel Morcombe Foundation backed the current Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's proposal to start of a public registry of sex offenders in 2019 but it failed to gather the support it needed from the states, particularly Queensland. Queensland Premier Annastasia Palasczcuk's government voted down a motion supporting such a register. Pauline Hanson has called for pedophiles to be chemically castrated along with tougher penalties for sex offenders Queensland state Labor MP Scott Stewart rubbished the idea, telling Parliament the Australian Institute of Criminology had found 'public sex offender registers do not reduce recidivism.' Currently sex offenders must register with the police in all states and territories but only WA has a public registry and its access is limited. Bruce Morcombe, the father of Daniel, lashed state and territory leaders for being as 'weak as piss' in their initial response to the suggestion. Under the plan put forward by the Morcombe Foundation a register would publish the names, aliases, geographical area, current photo, list of identifying features of offenders, and local statistics. Daniel Morcombe was abducted from a bus stop when he was 13-year-old and murdered Only repeat or recidivist offenders, or those who have committed hideous crimes, named and shamed. Britain has such a public registry. Victorian state opposition Jason Wood, a former cop, called for Australia to adopt Britain's model in August. This would let parents, carers or guardians apply for information about a person who has contact with their child if they are concerned the person poses a risk. Research shows that around 7 per cent of child sexual offenders are known to reoffend within 10 years. Incidents involving a family member in a residential setting were the most common. Police Federation of Australia chief executive Scott Weber was quoted as saying he was '100 per cent supportive'. 'It is scary in this day and age that child sexual offenders can jump from border to border and not be detected,' he told the Herald Sun. 'If we can't protect our most vulnerable, then we are really failing everyone.' A Daily Mail Australia mock-up of how an online national child sex offender could look. Above are some of the most well known offenders in Australia - including Daniel Morcombe's killer Brett Cowan, notorious sex pest Michael Guider, Hey Dad!'s Robert Hughes, predator Robert Fardon and jailed 'Evil 8' rapist Ryan Clegg He said police had privacy and security concerns about the Coalition's proposal, but welcomed Mr Wood's suggestion of the British model. Before the last federal election in May One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called for pedophiles to be chemically castrated along with tougher penalties for sex offenders. 'I support chemical castration and tougher penalties for paedophiles, and the establishment of a national database of paedophiles,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'People are very concerned about their children's safety and they want strong laws and penalties for those convicted of paedophilia. 'For sex offences not involving children, I consider it appropriate for the presiding magistrate or judge to determine the appropriate penalty under the relevant law.' In a readers' poll conducted by The Daily Mail an overwhelming 6,800 people out of 7,400 voted 'yes' for the procedure to be adopted in an exclusive survey by Daily Mail Australia. An Australian man made the find of a lifetime when the 'glimmer sticking out of the dirt' he saw on an evening walk turned out to be a sapphire the size of a 'small child's fist'. Matt Betteridge found the 'very rare' gem about 100m from the mining claim he lives on at the Reward fossicking land near Rubyvale in Queensland's sapphire gemfields. At first, Mr Betteridge was quite casual about his find - so much so that he went back to the camp get his phone so he could film himself digging it out. When he got back, he said 'I don't think you know the level of restraint it takes to not dig these sapphires out when I find them'. If he'd had any idea of the value of what he was about to pull out of the ground, though, he surely would not have let it out of his sight for a second. That glimmer in the dirt turned out to be an 834-carat sapphire worth an estimated $12,500. All that glisters is not gold, as Shakespeare wrote. Sometimes it's an 834-carat (pictured) sapphire worth $12,500, as he didn't write In his TikTok video that has already had well more than 250,000 views, Mr Betteridge first showed how someone else had recently searched nearby but had failed to notice the glittering prize just metres away. 'See the sparkle on that,' he said as he brought the camera closer to the stone. As he started to scratch around it he began to realise how big it was, saying 'Ooh, it's got some size.' 'Oh, look at that. Holy dooley,' he said as he exposes the rock to the light of his phone camera. 'What the hell, guys. I just topped my biggest one again. What the hell. Sorry, I can't even speak. Look at that.' He rubbed the dirt off the sapphire to show it to viewers and estimated that it was 400 carats. After saying that, the image on the video clip said '843ct!!!!! Gotta work on my guestimations'. Mr Betteridge's joy at his find then became infectious as he said, 'Alright guys, I'm going to home and scrub this up. 'This is so huge!' he said, followed by more joyous laughter. In a follow up video made the next day, after cleaning the dirt off, Mr Betteridge presented the sapphire 'in all her glory'. Matt Betteridge displays the '834 carats of beautiful Australian sapphire' he found on an evening stroll As is sparkled in the sunshine, he said it was '834 carats of beautiful Australian sapphire'. He then twirled it around in his hand to point out the crystals in it. 'How awesome is that?' he said. Mr Betteridge then said it had an estimated value of $12,500. 'That's going in the collection, for now,' he said. 'This is a nice specimen. Won't be for sale, unfortunately.' He didn't close down the possibility entirely, though. 'But then again, everything has a price. You know what they say, money talks. 'Beautiful. Let's see what else I can pull from the dirt out here.' Matt Betteridge (pictured) does not want to see his huge sapphire find cut up into smaller pieces Rubyvale is one of the largest sapphire-bearing areas in the world. Gem hunters believe they have a better chance of finding something valuable after rain because it washes away some topsoil, and the region had been inundated with heavy rain and flash flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology said Rubyvale had 182mm from October 16 to October 21. Mr Betteridge encouraged others to see if the could replicate his great fortune. 'It was found on general fossicking grounds everyone can have a go,' Mr Betteridge told the ABC. 'Grab a fossicking ticket and camping permit and try your luck.' Helen Levonis of the Gemmological Association of Australia said Mr Betteridge's find was very rarely seen in sapphires. 'When you get something like an 830-carat sapphire, that's phenomenal,' he said. Mr Betteridge does not want to see his find cut up into smaller pieces, which Ms Levonis agrees with. 'These sapphires grew hundreds of thousands of years ago,' she said. 'There are no more coming and we need to respect that when you see something that's 800 carat.' Daily Mail Australia has attempted to contact Mr Betteridge for further comment. Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon let their hair down and dressed to the nines to help raise money for sick children. The Prime Minister took a break out of his busy schedule to attend the Telethon Ball on Saturday night. The charity ball is the most prestigious in the country and counted Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes and WA premier Mark McGowan among its guests. Mr Albanese cut a sharp figure in a black bow-tie and suit while his partner Ms Haydon turned heads wearing an elegant strapless dress. Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon let their hair down and dressed to the nines to help raise money for a children's charity The Prime Minister revealed on Sunday the federal government would be donating $6million to the charitable cause. He made the announcement while working the phones at the Telethon call centre and taking calls from residents wishing to donate. Mr Albanese said he was excited to be part of the cause and that it was 'one of the first events I locked into my diary when I became Prime Minister'. 'There was no way I was going to miss it,' he told The Sunday Times. 'I know the difference this iconic fundraiser has made over 55 years to the lives of tens of thousands of children and families, so I'm pleased to be here for my very first Telethon. 'Telethon wouldn't happen without the generosity of Western Australians who dig deep every year. Let's make this year a record-breaking success.' Mr McGowan has also promised to pledge money from the state government with the premier expected to handover more than $10million. Mr Albanese made the $6million announcement while working the phones at the Telethon call centre and taking calls from residents wishing to donate Mr Albanese said he was excited to be part of the cause and that it was 'one of the first events I locked into my diary when I became Prime Minister' 'We donated $10 million last year, so I think that's at least the new base for what the State will do,' he said. Donors who have contributed more than $1million to the cause include Hancock Prospecting, Mineral Resources and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation. The Telethon was started in 1968 and has raised close to $500million since its inception. The charity aims to assist sick children and their families by providing equipment to hospitals and critical services to kids living with a disability. Some 58,000 children and nearly 25,000 families have been helped by the charity. The man who killed two maternity ward nurses in a shooting near the delivery rooms at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday morning was an ex-con on parole wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the shooting. Police said they detained Nestor Hernandez, 30, after a Methodist Health System police officer shot and wounded him at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. At the time of the shooting he was on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active GPS ankle monitor, police said. Hernandez was taken to another local hospital for treatment, the Dallas Morning News reported. He now faces capital murder charges. Texas police rushed to the hospital on North Beckley Avenue shortly before noon, after calls came in about a shooting inside the medical facility. The man who killed two maternity ward nurses in a shooting near the delivery rooms at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday morning was an ex-con on parole wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the shooting Police said they detained Nestor Hernandez, 30, after a Methodist Health System police officer shot and wounded him at Methodist Dallas Medical Center At the time of the shooting he was on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active ankle monitor, police said Hernandez was taken to another local hospital for treatment, the Dallas Morning News reported. He now faces capital murder charges Police told WFAA that the suspect was shot at by an officer with Methodist Police and taken into custody. Law enforcement officials confirmed that the two victims were maternity ward nurses at the hospital, who police found near the labor and delivery area of the hospital. One was pronounced dead immediately, and the other died later. 'The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members,' the hospital said in a statement. 'Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy. Two maternity ward nurses have been killed in a shooting at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday morning. Police rushed to the scene shortly before noon (above) Sources said the two victims were maternity nurses at the hospital, who police found near the labor and delivery area of the hospital The suspected shooter was fired at by hospital police and taken into custody 'During this devastating time, we want to ensure our patients and employees that Methodist Dallas Medical Center is safe and that there is no ongoing threat. 'Our prayers are with our lost co-workers and their families, as well as our entire Methodist family. 'We appreciate the community's support during this difficult time.' Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said he was grieving for the victims and said that the city will 'be there for them as we grieve and seek swift justice.' The Dallas Police Department Homicide Unit and Special Investigations Unit are on the scene investigating the shooting and assisting hospital police. Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia called the shooting 'an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system.' The Dallas Police Department Homicide Unit and Special Investigations Unit are investigating the scene and assisting hospital police The incident took place less than an hour before the hospital was set to start a tour of its new Linda and Mitch Hart Breast Center for breast cancer survivors A hospital spokesperson confirmed that the medical center was set to host a tour of its new Linda and Mitch Hart Breast Center for breast cancer survivors less than an hour before the shooting. The shooting caused the event to be canceled and the hospital to go into lockdown. The victims were located on the fourth floor of the hospital building. Police renewed public appeal as strike force ramp up their search for clues Police regard his disappearance as suspicious as he left all belongings behind Western Sydney man Zachary Ritz, 45, was last seen on October 27, 2021 A renewed public appeal has been launched to find out what happened to an avid fisherman whose mysteriously vanished without a trace. Zachary Ritz, 45, was last seen at his unit in Inkerman Street, Granville, on October 27, 2021, a year ago this week. The western Sydney man was reported missing to police two months later and has not been seen or heard from since. Police and family hold grave concerns for Mr Ritz's welfare as he left all his possessions behind and his disappearance was regarded as out of character. Strike Force Alleppo was set up to investigate his disappearance, which is being treated at suspicious. This Thursday marks one year since western Sydney man Zachary Ritz (pictured) vanished without a trace Several extensive searches of the local area were conducted by local Cumberland Police with the assistance of strike force detectives and the riot squad. NSW police on Sunday night released recent footage of officers searching nearby bushland which backs onto Inkerman Street and the M4 as part of their desperate quest for answers. Detectives are keen to speak to anyone who saw or spoke to Mr Ritz in the days leading up to his disappearance. 'Zachary left all of his possessions and personal belongings behind,' Superintendent Andrew Holland said. 'He is an avid fisherman and often travelled to regional parts of the state with mates to fish, so detectives are keen to speak to any of these people who often went on trips with Zachary. 'Strike force detectives will continue to conduct physical searches and other inquiries to determine where Zachary is and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.' Police have conducted several extensive search , including nearby bushland which backs onto the M4 (pictured) Before he vanished, Zachary Titz (pictured) was an avid fisherman who often travelled to regional parts of NSW with mates Mr Ritz is described as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance with a solid build, shoulder length black curly hair, and a dark scruffy beard. He walks with a limp and often uses a walking stick. Mr Ritz is known to frequent the suburbs of Granville, Greenacre, Merrylands, and Auburn in Sydney's west and south-west. He was also previously been known as Ehab Taha, Ehab El Jandih and John Sutherland. Anyone with information about Mr Ritz's whereabouts is urged to call police. Strike Force Alleppo has vowed to continue its search for Zachary Ritz (pictured, NSW police on a recent search of bushland) President Xi Jinping has tightened his grip on power in China after being given a historic third term as head of its ruling Communist Party. The 69-year-old will lead the world's most populous nation for another five years after he was confirmed as General Secretary once more at today's televised Communist Party Congress. In the process he promoted allies who support his vision of tighter control over society and the struggling economy, as he discarded party custom that has seen previous leaders leave after 10 years in power. Mr Xi, who took power in 2012, is now expected by some to try and stay in power for life as he becomes the most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. It comes a day after remarkable scenes which saw his immediate predecessor Hu Jintao apparently forcibly removed from his seat by guards and his name removed from social media. The 79-year-old was taken off stage shortly after foreign media came into the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, with state media later claiming he was 'not feeling well', but was doing 'much better' after getting some rest. The party also named a seven-member Standing Committee, its inner circle of power, dominated by Xi allies after Premier Li Keqiang, the number two leader and an advocate of market-style reform and private enterprise, was dropped from the leadership on Saturday. Xi Jinping was given a historic third five-year term as Chinese premier at the country's Communist Party congress today Mr Xi tightened his grip on power as the country's Politburo Standing Committee were revealed. Pictured from front to back: President Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi The committee was introduced at th 20th CPC Central Committee today. Pictured from left to right: Li Xi, Cai Qi, Zhao Leji, Xi Jinping ,Li Qiang, Wang Huning and Ding Xuexiang Mr Xi has become the most powerful ruler in China since Chairman Mao Zedong and some expect him to try and remain in power for life The move came despite Mr Li being a year younger than the party's informal retirement age of 68. The Congress, which lasts a week and draws to a close today, has seen Mr Xi surround himself with loyalists. Mr Xi and the other Standing Committee members appeared for the first time as a group before reporters on Sunday in the Great Hall of the People, the seat of China's ceremonial legislature in central Beijing. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (left) is among four of the seven members of the nations all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee not be reappointed in a leadership shuffle (Ng Han Guan/AP) Li Qiang, the former Shanghai party secretary was announced as his number two, despite having been in charge of the disastrous lockdown of Shanghai which saw food shortages following a Covid outbreak. Zhao Leji, a member of the previous committee, was promoted to number three. He was previously responsible for the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which has carried out Mr Xi's highly publicised anti-corruption campaign. The number two committee member since the 1990s has become premier while the number three heads the legislature. Those posts are to be assigned when the legislature meets next year. On Saturday an amendment of the party constitution which could further enhance Mr Xi's stature as China's leader was approved. The amendment text was not immediately released but before its approval the reasoning was read out by an announcer. This announcer mentioned Mr Xi and his accomplishments including strengthening the military, economy and reinforcing the party's authority. Mr Xi said that the revision of the amendment 'sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the party's overall leadership', in brief closing remarks. It comes after the party elevated Mr Xi's status at the previous congress in 2017 by enshrining his ideas, which they called Xi Jinping thought, in its charter. However, the final weekend of the latest party congress has been overshadowed by the sight of Mr Jintao appearing to be forcibly removed from the hall. During the incident on Saturday, the 79-year-old looked slightly disorientated as two assistants came to speak to him and reluctant to move in part of the clip. The two assistants helped him stand, firstly trying to grab him under his arms. Hu seemed downcast as he was dragged away, leaning down to speak to president Xi Jinping, 69, who nodded as one of the officials pulled his arm. He also patted Premier Li Keqiang, seated to the right of Xi, on the shoulder. Hu Jintao, 79, was taken off stage shortly after foreign media came in to the Great Hall of the People He seemed downcast as he was dragged away, leaning down to speak to president Xi Jinping, 69, as one of the officials pulled his arm The official seemed to be anxious to get him out of the room as he was then escorted out The official seemed to be anxious to get him out of the room as he was then escorted out. China's top legislator Li Zhanshu, seated to Hu's right, gave the former president's folder to a steward, wiping his own head with a cloth after Hu finally stood up. That prompted questions about whether Mr Xi was flexing his powers by expelling other party leaders, while the state media Xinhua News Agency later reporting Mr Hu was in poor health and needed to rest. Following the incident search results for him on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, have appeared to be heavily censored since his hasty removal. Speculation has been circulating about the incident, with some saying it was due to his health and others saying it was a deliberately orchestrated scene. Some had noted that Hu Jintao seemed unsteady last Sunday when he was escorted on stage for the opening ceremony of the congress. Leadership changes were announced as the party wrapped up a twice-a-decade congress that was closely watched for signs of initiatives to reverse an economic slump or changes in a severe 'zero-Covid' strategy that has shut down cities and disrupted business. Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) reads documents as stewards pour beverages during the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China Attendees take photos during the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of China's ruling Communist Party Officials disappointed investors and the Chinese public by announcing no changes. The roughly 2,000 delegates to the party congress - wearing blue surgical masks under China's strict zero-Covid policy - met in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. Foreign media were not allowed into the first part of the meeting, presumably when the voting was taking place. Analysts have declared it a 'resounding victory for Xi' which was 'more decisive than many experienced observers had forecast'. ichard McGregor, Senior Fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney said: 'All of his rivals, potential and real, have been forced out of the Politburo Standing Committee and Xi loyalists took their place. 'The new Politburo is an emphatic statement of Xi's dominance over the party.' China's President Xi Jinping, front, walks with members of the Chinese Communist Party's new Politburo Standing Committee, the nation's top decision-making body, as they meet the media in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 23. AFP-Yonhap Xi Jinping secured a historic third term as China's leader on Sunday, state media reported, after a Communist Party Congress in which he cemented his position as the nation's most influential leader since founder Mao Zedong. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party elected Xi as its general secretary for another five-year term, Xinhua reported, tilting the country decisively back towards one-man rule after decades of power-sharing among its elite. His anointment in a closed-door vote on Sunday came after a week-long gathering of the party faithful in Beijing during which they endorsed Xi's "core position" in the leadership and approved a sweeping reshuffle that saw former rivals step down. Xi is now all but certain to sail through to a third term as China's president, due to be formally announced during the government's annual legislative sessions in March. The 20th Congress wrapped up on Saturday after elected the new Central Committee of around 200 senior party officials, who gathered on Sunday to elect the Standing Committee the apex of Chinese political power at which Xi sits firmly at the top. Since becoming the country's leader a decade ago, Xi has achieved a concentration of power like no modern Chinese ruler other than Mao. He abolished the presidential two-term limit in 2018, paving the way for him to govern indefinitely. Xi has also overseen China's rise as the world's second-biggest economy, a huge military expansion and a far more aggressive global posture that has drawn strong opposition from the United States. Despite nearly unchecked power, Xi faces huge challenges over the next five years, including managing the nation's debt-ridden economy and the growing U.S. rivalry. Contemporary China Sunday's vote brings to an end a triumphant week at which China's top brass have hailed their leadership of the country over the last five years. In his opening speech to its 20th Congress last Sunday, Xi lauded the party's achievements while glossing over domestic problems such as the stalling economy and the damage inflicted by his harsh zero-Covid policy. Heavy on ideological rhetoric and light on policy, a defiant Xi also urged party members to steel themselves against numerous challenges including a hardening geopolitical climate. Analysts were closely watching for whether the party charter would be amended to enshrine "Xi Jinping Thought" as a guiding philosophy, a move that would put Xi on a par with Mao. That did not take place, though a resolution did call the creed "the Marxism of contemporary China and of the 21st century", adding that it "embodies the best Chinese culture and ethos of this era". New members of the Politburo Standing Committee, from left, Li Xi, Cai Qi, Zhao Leji, President Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Wang Huning, and Ding Xuexiang are introduced at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 23. AP-Yonhap 'It's as though I've had the best blow-dry of my life, and I did it myself!' Three women tried out the new Shark FlexStyle - here's what they said A statue of Margaret Thatcher, which stands in her home town in Lincolnshire, has been vandalised for the third time. The 300,000 memorial, in St Peter's Hill, Grantham, was daubed with graffiti saying, 'Tories out'. This comes amid a rising political climate inside Thatcher's much-loved Tory party - as they get ready to choose their new leader and UK's next Prime Minister. Lincolnshire Police confirmed the vandalism was being treated as criminal damage. A statue of Margaret Thatcher, which stands in her home town in Lincolnshire, has been vandalised for the third time The 300,000 memorial, in St Peter's Hill, Grantham, was daubed with graffiti saying, 'Tories out' Despite being subject to CCTV surveillance, this is the third time that the sculpture has been sabotaged. Hours after it was put up, on May 15 this year, a man was fined for egging the statue. Two weeks later, the statue was vandalised again - daubed with red paint and a hammer and sickle was painted on the fence protecting it. The sculpture, which sits on a 10ft (3m) high plinth, was offered to South Kesteven District Council after plans to erect it in Parliament Square in London were rejected. The baroness was born in Grantham in 1925 and died in April 2013, aged 87. Despite being subject to CCTV surveillance, this is the third time that the sculpture has been sabotaged Hours after it was put up, on May 15 this year, a man was fined for egging the statue. Two weeks later, the statue was vandalised again - daubed with red paint and a hammer and sickle was painted on the fence protecting it The only previous memorial to her in the town was a plaque on the corner of North Parade and Broad Street to mark where she was born. Backlash against the Tory party is rising after Liz Truss's resignation as PM - where she was in office for only 44 days. As the shortest-serving PM in history departs, the party are now scrambling to choose their next leader. This is despite the fact that a Deltapoll survey for this newspaper found that if a General Election was held today, Labour would have a lead of 25 points and an astonishing majority of 320. The sculpture, which sits on a 10ft (3m) high plinth, was offered to South Kesteven District Council after plans to erect it in Parliament Square in London were rejected Last night it was reported that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak held a crunch summit over a power-sharing pact that could unite the Conservative Party and finally set Britain on the path to prosperity last night that lasted three hours. Mr Johnson met his ex-Chancellor at 8pm last night, where he argued that if he re-entered No 10 with Mr Sunak in a senior role it would avoid a divisive battle. The crunch summit is believed to have ended shortly before 11.20pm. No details about the talks were immediately forthcoming. Plans for a face-to-face meeting yesterday afternoon were delayed, with both sides blaming the other for the hold-up. Vladimir Putin had left millions of Ukrainians without power after recent attacks Russian officers and collaborators are evacuating Kherson under the guise of a 'civilian evacuation' as the Ukrainian army approaches, one resident has said. The Ukrainian army has set its sights on liberating Kherson, the second largest city in Ukraine, from Vladimir Putin's forces. Russia has declared a civilian evacuation to funnel residents into Russia, but civilians living there say they aren't the ones being evacuated. 'Mostly it's families of Russian officers, families of Russian officials and collaborators who helped to organise the referendum,' said a local Kherson-based activist and organiser, speaking to Sky News on condition of anonymity. 'Among them are teachers and doctors, municipal workers and kindergarten staff. Those who have taken Russian passports.' Roughly a thousand people are fleeing a day, but made up mostly of either Russians or those who aided the Russian advance in the early weeks of the war when Putin's troops captured the city on March 2. 'Due to the tense situation at the front, the increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the (east) bank of the Dnipro!' occupation authorities posted on Telegram. People are evacuated from the Russian-controlled city of Kherson walk from a ferry to board a bus heading to Crimea Russian officers and collaborators are evacuating Kherson reportedly under the guise of a 'civilian evacuation' The Ukrainian army is advancing on the city, captured by Russia in March. Residents say Russian officers and collaborators are being evacuated to Crimea Thousands of civilians have left Kherson after warnings of a Ukrainian offensive to recapture the city People arrived from Kherson wait for further evacuation into the depths of Russia at the Dzhankoi's railway station in Crimea People evacuated from the Russian-controlled Kherson region of Ukraine arrive at a railway station in the town of Dzhankoi, Crimea Around 15,000 people, which Ukrainian residents say are officers and collaborators, have been pulled from the territory that Russia claims to have annexed in the face of a Ukrainian advance Ukraine's military said it was making gains as its forces moved south through the region, taking over at least two villages it said Russian troops had abandoned. Kherson links Ukraine to the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram: 'Kherson region! Just a little bit more. Hang in there. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are at work.' Russia has spent weeks launching a series of devastating strikes against Ukraine's power infrastructure, leaving millions without power. Russia has been using drones imported from Iran to destroy Ukrainian facilities and attack Kyiv, with Iran denying its involvement. The strikes hit at least half its thermal power generation and up to 40% of the entire national grid. Officials in a swath of regions on Saturday reported strikes on energy facilities and power outages as engineers scrambled to restore the network. Governors advised residents to stock up on water. More than a million people were without power, said presidential adviser Kyrylo Tymoshenko. Parts of Kyiv suffered power cuts into the evening, and a city official warned strikes could leave Ukraine's capital without power and heat for 'several days or weeks'. Presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Moscow wanted to create a new wave of refugees into Europe with the strikes, while Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter the attacks constituted genocide. A woman gives her thanks for medication after a visit by a Ukrainian army medical team to check the health of civilians in an area recently liberated from Russian occupation on October 22 Army doctor Natalia Leliukh checks the pulse rate of village resident Natalia as she visits civilians in a recently liberated area Ukrainian forces visited civilians in an area recently liberated from Russian occupation on in Kharkiv A building lies in ruins after being destroyed during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian occupying forces, on October 21 in Bakhmut Moscow has acknowledged targeting energy infrastructure but denies targeting civilians. Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said the 'latest mass strike' affected regions in western, central and southern Ukraine. 'Of course we don't have the technical ability to knock down 100% of the Russian missiles and strike drones. I am sure that, gradually, we will achieve that, with help from our partners. Already now, we are downing a majority of cruise missiles, a majority of drones.' Ukrainian forces had downed 20 missiles and more than 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones on Saturday, he said. The air force command earlier had said 33 missiles had been fired at Ukraine, with 18 shot down. A local man throws debris out of a broken window in a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile attack in Mykolaiv An elderly resident holds up destroyed pieces of furniture, clearing the wreckage of his destroyed possessions out his apartment after the missile attack A view shows a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile attack in Mykolaiv A local resident walks at a backyard of a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile attack Meanwhile, Ukraine's security service said it has detained the long-time chief of a major aircraft engine factory, accusing him of collaborating with Russia by supplying military equipment for Russian attack aircraft. Viacheslav Bohuslaiev, president of the Motor Sich plant in Zaporizhzhia, and another top factory official were charged with collaboration and 'assisting the aggressor state'. The Ukrainian security service SBU said that the two are accused of colluding with a Russian arms maker close to the Kremlin to supply Ukrainian-made engines and spare parts to Russian forces. The SBU described a complex scheme using intermediaries in three countries to evade sanctions against Russia. Motor Sich is one of Ukraine's leading manufacturers and has been a key maker of aircraft engines since Soviet times. Its facilities have been repeatedly targeted by Russian strikes during the war. Engines made by Motor Sich were used to equip Russian helicopters before supplies were halted following Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Firefighters work to put out a fire at energy infrastructure facilities, damaged by a Russian missile strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues Missiles rained down on power facilities from Odesa, the Black Sea resort in the south, to Kovel, a medieval town near the Belarus border in the north, leaving about 40 per cent of the energy infrastructure out of action. Pictured: Firefighters in the Rivne region Zelenskiy on Friday urged the West to warn Moscow not to blow up the Russian-controlled dam on the Dnipro. Russia has accused Kyiv of rocketing the dam and planning to destroy it in what Ukrainian officials called a sign that Moscow might blow it up and blame Kyiv. Neither side has produced evidence to back up their allegations. The Soviet-era structure holds back 4.3 cubic miles of water, about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah. Its destruction could devastate much of the Kherson region. It supplies water to Crimea and the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Regarding the Zaporizhzhia plant, considered a potential flashpoint for catastrophe, the Group of Seven industrial powers on Saturday condemned Russia's kidnapping of the Ukraine-operated plant's leaders and called for the immediate return of full control of the plant to Ukraine. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held a telephone call with his British counterpart Ben Wallace on Sunday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry. Shoigu told Wallace that Russia was concerned Kyiv could be preparing to use a 'dirty bomb' in Ukraine - a claim he also made in calls with the French and Turkish defence ministers earlier on Sunday. Russia has published no evidence to support the claim. Russian servicemen patrol at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, Kherson Oblast, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine The Nova Kakhovka dam has been hit by Ukrainian missiles in the past because it is topped by a road used to supply Putin's troops, but they have stopped short of destroying it Millions of Aussies face an anxious 48 hours as they brace for more 'very dangerous' wild weather to lash Australia's east coast. Four states are on flood watch with some regions forecast to cop up to 200mm of rain before conditions ease mid-week. The Bureau of Meteorology warned widespread rain and thunderstorms along the coast in the next two days would lead to more river rises and flooding. Severe thunderstorms across much of NSW, southern Queensland and northern Victoria will bring heavy rainfall until Tuesday, which will result in floods, damaging winds, and possible large hail. One storm is entering NSW from South Australia, bringing fresh rain, while another is hovering at the coastal Queensland border, which has the potential to dump up to 200mm on the already saturated Northern Rivers region. Every corner of NSW is blanketed by rain with almost 140 flood warnings in place, including 20 evacuation orders. They include the Northern Rivers, where Lismore residents spent Sunday sandbagging properties for their third major flood this year. Closer to the coast, popular tourist mecca Byron Bay has already been hit with flash flooding with the main street inundated with ankle-deep water. Byron Bay (pictured) was lashed by wild weather on Sunday which resulted in flash flooding Lismore residents are bracing for their third major flood within months. Pictured is a woman braving the wet weather in Lismore on Sunday Further inland, the Mehi River at Moree is threatening to exceed the record 10.87m set 67 years ago. Hundreds of Dubbo residents and holidaymakers staying at Western Plains Tourist Park were also ordered to evacuate on Sunday night as the Macquarie River continues to rise. 'If you remain in the area, you may become trapped without power, water, and other essential services. It may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you, and buildings may not be able to withstand the impact of flood water,' the SES warned. Also on high alert are the Mid North Coast, the Hunter and Sydney catchments, Gunnedah on the northern Namoi River, the Riverina town of Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee and Moama on the Murray River. Emergency Services Minister Stephanie Cook said there was a flood risk in 'every corner' of NSW. 'We are facing a very dangerous 48 hours across NSW,' she said. 'What we are currently experiencing is more flood threats in more communities and locations than at any other time this year.' Thousands of Lismore residents were warned they may need to evacuate on Monday before the Wilson River peaks that night. The SES spent Sunday door-knocking residents in low-lying areas of South Lismore as the town copped a 70mm deluge, prompting fears about 'current dangerous flash flooding'. 'Consider the consequences of road and bridge closures and water over roads and make alternate arrangements for work, children, and travel,' the NSW SES stated late Sunday night. Lismore Council has warned the nearby town of Nimbin is expected to be isolated for up to three days from Monday. The neighbouring Tweed and Ballina are on also for possible evacuations. Residents are urged to comply with evacuation orders and are reminded to not drive through floodwaters after the SES rescued 31 people on the weekend. The SES received almost 400 requests for assistance. 'It is better to be inconvenienced for 48 hours and go back when we say it is safe,' SES Commissioner Carlene York said. Parts of south-east Qld and northern NSW (in purple) will cop up to 200mm of rain on Monday SES volunteers prepare for possible flooding in Lismore, where the Wilson River is expected to peak on Monday night Echuca residents remain on high alert with the Murray River not expected to peak until Tuesday A strong wind warning remains in place from the entire NSW coast on Monday from Byron in the north right down to Eden in the south. A severe thunderstorm warning will be in place in southeastern and central Queensland on Monday with damaging wind gusts, heavy rain of up to 200mm, and large hail forecast. A hazardous surf warning for Gold Coast beaches will be in place on Monday with people urged to stay out of the water. Already still cleaning up from a recent statewide deluge, more heavy rain is on the way for Victoria with falls of between 50mm and 150 mm later in the week as the flooding continues. Flood levees are being put to the test as swollen rivers approach their peak in the northern Victorian towns of Echuca and Kerang. The Murray River surpassed the 1993 flood level of 94.77m above sea level in Echuca on Saturday and is forecast to peak about 95m by Monday. Dozens of homes in and around Echuca Village were door-knocked on Saturday night after water seeped through a levee. 'Those levees, whilst they're holding at this point in time, do continue to be a vulnerability for that particular community,' State Emergency Service Victoria's Tim Wiebusch told reporters on Sunday. Much of Echuca remains cut off by floodwaters with more rain on the way. Pictured is a flooded caravan park on Sunday Severe thunderstorms across much of NSW and southern Queensland will bring heavy rainfall until Tuesday. It didn't stop surfers from braving the wild conditions at Byron Bay on Sunday More heavy rain is expected for south-east Queensland and northern NSW on Tuesday before conditions ease. The wettest areas are in purple Eastern parts of South Australia are also being hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms that will move into western Victoria and NSW. 'Rain and thunderstorms with heavy falls will spread across Victoria and NSW on Monday, which could lead to renewed river level rises across Victoria,' the BoM said on Sunday. 'A low-pressure system over South Australia and near the NSW and Queensland border is combining with a high-pressure system near New Zealand to direct humid tropical air across eastern Australia.' The weather is likely to become more settled mid-week, though showers will continue in Victoria and Tasmania later in the week. Far North Queensland and the Top End of the Northern Territory are likely to experience heatwave conditions up to mid-week with a forecast for unusually high temperatures and high humidity. WeatherZone warned the worst of the wild weather was far from over. A high pressure system is expected to establish late Friday and early Saturday over NSW , bringing some respite before another low pressure system moves across southeast Australia early next week,' it said. Business owner Barb Loader has sandbagged her business in High St, Echuca Four states remain on flood watch with some regions forecast to cop up to 200mm of rain in the coming days. They include Byron Bay (pictured on Sunday) A major explosion killed three people at a gunpowder factor working 24/7 to make rocket launchers and air defence systems for the war in Ukraine. Perm Gunpowder Plant, which produces Grad and Smerch weaponry for Russian troops, reportedly went up in flames. Video footage showed a plume of smoke rising in the distance, with some witnesses claiming to have seen the explosion at the time of the attack. Two of those who were killed were allegedly burned alive while more are feared dead and could be buried under the rubble. The building also makes engine charges for aircraft missiles, booster systems for cruise missiles and products for the A-135 missile defence system. Video footage showed a plume of smoke rising in the distance, with some witnesses claiming to have seen the explosion at the time of the attack Reports suggested there was an explosion and fire on Saturday around 8pm in the large plant sector 12. The explosion come amid suspicion of sabotage linked to a series of explosions fires at key Russian sites during the war. The Russian Investigative Committee - seen as similar to the FBI in Russia - is conducting a probe into the Saturday blast, say reports. Last month the Perm munitions plant announced it had recruited 350 extra staff to boost Putin's war effort. Reports suggested there was an explosion and fire on Saturday around 8pm in the large plant sector 12 Perm Gunpowder Plant (Pictured), which produces Grad and Smerch rocket launch systems for Russian troops, was set ablaze by the strikes The extra manpower was to allow the plant to work three shifts during a 24 hour period to provide munitions for the Ukraine war. It follows reports that Russia has been short of missiles with which to target Ukraine. An earlier explosion at the same Perm defence plant came on 1 May in which three women were killed. In the earlier May explosion an eyewitness told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper: 'The building just flew into the air.' One woman called Svetlana 'couldn't even run out, but the other girls fled - they were all burned. 'Olga had 100 per cent body burns. She was not even taken to the hospital. 'But Ulyana was alive, she had 99 per cent burns, and her son in the second grade is waiting for her at home. 'I don't know how to go to work any more. I cried all night.' The dead explosives workers were named as Svetlana Bardakova, 59, Olga Savishchenko, 43, and Ulyana Frants, 36. A reveller has been charged with a racist attack on Earth, Wind and Fire star Morris 'Mo' Pleasure at a nightclub in Wales. The American-born musician was attacked at the Pier Pressure nightclub in Aberystwyth on April 3 after passing a man in a 2am queue. Mr Pleasure, 60 - who also played with Michael Jackson and the Average White Band - was slapped on the head and suffered racial insults while going in to the club. The attack was captured on CCTV. Hefin Parker, 25, of Aberystwyth, has since been charged with racially aggravated common assault and assault by beating of Mr Pleasure. He is due to appear before town magistrates on Wednesday. Hefin Parker, 25, (not pictured) r has been charged with a racist attack on Earth, Wind and Fire star Morris 'Mo' Pleasure, 60, (pictured) at a nightclub in Aberystwyth, Wales Mr Pleasure moved to the seaside town of Aberystwyth, Wales, more than two years ago with his wife who grew up there. He was out with two sisters of his wife Kedma Macias in the Pier Pressure club on Royal Pier when he was attacked. Police appealed for witnesses to the attack on the multi-instrumentalist, who is star Bette Midler's musical director and issued video footage in relation to the assault. At the time of the alleged attack in April, Mr Pleasure said: 'It was a deeply upsetting experience. 'Aberystwyth is a magical place that has become home for my family over the last year and a half. The people of Aber have been so welcoming to me and the support I've had since this incident happened has been overwhelming. The couple, whose daughter is just under a year old, thanked the community for their support. Mr Pleasure said: 'My wife and I have a little girl so we feel we have a responsibility to call out racism when we see and hear it, with the hope that our daughter doesn't have to come across this type of abuse in her life.' His wife added: 'No one is a bigger supporter of Aberystwyth than me. Racism is everywhere. 'It happens all the time, even in little things that people don't realise. It's about education and people having a deeper understanding that, even in our beautiful town, racism can and does happen. As a community we want to stamp that out and call it out.' Mr Pleasure was attacked at the Pier Pressure nightclub (pictured) in Aberystwyth on April 3 after passing a man in a 2am queue. He was slapped on the head and suffered racial insults Police appealed for witnesses to the attack on the multi-instrumentalist - who is star Bette Midler's musical director - and issued a CCTV image in relation to the assault Ms Macias, speaking just days after the attack, recalled how the the strike came from a man queueing for the venue, who went on to aim 'every racist slur under the sun' at Mr Pleasure. 'They were having a great night. My sisters went in first and as Mo was following them in, he was slapped on the back of the head,' she said. She described bouncers as 'great' and 'on Mo's side' as they ordered the attacker to leave. 'Mo arrived home very upset. He said: 'I'm just used to this,' Ms Macias recalled. 'And that made me feel so sad. What he went through was absolutely disgusting. As a Black man from America, he's been through this sort of thing his whole life.' She said police were 'great' in offering emotional support to Mr Pleasure and classing the attack as a hate crime. Two women were savagely mauled by an 'aggressive' dog which escaped from a house in Manchester - as police arrest a 29-year-old man. Armed police went to Shakespeare Road, Oldham, after the two victims were attacked by the crazed hound at 10am on Saturday. Both women were rushed to hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening and the dog was destroyed by officers as a 'safety precaution'. The suspect was arrested under the Dangerous Dogs Act and enquires are ongoing. A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: 'Officers were called to reports of a dangerous dog that had attacked two people in the Shakespeare Road area of Oldham. 'Officers attended the scene where two women had been attacked by a dog which is believed to have escaped from a property and was acting in an aggressive manner. 'Both women have been taken to hospital to receive treatment for injuries that are serious but not believed to be life-threatening. 'Specialist armed officers attended, and unfortunately due to the nature of the incident, the dog was destroyed as a safety precaution due to the number of people in the area and the injuries caused. 'A 29-year-old man has been arrested at the scene for allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control injuring any person under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. 'A scene remains in place and enquiries are ongoing.' The footage came out of newly liberated Kramatorsk, near fighting in Bakhmut Watch as hungry but polite dogs line up for free food on the Ukrainian frontline Watch as hungry Ukrainian dogs in Donetsk queue up for tasty treats after volunteers installed a dog food dispenser in newly liberated territory. Dog lovers haven't had much to celebrate lately when watching the news coming out of the frontline, but it's not all doom and gloom in Ukraine. Film producer Nate Mook said he installed a make-shift dog food dispenser in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. 'Ive never seen anything like this. Yesterday we installed a displaced pet feeding station in Kramatorsk (with your support!),' he said. 'This morning, the Ukrainian dogs waited in line to eat.' The dogs can be seen politely waiting their turn to eat, remembering their manners in spite of their ordeal on the frontline. 'No pushing and crowding. No fighting. Everyone just waiting politely their turn,' observed one social media user. Hungry yet polite: Dogs queue up for their free meal in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk Film producer Nate Mook installed a make-shift dog food dispenser in Ukraine The dogs can be seen politely waiting their turn to eat, remembering their manners in spite of their ordeal on the frontline Cats also took advantage of the feeder, appreciating the food left out by the good Samaritans Dogs weren't the only animals to take advantage of the feeder, with local cats also dropping in for a free meal. Mook has also spent his time rescuing kittens from the Ukrainian frontline, helping the fuzzy animals reach safety. But Mook doesn't limit his altruism to household pets. He's also been snapped building a shelter for racoons in the war-torn country. 'Weve seen a huge need for support for the animals,' Mook told The Dodo. 'Dogs and cats who used to have homes.' Mook recently helped deliver 500 pounds of donated food to a pet sanctuary in Sviatohirsk. He has set up a PayPal link to help house animals affected by the war in Ukraine. Just under an hour's drive away, Russian forces have been dashing themselves against Ukraine's eastern frontline. 'The key hot spots in Donbas are Soledar and Bakhmut,' president Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. 'Very heavy fighting is going on there.' The town of Bakhmut has been the next target of Russia's armed forces in their slow advance through the Donetsk region since taking the key industrial towns of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk in June and July. Soledar lies just to the north of Bakhmut. A few of the #CatsOfUkraine I met today! Thats Sviatohirsk Monasteryand the rubble of the bridge. Access to here and cities like Lyman, Bakhmut & Izium is limited, so there are only a few volunteers like my friends Katya & Sergiy helping the pets. I asked what we can do. pic.twitter.com/RyxCK7gxxv Nate Mook (@natemook) October 16, 2022 Sure! This is Lisa and Bart from Kharkiv. They now live in a shelter in Poltava. #RaccoonsOfUkraine https://t.co/kAAmoENTVy pic.twitter.com/ee4vqF9oqR Nate Mook (@natemook) October 21, 2022 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today called for unhappy Tory MPs to put 'country before party' and back his demand for a general election. In a swipe at a 'ridiculous, chaotic circus' as the Conservatives choose a new leader for the second time this year, Sir Keir claimed voters were 'fed up to the back teeth'. He also sought to exploit Tory divisions in order to achieve his goal of forcing a general election, which is currently not due until January 2025. Some senior Conservatives have suggested they would quit the Tory whip if Boris Johnson were to make a sensational comeback as Prime Minister and replace Liz Truss. There are fears a wave of resignations might even trigger an early general election at a time when the Conservatives have sunk in opinion polls to lag far behind Labour. There have even been rumours of defections to Labour by some disgruntled MPs. Veteran backbenchers Sir Roger Gale and John Baron have both raised the prospect of them resigning as Tory MPs should Mr Johnson return as party leader. Sir Roger even predicted a flurry of resignations - and perhaps a string of by-elections - if that were to happen. Only around 35 MPs would be needed to ditch their support for the Government in a Commons confidence vote to bring down the Tory administration and pave the way for a snap general election. Sir Keir Starmer claimed voters were 'fed up to the back teeth' as he took a swipe at the 'ridiculous, chaotic circus' in the Conservative Party One opinion poll last week put the Tories a staggering 39 points behind Labour, at their lowest-ever rating Veteran backbenchers Sir Roger Gale (left) and John Baron have both suggested they would resign the Tory whip if Boris Johnson were to make a shock comeback as PM In a message to disaffected Tories, Sir Keir told the Sunday Times: 'Country first, party second. 'All those that are going to literally go along with this chaos, rather than allowing us to transition to a stable Labour government, are putting party first, not country first, and thats the wrong way around. 'We all have a duty to reduce the risk and that is with a general election. 'Theres great interest in this psychodrama but for people who are struggling to pay their bills, people whove got mortgages that are now higher than they would have been, people who need the NHS, this isnt a game. 'And the more this goes on, it is working people, it is the public, who are damaged by this.' Sir Keir is being urged by other opposition parties to push for a no confidence vote in the Tory Government. The SNP's Westminster Ian Blackford has written to the Labour leader to tell him he 'cannot stand idly by' during the Tory leadership contest to replace Ms Truss. Sir Keir said this morning an incoming government would have to 'pick up a real mess of our economy of the Tories making'. But he refused to reveal what 'tough choices' Labour would make in power, telling the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 'Im not going to write our manifesto on this programme.' In a swipe at a 'ridiculous, chaotic circus' taking place among the Tories, he added: 'My focus is on the millions of people who are struggling to pay their bills, have now got additional anxieties about their mortgage. 'I know what it feels like not to be able to pay your bills, that happened to me and my family when I was growing up. 'They are fed up to the back teeth with this.' Tory former minister Zac Goldsmith claimed today a general election would be 'morally unavoidable' if either Rishi Sunak or Penny Mordaunt were to become PM and not Mr Johnson. Lord Goldsmith, a close ally of Mr Johnson, posted on Twitter: 'I dont see how we can have a 3rd new Prime Minister - & a policy programme that is miles away from the original manifesto - without going to the country. 'Conservative MPs understandably wont want to and are legally not obliged to, but it will be morally unavoidable.' Said they had discussed possibility a 'random' attack after fatwa was imposed He would not say if Mr Rushdie was still in hospital but confirmed that he will live His agent Andrew Wylie has revealed the extent of his injuries for the first time Salman Rushdie, 75, was stabbed while giving a lecture in New York in August Author Salman Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and mobility in one hand after he was brutally stabbed while giving a lecture in New York, his agent has revealed. The 75-year-old - best known for his novel The Satanic Verses which triggered a fatwa calling for his death from the supreme leader of Iran - was stabbed multiple times as he took to the stage to give a talk on artistic freedom at the Chautauqua Institute on August 12. Mr Rushdie had to undergo emergency surgery after suffering stab wounds to the neck and stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest and a laceration on his right thigh. At the time it was not clear whether Mr Rushdie would survive the attack, with his accused attacker Hadi Matar, 24, saying in a jailhouse interview that he was 'surprised' the author had lived. And now, agent Andrew Wylie has revealed for the first time just how serious Mr Rushdie's injuries are in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais. 'His wounds were deep. He lost sight in one eye. He suffered three serious neck injuries and lost mobility in one hand because the nerves were cut by the stab wounds,' Mr Wylie said. Salman Rushdie (pictured) has lost sight in one eye and mobility in one hand after he was brutally stabbed while giving a lecture in New York, his agent has revealed 'And he suffered another 15 injuries to his chest and torso. So it was a brutal attack.' The agent declined to comment on whether his client was still in hospital but added: 'Rushdie will survive.' Mr Wylie said that he had discussed the possibility of an assassination attempt with Mr Rushdie in the past. He said: 'The principal danger that he faced so many years after the fatwa was imposed is from a random person coming out of nowhere and attacking [him].' 'So, you can't protect against that because it's totally unexpected and illogical. It was like John Lennon['s murder].' But Mr Rushdie had spoken about how his life was 'very normal again' after years of hiding and death threats in an interview just days before he was stabbed. Mr Rushdie (pictured being tended to after the attack at the Chautauqua Institution in New York) had to undergo emergency surgery after suffering three stab wounds to the neck, four to the stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest and a laceration on his right thigh In an interview with German magazine Stern in early August, Mr Rushdie said death threats 'have become more normal' - but that the fatwa no longer scared him. He said: 'A fatwa is a serious thing. Luckily we didn't have the internet back then. The Iranians had send the fatwa to the mosques by fax. 'That's all a long time ago. Nowadays my life is very normal again.' The man accused of stabbing Mr Rushdie pleaded not guilty to second degree attempted murder and assault charges when he appeared in court on August 18. Hadi Matar, 24, appeared in court wearing a grey-striped jumpsuit and a white COVID-19 mask, as District Attorney Jason Schmidt claimed: 'His mission to kill Mr. Rushdie is greater in his mind and outweighs his personal freedom.' Accused attacker Hadi Matar, 24, (pictured in court on August 18) said he was 'surprised' that the author had survived Mr Schmidt argued that Matar should be kept in custody as a trial into the attack proceeds and he was ordered not to have any contact with Mr Rushdie. He also agreed to a request by his defence attorney to issue a temporary gag order barring the parties from discussing the case in the media. In his interview with El Pais, Mr Wylie also spoke about the 'rise of nationalism' and the banning of Maus - the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by another of his authors, Art Spiegelman - in some American schools. The graphic novel was banned by a Tennessee school district due to 'inappropriate language' (eight swear words) and an illustration of a nude woman. Mr Wylie said: 'You know, thats the religious right behaving as they behave. Its ridiculous. Its ludicrous. Its shameful. But its a big force in the country now.' Chinese President Xi Jinping waves at an event to introduce new members of the Politburo Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 23. AP-Yonhap President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader in decades, increased his dominance when he was named Sunday to another term as head of the ruling Communist Party in a break with tradition and promoted allies who support his vision of tighter control over society and the struggling economy. Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a party custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years. The 69-year-old leader is expected by some to try to stay in power for life. On Saturday, Xi's predecessor, 79-year-old Hu Jintao, abruptly left a meeting of the party Central Committee with an aide holding his arm. That prompted questions about whether Xi was flexing his powers by expelling other leaders. The official Xinhua News Agency later reported Hu was in poor health and needed to rest. The party also named a seven-member Standing Committee, its inner circle of power, dominated by Xi allies after Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 leader and an advocate of market-style reform and private enterprise, was dropped from the leadership Saturday. That was despite Li being a year younger than the party's informal retirement age of 68. Xi and other Standing Committee members appeared for the first time as a group before reporters Sunday in the Great Hall of the People, the seat of China's ceremonial legislature in central Beijing. The No. 2 leader was Li Qiang, a former Shanghai party secretary who is no relation to Li Keqiang. The holder of that post has since the 1990s served as premier, the top economic official. Zhao Leji, a member of the previous committee, was promoted to No. 3, which puts him in line to head the legislature. Those government posts are to be assigned when the legislature meets next year. Leadership changes were announced as the party wrapped up a twice-a-decade congress that was closely watched for signs of initiatives to reverse an economic slump or changes in a severe ''zero-COVID'' strategy that has shut down cities and disrupted business. Officials disappointed investors and the Chinese public by announcing no changes. The lineup appeared to reflect what some commentators called ''Maximum Xi,'' valuing loyalty over ability. Some new leaders lack national-level experience as vice premier or Cabinet minister that typically is seen as a requirement for the post. Li Qiang's promotion appeared to support that analysis because it puts him in line to be premier with no background in national government. Li Qiang is seen as close to Xi after the two worked together in Zhejiang province in the southeast in the early 2000s. Li Keqiang was sidelined over the past decade by Xi, who put himself in charge of policymaking bodies. Li Keqiang was excluded Saturday from the list of the party's new 205-member Central Committee, from which the Standing Committee is picked. Another leader who left the Standing Committee was Wang Yang, a reform advocate suggested by some as a possible premier. Wang, 67, is below retirement age. Other new Standing Committee members include Cai Qi, the Beijing party secretary, and Ding Xuexiang, a career party manager who is regarded as Xi's ''alter ego'' or chief of staff. Wang Huning, the party's chief of ideology, stayed on the committee. The No. 7 member is Li Xi, the party secretary since 2017 of Guangdong province in the southeast, the center of China's export-oriented manufacturing industry. None of the members is a woman or ethnic minority. The Central Committee includes 11 women, or about 5 percent of the total. Party plans call for creating a prosperous society by mid-century and restoring China to its historic role as a political, economic and cultural leader. Those ambitions face challenges from security-related curbs on access to Western technology, an aging workforce and tension with Washington, Europe and Asian neighbors over trade, security, human rights and territorial disputes. Xi has called for the ''great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation'' and a revival of the party's ''original mission'' as social, economic and culture leader in a throwback to what he sees as a golden age after it took power in 1949. During the congress, Xi called for faster military development, more technology self-reliance and defense of China's interests abroad, which raises the likelihood of further conflict. The party has tightened control over entrepreneurs who generate jobs and wealth, prompting warnings that rolling back market-oriented reforms will weigh on economic growth that sank to 2.2 percent in the first half of this year, less than half the official 5.5 percent target. Under a revived 1950s propaganda slogan, ''common prosperity,'' Xi is pressing entrepreneurs to help narrow China's wealth gap by raising wages and paying for rural job creation and other initiatives. A TV screen shows Chinese President Xi Jinping during the live broadcast of the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, at a restaurant in Hong Kong, China Oct. 22. Reuters-Yonhap Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez credited the UK's political system for allowing for Liz Truss's ouster as prime minister after just six tumultuous weeks Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised the United Kingdom's political system for making Prime Minister Liz Truss' ouster possible while simultaneously taking a veiled shot at her fellow Democrats' party politics. In a Saturday night post on Instagram, the New York Democrat complained that her home country's political system gave people 'limited political options' compared to the UK. It's not clear what political freedoms in the UK she was eyeing when contrasting the two systems. Truss' brief, tumultuous tenure came and went without a single everyday Briton casting a vote. The conservative British leader announced outside of No. 10 Downing Street on Thursday that she would be stepping down after just 44 days on the job. Her six weeks were marked by economic turmoil and inter-party rebellion sparked by a controversial tax cut plan that sent the British pound's value into a downward spiral. But Ocasio-Cortez still championed it as a positive alternative to the American system, for the latter's rules allowing Donald Trump to serve a full term as president. In a Q&A on her Instagram Story, Ocasio-Cortez was asked by a British supporter how England's political turmoil is being viewed on the outside - adding that it was a source of embarrassment for them. 'Can't speak for the world, but honestly I respect the UK for having a political system that is responsive and independent enough to swiftly make corrections in situations such as these,' the lawmaker replied. 'I respect that your parliamentary system seems to afford a greater level of independence and accountability than the US, where our two-party duopoly forces people to have much more limited political options.' The conservative leader announced she would be stepping down after her controversial tax cut plan thrust British markets into turmoil In an apparent jab at Congressional leadership, she added: 'Our system makes it extremely difficult to hold one's own party leadership accountable without being accused of (and in some cases actually risking) "helping the other side," which only further protects (or erodes) the status quo.' 'Think about it: We had Trump for four years! No take backs! Imagine being stuck like that,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'Or being a rich country with no guaranteed healthcare. Now THAT's embarrassing.' But far from giving the public the opportunity to choose a new leader, the UK's Conservative Party appears to be bucking calls from left-wing Labor to hold a new general election - which would see the Tories risk losing their governing power. Currently, the next election is due January 2025. As it stands, Conservative members of Parliament are due to vote for a new leader amongst themselves next week. Among the frontrunners is former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Standing outside of the prime minister's residence at No. 10 Downing on Thursday, Truss acknowledged the tumultuous financial situation the world found itself in during her short leadership stint. Ocasio-Cortez held the UK's parliamentary system up against the US's political system when asked during a Q&A on Instagram 'I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills. Putins illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent. And our country had been held back for too long by low economic growth,' Truss said. 'We set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.' She added, 'I recognize, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative party.' 'I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative party.' US President Joe Biden, who previously called Truss' tax plan a 'mistake,' credited the embattled politician for her 'partnership' in helping lead the West's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in a statement reacting to her resignation. He reaffirmed his gratitude for her collaboration on Ukraine when asked by reporters if Truss did 'the right thing' late on Thursday morning. 'Well that's for her to decide, but look she was a good partner on Russia and Ukraine,' Biden told reporters on his way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 'The British are going to solve their problems, but she was a good partner.' Liz Truss is holding a series of farewell events for MPs and staff at Chequers in her final weekend as Prime Minister. The departing premier, who resigned this week after a disastrous 44-day spell in No10, is using the grace-and-favour mansion in Buckinghamshire for a string of goodbye parties. A Downing Street source revealed the PM - at her personal expense - had gathered MPs and staff at the 16th-century manor house to thank them. It comes amid a row over whether Ms Truss should be entitled to the annual 115,000 allowance afforded to ex-PMs after her stint in office lasted only six weeks. She is also due to receive a 18,860 pay-out for her historically short time in office. An inquest into Ms Truss's spectacular downfall has seen a former adviser accuse the PM of ignoring the 'political reality of the world outside' as soon as she won power. Kirsty Buchanan, who was a special adviser to Ms Truss at the Ministry of Justice and who also worked in Downing Street under Theresa May, claimed the PM's reputation was 'in tatters'. Liz Truss, pictured leaving Downing Street on Friday, is using Chequers for a string of goodbye parties A Downing Street source revealed the PM - at her personal expense - had gathered MPs and staff at the 16th-century manor house in Buckinghamshire to thank them 'The seeds of destruction were sown early as she shut out all but her closest allies and cocooned herself with those who shared her views,' Ms Buchanan wrote in the Sunday Times. 'With experience and institutional knowledge gone, dangerous groupthink and staggering naivety took hold at No 10. 'Hubris went unchecked when humility was required from an administration that did not earn its majority but inherited it. 'Politics was baked in a Petri dish, away from the political reality of the world outside.' Ms Truss's former aide said it would take 'every ounce of her famed resilience' for the PM to 'bounce back from this humiliation'. 'I suspect, though, that it will be the humbling in the eyes of her daughters, of whom she is fiercely proud, which may hit Truss hardest,' she added. The same newspaper reported that Ms Truss held a farewell party for ministers last night and would thank close aides and their partners tonight. No10 confirmed the PM was at Chequers this weekend. Her predecessor, Boris Johnson, also used Chequers to hold a farewell bash after he was forced to resign as PM this summer. Like all other departing Government ministers, Ms Truss will be entitled to one-quarter of her annual salary in severance pay. Ms Truss earned a total salary of 164,080: 84,144 for being an MP, plus a further 75,440 for being PM. It means she is in line for a 18,860 pay-out due to her resignation as PM. She will continue to receive her 84,144 salary for being MP for South West Norfolk. Meanwhile, on top of the 18,860 pay-out, Ms Truss will also be entitled to claim up to 115,000 a year in an allowance for former prime ministers. Payments are made to help ex-premiers continue to fulfil their public duties through the running of an office. They are entitled to the money for the rest of their lives, unless they take up another public appointment. Former PMs have to supply supporting documents - such as salary details for staff, or travel receipts - in order to recieve the cash. Joe Biden's Education Secretary insisted that GOP efforts to block mass student loan forgiveness will not prevail and claimed the administration is moving forward 'full speed ahead' to implement the relief program. Miguel Cardona wrote in an op/ed with USA Today on Sunday morning that 22 million Americans have already applied for relief with the eligibility form released this month. He also said that President Biden's 'top priority' is helping middle class families recover from the pandemic, which Cardona claims includes forgiving federal student loan debt, which has been in limbo since the start of COVID. Biden announced in August that he was finally delivering on his promise to provide student loan relief. The plan would allow those with outstanding federal student loans to receive up to $10,000 in forgiveness if they make less than $125,000 and these individuals would receive up to $20,000 in relief if they have the same salary requirements and were recipients of a Pell Grant. Those who file jointly would need to make less than $250,000 together to qualify. Cardona assured that 'no borrower in the top 5 percent of income in the United States will get a penny of relief.' Education Secretary Miguel Cardona (right) insisted in an op/ed Sunday the administration is moving forward with implementing student loan relief despite challenges from Republican states Also when announcing the forgiveness, Biden said that he was extending the student loan repayment moratorium one final time. This means that student loan payments will resume in January 2023 after being on pause since March 2020. 'Amid some Republicans trying every which way to block the Biden Administration's debt relief program, the department is moving full speed ahead with preparations for the lawful implementation of our program so we can deliver relief to borrowers who need it most,' Cardona wrote in his op/ed. Republicans immediately challenged the student loan forgiveness plan by arguing, among other factors, that it unfairly puts the debt onus on taxpayers who did not go to college or otherwise do not benefit from the relief. These legal challenges have not yet been successful. A federal judge in St. Louis, Missouri rejected on Thursday a challenge to Biden forgiving billions in student loan debt. The challenge was led by six Republican states Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina. It came after Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative, rejected a request in another case to block the plan. The cases, however, are just two in a number of challenges that attorneys general and legal groups have filed to pause the debt forgiveness plan. Cardona and President Joe Biden speak about student debt relief October 17 as the beta portal test launched to allow Americans to prove eligibility for forgiveness Protesters demand the government cancel student debt outside the Department of Education on April 4, 2022 four months before Biden announced up to $20,000 in relief for those making less than $125,000 Cardona argues that Republicans are putting the 'financial security of tens of millions of working and middle-class Americans to hang in the balance.' 'Despite their efforts, some cases have been dismissed,' he celebrated. 'Already, 22 million people have provided the department with the necessary information we need to review their eligibility for student debt relief,' he added in the op/ed. 'We encourage borrowers to continue to apply for debt relief.' Student loan forgiveness, Cardona claims, is an extension of Biden's plan for recovery in the wake of COVID, which included signing the Americans Rescue Plan and, earlier in his administration, reopening of schools. The victim's mother has called on the mayor to take action in addressing a mental health crisis in the city Advertisement A man who was randomly tackled onto subway tracks in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon is traumatized to the point of being suicidal, his mother revealed - as she bashed Mayor Eric Adams for his response to the crime. David Martin, 32, is suffering from a broken collarbone and a swollen face after being targeted by a crazed man at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway station at 2.40pm on Friday. But according to his mother Audrey, the life-long New Yorker and Upper East Side waiter is now suffering mentally as well. His mother told the New York Post that Martin is so disturbed by the attack that she had to take a knife away from him to prevent him from hurting himself. 'Mentally I don't know how to even get through this,' Martin told ABC News. She also criticized Adams for not taking action to address a mental health crisis in the city that is spiraling out of control. 'Mayor Adams is completely not in touch with whats going on,' she told the New York Post. 'More cops? Hes wrong,' she said, regarding plans by Adams and NY governor Kathy Hochul to increase NYPD and MTA Police numbers. 'There are all mental cases in the subway, and it's not being handled at all. This is how we handle these situations - they just ignore it.' Video released by the New York Police Department on Saturday shows a man charging at a subway passenger wearing jeans and a black jacket at a station in Brooklyn Friday afternoon Revealing the moment he realized what was happening to him during the attack, Martin said: 'In the blink of an eye, I was pushed with full force into the train tracks. 'Because I'm from New York, and I've always felt safe taking the train and now at 32-years-old, I no longer feel safe and that's not fair, and that's not OK,' he added. Martin said that he has been taking the subway since he was in middle school. Martin became the 13th victim this year and the third in just one week to be pushed onto the subway tracks in New York City. The horrifying moment was caught on film. Video released by the New York Police Department on Saturday shows a man wearing a yellow sweatshirt under a black jacket with jeans and black-and-white sneakers standing with his arms crossed on the northbound L train tracks at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway station. He watches as Martin, in a black jacket and jeans passes by on the crowded track, before dropping the gray backpack he is carrying. The maniac looks both ways as if making sure there are no cops on the scene before he sprints and tackles Martin, leading with his shoulder and hand to knock the victim off his feet. Martin then fell sideways and tumbled onto the subway tracks, leaving his sunglasses behind on the crowded platform. At that point, the attacker runs back to where he let his backpack and escaped through the turnstiles. The unidentified suspect then tackles the man, leading with his shoulder and hand to knock the victim off his feet 'We moved from Manhattan to Queens because we wanted to raise our kids without homeless people on our front porch,' Martin's mother told the New York Post. When asked if she had a message for Adams, she responded: 'Is there any point in talking to him?' 'You know what I want him to do?' she added, 'I want him to start building mental-health facilities.' City Hall responded to questions from the Post, saying: 'Mayor Adams has already spoken to Mr. Martin about the attack and how we can help.' 'The mayor also directed his Community Affairs Team to reach out to Mr. Martin and see how we can help further. They have also already connected with Mr. Martin and are in the process of doing that,' a representative told the Post. Authorities say the victim was wounded, but was not hit by a train, and a transit worker told the New York Post the victim only suffered an injury to his shoulder. Audrey Martin said making matters worse is the fact that her son doesnt have health insurance and that he is traumatized by the attack. 'He keeps watching it over and over. He cant stop. Its not good for him,' she said. Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call the New York Police Department's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-8477 or submit an anonymous tip online 'People were told that I had no injuries, but I am laying in bed with a broken collarbone and my face is so swollen,' said Martin regarding the reports of his injuries. 'He was just in shock that it happened to him,' the worker said. 'It was just a random shove.' Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call the New York Police Department's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-8477 or submit an anonymous tip online. This comes after New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the growing crime wave on the city's subway system is just a 'perception.' On Monday, Heriberto Quintana, 48, was struck by an F train at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station at 74th Street and Broadway in Queens at the height of rush hour. Police say Carlos Garcia, 50, was standing on the platform when Quintana bumped into him as he walked by, which knocked the suspect's cellphone on to the subway tracks, sources tell NBC4. The suspect then demanded Quintana go get his phone and when he refused, the two began arguing in Spanish and a shoving fight ensued. During the scuffle, Quintana was knocked on to the tracks and was struck by an oncoming F train. He was later pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital Garcia was later arrested and charged with manslaughter over Quintana's killing. And on October 15, surveillance footage showed Miguel Ramirez, with wide-eyes and unkempt hair, stalking German Sabio, 26, at 149th Street in the Bronx at 11:50am. Ramirez then ran behind Sabio and pushed him in to the path of the oncoming train before fleeing the station as other, shocked onlookers rushed to the victim's aid. They were able to pull him to safety before the train rushed through the station. Sabio was later transported to a nearby hospital. Ramirez has since been charged with attempted murder, assault, assault with intent to cause serious physical injury, causing injury through risk of death and reckless endangerment. He has about 10 prior arrests, including for assaults, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to ABC 7. On October 15, surveillance footage showed Miguel Ramirez, with wide-eyes and unkempt hair, stalking German Sabio, 26, at 149th Street in the Bronx at 11:50am Ramirez then ran behind Sabio and pushed him in to the path of the oncoming train before fleeing the station Ramirez has since been charged with attempted murder, assault, assault with intent to cause serious physical injury, causing injury through risk of death and reckless endangerment. Meanwhile, recent data shows that subway murders have risen to their highest level in 25 years even as ridership plummets. Between 1997 and 2020, there were never more than five murders a year on New York City subway trains. That number rose to six in 2020, eight in 2021 and it's already at nine with four reported in just the first few weeks of October. Last week, 15-year-old Jayjon Burnett was shot dead by a known gang member on a Far Rockaway A train just days before his 16th birthday. Keyondre Russell, 18, was charged with Burnett's murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Charles Moore, 38, and a father was also stabbed in the back and chest after leaving a northbound four train in the Bronx at 10.30pm on October 6. Saquan Lemons, 27, was arrested for allegedly stabbing Moore. The attack was random and unprovoked, according to police. And at the end of September, father-of-three Tommy Bailey was slashed in the neck and killed by a homeless man on the L train to Atlantic Ave Station in Brooklyn. At the time, he was trying to intervene when Alvin Charles started harassing a female NYPD officer. During an argument between the pair, Charles pulled out a knife and stabbed the 43-year-old steamfitter in the neck. Police arrested Charles, who had previously faced assault charges for stabbing another man last year. In January, polic led Simon Marial out of a precinct after he shoved Michelle Go onto the tracks in Times Square In June, Theodore Ellis, 30, was arrested on charges of first-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment, after he shoved a woman onto the subway tracks in the Bronx Tommy Bailey, 43, was onboard the L train to Atlantic Ave Station in Brooklyn when he got into an argument with homeless passenger Alvin Charles, who was harassing a cop on September 30. The homeless man pulled out a knife and slashed Bailey in the throat Homeless man Alvin Charles (center) was arrested and charged with Bailey's murder New York City residents are seen here attending a vigil for Michelle Alyssa Go in January after she was pushed into an oncoming subway at Times Square Earlier this year, Marcus Bethea, 24, was shot and killed at the Jamaica Center subway station in April while working as a subway card swiper. Daniel Enriquez, 48, was riding on the Q train that was heading over the Manhattan Bridge, when a gunman opened fire without warning on May 22. The Goldman Sachs employee never took the subway, his partner Adam Pollack told DailyMail.com at the time. But an Uber to and from Williamsburg would have cost him $80. Andrew Abdullah, 25, was arrested in that attack. Another subway brawl located at the 137 street - City College train station - on June 9 left a 14-year-old dead from a stab wound to his stomach. Police recovered a knife and broomstick thought to have been involved in the crime. Michelle Alyssa Go, 49, was killed on January 15 when she was shoved onto the subway tracks on the southbound N/Q/R/W platform at West 42nd Street and Broadway at around 9.40am in an unprovoked attack. Simon Martial, 61, was arrested and charged with Go's death a day later. He was sent to a psychiatric facility after prosecutors declined to challenge a mental evaluation that found him unfit to stand trial. And on New Year's Day, Roland Huston was killed after jumping onto the tracks to rescue a man who'd been attacked by a group of knife-wielding thugs. Two boys, 16 and 17, were arrested for murder and gang assault weeks later. In an interview with CNN, Mayor Eric Adams denied that subway crimes are out of control He told CNN's Chris Wallace that there are only six crimes reported in the subway system each day But Mayor Eric Adams continues to refuse that there is a problem with crime on the subway. Speaking to CNN's Chris Wallace on his new show Who's Talking to Chris Wallace, Adams asserted: 'We have an average of less than six crimes a day on a subway system with 3.5 million riders. 'But if you write your story based on a narrative, then you're going to look at those six crimes, and put it on the front pages of your paper every day. 'So I have to deal with those six crimes a day felony crimes and the perception of fear.' He has also previously suggested that residents would be safer on the subways if they do not wear earbuds after FOX 5 news anchor, Bianca Peters, told Adams: 'I haven't put my AirPods in for over a year, because I feel like I need to be very much aware.' He replied: 'Well first, I think that you were right about, you know, not having your iPods in not focusing on the phone. 'And I say yes to that. I do the same, and we put out a video and information telling people about being aware of what's around them and what's taking place. I encourage New Yorkers to do that. Transit crimes are now up in America's largest city 41 percent over last year as the number of homicides on the transit system reach record levels. The common thread, Adams said in his interview with FOX 5, is the mental health crisis on the streets. 'It's the combination of ensuring that we deal with the actual violence, but also people must feel safe in the city of New York,' Adams said. 'Three point five million people use our subway system every day. We have an average of five felony crimes on the system per day. 'But you're seeing all of this disorder, people with mental health issues, people with the shooters you're reading about. 'You begin to not only feel unsafe but you're seeing some of the violence. So that's why we have to go about it both ways, that's why we're moving in both directions. 'And guns, guns, guns, that's what's driving this problem.' Adams came into office vowing to tackle the rising crime problem on New York City subways, and announced on Friday a 'high level summit' to find solutions to the increasing crime At a news conference on Saturday, New York Gov Kathy Hochul announced that the city will receive a 'significant' investment from the state's emergency fund to support an increase of around 1,200 overtime officer shifts on subway platforms and trains each day. She is pictured with MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Adams Upon his election, Adams vowed to crack down on subway crime with the introduction of a designated train task force, but the group has not yet made a dent in the worsening crime issue. In January, Adams also introduced his 'subway safety plan,' which put more than 1,000 extra cops per day in the city's subways. After 10-and-a-half months of the initiative, crime in the city's underground transportation tunnels remains upwards of 40 percent higher than last year. The mayor also announced on Friday his administration will host a 'high level summit' at Gracie Mansion to discuss solutions to crime. 'New Yorker must be able to ride the subway system with confidence that they are protected from crime, harassments and threats, and this is what we are zeroing in on,' he said at a news conference Saturday. For her part, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last month an initiative to install two cameras in every subway car by 2024. The city has now installed more than 200 cameras across the system, and is set to install an additional 100 in the coming days. She also announced at the news conference on Saturday that the city will receive a 'significant' investment from the state's emergency fund to support an increase of around 1,200 overtime officer shifts on subway platforms and trains each day. Those officers will be deployed at major hubs like Pennsylvania Station, Grand Central Station, Atlantic Terminal and Sutphin-Archer (Jamaica) station. In addition, Hochul said, the transit authority will also employ unarmed security guards at turnstiles to increase the security presence and deter fare evasion. 'We have a crime fighting strategy,' she said at the news conference Saturday. We've leaned into proven law enforcement strategies, investing in new technologies that will make a difference,' Hochul said. 'And we're providing New Yorkers the support and the help they need.' A respected Aboriginal elder in a troubled remote outback community has lashed out at Jacinta Price in an extraordinary attack after the outspoken senator called out violence in remote indigenous communities. Senator Price's grandmother Tess Napaljarri Ross was allegedly attacked by another woman in the Northern Territory village of Yuendumu. She posted a graphic photo of her badly injured grandmother claiming the respect typically given to indigenous elder in the community had been ignored as she pleaded with Australians to stop turning a blind eye. The conservative politician also took a swipe at 'self-appointed' Yuendumu elders who previously called for no more guns in the community. Senator Jacinta Price (left) raised the issue of violence in Indigenous communities after her grandmother Tess Napaljarri Ross (right) was recently allegedly attacked Senator Price claimed they didnt call for an end to attacks among indigenous locals, adding 'community-lead violence is ignored and at times even encouraged'. It sparked a furious response from Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, who took the senator's claims personally. Earlier this year, he led calls for the end of armed police in indigenous communities after NT policeman Zachary Rolfe was acquitted of murder for shooting dead Aboriginal teen Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu in 2019. Mr Hargraves didn't hold back in his scathing attack addressed to Senator Price, accusing her of 'throwing him under the bus' to seek power and saying she should 'look in the mirror' before making such claims. 'I am a cultural person. I tend to all cultural business in the community. When there is culture or a sorry meeting I tend to that,' he said. 'I spend all day every day serving my community for free. That is my cultural duty. That is more than I can say for you, Jacinta. Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves (pictured) has hit back at recent claims by Indigenous Senator Jacinta Price Jacinta Price shared this heartbreaking photo of her injured grandmother Tess Napaljarri Ross last week after she was allegedly attacked in Yuendumu 'How dare you conflate issues inferring calling for no more deaths by police means I dont care about all community issues. 'How dare you tell me that Im not doing everything I can for my community. What I want to know is who you work for and what your interests are? Not Yapa lawa. 'You are going in the wrong direction working for these conservatives. History shows they dont care about us and they never will.' Senator Price has drawn both criticism and support as one of the few few indigenous Australians in Australian parliament. She has been touted in some circles as a future prime minister. She refuses to support the Indigenous Voice and criticises most mainstream attempts at reconciliation. Her focus on 'black-on-black' violence and sexual assault rather than allegations of racism within the police force and deaths in custody has provoked the ire of many indigenous leaders. Mr Hargraves finished his withering attack by accusing Senator Price of abandoning her community to seek power for herself in Canberra. 'Look at yourself in the mirror, who are you really?' he continued 'This isnt about us at all this about you and your power. Dont you dare throw me under the bus to suit your agenda.' 'It really disgusts me what you are doing and the way you are doing it.' 'You have no right to make assumptions about me. Show respect.' A week ago, Senator Price issued a passionate plea to Australians living in capital cities to stop turning a blind eye to violence as she shared a harrowing photo of her bloodied and bruised grandmother after she was allegedly attacked. Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves urged Senator Jacinda Price to 'show respect' Senator Price called on Australians living in 'leafy green suburbs' to turn their attention to remote community violence as she implored the nation to be a voice for the victims who are 'out of sight out of mind'. The Country Liberal senator addressed the problem of violence in Aboriginal communities in her maiden speech to parliament and regularly shares videos of incidents to raise awareness. But her calls for action took a personal turn when her grandmother was allegedly attacked by another woman in Yuendumu. 'This is what life on a community like Yuendumu looks like,' she wrote alongside a photo of her distraught grandmother's neck and clothing soaked in blood. 'She has not been respected or acknowledged as an elder at Yuendumu she was instead recently violently attacked by a woman younger than her. Her head was split open.' Ms Ross was rushed to hospital shortly after the photo was taken. Senator Price also claimed in the lengthy Facebook post that her cousin's four-year-old son had been repeatedly threatened with violence by older children in the same community. 'Theyve threatened to stab him many times,' she alleged. She then lashed out at media for 'ignoring' Indigenous violence. 'Imagine a grandmother being violently attacked in front of you in the streets of Mosman, Surry Hills, Brunswick, Northcote, West End or any other leafy green suburb. Imagine this was your grandmother or your four year old son,' she wrote. 'The violence has to stop and Australians across the country must demand better for grandmothers like mine who are out of sight and out of mind. 'It's not good enough that vulnerable Australian women, children and men suffer because their suffering makes a handful of people feel offended if it's brought to their attention.' Tess Napaljarri Ross (right) is an indigenous elder in Yuendumu where she was allegedly attacked. She's pictured with granddaughter Jacinta Price at her parliamentary swearing-in Senator Price ended the post by taking aim at privileged First Nations people not speaking out on 'black-on-black violence'. 'Grandstanding over hurt feelings ensures the violence continues,' she wrote. 'I want the violence to STOP! I want communities to be safer! This is everyone's responsibility! 'You want TRUTH TELLING then start telling the TRUTH!' A spokeswoman for the senator told Daily Mail Australia last week the family was dealing with the issue and was not in a position to comment further. Ms Ross travelled to Canberra to perform the Mala Jukurrpa ceremony for Senator Price before proudly watching her granddaughter be sworn into the Senate and deliver her maiden speech. 'This is my grandmother, my elder who attended my swearing in of the 47th parliament of Australia, my grandmother that performed the Mala Jukurrpa ceremony to pass onto me her authority to speak in parliament, my grandfather's sister and one of the last of her generation,' Senator Price wrote. Video shows clouds of dark smoke billowing over the highest peak in Africa as crews battle fierce flames raging across Mount Kilimanjaro. The blaze broke out Friday night on the south side of the mountain along a popular climbing route. Authorities have not yet established how the fire started, but at least two park officials have said they are 'sure' human activity is to blame. The blaze was burning at about 4,000 metres altitude near the camp Karanga site, which is used by climbers ascending the mountain. More than 300 people were mobilised on Saturday to tackle the blaze, with police and local people in Tanzania helping firefighters. Tanzanian authorities on Sunday said the inferno was mostly under control and the aim was to bring the fire completely under control by the evening. The blaze comes exactly two years after an inferno raged across Mount Kilimanjaro for a week and destroyed thousands of hectares of woodland on its slopes. Video shows clouds of dark smoke billowing over the highest peak in Africa as crews battle fierce flames raging across Mount Kilimanjaro The blaze broke out Friday night on the south side of the mountain along a popular climbing route. Officials have not yet established how the fire started At least one park official said he is 'sure' human activity is to blame for the raging inferno Efforts are continuing in #Tanzania to extinguish a fire that has broken out in Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. The source of the fire is yet to be disclosed. pic.twitter.com/0AYWMnVyIx Charles Kombe (@RealKombe) October 22, 2022 'We have seen great success in controlling the fire. To a large extent, it's already extinguished in most areas although there are still smokes,' said Eliamani Sedoyeka, an official at the natural resources and tourism ministry. Mr Sedoyeka noted they hope to have the fire completely under control by Sunday evening. Nurdin Babu, the prefect of Kilimanjaro, told reporters on Sunday 'everything is under control... we have managed to control the fire to a great extent'. The blaze left no victims in the tourist hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage site in northeastern Tanzania, where tens of thousands of climbers flock each year to conquer its snow-capped peak. The cause remains unknown but Sedoyeka on Saturday said a climber or honey hunters may have started it 'carelessly'. Herman Batiho, an official at Tanzania's national parks authority, said he was 'sure' human activity was to blame through illegal poaching or locals extracting honey. Social media footage on Saturday showed huge flames consuming vegetation and bushes and giving off grey smoke. More than 300 people were mobilised on Saturday to tackle the blaze, with police and local people in Tanzania helping firefighters Tanzanian authorities on Sunday said the inferno was mostly under control and the aim was to bring the fire completely under control by the evening The blaze left no victims in the tourist hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage site in northeastern Tanzania, where tens of thousands of climbers flock each year to conquer its snow-capped peak An official at Tanzania's national parks authority said he was 'sure' human activity was to blame through illegal poaching or locals extracting honey Fire fighters in Tanzania are battling to extinguish a blaze on Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro. pic.twitter.com/gbAQOgZBBB Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@CisNyakundy) October 23, 2022 The fire started on Friday evening and was spread by strong winds during the night, regional officials revealed. They could not yet say how much ground it covered. A plane transporting local officials and leading members of the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) for a visit to evaluate the situation was unable to land on Saturday. 'Large clouds and the smoke prevented us from reaching the fire zone,' Mr Babu told journalists on Saturday. 'We will try again when the situation improves.' Videos posted on social media appeared to show the flames devouring vegetation and giving off thick clouds of grey smoke. Police, firefighters, students from the local university and even staff from tour operators were working hard to bring the blaze under control, TANAPA said in a brief statement. Latest pictures from up Mount Kilimanjaro as they fight a fire that broke out yesterday pic.twitter.com/LIIuwvbWkV Salim Kikeke (@Salym) October 23, 2022 The fire started on Friday evening and was spread by strong winds during the night, regional officials revealed. They could not yet say how much ground it covered Videos posted on social media appeared to show the flames devouring vegetation and giving off thick clouds of grey smoke Police, firefighters, students from the local university and even staff from tour operators were working hard to bring the blaze under control, TANAPA said in a brief statement 'We have seen great success in controlling the fire. To a large extent, it's already extinguished in most areas although there are still smokes,' said Eliamani Sedoyeka (not pictured), an official at the natural resources and tourism ministry Local tour guide Abraham Moshi says some of his staff are among those helping to battle the blaze. He recalled first seeing the blaze on Friday from his home in Moshi, located south of the mountain. 'We were having a BBQ outside. We saw big huge flames coming from the mountainside. We weren't sure what it was at first,' Mr Moshi, who runs tour company Exuberant Kilimanjaro Safaris, told Sky News on Sunday. 'We started taking videos but no one knew what it was until Saturday, [when] it was reported that there was a big fire.' He added: 'Right now is dry season, we're still pretty much in dry season. Rains are supposed to start now into November, but we still haven't received rain yet. It's pretty much dry and windy - that could affect the fire.' Mount Kilimanjaro, situated in the northeast of the country, is Africa's highest summit at 5,895 metres (19,340 feet). Its snow-capped peak is known around the globe. The forests surrounding it form part of a national park. Kilimanjaro National Parks is registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, in part because many endangered species live there. President Joe Biden praised outgoing GOP Rep. Liz Cheney in a new interview on Sunday while ripping 'mega MAGA Republicans' with the midterm elections just over two weeks away. Speaking to MSNBC's The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart in a sit-down recorded on Friday, Biden also suggested that most moderate Republicans are too worried about 'their physical wellbeing' to run for office in such a divisive climate. While admitting he did share concern about the growing number of threats forcing election workers off the job as well as 2020 election deniers running for office, the president still struck a hopeful note despite months of bleak election projections for his party. 'I think we should be concerned. Look, there's nothing automatic about democracy. Remember when you're in undergraduate school, talking about every generation has to protect democracy? Well, it really does,' Biden said. '[W]e've reached a point where there has been such a division, and you have what I call the mega MAGA Republicans who are- think that it's alright to threaten violence.' Biden's return to the campaign trail has been marked by fiery rhetoric toward Republicans, in particular those who support Donald Trump. He's accused them of being fringe extremists amid GOP-led states' crackdowns on election security and abortion rights. President Joe Biden sat down with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart for an interview that aired Sunday He did share praise for one Republican, however - one who has been lobbing similar criticisms at her own party. 'Look, I don't agree with anything that Liz Cheney believes about the substantive issues,' Biden said. 'But I admire the hell out of her. She means what she says. She doesn't support the notion of use of violence...She insists that there are basic, fundamental rules.' Since losing her Wyoming Republican primary to a Trump-backed challenger in August, Cheney has ratcheted up the rhetoric that earned her scorn from the GOP in the first place. During her own Sunday television interview, Cheney criticized Republican Leaders Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell for not holding Trump accountable for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. 'My view from the beginning has been, you know, we have to, as a party, reject insurrection; we have to reject what he stands for,' Cheney said. Biden said he 'admired' outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney despite not agreeing with her ideologically 'I don't think this is an issue about which you can make a political calculation. I think it matters too much.' Biden suggested during his sit-down that more Republicans like Cheney aren't running for office because they're afraid of the heightened threat environment. Asked if democracy could 'survive' a GOP governing majority, the president said: 'I think that if we allow the Republican Party to continue to metastasize into what minority of what the party as a whole is.' 'Look, I think one of the reasons there's not more mainstream conservative Republicans running out there is because they are so concerned about- not only their physical wellbeing, but also the notion that how can they win when a minority of Republicans are showing up to vote and they're really hard-edge?' the president posed. He also took a shot at Trump during the interview, calling him 'a leader who concluded that the truth didn't matter a whole lot' and accused him of using 'modern' race-baiting tactics to further divide Americans. Biden added that Trump believes 'whatever it takes to have power, it is appropriate.' Two activists in Germany's Potsdam's Barberini museum have covered Claude Monet's 'Les Meules' painting in mash potatoes before gluing themselves to the floor. Activists from the 'Letzte Generation' (Last Generation) climate activist group entered the museum on Sunday wearing high vis jackets before approaching the painting, which sold at auction for $110million in 2019. The incident follows a string of similar demonstrations perpetrated by activist groups across Europe. In London, two climate activists threw tomato soup over Van Gogh's Sunflowers in the National Gallery. 'We are asking society the same question as 2 women with #Tomatensuppe at London's National Gallery last week: What is worth more, art or life?' the climate activist group wrote on Twitter after the incident. 'More and more people refuse to accept the destruction and endangerment of human beings, to accept life in silence.' It is not immediately clear whether the Monet painting was damaged or if it is protected behind a glass casing. Two activists in Germany threw mash potatoes over Claude Monet's 'Les Meules' painting in Potsdam's Barberini museum on Sunday It is not clear at this stage whether the Monet painting was damaged or whether it is protected behind a glass casing The activists glued themselves to the floor of the museum in protest The news comes as Just Stop Oil protesters blocked the famous Abbey Road crossing in the same pose as The Beatles as they block traffic in London in their latest climate stunt. Members of the eco-mob walked onto the pedestrian crossing in north west London at 1pm today as they continue to cause chaos on the roads of the capital. Video shows four protesters walking onto the crosswalk and performing the pose made famous by The Beatles on the cover of their Abbey Road album. It is the 23rd consecutive day of protest by the group, which has caused chaos on the roads of London and South East England in recent weeks, as well as performing several high profile stunts. Last week supporters of its cause blocked part of the Dartford Crossing, one of the busiest roads in the country for one-and-a-half days after climbing a bridge, while also blocking traffic in multiple London roads. In mid October, Just Stop Oil climate activists filed themselves throwing tomato soup on a Van Gogh painting in the National Gallery in central London. Four Just Stop Oil protesters blocked Abbey Road in London earlier this afternoon, recreating the famous pose made by The Beatles The pair were arrested for criminal damage and aggravated trespass, the Metropolitan Police said. Anna Holland, 20, from Newcastle, and Phoebe Plummer, 21, from Lambeth, south-west, both pleaded not guilty to criminal damage to the frame of Van Gogh's painting in a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in mid October. Their set their trial for December 13 at City of London Magistrates' Court. Hours later, other rebellious eco-zealots from the campaign group launched a humiliating attack against the police, spraying orange paint over the New Scotland Yard HQ's sign in Westminster, London - prompting officers to make 24 arrests. One protester is pictured spraying orange paint on the New Scotland Yard revolving sign One of the protestors in London said after the stunt: 'What is worth more, art or life?' before they glued themselves to the wall Advertisement Nearly a month's worth of rain is understood to have fallen today as wet weather brought much of southern England to a standstill, with reports of major airports including Heathrow facing mass disruption. A yellow warning has been put in place for thunder for much of southern and eastern England, including Bath, Brighton, Norwich and London, until 2am on Monday. Heavy rainfall was followed by a dramatic sunset, with blazing skies seen in pictures and videos shared on social media. The Met Office has warned householders of potentially damaging floodwater, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds. The warning adds that transport could also be affected, including potential road closures and train cancellations. Heathrow Airport has reported a number of delayed flights due to the inclement weather, with a significant number of planes reported to be in a holding pattern, while Gatwick flights are reported to be similarly affected, Inrix, the traffic data company, said: 'Reports of thunderstorms affecting flights to / from London Heathrow Airport. Passengers should check the status of their flight before travelling. Most flights in and out are delayed due to heavy rainfall.' Up to 60mm (2.3in) was predicted in isolated locations across southeastern and central England during thundery downpours which were forecast to continue until around 2am today. The conditions, brought by a weather front moving west to east, caused train disruption and flash flooding. Total average rainfall for the whole of September across England is normally 68mm (2.7in). But the wettest place in the country yesterday morning was Bratch, Worcestershire, where 34.8mm (1.37in) fell between 3am and midday. More than an inch of rain was also recorded yesterday morning at locations in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and Somerset. Pictures taken on Oxford Street in central London after heavy rainfall. Heavy downpour was followed by a dramatic sunset, full of colour Pictured: Heavy rainfall at Witton railway station in Birmingham, West Midlands on Sunday Forecasters predict there will be some 'heavier showers' over Sunday night, before drying out on Monday with some sunny spells even on the cards. Pictured: People walk through Cambridge in heavy rain on Sunday The warning adds that transport could also be affected, including potential road closures and train cancellations. Pictured: Flooded roads in Lincolnshire at the weekend A yellow warning has been put in place for thunder for much of southern and eastern England, including Bath, Brighton, Norwich and London, until 2am on Monday Just seen two drivers flood their car engines after trying to drive through surface water which was too deep. Torrential rain is flooding some roads here in Lincolnshire. Yellow weather warning for England and parts of Wales in place until 05:00 Monday. pic.twitter.com/hgcbQxQg8U Oliver Whitfield-Miocic (@olivermiocic) October 23, 2022 The Meteorological Office had warned that the total amount of rain could lead to flooding of homes and businesses. A yellow warning was put in place for thunder for much of southern and eastern England, including Bath, Brighton, Norwich and London. The warning on the Met Offices website stated: There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds. It added that transport could also be affected, including potential road closures and train cancellations. Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the storms could lead to 0.8mm to 1.2mm (0.3 to 0.5in) of rainfall in one hour, causing flash flooding. He said: Were talking flash flooding, surface water flooding, because of intense rates in a short period of time. However, in brighter news, further sunny spells are predicted this week once the storms pass and temperatures could be almost as high as in parts of France, where Bordeaux will be 22C (72F) tomorrow. Mr Burkill said: Through the next few days temperatures will be rising. By the middle of the week, we could be in the low 20s in some places, possibly 21 (70F). National Rail reported disruption caused by heavy flooding on train routes between Stourbridge Junction and Birmingham Snow Hill, and Stoke-On-Trent and Macclesfield. There were also reports on social media of flooded roads in Lincolnshire. A warning on the Met Office's website states: 'There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.' Watch the city of London disappear behind a wall of rain. 10x speed pic.twitter.com/Wn1DuUhhaT MATJOZ (@Matjoez) October 23, 2022 Lightning strikes close to Portland Bill lighthouse in Dorset as the UK braces for a nigh of thunder and lightning A clear bolt of lightning strikes into the ground next to Portland Bill lighthouse in Durham A warning on the Met Office's website states: 'There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.' Pictured: Eton Wick Road in Eton Wick Village flooded on Sunday There were also reports on social media of flooded roads in Lincolnshire. Pictured: Flooding in Lincolnshire on Saturday The Met Office has warned that England still has some heavy thunderstorms to come this weekend. Pictured: A van driving through a large puddle soaks members of the public sheltering under blankets during heavy rain in Greenwich on Sunday Forecasters allege storms could lead to 20 to 30 millimetres of rainfall in one hour, causing flash flooding. Pictured: Flooding at Eton Wick Road in Eton Wick Village on Sunday 'Byy the middle of the week, we could be in the low 20s in some places, possibly 21, but probably only 20,' one Met Office meteorologist has predicted. Pictured: Flooding in Eton Wick Road in Eton Wick Village on Sunday Mr Burkill said: 'It is because of the risk of some heavy thunderstorms coming through, talk of 20 to 30 millimetres perhaps in just an hour, and for some 40 to 60 (millimetres) in two to three hours. 'So, whilst the totals won't be that high, we're talking flash flooding, surface water flooding, just because of intense rates in a short period of time.' However, people could see some sunny spells next week once the storms are out of the way. Mr Burkill said: 'The theme through the next few days through this week is temperatures rising. 'So, with that in mind, by the middle of the week, we could be in the low 20s in some places, possibly 21, but probably only 20.' He added that the only concern could be some further heavy rain on Tuesday night. 'The only slight cause for concern is a system that comes through Tuesday night into Wednesday,' he said. 'That could bring some heavy rain, particularly for western parts.' Forecasters warn there could be some further heavy rain on Tuesday night. Pictured: Dog walkers brave the rain on Wimbledon Common south-west on Sunday morning Heavy rain for much of southern England could lead to flash flooding, leaving businesses and homes at risk of damage, forecasters have warned. Pictured: Flooding in Lincolnshire on Thursday After a night and morning of heavy rain, the Eton Wick Road in Eton Wick Village was flooded on Sunday Members of the public attempt to shelter during wet weather in Greenwich, South East London on Sunday A woman cycles through Cambridge in heavy rain on Sunday, as a yellow weather warning is in place across much of England and parts of Wales until 5am on Monday Met Office Meteorologist Rebecca Hudson said that the risk is mostly confined to central and southern England. 'There is a weather warning that's going out from 4am (Sunday) until 5am on Monday, the risk is mostly Central and southern England,' she said. 'It's almost in a sort of triangular shape. So it goes from East Yorkshire roughly down to the Cardiff area, East Devon, to London as well, and East Anglia.' She added: 'The heavier band moves through tomorrow morning and then weaken out into the afternoon but then there are some further heavy showers tomorrow night. 'And then as we go in overnight, things will gradually dry out into Monday morning. 'There will be some heavier showers overnight on Sunday into Monday, but these will gradually weaken and then Monday will be a lot drier with some sunny spells around as well.' 'There will be some heavier showers overnight on Sunday into Monday, but these will gradually weaken and then Monday will be a lot drier with some sunny spells around as well,' one forecaster said. Pictured: Flooding in Eton Wick Village on Sunday A person cycles during heavy rain in Greenwich, South East London on Sunday as a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in place A woman shelters under an umbrella as heavy rain falls in Cambridge on Sunday After a night and morning of heavy rain, the Eton Wick Road in Eton Wick Village was flooded on Sunday. A hose pipe ban remains in force in the Thames Valley following the drought this summer A couple and their teenage sons who mysteriously vanished were spotted 300 miles away from their Michigan home days after police said they were 'concerned' for their safety. Anthony and Suzette Cirigliano, both 51, and their two sons Brandon, 19, and Noah, 15, disappeared from their Fremont home on Sunday after the father of two called 911 about a 9/11 conspiracy theory and was 'paranoid' about the FBI and CIA. Gas station footage caught the family at the Blaney Park Quik Stop off the US-2 highway in Gulliver on Monday - hundreds of miles away from their home. A gas station manager said one of the sons came into the store and asked to use the phone while the other used the restroom during the family's 15-minute pit stop for food and gas. 'He was acting a little strange, so we were just watching him,' manager Heidi Bowler told Nexstar's WOOD-TV. 'The only reason we paid attention to them is because the boys were a little different. I thought, "I wonder what's wrong. Like, why is he using the phone? No one else is asking."' Footage captured Anthony pumping gas into their silver 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan while Suzette wandered around the gas station store. A couple and their teenage sons who mysteriously vanished were spotted 300 miles away from their Michigan home days at a gas station at the Blaney Park Quik Stop off the US-2 highway in Gulliver. Pictured: Suzette Cirigliano shopping with one of her sons Footage captured Anthony Cirigliano pumping gas into their silver 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan Anthony and Suzette Cirigliano, both 51, and their two sons Brandon, 19, and Noah, 15, were spotted on Monday after disappearing from their Fremont home Brandon, 19, and Noah, 15 were spotted by a gas station manager at the Blaney Park Quik Stop off the US-2 highway in Gulliver on Monday asking to use a phone and the restroom Gas station surveillance footage captured the minivan the family was using Bowler was unaware of the missing Cirigliano family until she learned about them through a missing family article on Facebook days later. Quickly, she was able to identify the Ciriglianos as the 'strange' family that went to the gas station earlier in the week. 'I immediately started the footage and I looked and I scrolled in on the license plate,' Bowler said. 'It's definitely them.' The gas station manager called Fremont Police Department and reported the sighting. She said the family didn't appear to be in any danger. The family stopped at the the Blaney Park Quik Stop (above) for food and to pump gas Mystery has shrouded the case after it emerged that on October 16 before they disappeared, Anthony had called 911 in distress about a 9/11 conspiracy theory and was 'paranoid' about the FBI and CIA. Anthony's bizarre 911 call obtained by News 8 revealed his last words to police as he requested 'police protection immediately' due to his knowledge on the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The father of two could be heard on the recording seeking the help from Fremont Police Department Sgt. John Greeting. 'I'm not crazy,' Anthony told the 911 operator. 'Mr. Greeting knows me. I'm a Christian. I just need some help. I know this sounds crazy. You don't have instructions for this.' Officers arrived at the Cirigilano's home after confirming he didn't have any weapons. After interviewing him for about an hour, they determined he wasn't in danger and left. The family were found missing from their Fremont home on October 17 after officers found Suzette's elderly mother, who suffers from dementia and is cared for by Suzette, wandering the streets alone The family is traveling in a silver 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan (pictured) The next day, officers only discovered that the family were missing when they found Suzette's elderly mother, who suffers from dementia and is cared for by Suzette, was found wandering the streets of Fremont confused and alone, according to Fox News. When the police took Suzette's mother back to the family home, they discovered the parents and their two sons were missing. Police have since searched the family's home and found Suzette and the two teenager's phones there. The couple have not used their credit cards and there has been no activity on their bank accounts, while Antony's phone has been turned off, police said. 'We're just very concerned,' Fremont police department chief Tim Rodwell said. 'The circumstances are strange.' The family appeared to have left abruptly as they had not made any arrangements for Suzette's elderly mother, who is now in the care of another relative. The night before they disappeared, Anthony had called 911 in distress. 'Anthony was complaining of some elaborate issue in regard to the Sept. 11 attack,' Rodwell said. 'He was displaying to my officers paranoia and some concerns in regard to the FBI and CIA.' Two police officers went to their family home that night and spoke to Anthony for 45 minutes, police said. They also spoke to Suzette to make sure she was safe. But the police officers determined from the visit that the family were not in imminent danger. 'They seem like really good people who were taking care of their family,' Rodwell said. 'No one has had any problems with them.' Rodwell is urging anyone who has information about the case to contact the Fremont Police Department at 231-924-2100. President Joe Biden was forced to defend his mental and physical fitness for office yet again on Sunday as questions continue to mount over whether the 79-year-old leader will - or even could - run for re-election in 2024. During an interview on MSNBC's The Sunday Show, Biden was confident in his own capacities but conceded that he understood his nearing 80 was a 'concern' for some voters. Further pressing on his own mortality, Biden said, 'I could get a disease, I could drop dead tomorrow.' It comes after host Jonathan Capehart aired a bizarre segment in which the journalist phoned his aunt into the interview. He then asked Biden about his Democrat-voting relative's concerns about his age. 'Well, I think Aunt Gloria should take a look, I think it's a legitimate thing to be concerned about, anyone's age, including mine. I think that's totally legitimate,' the president said. 'But the best way to make a judgment is to, you know, watch me. You know, am I slowing up? Do I not have the same pace? Or, you know, and that old joke, you know - everybody talks about the new, you know, 70s, 50s, you know all that stuff.' President Joe Biden told MSNBC that he was a 'great respecter of fate' but defended his fitness for running again in 2024 Biden added that he was a 'great respecter of fate' but implored voted to look at whether he has the 'same passion for what he's doing. He then dared people who doubt his mental or physical competence to 'vote against me' - before quickly walking that back. 'If they think I do, then it is fine. If not, they should vote against me- not against me, they should encourage me not to go, but that is not how I feel,' the president said. Speaking specifically on Capehart's aunt, Biden suggested she 'support some other Democrat' if she didn't think he was up to it. 'But Jonathan, right now, knock on wood, I do not want to jinx myself, I am in good health. All of my- everything physically about me is still functioning well, so you know, and mentally too, so,' the president said. Voters' rising doubts about Biden at age 79 come against the backdrop of his stagnant job approval numbers, which have hovered in the low 40s for months after dropping for much of his tenure. However most polls still show him above his vice president, Kamala Harris, whose rock-bottom favorability has Democrat election-watchers worried about who will take up Biden's mantle. Despite that, Biden sung Harris' praises during his Sunday show interview. 'First of all, she's smart as hell. She has a backbone like a ramrod and she has enormous integrity,' he said. 'She is really, really thoroughly informed- particularly on areas of foreign policy, national security issues. So I find her to be extremely, extremely well qualified' He insisted that she was not left out of any White House meetings or decisions. 'We engage her in everything,' Biden said. In a preview clip shared earlier this weekend, the president appeared to completely zone out after he was asked what his wife Dr. Jill Biden thought of his intention to run for the presidency once again in 2024. President Joe Biden appeared to completely lose focus during an interview Asked what his wife Dr. Jill Biden think about him possibly running 2024, the president seemed to zone out and had to be gently pushed by the interviewer 'Dr. Biden thinks that uh, my wife thinks that uh, that I uh, that, that we're, that we're doing something very important,' Biden finally states Joe Biden has been married to his wife, Dr. Jill Biden for 45 years, having married in 1977 'I have not made that formal decision but it's my intention... my intention to run again. And we have time to make that decision', the president began. 'Dr. Biden is for it?' the MSNBC interviewer asks - only to be met with silence. 'Mr. President?' the reporter prods, to virtually no reaction from Biden. 'Dr. Biden thinks that uh, my wife thinks that uh, that I uh, that, that we're, that we're doing something very important,' Biden finally states, while managing to avoid directly answering the question. Biden's response led to a barrage of criticism on social media. 'One must feel sorry for him. But no way should he be working any job much less POTUS,' wrote one user. 'I feel like I am watching my Dad talk about my Mom who passed away 6 years ago. This is not funny. This is real,' added another. 'Imagine how low his approval would be if the media didnt protect him with note cards, and pre selected questions. Its madness,' suggested another Twitter follower. Advertisement Nancy Pelosi appeared to make an attempt at provoking Donald Trump to appear before the January 6 panel by claiming he 'isn't man enough' to comply with the subpoena for testimony. A report last week revealed that sources close to the former president say he wants to testify before the panel, but only if they will treat him like other witnesses and allow him a public and live televised hearing. The House Speaker, however, has her doubts that Trump really will appear. 'I don't think he is man enough to show up,' Pelosi told MSNBC's The Sunday Show host Jonathan Capehart. 'I don't think that his lawyers will want him to show up, because he has to testify under oath,' she added. 'But I don't think he is man enough, we will see if he is man enough to show up.' Pelosi insisted that she 'keeps her distance' from the January 6 panel's 'decision making', but claimed if Trump doesn't comply with the subpoena, Americans should take that as a sign he believes he is 'above the law.' 'Whatever they decide will also send a message about his respect,' the California Democrat said. 'It's an oath we take to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. That is a serious oath that we all take. Clearly, the rest of us had more respect for the office he held, then he had.' Her comments gave the appearance of a push toward the committee taking action against Trump if he does not comply similar to what happened to Steven Bannon when he was charged with criminal contempt of Congress for defying his subpoena. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Donald Trump 'isn't man enough to show up' for testimony before the January 6 panel The January 6 select committee, led by Democratic Chairman Bennie Thompson (left) and Republican Vice Chair Liz Cheney (right), officially subpoenaed Trump on Friday for him to appear for questioning and hand over relevant documents in their probe into the Capitol riot "Democracy on the ballot, we want it to be strong. The planet on the ballot, we want it to be safe. Our values on the ballot, we want them to be respected and we fully intend to win." @Speakerpelosi on Democrats keeping control of Congress #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/Xwo2WeQ3cb The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) October 23, 2022 All nine members of the January 6 select committee probing the Capitol attack voted affirmatively to subpoena Trump for testimony and to hand over relevant documents at the conclusion of their latest public meeting on the afternoon of October 13. Close aides to Trump subsequently told The Guardian that the former president expressed he wants to speak to 'get his pound of flesh.' On Friday, the committee's subpoena was officially issued to Trump. Pelosi's comments on Sunday appear to be a dare for Trump to actually go through with his threats to testify publicly now that he has been served a subpoena. Trump, according to aides, is considering complying but only if he gets a public, live televised hearing like other witnesses It is unclear if the committee will allow Trump to testify live. So far, they have rejected conditional testimonies from all witnesses, except Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide during the Trump administration. It is not clear if Trump will comply with the subpoena if they do not allow him to testify publicly. Representative Liz Cheney, one of the two GOP members of the panel, said Sunday that the panel would not allow Trump to turn his testimony into a 'circus' and a public one-sided debate against President Joe Biden. Some lawyers are advising Trump to stay quiet, according to reports, claiming that he could potentially incriminate himself. Some Trump allies have refused to comply with the panel's subpoenas for their testimony in relation to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Former top Trump adviser Steven Bannon was sentenced Friday morning to four months in prison and a $6,500 fine for criminal contempt of Congress for defying the panel's subpoena. The judge will hold off on imposing the sentence if Bannon files an appeal before November 15, which his team said he is ready to do. Bannon's attorney David Schoen promised a 'bulletproof' appeal. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon speaks to the media as he arrives at federal court to be sentenced on October 21, 2022 in Washington, DC in his contempt of Congress case where he refused to comply with a January 6 subpoena 'Today was my judgment day,' Bannon said when leaving court. 'On November 8th it's going to be judgment day on the illegitimate Biden regime and quite frankly, Nancy Pelosi and the entire committee.' 'Either they've already been turfed out like Liz Cheney,' he continued, 'or they're about to be beaten.' 'The Biden administration ends on the evening of the 8th of November,' Bannon said, then predicting Attorney General Merrick Garland would be impeached by a Republican Congress. 'Merrick Garland will end up being the first attorney general that's brought up on charges of impeachment. He will be removed from office.' The judge in Bannon's case noted that the fact that the January 6 committee did not go to court to try to enforce the subpoena but immediately went to criminal prosecution 'cuts in Bannon's favor.' Congress subpoenaing a former president is not new but it would be highly unprecedented if Trump defied the order, which the panel noted in their release of the document compelling him to testify. January 6 Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Vice Chair Cheney of Wyoming noted the presidents who have testified in their statement on the subpoena: 'Former Presidents John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, and Gerald Ford each testified before Congress after they left office.' 'President Roosevelt explained during his congressional testimony, 'an ex-President is merely a citizen of the United States, like any other citizen, and it is his plain duty to try to help this committee or respond to its invitation,' they noted. Republican Representatives Liz Cheney (center) and Adam Kinzinger (right) are the lone two GOP lawmakers on the nine-member panel The subpoena to Trump noted: 'As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power.' Republicans have long labeled the January 6 probe a one-sided witch hunt. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy withdrew all of his picks for the panel back when there was still an effort to create a bipartisan committee after Pelosi rejected two of his picks because they had voted against certification of the election. Pelosi then assembled the team, and included two anti-Trump Republicans who voted for his impeachment Cheney and Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger. Both Kinzinger and Cheney were not able to survive in the GOP after their vote and joining the January 6 panel. Kinzinger opted not to run for reelection, and Cheney was primaried by Trump-backed Harriet Hageman in Wyoming's at-large seat. An Army college for 16-year-old male and female recruits is embroiled in an abuse scandal, including sexual assault charges against its instructors. The Army Foundation College (AFC) at Harrogate is where Britains youngest soldiers who are too young to be sent to the front line are introduced to military life. Their training is controversial as while the Army considers them old enough to handle weapons and ammunition, their age prevents them from watching the most violent films at the cinema or voting in elections. According to campaign group ForcesWatch, the UK is the only country in Europe which routinely recruits people under 18, which has been criticised by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Daily Mail can reveal an instructor at the college has been charged with more than 20 offences, including at least five alleged sexual assaults. His alleged victims were 16-year-old girls. The Army Foundation College (AFC) at Harrogate is where Britains youngest soldiers who are too young to be sent to the front line are introduced to military life The corporal is also understood to have been charged with harassment after a female instructor complained about his conduct towards her. He is to appear before a court martial in January 2023. Another member of staff is expected to face a military trial after being charged with assault. The Daily Mail understands a number of similar complaints are being reviewed by service and civilian police officers. Last night, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was not prepared to release any information for fear of jeopardising investigations. Should some be found guilty, the Army could be forced to close the historic college established in 1947 as the Army Apprentices School. Last year, a coalition of 20 human rights organisations urged defence ministers to stop the practice of recruiting children. Figures released in October 2021 showed one in every five new recruits was under 18. In recent years instructors have been accused by families of recruits of offences including bullying. They also challenged the watchdog Ofsted for rating the college outstanding. However, the number of investigations and charges may reflect the concerns of top brass over the training of children, in particular 16-year-old girls who are being introduced to the rigours of infantry training while living away from home for the first time. Defence sources claim the bar for misconduct charges, in particular sexual offences, has been set too low. In March 2018 charges brought by the Special Investigation Branch against 16 instructors collapsed after grave irregularities in the police probe were revealed. A court martial judge accused service police of not investigating fairly or objectively. Legal issues included the defendants not being asked for statements until years after the alleged abuse by which time evidence which could have supported them was lost. Military detectives also failed to interview key eyewitnesses. In the most recent cases, the male corporal is understood to have been charged with sexual assault after carrying a 16-year-old female recruit in a firemans lift. Another count of the same offence apparently relates to him touching a female recruit as she climbed through a barbed wire fence. Last night, the MoD said: There is no place for any form of unacceptable behaviour in the Army and we recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report any offence. We are aware of a number of alleged incidents, some of which are historical, at Army Foundation College Harrogate. These are being investigated. Those who are guilty of wrongdoing will be held accountable for their actions. It would be inappropriate to comment further. Advertisement Boris Johnson has sensationally quit the Tory leadership contest citing the need to 'unite' the party, despite claiming he reached the 'very high hurdle of 102 nominations' - as Rishi Sunak could be crowned Prime Minister tomorrow with rival Penny Mordaunt short of the 100 backers threshold. The former PM tonight said continuing his bid to return to No10 was 'simply not the right thing to do' after unsuccessfully reaching out to his two main rivals in an attempt to make a pact. But both Mr Sunak and Ms Mordaunt turned down an alliance, with Penny insisting 'I'm in it to win it'. In a statement tonight, Mr Johnson said: 'In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament. 'I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago - and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now. 'A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country. 'I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 - and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. 'There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. 'It is simply not the right thing to do': Boris Johnson bows out of race to return as PM In statement this evening, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed he was bowing out of the race because it is 'simply not the right thing to do', despite claiming he had cleared the 'very high hurdle of 102 nominations'. He said: 'In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament. 'I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago - and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now. 'A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country. 'I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 - and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. 'But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament. 'And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny - because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest - we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this. 'Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.' Advertisement 'But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament. 'And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny - because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest - we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this. 'Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. 'I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.' Following the statement, Mr Sunak said he hoped the former PM would contribute to 'public life at home and abroad'. He added: 'Boris Johnson delivered Brexit and the great vaccine roll-out. He led our country through some of the toughest challenges we have ever faced, and then took on Putin and his barbaric war in Ukraine. We will always be grateful to him for that. 'Although he has decided not to run for PM again, I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad. ' A jubilant Sunak-backing MP also told MailOnline: Ive known him since 1995: he never changes. Hes too thin skinned to be brave. Another Cabinet source said the writing was on the wall for the ex-PM after a day of bluster. Former Chancellor George Osborne added: 'Very welcome and sensible judgement call by Boris Johnson - the country was heading for a constitutional crisis. Instead Rishi Sunak can now - with hard but necessary decisions - begin to restore Britains economic credibility and good governance.' A source from Ms Mordaunt's campaign added: 'Penny is still running to be the Leader of the Conservative Party. Penny is the unifying candidate who is most likely to keep the wings of the Conservative Party together and polling shows that she is the most likely candidate to hold onto the seats the Conservative Party gained in 2019. 'Ed Balls, Shadow Cabinet ministers and Labour advisers have all said Penny is the candidate Keir Starmer fears the most.' As of this evening, 228 out of 357 Tory MPs have gone public with their support. Mr Sunak is understood to have 147 backers, while Ms Mordaunt has just 24. Mr Johnson had 57 when he pulled out, but claimed he had in fact reached more than 100, His hopes of a return had earlier gained traction when Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, both declared their support. Mr Zahawi earlier claimed 'Boris 2.0' had 'learned from those mistakes' he made during his first spell in No10 and would lead the Tories to 'victory and prosperity'. He saw a piece backing his former boss go online just as Mr Johnsons bombshell statement dropped. Mr Zahawi, who served as Chancellor in the final days of Mr Johnson's premiership, is now backing Mr Sunak. He this evening tweeting: 'A day is a long time in politics... Given today's news, it's clear that we should turn to Rishi Sunak to become our next Prime Minister. 'Rishi is immensely talented, will command a strong majority in the parliamentary Conservative Party, and will have my full support & loyalty.' Former Culture Secretary and Mr Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries also revealed her disappointment that he has bowed out, saying that a general election was now inevitable. She said: 'Boris would have won members vote - already had a mandate from the people. 'Rishi and Penny, despite requests from Boris refused to unite which would have made governing utterly impossible. Penny actually asked him to step aside for her. It will now be impossible to avoid a GE.' Former Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, a Sunak supporter, said: A thoughtful, wise and statesmanlike decision by Boris Johnson to withdraw, reflecting the qualities that made so many of us originally put our faith in him three years ago. Last night there was no immediate response from the Sunak camp, with a source reportedly saying the ex-chancellor is not taking anything for granted and that he will continue to talk to colleagues and discuss how best to unite the party and take the country forward. Rishi Sunak appears set to become the new Prime Minister tomorrow after Boris Johnson sensationally dropped out of the Tory leadership race this evening Mr Johnson earlier claimed 'Boris 2.0' had 'learned from those mistakes' he made during his first spell in No10 and would lead the Tories to 'victory and prosperity' Now only Ms Mordaunt now stands in the way of Mr Sunak's leadership bid. 'Im in this to win it,' the Leader of the House of Commons earlier declared Tory leadership race timeline Monday: Nominations for the race close, candidates making it through must have at least 100 Tory MPs backing them Monday 3.30 pm: First round of voting (if more than one candidate gets through) Monday 6pm: Result of first vote announced. If three make it through, the candidate with the fewest votes is be knocked out Monday 6.30pm: 'Indicative' ballot held if two candidates are left, one may drop out Tuesday-Friday: If two candidates make it through, Conservative Party members have the chance to vote online Friday: The final vote closes and Britain's new Prime Minister is announced Advertisement It came after Mr Johnson unsuccessfully reached out to his two main rivals in an attempt to make a pact. Ms Mordaunt, now Mr Sunak's only rival in the leadership bid, was claimed to have rebuffed attempts from the former Prime Minister to get her to drop out in a phone call. She is reported to have told Mr Johnson that the majority of her supporters were more likely to have switched to Team Sunak, rather than backing his return to the premiership. It also means Ms Mordaunt is likely to be short of the 100 backers needed to remain in contention. Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak, meanwhile, met at 8pm last night, where the ex-PM is said to have told his former Chancellor that - if he re-entered No10 with Mr Sunak in a senior role - it would avoid a divisive battle. But it was subsequently claimed this morning that no agreement had been struck between the pair following negotiations that last around three hours. It comes as Mr Sunak appeared to be surging further ahead in the contest today as he moved near to 150 Tory MPs publicly supporting him today. His leadership bid was further bolstered by the backing of former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is popular on the Tory Right, and her close ally Steve Baker. Grant Shapps, who replaced Ms Braverman as Home Secretary following her resignation this week, and Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith also gave their support to Mr Sunak. And Armed Forces and Veterans Secretary James Heappey also this evening tweeted his support, saying: 'Ive been agonising all weekend knowing that our choice as next PM must bring together our divided party and restore stability to our Government. 'All wings of our party will need to work together after contest to achieve that but Im supporting Rishi Sunak to lead us in doing so.' Earlier this evening, WhatsApp messages sent to supporters of the former PM are understood to have said that 'all the paperwork' had been completed to ensure he would appear on the ballot to replace Liz Truss. Chris Heaton-Harris, Northern Ireland Secretary, wrote: 'OK everyone! Some very good news!. Thanks to all your hard work I can confirm we have completed all the paperwork (verified all nominations, with proposer and seconder) to be on the ballot tomorrow. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! More to follow, but thank you!!!!' The message, seen by the Sun and Bloomberg, came despite Mr Johnson only having had 57 publicly-declared backers. Candidates need 100 nominations from Tory MPs by 2pm tomorrow if they are to remain in contention ahead of a final poll of party members. Even last night, Mr Johnsons campaign was sharing a memo outlining the results of five recent polls that suggested he has the best chance of saving the Tories from electoral wipe-out. The four-page document listed the results of surveys by leading pollsters indicating he would narrow the gap between Labour and the Tories, compared to Mr Sunak. It was titled Five Polls In The Last Five Days That Show That Boris Johnson Is The Best Chance The Conservatives Have At Avoiding Electoral Wipe-out. Mr Johnson loyalist Michael Fabricant also joined claims his support had met the threshold, adding: 'Boris WILL go to the membership. He has exceeded the 100 certified supporters.' But fellow Tory MP Richard Holden questioned the claims, tweeting: 'Very odd to brief this out again (2 days in a row) Its what they briefed yesterday. 'What a strange thing to do Wonder why youd do it Its almost as if they still need people and are desperate to show momentum, which they cant because no-one will publicly come out.' Mr Fabricant then followed up on his earlier tweet to reveal his disappointment at Mr Johnson's decision to no longer run, adding that he is now backing Ms Mordaunt. He said: 'I am deeply disappointed that Boris has chosen not to stand. I shall now nominate #PM4PM to let the members of our great Party decide who should be our Leader and next Prime Minister. I abhor political coronations. They invariably get it wrong.' Mr Sunak, meanwhile, has vowed to 'work day in and day out to get the job done' as as the UK faces a 'profound economic crisis'. He has also promised to lead a Government with 'integrity, professionalism and accountability' if he is confirmed as the new PM tomorrow. It comes after Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak met at 8pm last night, where the ex-PM is said to have told his former Chancellor that - if he re-entered No10 with Mr Sunak in a senior role - it would avoid a divisive battle. But it was subsequently claimed this morning that no agreement had been struck between the pair following negotiations that last around three hours. Mr Johnson earlier claimed 'Boris 2.0' had 'learned from those mistakes' he made during his first spell in No10 and would lead the Tories to 'victory and prosperity'. Allies revealed a 'smartly dressed' Mr Johnson was on 'good form' as he ploughed on with his comeback bid this morning in a meeting with supporters. His hopes of a return also gained further traction today when Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, both declared their support. But Mr Johnson suffered a blow when prominent Brexiteer Steve Baker gave his support to Mr Sunak and warned Tory MPs against putting the former premier back in Downing Street. The Northern Ireland minister, who backed Ms Truss over Mr Sunak in this summer's leadership contest, claimed a Boris comeback would be a 'guaranteed disaster'. 'This isnt the time for Boris and his style,' Mr Baker told Sky News, as he claimed the parliamentary Partygate probe hanging over Mr Johnson's head would see his premiership 'implode'. He warned a 'large number' of Tories would refuse to 'lay down their integrity to save' Mr Johnson in a House of Commons vote over whether he misled MPs on Covid rule-breaking in No10, which is being investigated by the Privileges Committee. Mr Sunak officially launched his PM bid in a Twitter post, as he promised to 'fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country' Rishi Sunak's campaign received a major boost when prominent Brexiteer Steve Baker gave his support to the former Chancellor Now only Ms Mordaunt now stands in the way of Mr Sunak's leadership bid. 'Im in this to win it,' the Leader of the House of Commons earlier declared. But her determined statement comes amid signs she is struggling to win backers, remaining short of the threshold needed despite Mr Johnson's absence. 'Im standing to be prime minister. I am not contemplating how the other camps are organising themselves,' she told the BBC. 'Im in this to win it. I think its important for our party, we have a contest. I am very confident about our numbers.' However, she refused to say who she would put her support behind if she fails to meet the threshold of 100 backers to formally enter the contest. Meanwhile, Mr Sunak officially confirmed his candidacy in a Twitter post this morning, as he promised to 'fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country'. He wrote: 'I served as your Chancellor, helping to steer our economy through the toughest of times. 'The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities, if we make the right choice, are phenomenal. 'I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto. 'There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done. 'I am asking you for the opportunity to help fix our problems. To lead our party and country forwards towards the next general election, confident in our record, firm in our convictions and ready to lead again.' Mrs Braverman, who dramatically quit as Home Secretary the day before Ms Truss's premiership collapsed, backed Mr Sunak as 'a leader who will put our house in order and apply a steady, careful hand on the tiller'. She wrote in the Telegraph: 'I have backed Boris from the start. From running alongside him in London in 2012, to supporting him to be our leader in 2019 and willing him to succeed throughout the travails of this year. His resignation in July was a loss for our country. 'But we are in dire straits now. We need unity, stability and efficiency. Rishi is the only candidate that fits the bill and I am proud to support him.' And Mr Shapps added: 'We need someone who can provide stability and proven economic competence in these challenging times, and Rishi Sunak is that person.' A man was rushed to hospital after a 'serious' medical emergency on a theme park rollercoaster in Pembrokeshire, south west Wales, this afternoon. People were asked to evacuate the Oakwood Theme Park following the incident, with its car park quickly emptying out, WalesOnline reports. The park was then closed to the public 'with immediate effect', a statement from its spokesperson said. The Welsh Ambulance Service was called to the scene around 1pm and an air ambulance also attended the park. People were reportedly asked to evacuate the Oakwood Theme Park following the incident One woman, who spoke to BBC Wales, described the incident as 'serious'. She told the broadcaster that it had happened on the park's Treetops ride, which her family had been on. This has not been confirmed by the park. A video shared on Twitter by Rhodri Mason appears to show a Welsh Air Ambulance helicopter arriving at the scene. Very sad to see the air ambulance arriving at Oakwood Theme Park today. Really hoping that everyone involved is OK and makes a fully recovery pic.twitter.com/eu7KER5vKa Rhodri Mason (@RhodriMason1) October 23, 2022 The small family park opened in the late 1980s and the Treetops rollercoaster has been running for nearly 30 years, according to its website. The 'family ride' promises 'a magical adventure through the woodlands surrounding the park. 'Set high up in the treetops, youll twist, bend, and drop through the tree canopy. 'As one of our most popular rollercoasters, this ride has been thrilling generations of families for nearly 30 years.' The Health and Safety Executive confirmed it had been informed of the incident and said it was making inquiries alongside Dyfed Powys Police. Oakwood Theme Park has been contacted for comment. A chip shop owner who celebrated the Queen's death in a video proclaiming 'Lizard Liz is dead' has handed over her business. Anti-monarchist Jacki Pickett, owner of Jacki Fish and Chip Shop, in Muir of Ord, Scotland, sparked an angry mob after she shared a video of her popping and spraying champagne after Her Majesty's passing. The footage showed her holding a chalkboard reading: 'Lizard Liz is dead and London Bridge has fallen', alluding to a strange conspiracy theory about the Royal Family. Jacki Pickett, owner of Jacki Fish and Chip Shop, (pictured) in Muir of Ord, Scotland, sparked an angry mob after she shared a video of her popping and spraying champagne after Her Majesty's passing The chippy owner, who said she has 'no regrets' about posting the video, was forced to close on September 8 after angry locals surrounded the shop. Seven police were called to disperse the infuriated crowd after they were called out of concerned for the owner's safety when protestors turned up to boo and berate Ms Picket. Soon after the shop re-opened, its windows were smashed in. Since September 10 it has remained closed. On Friday, however, the doors opened once again with a sign outside saying it was now being run under new management, the Daily Record reports. Jaki's Fish and Chip reopened on Friday under new management. A sign read: 'Please welcome Kerry who has now taken over' It read: 'As of Friday October, 21 Jaki's Chip Shop will be under new management. 'Please welcome Kerry who has now taken over.' Following the posting of the video, concerns were raised as it appeared that Ms Pickett had driven off from the scene, despite being seen drinking champagne before. Seven police were called to disperse the infuriated crowd after they were called out of concerned for the owner's safety when protestors turned up to boo and berate the chip shop owner Police said there was 'no suggestion that a crime was committed'. The fish and chip shop previously provoked controversy after the owner applied to Highland Council to install a large Batman-style searchlight into the sky to tell customers when there were offers on fish and chip suppers. The plans, however, were rejected due to concerns over light pollution and causing a 'risk to aviation safety' above Inverness Airport. Judge Eric Bradshaw said in his decision that baking a cake is still protected as 'pure speech' and considered artistic expression She also said that the situation would have been different if the cake was already made but that the act of making it specifically for them went against her beliefs Miller allegedly politely gave the couple an alternative baker in the area to go to for their wedding cake Tastries Bakery has fought several legal battles now regarding the refusal to bake a cake for a lesbian couple A California baker has won a discrimination lawsuit after she refused to make a cake for a lesbian couple's wedding - citing her Christian beliefs. On Saturday, Cathy Miller, owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, California, announced that a Kern County judge had sided with her after a years-long battle. In 2017, Miller refused to make a cake for a lesbian couple, Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio, claiming that her religious beliefs were grounds to not make a masterpiece for the pair's special day. At the time, the baker allegedly politely refused to make the cake and gave the couple the name of an alternative bakery. But the furious couple lodged a lawsuit against her, claiming that they were being discriminated against. Five years later, Miller announced that she had finally won the legal battle. Writing on Facebook after the win, Miller said: 'Thank you Tastries friends and family. 'Yesterday, after much consideration and analysis of details regarding the Cathy's Creations and Tastries Bakery discrimination case, Judge Eric Bradshaw ruled in favor of Cathy Miller. 'We appreciate your prayers and support as we joyfully continue to do business with you in the future. 'I'm hoping that in our community we can grow together,' Miller said, 'and we should understand that we shouldn't push any agenda against anyone else.' Kern County Judge Eric Bradshaw sided with Cathy Miller Friday in a suit brought by the California Department of Fair Housing and Employment This is the California couple who asked Cathy Miller of Tastries Bakery to make their wedding cake in 2017, which she refused to do due to her religious beliefs The Thomas More Society, whose lawyers represented the woman, called the win in a California courtroom a 'First Amendment victory.' The organization is a 'conservative Roman Catholic public-interest law firm based in Chicago,' according to their website. 'We applaud the court for this decision,' Thomas More Society Special Counsel Charles LiMandri said. 'The freedom to practice one's religion is enshrined in the First Amendment, and the United States Supreme Court has long upheld the freedom of artistic expression.' The discrimination lawsuit, one of many, had been brought forth by the California Department of Fair Housing and Employment under the Unruh Civil Rights Act. Another lawyer with the Thomas More Society said that it's the correct ruling for the woman and the freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment. 'There's a certain irony there,' said Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society Special Counsel, 'that a law intended to protect individuals from religious discrimination was used to discriminate against Cathy for her religious beliefs.' 'Cathy believes in the Bible,' said Jonna, citing Miller's belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. Cathy Miller, the owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, California, has won yet another lawsuit claiming that she discriminated against a lesbian couple by refusing to make their wedding cake in 2017 Kern County Judge Eric Bradshaw ruled in favor of Cathy Miller in his decision handed down Friday in a California courtroom Eileen and Mireya Rodriquez-Del Rio complained after they tried to buy a cake from Miller's bakery for their wedding in October 2017 In their press release, the Thomas More society also shared deposition from February where prosecutors appeared to question Miller's religious beliefs, which they found 'disturbing. 'Do you try to follow everything that the Bible says?' asks attorney for the California Department of Fair Housing and Employment, Anthony Mann. 'I do my best, but I'm a sinner, but I do my best,' Miller responded while testifying. 'Do you follow some of the eating practices from the Old Testament in terms of not eating pigs, not eating shellfish, et cetera,' Mann said. The lawyers for the Thomas More Society said they saw this as a clear violation of her rights. 'The state was actually questioning the sincerity of Cathy's faith,' said Jonna. 'The fact that they called Miller's open and sincerely held beliefs into question is almost as disturbing as quibbling over her status as an artist,' the lawyer continued. 'Miller's only motivation, at all times, was to act consistent with her sincere Christian beliefs about what the Bible teaches regarding marriage,' Judge Bradshaw wrote in his decision. 'That motivation was not unreasonable, or arbitrary, nor did it emphasize irrelevant differences or perpetuate stereotypes,' the judge said. Bradshaw also said that baking cakes is still an expression of 'pure speech' and rooted in artistic expression. 'Defendants' pure and expressive speech is entitled to protection under the First Amendment,' Bradshaw wrote. Eileen Rodgriguez-Del Rio posted this message to her Facebook friends in August of 2017, setting off the legal battle between the couple and Miller 'Of course we're disappointed, but not surprised,' Eileen Rodriguez-Del Rio said Friday after the judge issued the ruling. 'We anticipate that our appeal will have a different result,' the woman said. In 2017, Miller told one local news outlet that she didn't mean to discriminate, but that the request for her to make a new cake would go against what she believed. 'Here at Tastries, we love everyone. My husband and I are Christians, and we know that God created everyone, and He created everyone equal, so it's not that we don't like people of certain groups, there is just certain things that violate my conscience.' Additionally, the woman claimed that she would have been willing to sell the same sex couple a pre-made cake. The act of baking and designing a cake, however, is where the line was drawn. The lesbian couple on Friday said that they were 'disappointed, but not surprised' by the latest ruling from a California judge Tastries, which has nearly 10,000 followers on Facebook, received dozens of comments on their post Saturday. Most commenters seemed to be in support of Miller and Bradshaw's ruling. 'Praise God! May He continue to protect over you,' said one follower. 'Fervent prayers answered,' wrote another. Not all were were so approving of the way that Bradshaw sided, however. 'You are not Christians,' said one person who appeared to be upset over the judge's decision. 'You spread a message of hate, you are not Christian, you are evil in disguise,' the commenter continued. Cathy Miller and her husband are dedicated Christians, according to their legal representation This wasn't the first legal woe for Miller and Tastries. In 2018, Superior Court Judge David Lampe ruled in favor of Miller, saying the act of making cakes was 'artistic expression' and did not violate California anti-discrimination laws. 'A wedding cake is not just a cake in a free speech analysis,' the judge wrote in his eight-page ruling. 'It is an artistic expression by the person making it that is to be used traditionally as a centerpiece in the celebration of a marriage. There could not be a greater form of expressive conduct.' The case was initiated when same-sex couple Eileen and Mireya Rodriquez-Del Rio complained to the California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing after they tried to buy a cake from Miller's bakery for their wedding in October 2017. Cathy Miller has now won several legal battles connected to her refusal to bake the Rodriguez-Del Rios a cake for their October 2017 wedding The state ruled in the couple's favor arguing that the First Amendment did not apply because the couple had not asked for any words or messages on the cake. They issued an order to force Miller to make the cake. But Judge Lampe rejected the ruling and said his decision was based on the fact that Miller had not yet prepared the cake. He said it would have been discrimination if the cake was already on display at the shop and Miller refused to let the couple buy it. 'A retail tire shop may not refuse to sell a tire because the owner does not want to sell tires to same sex couples,' Judge Lampe wrote in 2018. 'No baker may place their wares in a public display case, open their shop, and then refuse to sell because of race, religion, gender, or gender identification.' At the time, Eileen Rodriquez-Del Rio said Miller had told them she would take their order, but give it to another bakery to make because she doesn't 'condone same sex marriages and will have no part in this process'. Outgoing Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney vowed on Sunday not to let Donald Trump turn his scheduled deposition before the January 6 committee into a 'circus' - and strongly indicated they will not let him testify on live television. However, she did not rule it out altogether. The committee, which she helps lead as vice chair, formally subpoenaed the former president on Friday with a 10-page letter detailing their 'overwhelming evidence' that he 'personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.' Trump is ordered to appear before the committee on November 14 at 10am. Speaking to NBC News' Meet The Press on Sunday, Cheney suggested it's possible that Trump committed 'multiple criminal offenses' which the panel is in the course of investigating. 'We are anticipating that the former president will understand his legal obligation, will comply with the subpoena,' Cheney said. 'We've made clear in the subpoena a number of things, including that if he intends to take the Fifth that he ought to alert us of that ahead of time.' Trump reportedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination more than 400 times during a deposition earlier this year, for an unrelated probe into his business practices by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. But unlike past court orders, Trump is reportedly inclined not to delay the appointment before January 6 investigators. Rep. Liz Cheney spoke to NBC News' Meet The Press two days after the January 6 committee, which she vice chairs, sent Donald Trump a subpoena WATCH: The Jan. 6 committee will not allow fmr. President Trump to turn his testimony into a "circus," says @RepLizCheney (R-Wyo.) "This isn't going to be his first debate against Joe Biden ... and the food fight that that became. This is a far too serious set of issues." pic.twitter.com/3bUyUFVf9m Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 23, 2022 He is instead telling aides he'll testify - if it's on live TV like the series of eight hearings the committee held over the summer, according to the New York Times. Host Chuck Todd asked Cheney, 'Is the committee open to his supposed offer, or at least behind the scenes offer, of going on live television?' 'So the committee treats this matter with great seriousness. And we are going to proceed in terms of the questioning of the former president under oath,' the conservative replied. She added that Trump's sit-down could take 'multiple days.' 'And it will be done with a level of rigor and discipline and seriousness that it deserves. We are not going to allow...he's not going to turn this into a circus,' Cheney said. 'This isn't going to be, you know, his first debate against Joe Biden and the circus and the food fight that that became. This is a far too serious set of issues. 'And we've made clear exactly what his obligations are. And we are proceeding with that set out.' Trump has reportedly said he would testify if it could be within one of the committee's public hearing settings, broadcast on live television Cheney declined to say what crimes she believes Trump made, only saying the panel believes he committee 'multiple' offenses But Cheney was reluctant to elaborate when pressed on what she believes the Justice Department could charge Trump with. 'Look, I think that there are multiple criminal offenses. I don't want to get in front of the committee, but that we are looking at,' she said. In addition to his sit-down testimony, the committee is also seeking key records and communications from Trump dated between November 3, 2020 and the day of the Capitol attack. The committee's letter suggests that Trump used the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss ways to fundraise off of his election fraud claims and challenging ballot counts in key states. Trump is required to hand over any relevant documents by November 4. In her own Sunday news interview, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taunted Trump about his upcoming deposition. 'I don't think he's man enough to show up,' the California Democrat told MSNBC's The Sunday Show. Kari Lake said that she would push to change Arizona's early voting laws if she were voted governor in the midterms, suggesting elections should be contained to one day. The GOP gubernatorial candidate told ABC This Week host Jonathan Karl that she would accept the outcome of the midterm elections if they were held fairly a departure from her previous refusal to say whether she would accept the results. 'I don't know exactly how we'll do it, but we will secure our election, restore faith in our elections, make sure our elections are honest and transparent,' Lake said. The Trump- backed candidate has repeatedly defended her claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. She said it is protected under her First Amendment rights to raise questions about election results. Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake suggested she would be open to getting rid of early and mail-in voting in an effort to reduce fraud 'Going back to when I first started voting back in the '80s, we had Election Day. Our Constitution says Election Day. It doesn't say election season, election month,' Lake told ABC's Jonathan Karl Lake said if she wins in November, she would work as governor to ensure future elections are kept to one day. 'Going back to when I first started voting back in the '80s, we had Election Day,' the candidate said. 'Our Constitution says Election Day. It doesn't say election season, election month.' She added: 'And the longer you drag that out, the more fraud with problems there are.' So far, 263,969 early mail-in ballots have been collected in Arizona, according to the United States Elections Project. There are still just over two weeks until Election Day on November 8. Lake has brought up the hypocrisy she witnesses when Democrats also questioned results of previous elections, but not being labeled as 'election deniers', like she has. Arizona's elections are already open with thousands of mail-in ballots being counted for the midterms. So far, 263,969 people have voted in Arizona, according to United States Elections Project The candidate presented a document last week with 150 examples of Democrats raising eyebrows over the results of previous elections. Lake, once a television news anchor, said she was schooling journalists in how to do their job properly by presenting the apparent hypocrisy by media outlets continuously dubbed the GOP candidate an 'election denier.' 'It's OK for Democrats to question elections, but it's not OK for Republicans?' Lake questioned when speaking with reporters in front of a group of black supporters. 'It's a crock of BS, every one of you knows it,' she continued. 'We have our freedom of speech and we're not going to relinquish it to a bunch of fake news propagandists.' Lake's Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs, Arizona's current secretary of State, has refused to debate in the gubernatorial election for outgoing Republican Governor Doug Ducey's seat. A humpback whale seen off the Pacific coast of Canada has pulled off a stunning move during a rescue mission after it put itself in danger by getting caught into fish nets for two-days-long. The whale was trying to shake off the ropes of a floating device in the Strait of Georgia, off of Texada Island, near Vancouver, British Columbia, on October 14. Fisheries and Oceans Canada managed to come to the animal's help, as its Mammal Rescue team tracked it down with its aerial drone. The warm-blooded mammal was with two other humpbacks at the time. Rescuers had to slow the whale down by using some pull after it unsuccessfully attempted to break 300 feet of rope that was entangled in its mouth, Paul Cottrell, who acts as a Coordinator for the rescue institution, told the BBC. The mammal felt the extra weight of the rope attached to it by the Canadian governmental agency and stunned witnesses by doing a rare backflip, drone footage shows. A humpback whale was caught in 300 feet of fish nets off the coast of Texada Island in British Columbia, Canada, according to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It was swimming with two other humpbacks at the time Rescuers had to attach another line to the whale in order to refrain it from moving too quickly and injuring itself more WHALE, THAT'S INCREDIBLE: The whale performed a back flip, in a rare move called spyhopping, to set itself free The appropriate term for the move is 'spyhopping,' which consists of a vertical half-rise out of the water performed by a whale in order to view its surroundings, according to Dictionary.com. 'And all the gear came flying out and the animal took off with its companion animals,' Cottrell told the BBC. The move certainly helped and the whale eventually managed to shake off the burden of both ropes, but assisters kept on following the creature to make sure it roaming freely. Cottrell said only an 'energetic' whale would perform such a rare move, and was relieved to see it swim away with its herd. 'We were like, 'Wow, this is something we have never encountered,'' Cottrell added. 'The team was overwhelmed with just happiness,' the Canadian added. 'It was just amazing.' Following its aerobics, the whale managed to freely swim off Canada's western coast once again along with two other companions 'The team was overwhelmed with just happiness,' Paul Cottrell, spokesperson of Fisheries and Oceans Canada said of the rescue team's experience saving the mammal. 'It was just amazing' The meticulous mission last a total of 'four to five hours,' as rescuers had to make sure they weren't hurting the whale while cutting off the fishnets. Humpback whales can grow up to 62 feet long and weight up to 53 tons. They are popular with whale watchers because of their acrobatic displays including spectacular breachings in which they launch their school-bus-size bodies entirely out of the water and slap the surface with their pectoral fins or tails. These mammals are often found along the Pacific coast line, from California to Canada, to feed in the summer and fall before migrating south to breeding and birthing grounds off the coast of Mexico. Humpback whales are among the worlds most endangered types of mammals, with only an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 left They are among the worlds most endangered whales with an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 remaining, including 2,900 that frequent the coasts of Washington and Oregon other than The Golden State, according to the Marine Mammal Center. In the US, it is a federal crime to approach a humpback whale and the Canadian- government-backed-response-team would have had to operate under a special federal permit. The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a 5.76 million grant to the Comoros to increase food production and enhance the resilience of its food system. The move comes as the country has experienced rising food prices due to the war in Ukraine. The grant funds will come from the African Development Banks Transition Support Facility, a mechanism to help fragile African states consolidate peace, build resilient institutions, stabilize their economies, and lay the foundations for inclusive growth. Under the Emergency Agricultural Production Support Project, the grant will support intensified production of maize, potatoes, and sweet potatoes through the use of climate resilient certified seeds and varieties. The funding will also help boost poultry production and the supply of eggs and chicken for consumption. Agricultural producers in the country will receive 270 tons of maize and potato seeds and 300,000 sweet potato vines. They will also receive 75 tons each of DAP binary fertilizer, NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertilizer and urea fertilizer, as well as phytosanitary products. Under the project, farmers will also take delivery of four tractors and 20 power tillers. Sixteen laying and broiler houses will be built to house 160,000 day-old chicks (broiler and laying). About 10,780 producers will receive training in the production, processing and conservation of maize, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Further, 3,220 poultry farmers will be trained in breeding techniques and poultry management. Lastly, the project will establish a guarantee fund for producers of agricultural inputs and feed importers. More than 14,000 households, about 70,000 people, living on the countrys three islandsGrande-Comoros, Anjouan and Moheli will benefit from the project. Beneficiaries are covered by a dozen rural economic development centres and 400 professional agricultural organizations, 55% of which are owned by women. To address the impact of rising food prices resulting from the war in Ukraine, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group on 20 May 2022 approved a $1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility. It has begun providing quality seeds (wheat, rice, maize, and soybean), fertilizers and other support services to 20 million farmers across Africa. The goal is to produce an additional 38 million tons of food over the next two years, with an estimated $12 billion value. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires A teenager is lucky to be alive after a Great White shark attacked his surf ski and tore a massive chunk out of the bottom of it. Nat Drummond, 19, was competing in a race with Seacfliff Surf Lifesaving Club, south of Adelaide, at 11.30am on Sunday. He was only a kilometre out to sea when the three-metre long shark swam up from below and launched his boat into the air. A teenager is lucky to be alive after a Great White shark attacked his surf ski and tore a massive chunk out of the bottom of it He was only a kilometre out to sea when the three-metre long shark swam up from below and launched his boat into the air 'My ski just kind of lifted above the water and then next thing I knew I was in the air and then I was in the water,' he told 9News. A shocked Mr Drummond quickly swam towards his nearest competitor and jumped into his surf ski to escape the sea predator. 'It was an absolute freak accident. One of those one-in-a-million things that happened,' he said. Mr Drummond was ferried back to shore after surf lifesavers sent an inflatable boat out to collect him. His destroyed vessel was carried onto the sand with a gaping hole torn into the bottom just centimetres away from where he was sitting. South Australian Ocean and Surf Ski Paddlers race director Craig Burton said he had never seen a shark attack like this one in all his life. His destroyed vessel was carried onto the sand with a gaping hole torn into the bottom just centimetres away from where he was sitting Mr Drummond was ferried back to shore after surf lifesavers sent an inflatable boat out to collect him 'I've personally been doing this for well over 40 years and I do know some of our paddlers have seen sharks while out paddling, but never anything like this,' he told ABC. Mr Burton said the teenager was in high spirits managing to walk away without a single scratch. 'We've got a lot of support thrown around him and his family,' he said. One of the banners encouraged drivers to honk while another read: 'Kanye is right about the Jews' The Saturday afternoon sighting on the 405 freeway went viral as the group was seen tossing up the Nazi salute An anti-Semitic group was seen hovering over a series of banners on a Los Angeles freeway while praising Kanye West's recent war against Jews Anti-Semitic banners reading, 'Kanye is right about the Jews,' were hung from a Los Angeles freeway on Saturday following the rapper declaring war against Jewish people earlier this month. A group of about five people from the Goyim Defense League, a group that spreads conspiracy theories about Jews, gathered in hats and masks while hovering around a series of anti-Semitic banners on the 405 freeway. The group appeared to support West after his now-deleted Tweet from October 9 read: 'I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.' Group members were seen tossing up the Nazi salute as drivers read the signs: 'Honk if you know... Kayne is right about the Jews... GOYIM TV.TV. REV 3:9, John 8:44.' West has recently been vocal about anti-Semitic content and conspiracy theories on social media and media appearances. An anti-Semitic group was seen hovering over a series of banners on a Los Angeles freeway while praising Kanye West's recent war against Jews. The Saturday sighting went viral on social media The group appeared to support West after his now-deleted Tweet from October 9 read: 'I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE' West sent a disturbing tweet where he suggested he would be 'going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE' Various celebrities, including Florence Pugh and Zoe Buckman, shared their disgust with the signs on social media. 'Absolutely appalling,' Pugh wrote on her Instagram story while sharing the photo of the banners on the freeway. In a lengthier post, artist and non-practicing Jew Buckman, posted the horrific photo on Instagram while referencing West's collaboration with Adidas that is currently 'under review' amid his recent controversies. 'This is LA October 22nd,' Buckman wrote. 'We should stop waiting for a statement or action from @adidas - it's insulting at this point. We know how PR machines work & how quickly [folks] can put out a response if they feel motivated too.' Buckman continued: 'We should stop waiting for the so-called allies to speak up about the wave of antisemitism coming from the right AND left. We should galvanize & engage with our cultural & ethnic pride as Jews in the diaspora. 'I know weve had to hide time & time again & I understand the self-loathing that generations, centuries, actually, of persecution can instill in us, but other marginalized groups have pride: wheres ours. 'If youre Jewish: I see you. Im with you. If youre not, and you want to turn a blind eye, get out my f****** way.' This comes as many have pointed out that the founders of Adidas had ties to the Nazis in the 1930s, as they supplied footwear to people within Hitler's party at the time. Comedian Amy Schumer also chimed in on Sunday with a photo that read: 'I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people. In the caption, Schumer added a question for discussion: 'If you don't know what to post. Let's start with this. In the comments. Do you know what the Jewish community is afraid this will lead to? 1 in 2 people don't know the holocaust happened. Stand up.' The post by Schumer was also seen reposted by various others, including Jessica Seinfeld, who added the caption: 'If you don't know what to say, you can just say this in your feed.' Various celebrities, including Zoe Buckman, shared their disgust with the signs on social media Various celebrities, including Florence Pugh and Amy Schumer, have spoken out against the recent anti-Semitic behavior that stems from West's actions Schumer also chimed in on Sunday with a photo that read: 'I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people Sofia Richie, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Silverman, and Kathy Hilton were among the celebs to speak out against the banners. West previously said in an interview with Piers Morgan on October 19 that he 'absolutely' doesn't regret his anti-Semitic comments but offered a half-hearted apology. 'I will say I'm sorry for the people that I hurt with the death con [comments],' West said on the British talk show, 'Piers Morgan Uncensored.' 'I feel like I caused hurt and confusion. And I'm sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through, and that I used my platform where you say hurt people hurt people. I was hurt.' West previously said in an interview with Piers Morgan on October 19 that he 'absolutely' doesn't regret his anti-Semitic comments but offered a half-hearted apology Kanye West has hired Camille Vasquez who famously defended Johnny Depp in his defamation trial, to handle his business interests Earlier this month the rapper wrote in a tweet: 'I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can't 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.' Deafcon - also known as defense readiness condition - is an alert used by the US Armed Forces to indicate how quickly the military can be deployed during deadly emergencies and attacks. The rapper's Twitter account was later suspended. In the interview with Morgan, West clarified that he wanted to apologize to the Jews who did nothing wrong. West's comments were specifically geared towards Jewish Hollywood executives for their treatment of Black entertainers. While the ex-husband of Kim Kardashian has been known to have unpredictable outbursts on social media - he was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder in 2016 - his rants have become more frequent this year. Recently, West hired Camille Vasquez, the attorney who defended Johnny Depp, to handle his business interests. Vasquez, who gained national attention due to her representation of Depp in his heated defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, will be among the lawyers at the Brown Rudnick firm now working with West, TMZ reports. The average wait for cancer treatment in Britain is 55 days one week longer than two years ago, figures show. And the long delay is leading to avoidable deaths and makes the UK one of the worst places in Europe to get the disease. Waiting time is measured from when a patient is referred by a GP to when they start their first treatment in hospital. Some parts of the country have longer delays than the 55-day average. The UK came 33rd out of 41 developed nations for cancer mortality in 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found. Only Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Poland, Latvia, Slovakia and Hungary were worse. The UK came 33rd out of 41 developed nations for cancer mortality in 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found. Stock image of a woman suffering from cancer The UK's annual cancer mortality rate of 216 per 100,000 people is the highest out of the G7 countries. Experts think the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic could lead to survival rates falling for the first time in a generation. In 2020, some 38,000 fewer people were diagnosed with cancer than in 2019. Professor Sir Mike Richards, former cancer director at the Department of Health and now chairman of the UK national screening committee, told The Sunday Times: 'Across a range of diseases, but particularly notably in cancer, we offer a late diagnosis service in this country, and that needs to be tackled urgently. 'There are multiple factors, many of which were present long before the pandemic, but which were made worse by Covid-19.' Michelle Mitchell (pictured), from Cancer Research UK, said: 'Delays of several weeks can often have serious implications in terms of prognosis' Waiting times for vital CT and MRI scans have grown tenfold in the past three years, with about 300,000 patients waiting longer than six weeks for cancer tests in England. In 2020, England performed 99 CT scans per 1,000 people compared with 113 in Spain, 150 in Germany, 196 in Denmark and 205 in Belgium. Similarly, England performed 63 MRI scans per 1,000 people compared with 150 in Germany, 85 in Spain and 91 in Denmark. In the UK, about 167,000 people die from cancer every year. Martin Marshall, head of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'The delays that we see in diagnosing cancer are a product of three factors, some relate to patients, some relate to the gatekeeper function of GPs and some relate to the wider system.' Michelle Mitchell, from Cancer Research UK, said: 'Delays of several weeks can often have serious implications in terms of prognosis. Early diagnosis and quick treatment need to be a top priority for the Government.' The Department of Health said: 'We are working at pace to improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, including by opening over 80 community diagnostics centres which have delivered over two million additional scans, tests and checks.' The staggering scale of criminality in police forces can today be laid bare as figures show hundreds of serving officers and staff have convictions. There are 284 workers across England and Wales with convictions for crimes including corruption, sex offences, violent assaults and possession of child pornography. It comes after the Metropolitan Police Commissioner said last week 'hundreds' of rogue officers were getting away with misconduct and criminal behaviour in the force. Following a bombshell report by Baroness Louise Casey, Sir Mark Rowley said he could not rule out the possibility of another Wayne Couzens the Met officer who killed Sarah Everard last year. It comes after Sir Mark Rowley said last week 'hundreds' of rogue officers were getting away with misconduct and criminal behaviour in the force The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said he could not rule out the possibility of another Wayne Couzens (pictured) the Met officer who killed Sarah Everard last year. When the Mail submitted a Freedom of Information request asking how many officers and staff have been convicted and what for, officials refused, saying it was 'personal information' that could 'cause them harm'. But the force's decision to hide behind data protection rules the only one in 43 forces to do so was overturned last week after being exposed by the Mail. A total of 104 Met officers and staff have been convicted since 2019, but the figure may be even higher as the force did not provide details of earlier offences. Among those convicted were 11 sex offenders and six were found guilty of misconduct in a public office. The force was unable to say how many were still working for the organisation. A further 12 officers are awaiting trial for sexual offences; eight of these are still serving but are suspended or on restricted duties. Records released under freedom of information show that across 22 other forces, around 284 officers and staff have a criminal record. But the figures are likely to be just a fraction of the true number as half of forces refused to provide details, saying they did not keep central records on convicted staff. Humberside Police was the only responding force to say it had no officers or staff with convictions. After Scotland Yard, the forces with the largest number of convictions were Thames Valley and North Wales both with 31, Derbyshire with 27, as well as both West Midlands and Gwent with 24. In some cases, officers were still in post despite racking up multiple convictions. Some of those found guilty may be suspended officers awaiting misconduct hearings. Others may have a record prior to joining a force. Under recruitment rules, having a criminal record is not an automatic bar to joining the police and officers are vetted when they join. A Met spokesman said: 'Whenever a serving member of staff is convicted of any offence, the case is thoroughly reviewed and they are also subjected to a misconduct process to determine their ongoing future with the police.' Questions from 1910 trial of Dr Hawley Crippen (pictured) secured the conviction of a chef who murdered his partner A chef was found guilty of murdering his partner after questions from the 1910 trial of Dr Crippen were used to secure his conviction. Ilona Golabek, 27, was hit seven times with a hammer and her body was chopped up and dumped in a park by Kamil Ranoszek, 42, after he discovered she had been messaging a man on dating app Tinder. The jealous killer told police she 'vanished into thin air'. He bludgeoned her at their flat in Boston, Lincolnshire, as their three-year-old daughter slept. The only evidence against Ranoszek was circumstantial, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told. But Gordon Aspden KC used questions from the trial of Dr Hawley Crippen which were key in convincing the jury Miss Golabek never left her flat alive. He asked: 'At 11pm on the night of 9 November you returned home and were left alone in the sitting room of 26a Wormgate with Ilona Golabek. Is that right?' Ranoszek confirmed it. Ilona Golabek (pictured), 27, was hit seven times with a hammer and her body was chopped up and dumped in a park Kamil Ranoszek, 42, bludgeoned his partner to death after he discovered she had been messaging a man on dating app Tinder Doctor snared thanks to the Mail Dr Crippen and his mistress were arrested on a ship off Father Point, 170 miles from Quebec, in July 1910. The captain recognised him from photos in the Mail and used a wireless telegraph to alert Scotland Yard. The Daily Mail from August 1, 1910, read: 'When the two baggageless voyagers, Mr and Master Robinson, boarded the Montrose, Captain Kendall marked at once that Mr Robinson closely resembled the Paris Daily Mail's photograph of Dr Crippen.' The Mail obtained telegrams from the captain, including an account of 'everything essential that had happened' on the voyage. 'The arrest was the work of three agencies namely, Captain Kendall, wireless telegraphy, and the modern newspaper Press.' Advertisement The prosecuting KC then asked: 'Ilona Golabek was alive?' The Pole replied: 'Yes.' 'And well?' Ranoszek said: 'Yes.' 'Do you know of any person in the world who has seen her alive since then?' Ranoszek replied: 'No.' The chicken factory worker said he spent the evening at a friend's birthday celebration and found Miss Golabek on the sofa holding her phone when he returned home at 11pm. He insisted he went to bed, and that Miss Golabek had vanished when he got up for work at 2.20am. That night Miss Golabek was contacting a man on Tinder but messages ended at 11.46pm. Ranoszek denied using 'butchery skills' to cut up her body. The remains were found three months later. Dr Crippen killed and dismembered his wife Cora, hiding her remains under their London home and fleeing to Canada. He was the first person to be caught after police were alerted using the wireless telegraph. He was arrested as his ship neared Quebec in 1910. At his trial, prosecutor Richard Muir asked: 'On the early morning of the 1st February you were left alone in your house with your wife?' 'Yes', Dr Crippen said. 'She was alive?' 'She was'. 'And well?' 'She was,' the doctor said. 'Do you know of any person in the world who has seen her alive since?' 'I do not.' The doctor was convicted and executed. On Friday Ranoszek was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 22 years. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has strongly denied the Kremlin's allegations that Ukraine is planning to detonate a dirty bomb, as his Russian counterpart warned of an 'uncontrollable escalation'. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed the claims as Russian lies which are as absurd as they are dangerous. In a rare phone call with Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Mr Wallace denied that the West was conspiring with Kyiv to facilitate a planned escalation of the conflict. Mr Shoigu claimed that Ukraine was planning to use a dirty bomb - a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste - and blame it on Russia, but provided no evidence to support the allegations. President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that the international community was unlikely to believe the claims. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has strongly denied the Kremlin's allegations that Ukraine is planning to detonate a dirty bomb, as Russian officials warned of an 'uncontrollable escalation' In a rare phone call with Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (pictured), Mr Wallace denied that the West was conspiring with Kyiv to facilitate a planned escalation of the conflict Mr Wallace cautioned Moscow's defence chief against using such allegations as a 'pretext for greater escalation'. The call which was held at Russias request came as Mr Shoigu suggested Kyiv was planning a false flag attack in conversations with French, Turkish and US officials. Mr Kuleba said: Firstly, we neither have any dirty bombs nor plan to acquire any. Secondly, Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves. Mr Zelensky also implied that Moscow was setting the stage for deploying a radioactive device on Ukrainian soil. Mr Wallace cautioned Moscow's defence chief against using such allegations as a 'pretext for greater escalation' Mr Shoigu claimed that Ukraine was planning to use a dirty bomb - a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste - and blame it on Russia, but provided no evidence to support the allegations Posting on social media, he said: If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing Russia has already prepared all this. I believe that now the world should react as harshly as possible. The mention of the threat has raised fears that the conflict could escalate further. In his call to French counterpart Sebastian Lecornu, Shoigu claimed the situation in Ukraine was rapidly deteriorating and trending towards uncontrollable escalation. In a statement, the UK Ministry of Defence said: Minister Shoigu alleged that Ukraine was planning actions facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. [Mr Wallace] refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba (pictured) dismissed the claims as Russian lies which are as absurd as they are dangerous' President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that the international community was unlikely to believe the claims The Defence Secretary also reiterated UK and wider international support for Ukraine and desire to de-escalate this conflict. It came as a Russian warplane crashed into a Siberian house and burst into flames for the second time in less than a week. The two pilots of the Su-30 fighter jet, which Russia said was on a training flight, were killed when the plane plummeted into the city of Irkutsk yesterday. No civilians are believed to have been killed. In a strikingly similar incident last Monday, an Su-34 bomber exploded near an apartment building in the Russian city of Yeysk, killing 15 people. The plane disappeared from radar around 6pm as it traveled from Mexico to Limon. It was scheduled to land at Juan Santamaria airport around 7pm Friday A millionaire gym owner and his family were on board a small plane that crashed into the ocean off the coast of Costa Rica, authorities confirmed Sunday. Gold's Gym owner Rainer Schaller, 53, his girlfriend Christiane Schikorsky, 44, their children Aaron Schaller and Finja Sghikorsky were among the passengers of the twin-engine turbopop on Friday, Costa Rican public ministry sources told AFP. The announcement confirms a previous report from Schaller's company, McFit, which said the family was on board the plane, along with the entrepreneur's personal trainer Marcus Kurreck, 40. It was being flown by a 66-year-old Swiss pilot when it suddenly disappeared Friday afternoon before parts of the plane were found in the ocean on Saturday. Authorities have since recovered the bodies of one adult and one child near the wreckage site around 20 miles from the Limon airport where the plane was due to land. The victims' identities have not yet been released, as the other four people on board remain missing and are feared to be dead as well. Gold's Gym owner Rainer Schaller, 53, is feared dead after his plane crashed off the coast of Costa Rica on Friday evening His girlfriend Christiane Schikorsky, 44 (pictured together) and the entrepreneur's personal trainer Marcus Kurreck, 40, were also on the flight He was traveling with his children, Aaron Schaller and Finja Sghikorsky. The body of a child has since been recovered, but it remains unclear which child it was The plane reportedly lost communication with air traffic around Barra de Parismina, which is near Limon, with Costa Rican authorities alerted that the plane went missing a short time later, according to Security Minister Jorge Torres. 'Around six in the afternoon we received an alert about a flight coming from Mexico to the Limon airport, carrying five German passengers,' Torres said. The plane was flying around 275mph and was roughly 230 feet in the air when it lost communication. It is unknown what caused the plane to crash. It was scheduled to land at Juan Santamaria airport shortly before 7pm. A search started immediately but was called off temporarily due to bad weather, but resumed on Saturday. Costa Rican authorities said pieces of the twin-engine turboprop aircraft were found in the water Saturday after the flight went missing Friday. The plane was a nine-seat Italian-made Piaggio P180 Avanti, known for its distinctive profile. Authorities have found two bodies - one adult and one child - among personal belongings and parts of the aircraft Parts of the Italian-made Piaggio P180 Avanti have been found in the water Personal belongings, such as makeup bags and backpacks were found by authorities. The flight lost communication with air traffic around 6pm and was found nearly 20 miles away from the airport Costa Rican authorities said pieces of the twin-engine turboprop aircraft were found in the water Saturday Schaller is listed as 'Founder, Owner and CEO of the RSG Group,' a conglomerate of 21 fitness, lifestyle and fashion brands that operates in 48 countries and has 41,000 employees, either directly or through franchises. He was in the news in 2010 for his role as organizer of the Berlin Love Parade techno festival. A crush at the event killed 21 people and injured more than 500. Authorities at the time said Schaller's security failed to stop the flow of people into a tunnel when the situation was already tense at the entrance to the festival grounds. Schaller fought back against the accusations of wrongdoing, noting that his security concept received official city approval. Schaller is listed as 'Founder, Owner and CEO of the RSG Group,' a conglomerate of 21 fitness, lifestyle and fashion brands that operates in 48 countries and has 41,000 employees, either directly or through franchises The happy couple (pictured) and the rest of their group was flying from Mexico to Limon Schikorsky shared a photo of herself on a jet on her social media. It not clear if this is the same plane that crashed A man wanted in connection to four murders across Arizona and Nevada was found dead in the desert next to his girlfriend in an apparent murder-suicide. Hunter Allen McGuire, 26, was tracked down on Friday, but was found with a gunshot wound to the head after being pursued by law enforcement officials. McGuire and his girlfriend, Samantha Branek, 32, were on the run from police after the man was accused of shooting and killing Georgia Ann Sherman, a woman he had been temporarily living with. But they were both found dead in the desert by police. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office shared the details of the discovery and the surrounding situation in a lengthy post made Friday on Facebook. Hunter Allen McGuire was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Friday after a chase with law enforcement over his connection to a recent murder in Las Vegas Samantha Branek was found dead alongside her boyfriend, Hunter Allen McGuire, near Yucca, Arizona Darren VanHouten and Retta Atkins were shot and killed earlier this year in Kingman, Arizona Their bodies were found inside of Branek's car after police near Lake Havasu had chased the vehicle starting around 12.30pm on Alamo Road, near Interstate 40, in Yucca, Arizona. A pursuit began and ensued for roughly 35 miles before Branek's car went off the road and became disabled. Law enforcement then observed three subjects run from the car into the nearby trees and brush. After four hours of air surveillance and negotiation attempts without response, officers from the Lake Havasu City Police Department's SWAT team approached the brush where two of the suspects had been seen hiding. In the brush, the officers found Branek and McGuire lying next to each other deceased. This is the car the couple used in their run from law enforcement that crossed state lines A rifle was found laying on McGuire's chest, police said. 'McGuire and Branek each had a single gunshot wound to the head, McGuires being self-inflicted,' the Mohave County Sheriff's Office wrote Saturday. The agency also said that it's 'unknown if McGuire shot Branek or if she had shot herself.' McGuire was wearing a wig when his body was found. Autopsies on both Branek and McGuire will be conducted by the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office to confirm official causes of death. 33-year-old Georgia Ann Sherman was letting McGuire stay with her when the two got into an argument on October 17, which is when law enforcement officials say he shot and killed her Police in the Las Vegas area said that Sherman and McGuire had got into an argument inside of a home near the intersection of Jones Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. The fight occurred around 11 p.m. on Monday, October 17, when the man reportedly pulled out a gun and shot the woman. As officers responded to the shooting at the home, the man fled the scene. On October 19, Brank was caught on video selling evidence from Sherman's murder at a pawn shop. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department asked residents to be on the lookout for McGuire and the vehicle that they believed he was traveling in earlier this week After the video of McGuire's girlfriend pawning the evidence was found, officials said that they believed the couple could be traveling in her car, a silver Hyundai. Arrest warrants were issued for both Branek and McGuire. As the investigation into the whereabouts of the couple continued, law enforcement in Mohave County received word that McGuire was in Las Vegas with Sherman to hide out from other murders. Surveillance footage and photos linked McGuire to a June 28 double homicide in Kingman, the city where Branek is from. Retta Atkins and Darren VanHouten were found shot and killed in the 9200 block of Dilligaf Road earlier this year. Surveillance footage from the murders of Retta Atkins and Darren VanHouten linked McGuire to their killings Police said the man can be seen breaking into the home where the two lived in June A motive in the murders of Atkins and VanHouten is unknown at this time While searching the vehicle near where Branek and McGuire's bodies were found Friday, officers also found 'evidence that was related to the murder of Retta Atkins and Darren VanHouten,' the Mohave County officials said. On Wednesday, the same day that Branek was seen pawning evidence from Sherman's murder, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene of a possible homicide in Golden Valley. The call came in around 1.45pm and, upon arrival, officers located a man with a single gunshot wound to the head. The victim, later identified as 35-year-old Martin Eric Nelson, had succumbed to his injuries. His body was found behind a vehicle, law enforcement said. On Thursday, Branek and another woman, Brittany Conkling, 23, were spotted at a truck stop in Yucca. Police said that the two women were seen buying 'a large amount of sandwiches and water' and then heading in the direction of a remote desert area. Timothy Burton and Brittany Conkling were also arrested in connection to the incidents After the discovery of Nelson's body, police in Golden Valley executed a search warrant of the Golden Valley property, where McGuire and Branek were believed to have occupied. 'Evidence was recovered that was related to the murder of Retta Atkins and Darren VanHouten in June 2022,' law enforcement said. While executing a search warrant, Timothy Wayne Burt, 42, walked out from the remote desert area and claimed that he was present when Nelson had been shot and killed. This is the press release sent out by Las Vegas police earlier this week after the shooting death of Georgia Ann Sherman Burt told officials that he then hid in the desert for 12 hours. He said that he and Nelson had come to the property around 2am to pick up a stolen trailer and that they were confronted by McGuire who later shot at them. The man initially said he did not have a firearm on him, but later admitted to having a gun. Burt also told officers that he didn't have a phone on him to call the police, but then changed his story and said he called his girlfriend to pick him up at the scene. He then tossed the firearm. The man has allegedly changed his story 'many times' since his arrest. He has been booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility for hindering prosecution. They have blocked the Dartford Bridge, tipped tomato soup over Van Gogh's Sunflowers, spray-painted the iconic glass frontage of Harrods orange and glued themselves to London's Abbey Road crossing. And that's just in the past week. Now Just Stop Oil protesters have also been accused of 'having blood on their hands' after traffic carnage, caused after activists suspended themselves from the notoriously busy Thames crossing, indirectly led to the deaths of two women on the nearby choked M20. The women, one of whom was named as Lisa Webber, a mother of four in her 50s, had stopped in heavy rain on the hard-shoulder of the motorway, when they were hit by a passing car. A shocked witness said: 'The eco-warriors may have thought it was an innocent protest, but they've got blood on their hands.' Aileen threw herself into HIV awareness campaigning (she's still an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation), which brought her close to Princess Diana While no one is suggesting the protesters planned such a terrible outcome, there are, it would seem, no lengths to which members of Just Stop Oil will not go in pursuit of their aim. How ironic, then, to discover that one of the most prominent backers of this rag-tag assortment of eco-zealots who think gluing themselves to walls aids their anti-fossil fuel cause, is a woman whose funding clout possibly runs deeper than, well, an oil well. Step forward Aileen Getty, an heiress to the Getty family fortune, which, of course, grew from the very industry activists are so keen to bring to its knees. Aileen, 65, is the granddaughter of J. Paul Getty, the late tycoon who built an empire out of oil, one that made him the richest man in the world for a time. The family left the oil industry in the early 2000s, but it certainly helped to grow a family fortune reckoned to be worth somewhere in the region of 4.8 billion. Aileen, who has a collection of high-end properties in the U.S., is a founding member of the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), a U.S.-based non-profit organisation that is funding direct action, like that of Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, across the globe. According to the CEF's own Twitter feed, she has donated 'over a million dollars to brave climate activists', money that in some cases pays such protesters a nominal salary. A Just Stop Oil spokesman confirmed this week that supporters 'do receive a small income'. And she's doing this, she told the Mail, because society was 'out of time'. 'My hope is that we, as a society, can accept these actions from brave climate activists for what they are an alarm that jolts us out of the status quo and focuses us on the real emergency at hand: we are literally killing life on Earth,' she said. Her first husband was Christopher Wilding, son of the late Elizabeth Taylor (left) Quite how the notoriously frugal Getty family patriarch, who died in 1976, aged 83, would feel about his once favourite granddaughter's actions is open to debate. Aileen, however, has spent most of her life treading an unconventional path. Now something of an ageing hippy chick albeit one who has chefs to prepare her vegan cuisine and who sold one of her homes to pop star Katy Perry her life was once extraordinarily glamorous; Dudley Moore played the piano at her engagement party, and her first husband was Christopher Wilding, son of the late Elizabeth Taylor more of which later. Despite the marriage, a deeply troubled Aileen was on a path to self-destruction. A cocaine addict (an interviewer once noted her daily cocaine habit was 'enough to put an elephant into space'), she contracted HIV as the result of an extra-marital affair. It was 1985, a time when there was still terrible public stigma to the disease. By 1990 Aileen's infection would escalate to Aids. She suffered heart problems, lung disease, collapsed and nearly died, but somehow clung on, saved by the discovery of effective HIV medication. The year 1996 was a turning point. She got clean, and was famously photographed with Princess Diana visiting a drop-in centre for people with Aids in London's West End. Facing death and her own demons were definite motivating factors in her epiphany. As was money. 'Wealth has destroyed us,' she said in an interview in June 1996. The 'us' she was referring to was, of course, her family. For Aileen's extraordinary story is just one chapter in a family history often dubbed the 'Curse of the Gettys' a dynastic saga punctuated by kidnapping, drugs, rivalry and death. Pictured: Elton John speaks on stage with Aileen at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 25th Year J. Paul Getty was shown his first oil well aged 11. After graduating from Oxford University, he'd made his first million by the age of 23. He struck black gold after securing a 60-year concession on a stretch of land between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 1949. What he lacked as a husband he married and divorced five times Getty made up for in his money-making ability. By 1966 he was named the richest private citizen in the world, with an estimated billion-dollar fortune. He bought Rembrandts and Renoirs and moved to England to Sutton Place, a 16th-century estate near Guildford, Surrey, where, a notorious skinflint, he installed a payphone for guests. Aileen spent long periods there as a youngster. 'I was my grandfather's favourite, I think, because I wasn't afraid of him,' she once said. His estate was a sanctuary for her as a teenager. Her own father, John Paul Jr, was a jet-setting heroin addict in the 1960s and 1970s. By the mid-1960s, his marriage to Aileen's mother, Gail Harris, had crumbled and he married Dutch actress Talitha Pol, who would die from a drug overdose in 1971. Darker times still were yet to come. Aileen was 13 and living in Rome with her mother, when her elder brother, John Paul III, 16, was kidnapped by Italian terrorists. A bitter five-month negotiation ensued. Aileen's dad had never got on with his own father, who'd sacked him from Getty Oil and cut him out of his will. When asked to pay the ransom demand initially around 15 million Getty refused, declaring: 'I have 13 other grandchildren, if I pay one penny now, then I'll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.' It was only when John Paul III's severed ear arrived in the post, along with a lock of his hair, that he agreed to pay 1.9 million (the maximum that was tax deductible) towards a reduced ransom for his grandson. Money-minded even in the midst of this crisis, he loaned the difference, about 885,000, to his son on the condition he pay it back with 4 per cent interest. Aileen's brother was then freed. Their father eventually left his wild ways behind and became a virtual recluse. The impact of the kidnap on his son, however, was cataclysmic. He adopted a hippy lifestyle, married at the age of 18 (for which he was disinherited), then tumbled into a trail of self-destruction that culminated in a drug overdose in 1981, which left him paralysed and virtually blind until his death at the age of 54 in 2011. A teenage Aileen moved to Los Angeles, where she fell into a glossy world of parties and drugs and fell in love with Christopher Wilding. Desperate to marry, they had to wait until she was 22 to avoid disinheritance under Getty trust rules. They have blocked the Dartford Bridge, tipped tomato soup over Van Gogh's Sunflowers, spray-painted the iconic glass frontage of Harrods orange and glued themselves to London's Abbey Road crossing The marriage was haunted by the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages before the couple adopted Caleb, now 39. Aileen then fell pregnant with Andrew, now 37. But four years into the union the wheels had already started to come off. In 1985, Aileen had a fling with a man only ever named as 'Gary' who infected her with HIV. That led to the end of her marriage, a descent into drug addiction and the temporary loss of custody of her beloved boys. Her family's reaction to the disease didn't help she said they were in denial. Her biggest source of support was her former mother-in-law Elizabeth Taylor, herself an early and committed supporter of research on HIV/Aids. Such was Aileen's devotion to Liz she always referred to her as 'Mom', while her own mother she called 'Gail'. 'Elizabeth is the greatest. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I would have lasted this long,' she said in an interview in 1996. It was reciprocal. 'I love her like she's one of my own children,' the late star declared. Aileen threw herself into HIV awareness campaigning (she's still an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation), which brought her close to Princess Diana. 'Aids has given me a purpose, in many senses,' Aileen once said. 'I was numb before; I didn't know what to do with my life.' In 2012, she founded the Aileen Getty Foundation, supporting a variety of causes close to her heart. She had a short-lived second marriage to American Scott Padilla, whom she met in rehab in 1990; and intriguingly spoke in 1997 of a third marriage to an unnamed Englishman. It clearly didn't last, because in 2004 she married Bartolomeo Ruspoli. In recent years she has kept a low profile. Her last significant interview appears to have been in 2015 for a U.S. magazine, in which she said: 'The early years were very hard years and I don't think I'm over that. I don't talk about it much, but it lives in a very deep place in me that's . . . still painful.' She said her health was good, as was her relationship with her two sons. Aileen, 65, is the granddaughter of J. Paul Getty (pictured), the late tycoon who built an empire out of oil, one that made him the richest man in the world for a time As youngsters, they had been given instructions on the emergency number to call if their mother collapsed and were told to wear rubber gloves to protect themselves if she bled. 'I'm a very lucky parent,' she said. 'They're both divine souls and we're all very close.' Philanthropy and activism aside, she does appear to have inherited some of the business acumen of her forbears. Founder of LA restaurant company Sprout, she's a serial buyer and seller of high-end homes, most recently a 19 million New York townhouse. On the subject of her activism, she has been pointed but brief. But she responded by email to the Mail last week, insisting: 'I support climate activism through the Climate Emergency Fund because we are out of time for anything other than rapid, comprehensive climate action. 'We can have a fossil fuel-powered economy, or we can have thriving life on planet Earth. We can't have both.' She said she funded the CEF, which in turn made grants to climate activists 'engaged in non-violent legal civil disobedience', including Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain. 'I do not fund these groups or their actions directly, though I am in full support of Just Stop Oil's critical demand of no new oil and gas leases.' As for the disruptive actions of those groups she said: 'If you accept that we are facing a widespread climate disaster, then civil disobedience does not seem so crazy and extreme. 'Any discomfort caused by the protests we are seeing which have been peaceful and non- violent pales in comparison with what awaits us all if we fail to act on climate.' Additional reporting Barbara McMahon. Rishi Sunak has praised Boris Johnson for deciding to quit the Tory leadership race - as former Chancellor George Osborn calls the decision 'very welcome' and Nadhim Zahawi moves his support to team Rishi. The former PM tonight said continuing his bid to return to No10 was 'simply not the right thing to do' after unsuccessfully reaching out to his two main rivals in an attempt to make a political pact. He also said there was a 'very good chance' that he would have been successful in the leadership contest, but added that continuing his bid for a return was 'simply not the right thing to do'. Reacting to the announcement, Mr Sunak said he hoped the former PM would contribute to 'public life at home and abroad'. He added: 'Boris Johnson delivered Brexit and the great vaccine roll-out. He led our country through some of the toughest challenges we have ever faced, and then took on Putin and his barbaric war in Ukraine. We will always be grateful to him for that. 'Although he has decided not to run for PM again, I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad. ' Former Chancellor George Osborne added: 'Very welcome and sensible judgement call by Boris Johnson - the country was heading for a constitutional crisis. Instead Rishi Sunak can now - with hard but necessary decisions - begin to restore Britains economic credibility and good governance.' Mr Johnson's hopes of a return had earlier gained traction when Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, both declared their support. Mr Zahawi earlier claimed 'Boris 2.0' had 'learned from those mistakes' he made during his first spell in No10 and would lead the Tories to 'victory and prosperity'. But he is now backing Mr Sunak, this evening tweeting: 'A day is a long time in politics... Given today's news, it's clear that we should turn to Rishi Sunak to become our next Prime Minister. 'Rishi is immensely talented, will command a strong majority in the parliamentary Conservative Party, and will have my full support & loyalty.' The former PM (pictured arriving at Gatwick Airport on Saturday) tonight said continuing his bid to return to No10 was 'simply not the right thing to do' Rishi Sunak appears set to become the new Prime Minister tomorrow after Boris Johnson sensationally dropped out of the Tory leadership race this evening 'It is simply not the right thing to do': Boris Johnson bows out of race to return as PM In statement this evening, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed he was bowing out of the race because it is 'simply not the right thing to do', despite claiming he had cleared the 'very high hurdle of 102 nominations'. He said: 'In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament. 'I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago - and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now. 'A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country. 'I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 - and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. 'But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament. 'And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny - because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest - we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this. 'Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.' Advertisement Former Culture Secretary and Mr Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries also revealed her disappointment that he has bowed out, saying that a general election was now inevitable. She said: 'Boris would have won members vote - already had a mandate from the people. 'Rishi and Penny, despite requests from Boris refused to unite which would have made governing utterly impossible. Penny actually asked him to step aside for her. It will now be impossible to avoid a GE.' In his statement, Mr Johnson said: 'In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament. 'I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago - and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now. 'A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country. 'I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 - and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. 'But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament. 'And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny - because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest - we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this. 'Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.' David Morris, Tory MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said he is now switching to team Sunak. He added: 'Now Boris Johnson has pulled out of the contest, I will be joining Rishi Sunak team. Rishi is experienced, competent and will make a great PM. 'He has the support of all wings of the Conservative Party and will be able to unite the Party and provide stability for the Country.' And Lucy Allan, MP for Telford, said that Mr Johnson has 'done the right thing for the Country'. As of this evening, 228 out of 357 Tory MPs have gone public with their support. Mr Sunak is understood to have 147 backers, while Ms Mordaunt has just 24. Mr Johnson had 57 when he pulled out, but claimed he had in fact reached more than 100, It came after Mr Johnson unsuccessfully reached out to his two main rivals in an attempt to make a pact. Tory leadership race timeline Monday: Nominations for the race close, candidates making it through must have at least 100 Tory MPs backing them Monday 3.30 pm: First round of voting (if more than one candidate gets through) Monday 6pm: Result of first vote announced. If three make it through, the candidate with the fewest votes is be knocked out Monday 6.30pm: 'Indicative' ballot held if two candidates are left, one may drop out Tuesday-Friday: If two candidates make it through, Conservative Party members have the chance to vote online Friday: The final vote closes and Britain's new Prime Minister is announced Advertisement Ms Mordaunt, now Mr Sunak's only rival in the leadership bid, was claimed to have rebuffed attempts from the former Prime Minister to get her to drop out in a phone call. She is reported to have told Mr Johnson that the majority of her supporters were more likely to have switched to Team Sunak, rather than backing his return to the premiership. It also means Ms Mordaunt is likely to be short of the 100 backers needed to remain in contention. But a source from Ms Mordaunt's campaign said: 'Penny is still running to be the Leader of the Conservative Party. Penny is the unifying candidate who is most likely to keep the wings of the Conservative Party together and polling shows that she is the most likely candidate to hold onto the seats the Conservative Party gained in 2019. 'Ed Balls, Shadow Cabinet ministers and Labour advisers have all said Penny is the candidate Keir Starmer fears the most.' Michael Fabricant, another Mr Johnson loyalist, said he was moving his support to Ms Mordaunt. He added: 'I am deeply disappointed that Boris has chosen not to stand. I shall now nominate #PM4PM to let the members of our great Party decide who should be our Leader and next Prime Minister. I abhor political coronations. They invariably get it wrong.' Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak, meanwhile, met at 8pm last night, where the ex-PM is said to have told his former Chancellor that - if he re-entered No10 with Mr Sunak in a senior role - it would avoid a divisive battle. But it was subsequently claimed this morning that no agreement had been struck between the pair following negotiations that last around three hours. Now only Ms Mordaunt now stands in the way of Mr Sunak's leadership bid. 'Im in this to win it,' the Leader of the House of Commons earlier declared. But her determined statement comes amid signs she is struggling to win backers, remaining short of the threshold needed despite Mr Johnson's absence. On 19 October 2022, the Embassy of Japan in Mauritius and Rodrigues Regional Assembly officiated the handover ceremony of a mammography machine at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Creve-Coeur. This was made possible due to The Project for Introducing Digital Mammography Equipment in Queen Elizabeth Hospital which formalizes the amount of 77,546 euros, or approximately 3.3 million rupees through Japans official development assistance programme, Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP, or KUSANONE). The Queen Elizabeth hospital will thus provide free breast screening to women from all over the island. This cancer is, according to figures from the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, the most common cancer among the female population of the island. This project will allow women of Rodrigues to have early screening without having a travel to Mauritius. The project will also provide training for the hospital staff in the use of the equipment. This project will be centred on the early screening which is very important for the best chance of successful treatment and to avoid the disastrous consequences of cancer. The handover was made by the Ambassador of Japan in Mauritius, Shuichiro Kawaguchi, this afternoon at the hospital Queen Elizabeth in Creve-Coeur in the presence of the Chief Commissioner Johnson Roussety, the President of the Regional Assembly of Rodrigues, Christian Leopold and the Health Commissioner, Nicolas Volbert. During the handover ceremony, the Ambassador Kawaguchi urged the people of Rodrigues island to please go to the hospital to do a medical check-up in case of malicious diseases. For his part, Nicolas Volbert, Health Commissioner stated: We are very happy, very happy for the women, and now they will be able to do their tests, in advance, and if there are problems, they will be able to know very early. Up until now we had to send women to Mauritius to have the tests and sometimes when they would get to Mauritius, it would be too late. But now we are having this machine and it will be a plus for Rodrigues, for women and the hospital. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Sick fans of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer have begun targeting the twisted murderer's 86-year-old father Lionel, following the release of the Netflix series, Dahmer- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.' Lionel Dahmer's caretaker, Jeb, 34, explained that the cannibal killer's dad was left a 'nervous wreck' after a woman in her twenties threw her used underwear on his driveway. She took off her panties and threw them into Dahmer's yard while screaming 'I love you Lionel,' according to the caretaker. In another incident, a man attempted to accost Lionel in a 'hostile and aggressive' manner, which has resulted in Jeb erecting no trespassing signs and carrying a gun for protection. Between 1978 and 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 young men in Wisconsin and Ohio. He was convicted in 1992 and murdered in prison two years later at the age of 34. Records show that Lionel now lives with his second wife, Shari, in Seville, Ohio, around 25 miles west of Akron. He has been divorced from his son's mother, Joyce, since 1978 after she had an affair. Jeb told The Sun: 'This new Dahmer show blew up really quick. Anything Dahmer related blows up. It seems like every time a movie or series comes out, that's when a lot of the crazy starts happening with the fan boys and the fan girls.' In the show, Lionel Dahmer is played by actor Richard Jenkins. Records show that Lionel Dahmer now lives with his second wife, Shari, in Seville, Ohio, around 25 miles west of Akron. He has a fan throw her used pants at his home Lionel Dahmer pictured during his last public experience for the 2020 documentary: Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. The gruesome murders involved rape, necrophilia and cannibalism Describing the underwear incident, Jeb said: 'We even had a lady stop at the end of the driveway, take off her panties and throw them in the yard.' He continued: 'I had to go out there with a pair of tongs to pick up this woman's granny panties. The girl looked like she was in her early twenties and was shouting "I love you Lionel.'' Jeb went on: 'It's people like that that we're trying not to have here, that's why I put up no trespassing and private property signs. Lionel's 86 and here's this 20-year-old lady throwing her underwear at him. It's just like, stop.' Speaking about Lionel being accosted, Jeb told The Sun: 'About two weeks ago we had a guy pull up in a nice-looking car right in the middle of the driveway, about 20 or 30 yards from the front door.' 'I came out and he was acting erratic and violent, saying he wanted to see Lionel. He was a big guy and was acting very hostile,' the caretaker added. He added: 'He started cussing me out and I was telling him: "Hey dude, you have to leave, you're not going to get in." He started acting more crazy so I took a step back. I'm armed now but I wasn't at the time,' 'I put my right hip back, giving the appearance that I was armed and I told him, "You need to leave or I'm going to call the cops." I thought this guy was going to do me harm. I don't know if he was on something, but he seemed like he was tweaking,' Jeb said. Dahmer is charged with two counts of first degree murder and 13 counts of intentional homicide for serial killings in Milwaukee in August 1991 In the new show, Lionel Dahmer is played by actor Richard Jenkins, shown here The man sped away from the scene in his car while 'swearing.' The caretaker went on to discuss his worries about the effects that such incidents will have on Lionel's health. He said: 'Random people showing up here doesn't need to happen. Im not going to take my chances, especially when Lionel's in his late 80s, and the only thing he can do to defend himself is yell.' In a separate interview with The Sun, Jeb said that Lionel was considering a lawsuit against Netflix as he alleges that he was not consulted about the Evan Peters-starring series. Jeb said: 'From my understanding and from everything that I've seen and witnessed personally, Lionel was not contacted about either of these shows on Netflix.' He added: 'Ive personally talked to a few lawyers and weve talked to his publisher about it too due to all the chaos that is going on and the stories weve seen. Lionel and his power of attorney are gathering information and looking at a possible lawsuit against the production team or possibly Netflix.' 'Everyone is saying that if there was zero correspondence you seek damages. There was zero care whatsoever about Lionels wellbeing,' he continued. The caretaker went on to describe his employer as a 'caring father' who would prefer that people refer to the book 'A Father's Story,' Lionel's 1994 memoir, for his side of his son's heinous crimes. He denied that Lionel has profited from the Netflix series, something that has been rumored on social media. Another fake story that did the rounds following the airing of the show alleged that Lionel sold his son's glasses for $150,000, something which is not true. Despite remaining out of the public eye after his son's crimes came to light, he did interviews when his book was released. Lionel told Larry King that his son was 'extremely shy' in his youth but otherwise had a normal upbringing. He also told the late talk show host that he never wanted to change his name saying: 'Im proud of the name Dahmer. My father was a schoolteacher and a barber. He brought himself up from the bootstraps. His father and mother died at a very young age. I have a very good ancestry, and Im proud of the name.' In a more recent interview, in 2020 for the documentary: Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster,' Lionel spoke about his son's 1994 murder saying: 'When I find out that Jeff was murdered, it was just devastating. It affected me very gravely.' News that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dropped out of the Tory leadership race tonight was met with a flurry of memes of social media. Twitter users reacted with hilarity at the news - following speculation about whether or not Johnson had attained the necessary 100 nominations from fellow Conservative MPs. Just 67 Parliamentarians were known for certain to have publicly backed the former PM, despite claims from his supporters that he had further backers. David Ronan tweeted an image of Inbetweeners' famous braggart Jay Cartwright (played by James Buckley). Underneath was the caption: 'Boris Johnson: "Tory votes for leadership? Completed it mate. I had so many votes I didn't think it was fair on the other so let them have a chance.' Shay Reaction tweeted an image of 'The one hundred MPs backing Boris Johnson' with a dozen profile shots of Boris's supporter Nadine Dorries. David Ronan tweeted an image of Inbetweeners' famous braggart Jay Cartwright (played by James Buckley). Underneath was the caption: 'Boris Johnson: "Tory votes for leadership? Completed it mate. I had so many votes I didn't think it was fair on the other so let them have a chance.' Shay Reaction tweeted an image of 'The one hundred MPs backing Boris Johnson' with a dozen profile shots of Boris's supporter Nadine Dorries Donna DLH quipped: @Boris pulls himself out of the leadership' along with a picture of the former PM pulling a rope Jason Farrell posted: 'Sam Coates [Sky News political editor] moonlighting as a sign language on the BBC and communicating "Boris pulls out"' Lyndon Chaplin also poked fun at the claim Boris had 103 MPs supporting him, with a caption: 'Did they though?' A sendup of Boris Johnson as a clown was one Twitter user's response to news that the former PM was out the leadership race Johnson, who was ousted in July amid ethics scandals, was widely expected to run to replace Liz Truss, who quit last week. He has spent the weekend trying to gain support from fellow lawmakers, and said he had amassed more than 100 votes, the threshold to run. But he was far behind former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak in support. Johnson said he had concluded that "you can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament." Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak was the frontrunner Sunday in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. Sunak garnered the public support of over 100 Tory lawmakers to forge ahead of his two main rivals: former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt Malcolm Wood mocked Johnson's failed return with an image of David Tennant as Doctor Who, noting the next series begins tonight One Twitter user shared an image of Eastenders regular Sharon (Letitia Dean) sobbing, with a caption comparing her to Boris's most prominent supporter Nadine Dorries Another infamous Eastenders meme was also shared, again sending up Johnson's supporter Dorries Matt McCann quipped: 'I've got a hundred cows. I've got a hundred and four friends' Other users imagined MPs' reaction at a comeback for former PM Boris Johnson The Conservative Party hastily ordered a contest that aims to finalize nominations Monday and install a new prime minister - its third this year - within a week. Sunak, 42, was runner-up after Truss in this summer's Tory leadership race to replace Johnson after he was forced out by a string of ethics scandals. On Sunday, he confirmed he was running again in the latest leadership contest. Sunak has the backing of at least 124 Conservative lawmakers, according to unofficial tallies compiled by British news organizations. That's well ahead of the 100 nominations required to qualify. "There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done," Sunak said in a statement. A Texas man who is facing capital murder charges for fatally shooting two nurses over the weekend was at the Dallas hospital while his girlfriend was giving birth, it was revealed. Nestor Oswaldo Hernandez, 30, was on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active GPS ankle monitor when he opened fire near the delivery rooms at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday morning. But Hernandez was granted permission to be at the hospital 'to be with his significant other during delivery,' a prison spokesperson told Dallas Morning News. Methodist Health System police, Dallas police and Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to the shooting inside the hospital around 11 a.m., the Morning News reported. The names of the victims and their positions at the hospital were not immediately released. The motive of the shooting is not known and it's not clear whether Hernandez is the father of the child. Nestor Oswaldo Hernandez, 30, who opened fire at Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Texas on Saturday - killing two nurses - was on parole for aggravated at the time of the shooting Hernandez has a lengthy criminal history and now faces capital murder charges for fatally shooting two nurses over the weekend was at the Dallas hospital Texas police rushed to the hospital on North Beckley Avenue shortly before noon on Saturday after calls came in about a shooting inside the medical facility. 'A Methodist Health System Police Officer arrived on the scene, confronted the suspect, and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him,' hospital spokesperson Ryan Owens said in a statement. Hernandez was taken to another local hospital for treatment, the Dallas Morning News reported. He now faces capital murder charges. He was on parole at the time of the shooting for a robbery took place in December 2011, the Morning News reported. Hernandez and another person allegedly made 'vulgar' remarks toward a friend of the victim at a convenience store on Royal Lane in Northwest Dallas. When the victim walked over to confront them, the person with Hernandez apologized and invited the victim into their car to share a cigarette, according to a police report obtained by the Morning News. At the time of the shooting he was on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active ankle monitor, police said Hernandez was taken to another local hospital for treatment, the Dallas Morning News reported. He now faces capital murder charges The person then pointed to a silver revolver in the victim's face and demanded property. When the victim resisted, he was pistol-whipped while Hernandez went through his pockets, according to court documents. Hernandez was pulled over in a traffic stop a short time later and a police officer noticed blood inside the car. Hernandez also had heroin and a .38-caliber gun in the car, authorities said. He pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery and was sentenced to two years in prison. Hernandez was arrested in a second robbery - this one taking place in January 2015. The victim was walking into her Dallas apartment when a man and woman pulled her down and threatened to kill her. They covered her head with duct tape and locked her in a bathroom while they ransacked her apartment. The suspects stole her car and about $3,000 in cash for a school fundraiser before leaving, the Morning News reported. Two maternity ward nurses were killed in a shooting at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday morning. Police rushed to the scene shortly before noon (above) Hernandez was on parole at the time of the shooting for a robbery took place in December 2011 The suspected shooter was fired at by hospital police and taken into custody Hernandez and another woman were arrested a short time later. He pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Hernandez did not serve his full sentence and was paroled. The hospital system released a statement about the deaths: 'The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members. Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy.' The shooting follows hospital shootings in September in Little Rock, Arkansas, that killed a visitor and one in June in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that left four dead. At least three million Britons are set to take part in one of the world's largest health research programmes. The Our Future Health study hopes to use the huge amounts of data received to develop new ways to detect illnesses earlier. Those taking part are expected to consent to providing DNA and blood samples over a long period. It is hoped the research will help doctors better predict who is at higher risk of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, dementia and stroke. Professor Sir John Bell, chairman of Our Future Health, said the ambition is to develop new methods for 'early diagnostics or prevention strategies across a large population of people something between three and five million people'. At least three million Britons are set to take part in one of the world's largest health research programmes. (File image) Invitation letters are being sent to people over 18 who live in four regions: West Yorkshire, West Midlands, Manchester and London. One disease that could benefit from the study is pancreatic cancer - as it is often only detected once it is too late when it becomes difficult to treat and can prove fatal. Eventually, up to five million people over the age of 18 will have the opportunity to join Our Future Health over the next few years. Health data gathered from the participants will be anonymised and held securely. But volunteers will be given the option in the future to receive feedback about their health, including their risk of common diseases, based on their health data and analysis of their data. Eventually, up to five million people over the age of 18 will have the opportunity to join Our Future Health over the next few years (File image) Head of Research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, Dr Chris MacDonald, said the scheme will be 'enabling us to learn more about a wide range of diseases, including pancreatic cancer, and study the signals present in blood samples even many years before diagnosis. 'This is particularly exciting for us as pancreatic cancer is frequently detected too late for treatment, with over 80 per cent of people diagnosed in the late stages.' The programme is sending invitation letters this autumn to people over 18 who live in four regions: West Yorkshire, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Greater London. Volunteers will give their consent to join the research programme and provide secure access to their health records, complete a questionnaire and book an appointment to provide a small blood sample and have some physical measurements taken. Those taking part are expected to consent to providing DNA and blood samples over a long period. (File image) Volunteers will also include people who have previously been under-represented in scientific studies, such as those from Black, Asian, and other ethnic backgrounds and people with lower incomes. Dr Raghib Ali, chief medical officer of Our Future Health, said: 'One of the things we weren't able to do (in the past) was to recruit sufficient numbers of people of non-European ancestry - so (for) people of South Asian and Black communities, we didn't have sufficient numbers to look at diseases in those populations. 'Our Future Health will allow us, for the first time, to do that at an efficient scale.' North and South Korea say they have exchanged warning shots along their disputed western sea boundary. South Korea's military says its Navy fired warning shots to repel a North Korean merchant ship that it claims violated the sea boundary. North Korea's military said it responded by firing 10 rounds of artillery shells as a warning to South Korea. There were no reports of clashes between the Koreas. The incident comes amid heightened tensions over North Korea's recent barrage of missile tests, which in turn led to U.S. and South Korean warplanes conducting bombing drills. In a hugely provocative move that ramps up simmering tensions in the eastern Pacific, North Korea fired a Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile over Japan earlier on this month for the first time since 2017 - prompting evacuation warnings in Japan. North and South Korea fired warning shots after a merchant ship from the North is said to have breached the western sea boundary by entering southern waters North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile over Japan earlier this month, prompting Tokyo to encourage residents to evacuate (Pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un) South Korea's military says its Navy fired warning shots to repel a North Korean merchant ship that it claims violated the sea boundary (Pictured: South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol) WIthin hours America and South Korea retaliated with their own show of force and capabilities in the region. 'With the participation of four South Korean Air Force F-15Ks and four US Air Force F-16 fighters, South Korea's F-15K fired two joint direct attack munition (JDAM) bombs against a virtual target at the Jikdo shooting field in the West Sea,' Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the Yellow Sea. The drills aimed to demonstrate the allies' 'capabilities to conduct a precision strike at the origin of provocations,' they added. North Korea's missile was launched around 7.20am from its Mupyong-ri test site, near the border with China, and passed over Japan's Tohoku region around five minutes later. Warning sirens sounded and civilians were told to take cover. South Korean and U.S. fighter jets take part in a joint bombing drill in this handout picture provided by the Defense Ministry, South Korea, October 4, 2022 In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, South Korean Air Force's F15K fighter jet fires 2 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition ) bombs into an island target in South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022 North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile earlier this month that flew over Japan's Tohoku region and 1,800 miles out into the Pacific before splashing down The rocket passed over the mainland and continued 1,800 miles off Japan's eastern coast before splashing down in the Pacific around 7.45am - making it the longest-ranged North Korea missile test ever. No damage was caused and nobody was hurt. None-the-less, the test is a clear provocation likely in response to joint US, South Korean and Japanese naval drills last week and that North Korean despot Kim Jong Un regards as a rehearsal for an invasion. It also comes off the back of a quick-fire series of North Korean missile tests - now five in 10 days - and comes amid US warnings the country is gearing up for another nuclear test as Pyongyang ramps up tests to build a fully fledged nuclear arsenal. The missiles viably threatens US allies and the American homeland with the goal of wresting outside concessions, some experts say. The nuclear-capable weapon could reach the US territory of Guam and possibly beyond. Advertisement The new Aman New York hotel has a gigantic spa covering 2,300 square metres across three storeys - and features a sensational 20-metre swimming pool. With firepits. The ultimate spot in Manhattan for alleviating stress? It turns out the entire hotel is the ultimate Big Apple stress-buster. A temple of tranquillity for generation zen. Even the reception area is a haven of serenity. Though pulses may quicken there even for hedge-fund managers - upon presentation of the bill. For Aman New York - located by Central Park on 5th Avenue in the iconic 30-storey Crown Building, designed by Grand Central Station architects Warren & Wetmore - is the city's most expensive hotel. The starting price for rooms? A cool $3,900 (3,460) per night. But what rooms. The new Aman New York hotel has a gigantic spa that features a sensational 20-metre swimming pool with firepits (above). Ted Thornhill checks in The show-stopping double-height pillared atrium, featuring Oriental-lantern-inspired paper and bamboo sculptures by Dutch artist Peter Gentenaar Mine, a 'Premiere Suite', is a masterpiece - 75 square metres (815 square feet) of soothing luxury with a beguiling pared-back look that, as with the rest of the hotel, is inspired by Aman's Asian origins ('Amanpuri', the original of the 34-property-strong Aman portfolio, opened on the Thai island of Phuket in 1988). Deluxe woods are bountiful, there's a standalone oval tub big enough to do laps in and oversized twin beds (I'm here with a chum) with $15,000 (13,500) mattresses smothered in heavenly duvets and pillows. On the wall opposite the bed is a large-scale art mural inspired by the 15th-century masterpiece Pine Trees (Shorin-zu byobu) by Hasegawa Tohaku, designated in Japan as a National Treasure in 1952. Behind the bed is an attractive folded dressing screen made of woven rope that cleverly houses some of the rooms many light switches. Aman New York features 83 gargantuan suites plus 22 residences. Pictured above is a Junior Suite in a twin-bed configuration Ted takes this picture of his 'Premiere Suite' upon entering it for the first time. He describes it as 'a masterpiece - 75 square metres (815 square feet) of soothing luxury'. Aman New York is the only hotel in Manhattan to have a working fireplace in every bedroom The Aman New York bedrooms have pivoting louvre doors that can be angled to open up or seal off the space. Pictured above is a Junior Suite LEFT: The rooms feature art murals inspired by the 15th-century masterpiece Pine Trees (Shorin-zu byobu) by Hasegawa Tohaku. RIGHT: The beds at the Aman New York feature $15,000 mattresses. Pictured is Ted's twin Ted learns that the rooms are engineered to be as hushed as a recording studio It's an eye-catching touch, as is the gas-powered fireplace. This is the only hotel in New York with a working fireplace in every room. I also love the way the main bedroom is separated from the bathroom by a series of pivoting louvre doors that can be angled to open up or seal off the space. Backlit rice-paper panels set within each door, meanwhile, enhance the relaxing ambience as does the soundproofing. The room is whisper-quiet engineered we're told to be as hushed as a recording studio. I enjoy disturbing the peace by using the room's tablet controller to extinguish and reignite the fireplace and to direct the TV to disappear into the desk beneath it. (And in the middle of the night the fancy hi-tech Japanese Toto toilet which we nickname R2 D-Loo - emits the occasional beep and whir.) Interior-design sorcery seems to be at work - I feel soporifically cocooned, yet there's enough space for a small orchestral concert. Or easily my entire two-bedroom London flat, which covers a mere 675 sq ft (63 sq metres). And this 8th-floor room, I discover, is actually one of the smallest in the hotel. Herein, incidentally, lies part of the explanation for the credit-card-sapping tariffs there are no small rooms. Only 83 gargantuan suites plus 22 residences. At both breakfasts during our two-night stay, we're joined by only a handful of guests. Perhaps there are more, but they're mesmerised by their fires and the TVs going up and down. They're missing out. Aman New York is the city's most expensive hotel. The starting price for rooms? A cool $3,900 (3,460) per night Aman New York is located by Central Park on 5th Avenue in the iconic 30-storey Crown Building designed by Grand Central Station architects Warren & Wetmore. Pictured above is the pool and firepit on the roof terrace This terrace bar area will be one of Manhattan's most sought-after drinking spots in the warmer months, predicts Ted The venue for breakfast is the 14th-floor Italian restaurant Arva reached via the reception area and the show-stopping double-height pillared atrium, populated by fireplaces, a grand piano, sophisticated grey-hued chairs, sofas and banquettes, a sleek bar frequented by beautiful women in designer clothes and a giant, dreamlike series of Oriental-lantern-inspired paper and bamboo sculptures by Dutch artist Peter Gentenaar suspended between the room's four stone columns. Tranquil but with a sprinkling of wow. Arva, in the building's southeast corner, is quietly chic, with banquettes and elegant chairs in grey, modish dark-wood tables, a ceiling accentuated by slabs of petrified wood and a floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet to remind guests that Aman isn't just a temple of tranquillity, it's a temple of fine wines, too. At breakfast we stick to cups of smooth coffee, along with pastries and a la carte fare such as eggs of the Florentine and Benedict variety. Pictured above is the hotel's Italian restaurant, Arva, where Ted enjoys breakfast, lunch and dinner The breakfast menu blurb boasts of 'seasonal produce transformed by the alchemy of the kitchen into simple, nourishing dishes, alive with flavor'. That's possibly hyperbole but the breakfasts are tasty and nicely presented, with the jams and butter arranged in a row on a little tray, for example. We revisit Arva twice more for dinner and lunch. For the former, the restaurant really comes alive. It's busy and bubbly and the wine flows. We enjoy some refreshing local rose courtesy of North Fork of Long Island ($19), Castiglion del Bosco Montalcino red, which at $49 is the most expensive red by the glass (happily, it tastes expensive) - and tuck into some great food. The Arva terrace area where Ted and his chum enjoy a lunch comprising grilled chicken, veal loin, beef tartare and salmon with smoked paprika LEFT: A snap of one of Ted's breakfasts, featuring pastries, coffee and eggs Florentine. RIGHT: The lunch main - grilled chicken For his Arva dinner Ted is served 'a geometrically perfect panna cotta (left) and a beautifully presented lemon tart (right)' Chefs at work at Arva, which is located on the 14th floor For starters (antipasti), there's a superb burrata with pistachio pesto and a pile of lightly battered calamari, langoustines and zucchini that looks like a mini coral reef, for mains it's tagliatelle with chanterelle and goat's cheese, and for desserts a fresh and light, geometrically perfect panna cotta and a beautifully presented lemon tart. For the Arva lunch we sit outside on surely one of the most splendid hotel terraces in all of New York, which wraps around the building and features a dramatic circular pool with a fire in the middle - and a retractable roof. As we sit underneath it during a rain shower - making our way through the likes of delectable grilled chicken, veal loin, beef tartare and salmon with smoked paprika we agree that the bar in the corner, which isn't covered by the roof, will become one of the most sought-after quaffing spots in Manhattan in the summer, given the views it offers down 5th Avenue and along the eastern edge of Central Park. After lunch we head in the opposite direction, stopping for on-point cocktails at stealthy Temple Bar on Lafayette Street and subterranean, plant-filled Undercote in the Flatiron District , before taking in a Broadway show the incredible Beetlejuice the Musical (the musical, the musical). Which is even better than the beloved movie. The spa (above) at Aman New York covers 2,300 square metres across three storeys The hammam at the Aman New York spa Afterwards we battle through bustling Times Square to the hotel and decide to maintain the tempo with a nightcap in Aman's remarkable underground speakeasy-style Jazz Club, which has a stage with a Steinway piano for performers and, audiophiles note, a state-of-the-art sound system. Though as we drink vodkas at the horseshoe-shaped bar there's a DJ spinning dance versions of Oasis tracks. The atmosphere is slightly odd, with expensively suited men and women in chic evening wear not seemingly in the mood to dance, but unable to have conversations over the loud music. The venue is probably more alluring during live performances. The next morning we wake up enveloped in a cocktail-induced daze - standard for a trip to Manhattan, of course - and in such moments the Aman New York comes into its own. Aman New York occupies floors seven to 30 of the Crown Building, the bottom floors being high-end retail outlets such as Zegna and Bulgari Aman New York's Jazz Club, which becomes a nightclub later on in the evening For guests who find themselves in a similar state I highly recommend a dip in the aforementioned pool, which they'll find has an almost medicinal effect. Counter-intuitively we must ascend to it from our luxury lair as it's on the 10th floor (the hotel occupies floors seven to 30, the bottom floors being high-end retail outlets such as Zegna and Bulgari). On our first attempt to reach it we mistakenly get out on the 14th floor and ask a man behind the reception desk for directions and receive an impressive demonstration of top-level hotel service. The staff member guides us via the elevator all the way to the spa and the pool, explaining the services on offer as he goes. And then organises a pot of coffee for us. Above and beyond springs to mind. The second time we attempt to reach the pool we get lost on floor ten, and this time receive directions from a stocky private security guard standing sentinel outside one of the rooms (after being challenged, in our robes and slippers, as to whether we're hotel guests). Harmony for some of the guests costs a bit more. Advertisement Look through the pictures that awed the judges in the 2022 Landscape Photographer Of The Year awards and you'll see the UK at its most earth-shatteringly beautiful. The standard is sky-high year after year, and this year is no exception, with awe-inspiring photographs that celebrate all that is great about the British landscape receiving accolades. The competition showcases the work of many talented photographers, inspiring visitors to experience the joys of the British landscape first hand, says the awards. Surpassing the rest, Will Davies has been handed the coveted title of Landscape Photographer Of The Year - and the 10,000 grand prize - for his atmospheric shot taken in Wales of snow-dusted Brecon Beacons mountains. To get a closer look at the masterful photography that caught the judges' attention, an exhibition of winning and commended entries will premiere on October 31 at Londons Paddington Station. A coffee-table book - Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 15 by Ilex thats filled cover to cover with gorgeous prints of the winning and commended entries will be on sale from October 27. Below is a selection of breathtaking photographs that feature in the awards scroll down to the end to see the picture that takes the top prize. This beautiful shot impressed the judges enough to bag the gold medal in the Classic View category. It shows a rainbow sweeping over Dragon's Back - the ridges of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill - in the Peak District. On the day he took the picture, Demi Oral knew that thunderstorms were forecast and so headed to the site - one of his favourite locations - in the hopes of seeing a rainbow appear. He says: 'Whilst I wasn't surprised when it did, I still could not believe what unfolded in front of me. The apparition of the rainbow was wonderful, but the light sweeping across the Dragon's Back was just sensational.' He adds: 'It was a thrilling afternoon I'll never forget' The hill of the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye is the subject of this enchanting photograph by Fiona Campbell, which is commended in the Classic View category. Campbell recalls: 'There was a weather warning set for the Isle of Skye overnight and the forecast was to be sunny and cloudy the next day, so I drove four and a half hours to get to the Quiraing in the hopes of some magical light in the morning.' She wasn't disappointed. 'It was a morning that was just jaw-dropping. The light and mist and atmosphere were all Id hoped for,' she reveals This otherworldly scene, in a photo that's highly commended in the Classic View category, was snared shortly after sunrise on a foggy morning in London's Richmond Park. Photographer Andrew Robertson reveals that he waded into the brook to capture the perfect shot. 'Living in London, I found it particularly gratifying to find a landscape image I was so fond of close to home,' he adds Photographer Edward Allistone was behind the lens for this vibrant shot of Glastonbury Tor in Somerset. He recalls: 'I took this image on one of those mornings when you wake up, look out of the window, and wonder if you should go back to bed. Up until the sun peeked from behind the clouds, it looked like it might be a foggy grey day. But when the clouds started catching fire, I was jumping with excitement.' The photograph is highly commended in the Classic View category A magical 180-degree rainbow appears over Wastwater, a lake in the Lake District's Wasdale Valley, at the end of a rainy afternoon in this captivating shot by Stu Meech, which is commended in the Classic View category A gale was blowing when photographer Peter Nickols snared this photograph of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill, captured from the summit of Hitter Hill, in the Peak District. While it's a breathtaking picture, it's not the exact shot that Nickols had set out to capture. 'I had hoped for the setting sun to reflect off the distant clouds but the sun got covered by more cloud on the horizon at just the wrong time,' he admits. The picture, which was taken last December, is commended in the Classic View category This ethereal photograph, captured by Rob Scamp, shows a horse and its rider trotting through a trail in 'beautiful, soft, misty light' in Bircher Common, Herefordshire. Scamp says: 'It's a strange sensation when you can hear the deep breathing of a large beast nearby and you know it is going to come out of the mist. The imagination runs riot and creates all sorts of scenarios! In the end, it was just a horse.' The picture is commended in the Classic View category Win Green, the summit of Wiltshire's Win Green Down, is evocatively captured in this picture by Jack Lodge, which is commended in the Classic View category. Lodge describes walking around thick fog and 'patches of magical hoar frost' in the area, before laying eyes on the frosty clump of trees at Win Green. 'Ever since starting landscape photography, I have never witnessed such magical conditions. All the branches were left frozen in time,' he says. Lodge notes that the 'soft golden glow' from the rising sun contrasts with the 'cold blues hiding in the shadows' in the image, making for a 'real battle between cold and warm' Photographer Mik Dogherty was out getting some exercise during the Covid lockdown when he spied the opportunity for this picture at Slufters Inclosure, a woodland area in southern England's New Forest National Park. 'I noticed the light streaming through the trees and mist,' he says, adding that he 'couldn't resist' taking a photograph. The picture is commended in the Classic View category Commended in the Classic View section, this bucolic shot by Peter Jeffreys shows the view across West Yorkshire's Luddenden Valley towards Oats Royd Mill, a 19th-century woollen mill that has been turned into a holiday apartment complex This spectacular picture portrays the sun setting over Tryfan, a mountain in the Ogwen Valley, in Wales' Snowdonia National Park. Photographer Aled Lewis reveals: 'I had to scramble up as fast as I could to this spot to catch the light before it disappeared!' The image is commended in the Classic View category LEFT: Photographer Bruce Little reveals that this glorious shot, highly commended in the Classic View category, was taken from the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire one autumn morning shortly after sunrise. It shows the village of Welland 'emerging from the mist' in the early morning light. RIGHT: Photographer Vincent Campbell positioned himself above the small Scottish village of Tarbet in Argyll and Bute to capture this epic picture of Loch Lomond. Campbell describes the loch and the Arrochar Alps (pictured right) as 'wonderful spectacles'. The photograph is commended in the Classic View category The Trossachs National Park in Stirling, Scotland, was the setting for this striking photograph, which is commended in the Classic Views category. Photographer Stephen Ball, who was behind the lens, notes that there was 'low mist and heavy frost' on the day he took the picture, with 'lovely reflections' visible on the water's surface It's southern England at its finest. This gorgeous photograph - commended in the Classic View category - looks across 'a slice of East Sussex countryside' towards Firle Beacon, a hill in the South Downs. Photographer Lloyd Lane recalls it being a 'wonderful morning' when he took the shot, with light slowly creeping across the landscape Lane was also behind the lens for this powerful shot of a storm at Newhaven harbour in East Sussex, which is a runner-up in the Black and White category. Lane, who captured the shot from a safe location close to a wall, says that 'the sun came out and illuminated the crashing waves'. He adds that in the picture, Newhaven Lighthouse looks smaller than usual and 'even more vulnerable to the onslaught' Above is another spellbinding shot by Lane, this time commended in the Black and White category. 'A murmuration [when hundreds or thousands of birds fly as a coordinated unit] of starlings flew close to where I was standing at Brighton's Palace Pier. I was surprised by how close they flew to me,' the photographer recalls, noting that the birds 'mirror' the shape of Brighton's West Pier in the background A jogger and his dog run over the ridge of a peak in the Cairngorms in Scotland's eastern Highlands in this awe-inspiring photograph. Commended in the Black and White category, it's the handiwork of photographer Graham Niven. When Niven took the shot, the wind was blowing 'fresh snow around the plateau, which can catch the light, creating a dramatic scene'. He sums the experience up as 'an epic day in the hills' Cath Gothard snared this ghostly scene - in a shot commended in the Black and White category - during a 'beautiful, misty dawn' in London's Richmond Park. 'The lockdown winter had taken its toll on the river banks a combination of very wet weather and heavy footfall had left the ground bare and trampled,' Gothard says, though she notes that thankfully, the river banks that feature in the picture were revitalised with 'pretty' long grasses and wildflowers replacing the bare muddy ground. 'Sadly, the willow tree on the left succumbed to the elements in November of last year,' Gothard reveals This haunting picture, by Richard Franklin, snaps up a highly commended accolade in the Black and White category. It portrays the ruins of the 19th-century Cwmorthin Chapel to the west of the Welsh town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. It was taken on a summer's morning when mist was forecast, but when Franklin - keen to capture a misty picture - first trekked up the steep path to the chapel, there was no mist in sight, so he turned back to his car. However, on the descent, he saw a 'huge blanket of mist, steadily creeping towards me into the valley', so he 'scurried' back to the chapel to capture this 'atmospheric' shot The ferocity of Storm Barra, a hurricane-force cyclone that wreaked havoc in the UK last December, is captured in this picture. Phil Cooke took the shot in his hometown of Lower Largo, a fishing village in Fife, Scotland. 'We were bracing ourselves for Storm Barra coming ashore,' he reveals, adding that when the storm finally hit, he ventured out to take pictures. 'I could hardly stand up in the strong wind and was hit by the occasional wave,' he says. Cooke found that he was only able to hold up his camera by pressing himself against some railings, but successfully managed to photograph the stormy scene. 'Hopefully, my image shows how dramatic it was,' he adds 'This is a very poignant and personal image.' So says photographer Paul Killeen of this transfixing picture, captured near the village of Stranocum in County Antrim. Sharing the story behind the photograph, Killeen explains: 'A good friend of my wife sadly passed away in 2021. Lynsey was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2015. When diagnosed, she was informed that she would be lucky to see Christmas that same year. However, Lynsey bravely battled the cancer for five and a half years before she passed on April 11, 2021.' Killeen says that this photograph was taken on April 14, the morning of Lynsey's funeral. 'As soon as I saw the two birds fly into my frame I was immediately reminded of Lynsey and her husband Simon,' the photographer says. The picture, titled 'Souls Tied', evidently moved the judges, who have awarded it the gold medal in the Black and White category This is another remarkable shot by Killeen, this time showing a river near the village of Templepatrick in Antrim. 'This location is always beautiful to shoot,' he reveals, adding that it was 'just a gorgeous morning to be out down by the river'. The image is commended in the Your View category Topping the podium in the Landscapes at Night category is this extraordinary photograph of the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire during a 'fierce lightning storm'. Armed with his camera, photographer Melvin Nicholson arrived at the site at 1am, and positioned himself inside the back of his van to shelter from the storm and the rain. This picture was taken less than an hour later, at 'perhaps the height of the storm'. Nicholson says: 'Lightning was flashing in every direction and in quick succession too. The power and intensity of a full-blown lightning storm is exhilarating and humbling, as everything around you illuminates incredibly brightly. It felt amazing to be experiencing it first-hand... it certainly makes you feel alive, yet small in the presence of something so powerful' This bewitching picture, taken at Loch Creran, in Argyll, Scotland, earns Natasha Burns the title of Young Landscape Photographer of the Year. Describing the moments leading up to the photograph, Burns, who lives near the sea loch, reveals: 'It was early and the loch looked magical, shrouded in mist and completely still. I heard the sound of oars and saw the boat, which was backlit with golden light.' The awards founder, Charlie Waite, heaps praise on the picture, remarking: '[Natasha] has created a sublimely beautiful atmosphere that transports the viewer to enter into a dream world of mystery and wonder, and leaves the audience unable to depart from the place where she has taken them to' Scooping the gold medal in the Youth Classic View category is this beautifully layered photograph of Loch Leven by the Glencoe valley in the Scottish Highlands. 'Whilst climbing... I noticed this blue haze in the distance, shrouding the landscape in mystery,' photographer Jian Hui Mo recalls LEFT: Photographer Fergus Veitch reveals that he captured this wintry scene from Bell's Brae, a bridge that crosses the Water of Leith river in Edinburgh. Veitch says that a 'number of things' attracted him to the scene - he was taken by the reflection of the Rhema Christian Centre Church and liked 'how the bare branches... framed the church'. His image is a runner-up in the Youth Black and White category. RIGHT: Commended in the Urban Life category, this photograph shows the Tap and Stile pub by the Gas Street Basin, where the Worcester and Birmingham Canals meet in Birmingham. Photographer Grant Bulloch, who shot this 'delightful' scene, notes that the water has created 'perfect reflections' Sharing the story behind this eye-catching picture, photographer Toby Hawkes explains: 'Snow is rare in central London, so as soon as it started snowing I was out and about, exploring along the Thames.' The picture, taken during the peak of the snowfall, shows a cluster of houseboats with Tower Bridge and the City of London in the background. Hawkes notes that the shot, commended in the Urban Life category, has a 'painterly look' Reigning supreme in the Urban Life category is this fascinating picture by photographer Kevin Williams. Titled 'Fully Loaded', it shows giant ship loaders at the Port of Felixstowe, the UK's busiest container port, on the Suffolk coast The Jacobite Steam Train trundles over the 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Highlands of Scotland in this stunning autumnal photograph by Jon Brook. 'It was one of those "sunshine and showers" days. If the train had been on time, the whole scene would have been in the shadow of a cloud. As it happened the viaduct was lit up just as the train crossed. I was lucky,' Brook says. The shot is commended in the Lines in the Landscape category This shot of the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire was captured on a 'rather atmospheric afternoon', photographer Matthew James Turner reveals. He says that the picture shows the steam locomotive 34046 'Braunton' on its maiden run along the Settle-Carlisle Railway, hauling 'The Fellsman' rail tour northbound. 'The sky overhead was extremely dramatic,' Turner recalls, adding: 'There was also a very impressive exhaust from the locomotive that added extra drama and contrasted perfectly against the moody mountains.' He notes that the temperamental weather conditions 'accentuate the magic of the setting' Commended in the Historic Britain category, this photo shows the sun rising over a 'frost-flecked' Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Photographer Chris Gorman said that he was initially hoping to photograph the prehistoric monument in the mist, but the day was clearer than expected. He reveals: 'A crystal clear sunrise over Stonehenge soon made up for it. I've always been aware that the shadows of the stones could one day with the right conditions make a picture all of their own' LEFT: This fascinating photograph shows what remains of Anglesey Barracks, a series of houses for quarry workers at the Dinorwic slate quarry in Snowdonia, Wales. Photographer Sam Binding, who took the shot on a 'wet and windy day', describes Anglesey Barracks as a 'stunning but brutal place'. '[Who] knows what it must have been like to live and work in those mountains,' he adds. The picture is commended in the Historic Britain category. RIGHT: This is the magnificent photograph that has earned Will Davies the title of Landscape Photographer of the Year. It shows the vista towards the west of the Brecon Beacons in south Wales from the Pen y Crug hillfort. 'I love this area in winter the mountains somehow feel and look grander and wilder in the snow. The weather was not looking promising as I hiked up in the dark, but luckily the sun broke through right at sunrise, just long enough to get this shot,' the photographer says, adding that it was a 'huge honour' to be named the overall winner in the awards. 'I have followed Landscape Photographer of the Year for a long time, without previously believing I had photos good enough to enter, so it was a wonderful surprise,' he says EastEnders' Lola Pearce is set to be supported by her loved ones as she prepares for surgery amid her brain tumour diagnosis. In spoiler pictures for the BBC soap, the character - played by Danielle Harold - is seen staring into a mirror as she prepares to go under the knife. And it's clear that the young mum is terrified at what's to come as she faces up to the reality of her illness. Heartbreaking: EastEnders' Lola Pearce is set to be supported by her loved ones as she prepares for surgery amid her brain tumour diagnosis Ahead of Danielle's reported exit from the soap, her heartbreaking brain tumour storyline kicked off last week, with the mum learning she had a tumour after suffering with another seizure. EastEnders have teamed up with Brain Tumour Research and Macmillan Cancer Support on the storyline, which plays out this Autumn and will sensitively and realistically portray the reality of a young person living with brain tumour. Speaking about the storyline, Danielle, 30, said: 'It means so much to be trusted with a storyline like this one that's close to many people's hearts. 'Sadly many of our viewers will be able to relate to Lola's story and it's been heartbreaking to speak to the families affected by brain tumours and hear their stories. Facing her fears: In spoiler pictures for the BBC soap, the character - played by Danielle Harold - is seen staring into a mirror as she prepares to go under the knife 'They've been so amazing in sharing their experiences with me, and I'm so lucky to have them. I wouldn't be able to do this storyline without their support.' Meanwhile, EastEnders Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw added: 'It was vital for us to work alongside Macmillan and Brain Tumour Research to take on, and accurately present, such a profound and emotional storyline for Lola, one that many viewers may relate to. 'Danielle has thoughtfully relayed the realities of being diagnosed with a brain tumour with grace and understanding. 'We hope that this storyline resonates with the audience, and that we represent it as sensitively, and accurately as possible.' Under the knife: And it's clear that the young mum is terrified at what's to come as she faces up to the reality of her illness Fans have already seen the beginning of the heartbreaking plot, with Lola having suffered another dizzy spell before collapsing with her seizure in the toilets during daughter Lexi's pageant. Her boyfriend Jay Brown, with whom she recently reunited with, and Ben Mitchell are horrified to find her on the floor and rush her to hospital. At the hospital, doctors complete a CT scan before informing Lola and Ben that they've found a tumour which could be cancerous. It comes after reports Danielle had been axed from the show, with the actress believed to have met with bosses when her contract had six months left. Illness: Ahead of Danielle's reported exit from the soap, her heartbreaking brain tumour storyline kicked off last week, with the mum learning she had a tumour after suffering with another seizure Plot: EastEnders have teamed up with Brain Tumour Research and Macmillan Cancer Support on the storyline, which plays out this Autumn and will sensitively and realistically portray the reality of a young person living with brain tumour. Her character Lola, who she started playing on the BBC show in 2011, will be seen falling in love with her on-again off-again boyfriend Jay Brown, played by Jamie Borthwick, according to The Sun. It is understood that Jay will nurse Lola before her death from a brain tumour, in scenes that will be aired later this year. It comes as Linda Robson has revealed that she wants to join EastEnders as Lola's mum - who has never been seen on screen. Actress: Speaking about the storyline, Danielle, 30, said: 'It means so much to be trusted with a storyline like this one that's close to many people's hearts' The Loose Women star, 64, is reportedly in talks with show bosses after running into Danielle and a producer at last week's National Television Awards. Speaking to The Sun, Linda said: 'I have actually been talking to EastEnders. They are looking for Lolas mum. Shes not very well is she? I dont watch the soaps so I dont know, but I met her at the NTAs the other day, and she said she would love me to play her mum.' Revealing she was approached backstage about joining the soap, Linda continued: 'I dont know if it was the casting director who came up to me at the NTAs and said, "How come youve never been on EastEnders?" Tragic news: At the hospital, doctors complete a CT scan before informing Lola and Ben that they've found a tumour which could be cancerous 'And I said, "Its because you aint ever f*****g asked me.'" And he said, "Well were asking you now.". The TV personality, who's famed for her role in Birds of a Feather, added that she wouldn't want to join the soap as a regular because of her Loose Women commitments, but would be happy to do a month long stint. Lola's brain tumour scenes will air on EastEnders w/c 31 October at 19:30 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Ada Nicodemou has revealed the reason why Channel 7's annual Telethon fundraiser is very important to her. The Home and Away star, 45, participated in the WA-based charity event over the weekend, helping to raise funds for sick and disadvantaged kids. Speaking to Perth Now, Ada recalled the time she needed the support and services after she delivered her son Harrison stillborn in 2014 eight months into her pregnancy. Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou (pictured) has revealed emotional reason why the Telethon fundraiser is important to her 'I've been in those hospital beds and it's an awful thing for any parent to go through', the soap star said during the fundraiser on Saturday night. 'It's why wherever we can, we try to help raise money,' she added. Ada went on to say: 'When we need those services, you find out they are very, very important. There's such a big sense of community here in WA that is very special and everyone is so excited about Telethon.' The Home and Away star recalled the time she needed the support and services after she delivered her son Harrison stillborn in 2014 eight months into her pregnancy Ada and her ex-husband Chrys Xipolitas first discovered they'd fallen pregnant with Harrison in 2014. The pair announced the news of their second pregnancy in March, during an interview with New Idea. But just months later, the couple revealed that Harrison was delivered stillborn, on Thursday 7 August 2014. 'When we need those services, you find out they are very, very important. There's such a big sense of community here in WA that is very special and everyone is so excited about Telethon,' Ada said Earlier, Ada had suffered a miscarriage before welcoming their son Johnas in 2012 through IVF. Ada and Chrys separated the following year and finalised their divorce in 2016 after nine years of marriage. The Home and Away actress is currently dating millionaire businessman Adam Rigby. In August, Ada and Adam sparked rumours they are engaged after sharing a series of photos during a holiday in Queenstown. Craig McLachlan is preparing to return to the stage for the first time in five years, after dropping his his high-profile defamation lawsuit against ABC, Sydney Morning Herald and Christie Whelan Browne. The actor and musician, 57, will appear in a special New Year's Eve show, performing songs from American country music legend Hank Williams. 'You know, to say the last almost five years have been tough would be the understatement to end all understatements,' he told The Sunday Telegraph this weekend. Craig McLachlan, 57, (pictured) will return to the stage for a special New Year's Eve show after dropping his defamation lawsuit against ABC, Sydney Morning Herald and Christie Whelan Browne 'Professionally, literally from 1986 to January 2018 I was always working, job to job to job and to suddenly be, not only out of a job but unable to even imagine ever performing again, was completely overwhelming.' McLachlan went on to say it was even 'more overwhelming' when fans questioned him about whether he'd perform again. 'Truly, the guitar has been, and continues to be, so much more than simply the thing I bashed out Mona and a bunch of other songs on. It is part of who I am,'he added. The actor and musician told The Sunday Telegraph he'll perform songs American country music legend Hank Williams in the show The announcement comes after the actor dropped his defamation lawsuit, citing the toll it had taken on his mental health and family as the reason. It is understood McLachlan has racked up legal bills of more than $3million from the legal fight. He was intending to sue the ABC, Sydney Morning Herald and Christie Whelan Browne over claims he'd touched, kissed and groped actresses without permission in the Rocky Horror stage production, Neighbours, City Homicide, and The Doctor Blake Mysteries. He wrote off the claims by Ms Whelan Browne, and those of Erika Haynatz and Erika Scundi as 'utterly and entirely false'. The announcement comes after the actor dropped his defamation lawsuit, citing the toll it had taken on his mental health and family as the reason He dropped the defamation suit on day first of 11 women were due to give evidence. In withdrawing the defamation case, McLachlan said: 'The strain that this case has put on me and, more importantly, my family, has been utterly overwhelming. 'I cannot continue to place my family under that strain, and my own mental health will not withstand the continuing pressure.' Acting Justice Carolyn Simpson discharged the jury after the actor's barrister Kieran Smark SC applied for leave to discontinue the proceedings. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Kylie Jenner left little to the imagination in tiny black lingerie in a social media post. The 25-year-old makeup mogul posed seductively with her black faux leather bodysuit unbuttoned to expose her ample chest. The skintight number hugged her hourglass curves as she remained seated in a cozy white bed located next to an open window. Baring some skin: Kylie Jenner left little to the imagination in tiny black lingerie in a social media post Jenner's long dark locks were brushed off messily cascading down her face. Showcasing her more natural side, the mother-of-two opted for mascara and a vibrant pink flush. Her enviably plump pout, which she famously achieved with lip fillers, was painted a glossy mauve shade and a fake lip ring hugged her bottom lip. Her eyebrows were groomed neatly. Exposed: The 25-year-old makeup mogul posed seductively with her black faux leather bodysuit unbuttoned to expose her ample chest There was large black leather Balenciaga handbag sitting next to the superstar as she posed up a storm. She captioned the post, 'couldnt think of a caption.' Jenner posted the gorgeous photos after she revealed that she has 'embraced' her body since welcoming her second child earlier this year. Postpartum: Jenner posted the gorgeous photos after revealing she has 'embraced' her body since having her second child Kylie opened up about her 'baby blues' in last week's episode of The Kardashians which was filmed just weeks after giving birth to her second child. The cosmetics mogul welcomed her second child with rapper Travis Scott in early February, with the birth essentially kicking off the second season. During this week's fifth episode - entitled One Night in Miami - Kylie opens up about her emotions postpartum... and how she's embracing her body... even her 'saggy t*ts.' Opening up: Just a night prior, Kylie opened up about her 'baby blues' in the latest episode of The Kardashians which was filmed just weeks after giving birth to her second child Second child: The 25-year-old cosmetics mogul welcomed her second child with rapper Travis Scott in early February, with the birth essentially kicking off the second season Kendall: Towards the beginning of the episode, Kendall Jenner comes into Kylie's office to pay her a visit and check up on her Baby: 'Kylie had her baby a few weeks ago, so I'm just stopping into her office to say hi, check in on her. It is pretty wild that she is a mom of two, also amazing,' Kendall says in confession Really hard: Kendall asks Kylie how she is and how the baby is and Kylie says it's been, 'really hard for me' 'I cried non-stop all day for the first three weeks,' Kylie says, which Kendall adds was an 'emotional roller-coaster.' She continued, 'It's just the baby blues and then it kinda goes away. I had it with Stormi too,' and that she would cry so much she would just 'lay in bed and my head would hurt so much.' Kylie reveals in confession, 'I'm not a doctor, but I read on Google they call it 'baby blues' when it doesn't last past six weeks.' Non-stop: 'I cried non-stop all day for the first three weeks,' Kylie says, which Kendall adds was an, 'emotional roller-coaster No doctor: Kylie reveals in confession, 'I'm not a doctor, but I read on Google they call it 'baby blues' when it doesn't last past six weeks' 'After about six weeks, I started to feel better, but I definitely had a case of the blues,' Kylie admitted, telling Kendall she's feeling better and not 'crying every day so that's great.' 'I don't have bad days with my body, I have bad days mentally and I need my first night out,' Kylie says. Kendall suggests, 'I have to go to Vegas for 818 on Saturday, and then I think the Grammy's are the next day so Kourtney and Travis are gonna be there.' Better: 'After about six weeks, I started to feel better, but I definitely had a case of the blues,' Kylie admitted, telling Kendall she's feeling better and not 'crying every day so that's great' Vegas: Kendall suggests, 'I have to go to Vegas for 818 on Saturday, and then I think the Grammy's are the next day so Kourtney and Travis are gonna be there' Kendall adds in confession that she's, 'starting a new chapter in my career. 818 is my baby. I've been working on it for about five years now and I can't wait to just continue to grow the brand and it is just the best and really crazy.' Kendall asks Kylie to just come with her to Vegas and they can make it a 'girls night' as Kylie admits she hasn't had, 'a night out in almost a year.' Kendall adds in confession she is, 'so glad Kylie is coming, because Kylie is feeling a little down and I tend to get a lot of anxiety in situations like this, I think that us two going together could like almost even us out and we could be helpful towards each other.' New chapter: Kendall adds in confession that she's, 'starting a new chapter in my career. 818 is my baby. I've been working on it for about five years now and I can't wait to just continue to grow the brand and it is just the best and really crazy' Vegas: Kendall asks Kylie to just come with her to Vegas and they can make it a 'girls night' as Kylie admits she hasn't had, 'a night out in almost a year' Kylie says she would, 'love to support you and your 818, Kendall,' as Kendall says it sounds, 'pretty perfect,' though Kylie immediately starts fretting about something. 'Oh my God I need to find an outfit, Kendall. I'm not ready for like a little tiny Vegas minidress, it's just gonna be hot and I'm not there with the outfit yet.' Kendall rolls her eyes and tells Kylie, 'Do not tell me you're about to wear a coat in Vegas,' as Kylie admits she's going to bring her coat. 'I can't a minidress right now. I'm just not there yet,' Kylie says as Kendall says she's, 'setting yourself up for failure.' Support: Kylie says she would, 'love to support you and your 818, Kendall,' as Kendall says it sounds, 'pretty perfect,' though Kylie immediately starts fretting about something No coat: Kendall rolls her eyes and tells Kylie, 'Do not tell me you're about to wear a coat in Vegas,' as Kylie admits she's going to bring her coat 'Nothing's stopping me. I'm feeling like really good about my body. I've seen my body and I'm like I love my body my saggy tits and I'm embracing my PP body postpartum,' Kylie admits. 'I can't wait for my PP drink, my PP body and we're gonna PP all the way there, on the PP the private plane,' Kylie says, referring to her private jet. 'P***y popping party plane postpartum. PPPP,' Kylie says with a laugh. Later in the episode, Kendall reveals that Kylie backed out of the trip... though she let Kendall use her private plane to head to Las Vegas. Kylie revealed in confession, Sorry Kendall, I couldnt make it to Vegas. I have two kids now and it just couldnt work out but I love you and have the best time. PP body: 'Nothing's stopping me. I'm feeling like really good about my body. I've seen my body and I'm like I love my body my saggy tits and I'm embracing my PP body postpartum,' Kylie admits Cant wait: 'I can't wait for my PP drink, my PP body and we're gonna PP all the way there, on the PP the private plane,' Kylie says, referring to her private jet The stages at the Las Vegas Festival grounds were silent Saturday after organizers at the When We Were Young music festival canceled all performances due to high winds in the region. The announcement came down at 10 am local time, just an hour before the gates were to be opened, allowing thousands of music lovers to arrive for the October 22 shows. The news meant artists including Avril Lavigne, Paramore, Landon Barker and dozens of others would not be taking the stage. Canceled: Avril Lavigne and dozens of other artists weren't able to take the stage at the When We Were Young music festival in Las Vegas after the shows were cancelled due to bad weather/ Pictured Las Vegas in September 2022 A statement on the festival website read, 'When We Were Young Festival organizers have spent the last several days proactively preparing the festival grounds for a windy Saturday.' 'The National Weather Service has now upgraded their Saturday forecast to a High Wind Warning, including dangerous 30-40 mph sustained winds with potential 60 mph gusts.' 'Under advisement of the National Weather Service and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, we have no other choice than to cancel todays When We Were Young Festival.' No shows: Paramore and Landon Barker were scheduled to headline two of the stages at the outdoor festival Sorry: Paramore announced the cancellation on social media and said they were looking forward to Sunday's show 'The safety of our fans, artists and staff will always be our top priority.' In her Instagram stories, Avril posted a video expressing her disappointment at not being able to perform. 'I feel really bad for everybody who's traveled into town to see the show to see their f**king favorite bands. Organizers: Festival organizers said they called off the show because of High Wind Warning in the area where sustained winds of 30-40 mph were expected, with gusts up to 60 mph 'Everyone's safety had to come first,' she explained, 'which is why we canceled it.' Paramore posted a written message in their stories sharing information about the cancellation and writing, 'We are so sorry and hope to see you tomorrow.' Barring any changes in the weather the forecast for Sunday appears to be good and shows scheduled for that day should be able to go on. Disappointment: Avril expressed her disappointment in an Instagram stories video telling fans, ''Everyone's safety had to come first, which is why we canceled it' Performances set for October 29 still have the green light. The website said their policies won't allow disappointed ticket holders attend either of the upcoming shows but they will be able to receive a refund within the next 30 days. Tickets to next year's gathering have already been sold out, although hopeful fans can add their names to a waitlist. Drake and 21 Savage got fans riled up on Saturday as they announced upcoming release of their joint album, titled Her Loss. The duo made the reveal in the music video for their hit song Jimmy Cooks, which debuted on YouTube Saturday. In the Mahfuz Sultan-directed video, Drake and 21 Savage snuck in the album's title as well as its Friday, October 28, release date. Big announcement: Drake and 21 Savage got fans riled up on Saturday as they announced upcoming release of their joint album, titled Her Loss (pictured Oct. 19, 2022) Jimmy Cooks is 21 Savage and Drake's most recent collaboration which debuted in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100. The two rappers perform in front of a series of huge television monitors during the clip before revealing the pertinent information at the halfway point. Drake and 21, born Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, have worked together on a number of songs including Knife Talk, Mr. Right Now and many more. Reveal: The duo made the reveal in the music video for their hit song Jimmy Cooks, which debuted on YouTube Saturday Sneaky: In the Mahfuz Sultan-directed video, Drake and 21 Savage snuck in the album's title as well as its Friday, October 28, release date The title of their most recent collaboration seems to be a nod to Drake's Degrassi: The Next Generation character Jimmy Brooks. He played the teen in a number of episodes during the first eight seasons of the Canadian teen drama. The album will be Drake's second album release of the year. He debuted Honestly, Nevermind over the summer. The latest: Jimmy Cooks is 21 Savage and Drake's most recent collaboration which debuted in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 21 Savage last released an album back in 2020. It was also a collaborative effort titled Savage Mode II. Metro Boomin co-created the album with 21. He's since released an EP back in 2021 titled Spiral: From the Book of Saw Soundtrack. The secretive album will be released through the labels OVO, Republic, Slaughter Gang and Epic. Booka Nile has celebrated her 15th week of pregnancy by sharing a glimpse at her growing baby bump. The Married At First Sight star, who is expecting a baby boy, thrilled her Instagram fans on Saturday by posting a heartwarming photo of herself posing on the side with her belly on display. Dressed in a grey, figure-hugging maxi dress, Booka was pictured looking down as she placed a hand on her bump. Married At First Sight's Booka Nile (pictured) celebrated her 15th week of pregnancy by sharing a glimpse at her growing baby bump on Sunday 'Both of us growing bigger and bigger together every day,' the Perth rock musician wrote in the caption. Booka announced she was pregnant with an unnamed male friend last month, telling fans on Instagram that while the news was unexpected, she's looking forward to the challenge. Holding up a tiny white jumpsuit, Booka wrote: 'Motherhood was not something I ever thought I'd experience. Booka announced she was pregnant with an unnamed male friend last month, telling fans on Instagram that while the news was unexpected, she's looking forward to the challenge She continued: 'It just didn't feel like it could or would ever happen for me.' Booka said she came to the realisation that while the circumstances may never be right, she has accepted it. 'I don't think they'll ever be 'right' but my baby boy does not really gaf about that,' she joked. 'It just didn't feel like it could or would ever happen for me,' she wrote. 'Against all odds he has made himself a little home inside my belly and is growing bigger and stronger every day' 'Against all odds he has made himself a little home inside my belly and is growing bigger and stronger every day.' The reality star went on to say that both herself and the baby's father were excited to welcome their little child. 'After giving it a lot of thought we realised we wanted to be his mum and dad, even though we aren't together and have no plans to be,' she wrote. 'After giving it a lot of thought we realised we wanted to be his mum and dad, even though we aren't together and have no plans to be,' Booka wrote, saying she plans to co-parent 'We're working on becoming great friends and plan to co-parent together. Our only goal is that our son is loved and cared for by both of us and that he grows up knowing how loved he is by his mum and dad.' Booka went on to say that her baby boy has changed her life, giving the 'saddest, most defeated version of myself joy, happiness and hope again. 'I'm working hard every day now to become the best version of myself possible and I'm doing it for him,' she wrote. Booka went on to say that her baby boy has changed her life, giving the ' saddest, most defeated version of myself joy, happiness and hope again 'I'll never be able to express how grateful I am to my son for being the ONLY one in the world who was able to pull me out of the darkness I was in. He is the miracle I didn't know I needed.' She finished by saying she is counting down the days until she meets him. Booka did not reveal the identity of the father in her post. Booka was partnered with electrician and psychology student Brett Helling on Married At First Sight in 2021, but they split before the final vows. She finished by saying she is counting down the days until she meets him Helling later said the pair had 'tunnel vision' on the show, and realised their relationship wouldn't last in the outside world. 'Booka and I were hanging out one day and we were just having a chat about life and all kinds of things. I think we both just came to the realisation that it wasn't something we wanted to pursue outside of the experiment,' he said. Booka was later romantically linked to tattooed musician Corey Freear after they were spotted holding hands in Perth. She announced she was engaged to her long-time partner Thomas Poole in August last year. And Tanya Hennessy threw a lavish engagement party at her home in Nelson Bay, NSW on Saturday night. The Australian comedian, 36, looked loved-up as ever as she posed for a photo with her partner on Instagram. Australian comedian Tanya Hennessy (left) threw a lavish engagement party with her fiance Thomas Poole (right) at their home in Nelson Bay, NSW on Saturday night Tanya dazzled in a one-of-a-kind, embellished gold dress by Melbourne-based designer Kyha, worth $6,995. She teamed up her look with a white fedora hat. The couple decorated the room with over 200 heart balloons, and indulged in desserts including a thee-tier cake. Tanya dazzled in a one-of-a-kind, embellished gold dress by Melbourne-based designer Kyha, worth $6,995 It comes after the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here star opened up about her struggles with having a baby with Thomas. Tanya has been open about her endometriosis in the past and the difficulties it causes when conceiving. 'Getting pregnant is a f***ing full-time job and I am at my wits end,' she told her Instagram followers back in August. Tanya wore a $6,995 one of a kind mirrored and embellished gold tulle dress from Melbourne-based Kyha The couple decorated the room with over 200 heart balloons, and indulged in desserts including a thee-tier cake She continued: 'It hurts that my body won't do what I want it to. I'm bloody over it. 'Something that is seemingly so easy for so many, feels impossible for us. It's infuriating. The endless calls and the blood tests and internals.' Tanya went on to talk about the guilt which comes with 'harassing' doctors because she has to 'keep on them' when they're busy. The comedian has been open about her endometriosis in the past 'Getting pregnant is a f***ing full-time job and I am at my wits end,' she told her Instagram followers back in August She said she's 'not 100% certain they know or care what's going on with' her since they deal with so many patients every day. 'I'm exhausted. Burnt out. I'm not burnt out by work but by the fatigue of [trying to conceive]. It's impossibly hard,' she said. 'You want to just get up and do it. Like work, but you get fed up from trying and getting nothing from it. 'Plus, I've been doing that for years and it comes to a point of frustration that's hard to bare. I feel like I'm between two worlds. Where I want to be and where I am.' Tanya went on to talk about the guilt which comes with 'harassing' doctors She said she's 'not 100% certain they know or care what's going on with' her since they deal with so many patients every day Tanya opened up to Mamamia earlier this year about her 'aggressive' case of endometriosis, a painful disorder in which the inner lining of the uterus grows on the outside of female reproductive organs. She said it was so bad it had grown over her bladder and she would need surgery to get the extra tissue out. 'And then it'll be a couple of months and then we can try naturally again, or we'll have to go down the IVF path,' she continued. Tanya opened up to Mamamia earlier this year about her 'aggressive' case of endometriosis Tanya then joked if nothing worked she would 'steal a baby from Coles.' Last year, the reality TV star got engaged to her partner Thomas after they had been dating for six years. She shared a picture of her large ring to Instagram with the caption: 'I'm going to be the least subtle bride alive.' Channel Nine shocked Australia when they announced former Married At First Sight contestant Elizabeth Sobinoff was returning to the controversial experiment in 2020. So it shouldn't come as a huge shock to learn that Selina Chhaur could be returning to the show in 2023 in a bid to find love after her failed marriage to Cody Bromley. On Saturday, the 34-year-old hairdresser took to Instagram to share footage of her returning to the Skye Suites apartment in Sydney's CBD, where the show is filmed. Married At First Sight bride Selina Chhaur, 34, (pictured) hinted that she could be returning to the show in 2023 on Saturday 'I'm back!' Selina announced alongside a video of herself making her way into the five star apartment, she once called home for two months while filming the series. Selina was then seen walking into the lobby before making her way up the lifts. The video marks the first time Selina returned to the complex after her brutal breakup with Cody. The hairdresser sent the rumour mill ablaze after she shared an Instagram video of herself returning to the Skye Suites apartment in Sydney's CBD, where the show is filmed It comes after the glamorous brunette packed up her belongings and relocated to Sydney from Adelaide to pursue her newfound career as an influencer. Selina recently revealed that she tried to make things work with the fitness trainer, 31, after filming ended despite their 'racist storyline', only for him to dump her. 'We were doing long distance. We shared Christmas together, he came to Adelaide... To this day, I can't tell you why [we split]. I haven't been given closure,' she said. It comes after the glamorous brunette packed up her belongings and relocated to Sydney from Adelaide to pursue her newfound career as an influencer The split happened in the car after the MAFS reunion in January, during which she told her co-stars she would be relocating from Adelaide to Sydney for Cody. 'I felt like he was being a bit weird [in the car afterwards],' Selina said. 'I thought, "Oh, now he's shutting off again." 'I put my hand on top of his, to which he had this knee-jerk reaction and shook my hand off. He's like, "You know what, I'm going to call it." That's how he ended it.' Selina recently revealed that she tried to make things work with her fitness trainer ex Cody Bromley, 31, (left) after filming ended despite their 'racist storyline', only for him to dump her Despite Selina's confidence being 'annihilated' on the controversial reality show, she said she knew her value enough to let go of the relationship in that moment. The Nine Network series descended into chaos after Cody admitted he didn't find his wife Selina attractive because she's Asian. Viewers were quick to blast the franchise for airing such a divisive storyline, with some even saying MAFS should be axed. Kate Walsh dressed to impress as she attended the Telethon fundraiser with her new fiance Andrew Nixon in Perth on Saturday. The Grey's Anatomy star, 55, stunned in a strapless long lime green dress, which featured a high slit, as she made her way to the event. The American actress completed her look with strappy heels and couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked alongside Andrew. Kate Walsh, 55, (right) stunned in a lime green dress as she attended Telethon fundraiser with her fiance Andrew Nixon (left) in Perth on Saturday Kate also held a silver bag and wore statements earrings for the event. She tied her long brunette locks into a high bun and opted for a neutral palette of makeup. Meanwhile, Andrew looked dapper in a black tuxedo, white buttoned shirt, bow tie and black shoes. The Grey's Anatomy star stunned in a strapless long lime green dress, which featured a high slit, as she made her way to the event The American actress completed her look with strappy heels and couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked alongside Andrew Kate recently revealed she secretly got engaged to Australian farmer Andrew during an Instagram Live she did with Amy Brenneman. 'Here comes the jungle cat, that is my fiance,' the beaming bride-to-be announced earlier this month from their Perth home. Brenneman replied: 'She just 100 percent outed your engagement!' 'I did, I just outed our engagement,' Kate confirmed, prompting Andrew to respond: 'Awww.' Kate and Andrew later kissed each other on camera to the delight of her fans tuning into the 38-minute online chat. Andrew looked dapper in a black tuxedo, white buttoned shirt, bow tie and black shoes Kate recently revealed she secretly got engaged to Australian farmer Andrew during an Instagram Live she did with Amy Brenneman The California born, Arizona raised actress reportedly met the Nixon Farming staffer on a cruise just before the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. The Nixon family have been farming predominantly malt barley and canola in the Moora/New Norcia area of Western Australia for close to 100 years, according to the website. This will be the second time down the aisle for Kate, who ended her 15-month marriage to Day Shift executive producer Alex Young in 2010. At the time, the showbiz couple - who legally separated 2008 - cited the celeb favourite 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the split. The California born, Arizona raised actress reportedly met the Nixon Farming staffer on a cruise just before the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 WSFM hosts Amanda Keller and Brendan 'Jonesy' Jones are reportedly poised to re-sign with broadcaster ARN for another two years. The pair, who have been hosting together for 17 years, are apparently in the final stages of inking a two-year extension in their popular breakfast slot, The Daily Telegraph claims. 'Sources indicated the process was a mere formality now with Jones and Keller set to re-sign for another two years,' the publication reported on Sunday. WSFM hosts Amanda Keller and Brendan 'Jonesy' Jones (both pictured) are reportedly poised to re-sign with broadcaster ARN for another two years Just two weeks ago Keller was out of a job at Channel 10 after the network axed her lifestyle show The Living Room for 2013. The program, starring Keller, Barry Du Bois, Miguel Maestre and Dr Chris Brown, is said to be returning in 2024. Sharing the news on-air, Keller said it was a 'sad' but necessary move, with the year-long hiatus required to ensure The Living Room has a 'brilliant' comeback. The pair, who have been hosting together for 17 years, are apparently in the final stages of inking a two-year extension in their popular breakfast slot, The Daily Telegraph claims Just two weeks ago Keller was out of a job at Channel 10 after the network axed her lifestyle show The Living Room for 2013. Pictured with The Living Room co-stars Barry Du Bois, Dr Chris Brown and Miguel Maestre Sharing the news on-air, Keller said it was a 'sad' but necessary move, with the year-long hiatus required to ensure The Living Room has a 'brilliant' comeback While ARN's all-star line-up endures, rival network Nova FM is facing a mass exodus following the departure of Chrissie Swan, Sam Pang and Jonathan Brown last week. The trio shocked their listeners on Friday morning when they announced they were leaving their top-rating breakfast program, Chrissie, Sam & Browny, after seven years on-air. While ARN's all-star line-up endures, rival network Nova FM is facing a mass exodus following the departure of Chrissie Swan (centre), Sam Pang (left) and Jonathan Brown (right) last week According to an insider, the announcement also stunned Nova staff, with all employees at the station receiving an email at 8.30am from CEO Peter Charlton with a press release attached. The news came just hours after their colleague Kate Ritchie revealed she was also stepping down and taking a break from her Nova FM drive show. She will be off the air for the remainder of the year but will return alongside co-hosts Joel Creasey and Tim Blackwell in early 2023. They've had a successful run on The Block so far. But it appears as if Omar Slaimankhel and Oz Malik's luck may have run out. During Sunday's episode, the western Sydney best mates were left heartbroken after it was revealed that they wouldn't be able to finish their shed due to bad weather. It appears Omar Slaimankhel and Oz Malik's luck may have run out on The Block. Both pictured The pair admitted that they were 'devastated' after foremen Keith Schleiger and Dan Reilly told them the bad news. Omar and Oz ran out of time to build the custom shed, which was missing a roof, due to bad weather. Dan explained the bad weather the past month has had a real impact and that they would be wasting their time if they tried. Omar and Oz were left shattered, but they are determined to do the best they can and never give up Omar and Oz were left shattered by the turn of events. It comes after the pair laughed off the ridiculous rumour they 'fled the country' to escape public backlash over being labelled 'dodgy dealers'. Omar and Oz spoke to Yahoo about their recent holiday in Bali with their families, which some news outlets described as them 'fleeing Australia'. The western Sydney best mates spoke to Yahoo about their recent holiday in Bali with their families, which some news outlets described as them 'fleeing Australia'. (Pictured: Oz holidaying in Bali in 2018) They were reportedly heard on the flight over complaining about Foreman Keith and their co-stars and saying they had to 'escape it all' before auction day. Omar burst into laughter when asked about the rumours, saying: 'That's funny. That was pretty funny when we did see it at the time.' He clarified they were just on a normal holiday for a few weeks so they could relax before the show's finale. Omar burst into laughter when asked about the rumours, saying: 'That's funny. That was pretty funny when we did see it at the time.' He clarified they were just on a normal holiday for a few weeks so they could relax before the show's finale 'It's alright, whatever, who cares? They can say what they want!' he added. Oz explained they'd asked Channel Nine for permission before they left the country. 'We asked Channel Nine, "Can we go for a nice two-week holiday with the family?" They let us know when we could, and we went. We enjoyed it. It was pretty good,' he said. Their overseas trip followed the pair's 'dodgy dealing' scandal and their frank discussion with Foreman Dan over the show perpetuating racist stereotypes. Scandal broke out on The Block when Omar and Oz scored a $36,000 baby grand piano for just $7,509. The pair had also been accused of breaking the rules by buying heavily discounted fixtures and using friends and family as free labour. Omar and Oz, who are both Muslim, subsequently confronted Dan over the 'hurtful' things he and Foreman Keith had said throughout the show. Omar, who is of Afghan heritage, and Oz, who is Australian Lebanese, said they feared they were going to be edited to be shown as 'wogs doing dodgy s**t on TV'. 'We genuinely don't want to sit down on TV and our family and friends are watching this, and another million or so people, and they be like, "Those two f**king w*** on the show being dodgy all season,"' added building maintenance manager Oz. Sophie Budack is expecting her first child. The former Big Brother Australia star shared the good news with her fans on Sunday, posing a photo of her positive pregnancy test, ultrasound and baby clothes. The 28-year-old wrote in her caption: 'Our little miracle arriving in May'. Sophie Budack is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, known only as Rutger. The couple are pictured together Sophie tagged the father of her baby, her boyfriend, known only as Rutger, who she has been dating since the start of 2021. In a video shared to TikTok and Instagram Stories, Sophie showed her journey, including her first positive pregnancy test. She also documented the process of getting an early ultrasound and her growing baby bump. The former Big Brother Australia star shared the good news with her fans on Sunday, posing a photo of her positive pregnancy test, ultrasound and baby clothes The 28-year-old wrote in her caption: 'Our little miracle arriving in May' She also documented the process of getting an early ultrasound Sophie wrote in her caption: 'Can't wait to share more of our story with you guys. For now, I'm just so happy and overwhelmed with the support and love'. The former reality star now resides in Europe - she was forced to leave Australia and return to the Netherlands after the resurgence of Covid-19 made it impossible for her to find work in Sydney. In July 2021, she revealed she had found love once again after splitting from winning housemate Chad Hurst. Elsewhere in the clip she showed off her growing baby bump Sophie wrote in her caption: 'Can't wait to share more of our story with you guys. For now, I'm just so happy and overwhelmed with the support and love' 'Oh, he's amazing! His name is Rutger and he's my perfect match,' the former gymnast told Daily Mail Australia. 'Since Big Brother, I spent the last year concentrating on me and wasn't looking for love, but when love literally walks through your door, there's nothing you can do,' she added. Sophie and Rutger had been dating for several months at the time, but the athlete-turned-influencer wanted to wait before announcing the romance. In July 2021, she revealed she had found love once again after splitting from winning housemate Chad Hurst (left) 'Oh, he's amazing! His name is Rutger and he's my perfect match,' the former gymnast told Daily Mail Australia. Pictured together While little is known about Rutger (pictured), Sophie said they were introduced by her younger sister Yasmin and 'from the first night we met there was an instant connection' While little is known about Rutger, Sophie said they were introduced by her younger sister Yasmin and 'from the first night we met there was an instant connection'. Sophie, who was raised in Australia, split with Chad after she relocated to Europe in 2020. She previously said of their break-up: 'A lot of people will be asking about myself and Chad but there are some elements of my life I want to keep private. Sophie, who was raised in Australia, split with Chad after she relocated to Europe in 2020 'Since Big Brother, I spent the last year concentrating on me and wasn't looking for love, but when love literally walks through your door, there's nothing you can do,' she added 'For now, I am just taking it one step at a time and looking at the positives. At least now I can show you the other side of the world and a bit more of me.' The couple had awkwardly dodged Sonia Kruger's questions about their relationship status during the show's live finale in July last year. Chad and Sophie were last pictured together two days after he won the $230,000 cash prize when they went for a walk around Sydney's Bondi Beach. Dolph Lundgren revealed his injured foot as he arrived on crutches for dinner with his fiancee Emma Krokdal in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. The Rocky IV actor, 64, sported a pair of dark tracksuit bottoms with one trainer and his cast as he made his way inside the restaurant. The star cut a smart figure on top in a black blazer which he teamed with a V-neck T-shirt. Getting better: Dolph Lundgren showed off his injured foot which was wrapped in a black boot as he arrived on crutches for dinner with his fiance in Los Angeles Meanwhile his 25-year old fiancee looked sensational in a tie dye black mini dress which she teamed with a pair of towering black leather knee high boots. The brunette beauty donned a shiny black bomber jacket which she half zipped up and let drape of her one shoulder. She carried her personal belongings in a stylish Prada bag and and donned a radiant palette of makeup including smoky eye shadow and bold pink lipstick. Injured: The Rocky IV actor, 64, sported a pair of dark tracksuit bottoms with one trainer and his cast as he made his way inside the restaurant Dolph revealed he was having ankle surgery back in August after first injuring his foot in the military. He explained on Instagram: 'Finally doing surgery on my left ankle. Ive had this injury since my time in the military. 'During 40 years of martial arts and doing action films, its been a fight every day. The joint is now basically destroyed. Hopping along: The star cut a smart figure on top in a black blazer which he teamed with a V-neck T-shirt as he made his way down a set of stairs Looking good: Meanwhile he fiance Emma Krokdal, 25, looked sensational in a tie dye black mini dress which she teamed with a pair of towering black leather knee high boots 'Directing and starring in Wanted Man really did it inCant wait to be able to walk normally again. Will keep you posted.' Last month the star shared a video to his Instagram in a hospital gown, face mask and white cast as he hopped around the hospital corridor post surgery. Dolph announced his engagement to Emma in an Instagram post on June 29, 2020. The action star met the fitness expert at the gym Equinox, where she worked, in July 2019. 'Finally doing surgery on my left ankle, Ive had this injury since my time in the military': Dolph revealed he was having ankle surgery back in August after first injuring his foot in the military They began dating in 2019 and went public with their relationship in January 2020 at the Cana Dorada Film & Music Festival in the Dominican Republic. 'I feel very lucky that I have someone like Emma at this age. It's changed my life and I hope I can give her the kind of help and support that takes a lot of time to discover and amass,' he told Muscle and Health about his relationship last year. While his personal life seems to be going well, the star was recently engaged in a public feud with his former co-star Sylvester Stallone. Wow: Last month the star shared a video to his Instagram in a hospital gown, face mask and white cast as he hopped around the hospital corridor post surgery Stallone, 76, took to Instagram last week to react to a report from The Wrap that Robert Lawton was brought on to write the screenplay for Rocky spin-off, that would tell the origins of Ivan Drago, the villainous Soviet boxer from Rocky IV that Lundgren played. Stallone said he has no involvement in this spin-off, calling Winkler 'pathetic' and his sons Charles and David, 'moronic vulture children.' He also called out Lundgren, adding, 'By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him !!! REAL FRIENDS Are more precious than gold.' Working out: The action met the fitness expert at the gym Equinox, where she worked, in July 2019 (pictured July 2022) Engaged! They began dating in 2019 and went public with their relationship in January 2020 at the Cana Dorada Film & Music Festival in the Dominican Republic (pictured March 2022) Stallone wrote and starred in the first Rocky movie, directed by John G. Alvidsen which went on to a surprising Best Picture win at the Oscars, which Winkler won as a producer. Stallone would go on to write, direct and star in 1979's Rocky II, 1982's Rocky III, 1985's Rocky IV, 1990's Rocky V and 2006's Rocky Balboa. Dolph was quick to play down tensions, taking to Instagram to tell fans that he was working things out with the Hollywood megastar. Spin-off: Sylvester Stallone is none too happy with Rocky producer Irwin Winkler and his sons, Charles and David, for their involvement in a Rocky spin-off they're making without him, centering on the character Stallone in Rocky IV, Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago 'Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spinoff. Theres no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor,' Lundgren said. 'There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr Balboa - just so all the fans can relaxThere ya go,' he concluded. No plot details were revealed and it's unclear if Lundgren or Florian Munteanu, who played Ivan Drago's son Viktor in Creed II, will return in the spin-off. Motsi Mabuse kept her head down as she arrived at her hotel after filming Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. The TV judge, 41, wrapped up in a brown padded coat featuring multi-coloured comic book prints, which she teamed up with black leggings and white trainers. It comes after her co-star Craig Revel Horwood labelled as a 'diva' for needing several people to do her hair and make-up for the show. Emerging: Motsi Mabuse wore a coat with colourful comic prints as she arrived at her hotel following Strictly filming on Saturday... after being labelled a 'diva' by Craig Revel Horwood Also heading back to the hotel were celebrity contestants Ellie Simmonds, Kym Marsh and Jayde Adams, who appeared to be in high spirits. Professional dancers Luba Mushtuk, Karen Hauer and Dianne Buswell, who was joined by her boyfriend Joe Sugg, were pictured as well. It comes after Craig bragged that he has a far less time-consuming and less demanding beauty routine than Motsi. Happy: Ellie Simmonds sported a grey top and a black coat while appearing to be in high spirits Couple: Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg looked every inch the happy couple Cosy: Kym Marsh looked comfy in a black onesie with white lightning bolt prints He told The Sun: 'Motsi's got six people in her dressing room doing the make-up, the lipstick, the eyes, the false eyelashes, her hair, her dress. She's a diva...' he said, 'Whereas I have no one. I do my own. I do my own hair and make-up.' Elsewhere, he revealed Bruno Tonioli wishes he left Strictly with 'more of a fanfare' while defending fellow judge Shirley Ballas after she was branded 'sexist' by viewers who were left unimpressed by her seemingly favouring the male stars on the show. Craig said of his 'dear friend Bruno' initially being covered by Anton Du Beke: 'Bruno just wished he had more of a fanfare because it sort of just dwindled out, which is a shame because of Covid.' Unmissable: Jayde Adams put on an eye-popping display in an orange coat Hello! Luba Mushtuk [left] waved at photographers while Karen Hauer [right] carried a giant bouquet of flowers He added that the Italian dance professional, who reportedly picks up 1million per series on Dancing With The Stars, is enjoying his life in LA with a 'massive set of friends'. And on the recent anguish against series judge Shirley, 62, who was accused of having 'favourites whether they have ability or not', Craig defended his colleague. Some viewers called for her to be sacked on Twitter as they claim she has 'no credibility as a judge'. Vanessa Kirby and Paul Rabil once again sparked dating rumours as they stepped out hand-in-hand in New York City on Saturday. The Crown actress, 34, bundled up in a long beige coat, which she wore over a white floral corset top. She completed the ensemble with a pair of black trousers and leather boots, while hiding her eyes behind stylish sunglasses. New couple? Vanessa Kirby and Paul Rabil once again sparked dating rumours as they stepped out hand-in-hand in New York City on Saturday Vanessa opted for a natural makeup look, while her blonde tresses blew effortlessly in the wind as they strolled through the city. Meanwhile Paul, who is the co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League, showed off his fall fashion in a burgundy jumper. The lacrosse player donned a green t-shirt underneath, teamed with a pair of blue trousers and white trainers. Stylish: The Crown actress, 34, bundled up in a long beige coat, which she wore over a white floral corset top Before jetting to New York, Vanessa was in Venice for the 79th annual Film Festival. The Crown star recently won critical acclaim for her performance in 2020's Pieces Of A Woman. In April, Vanessa was linked to Christopher Abbott after the pair were spotted enjoying a drink at a trendy bar in London's Soho. The pair, who met when they played a married couple in 19th Century romantic drama The World To Come in 2020, were deep in conversation at Ducksoup. Case of the ex: Vanessa previously dated Callum Turner after they starred in 2014's Queen And Country. They got together a year later but parted in 2020, blaming busy schedules for their split (pictured together) An onlooker said the stars 'looked super comfortable in each other's company' as they drank wine and chatted for a couple of hours at an outside table. Vanessa previously dated Callum Turner after they starred in 2014's Queen And Country. They got together a year later but parted in 2020, blaming busy schedules for their split. Meanwhile It was reported in December by Just Jared that Paul split with actress Eiza Gonzalez, 32, after seven months of dating. The source said: 'The split happened a few weeks ago and it wasn't ugly at all. Their work schedules just weren't aligning and it put a strain on their relationship. They're going to remain friends though!' MailOnline has reached out to representatives of both Vanessa and Paul for comment, in relation to this story. She recently announced she's expecting her first child following two miscarriages. And now Jessica Fox is getting into baby mode as she arrived at co-star Jorgie Porter's baby shower. Cutting a casual figure in Manchester on Sunday, the 39-year-old Hollyoaks actress wore a knitted black jumper with an orange and black printed midi skirt, perfect for the autumnal weather. Baby boom: Jessica Fox recently announced she's expecting her first child following two miscarriages, and today she arrived at co-star Jorgie Porter's baby shower She paired her outfit with some chunky black leather boots which matched perfectly with her black leather shoulder bag. Holding a gift bag as she walked to the central Manchester event, Jessica wore her chocolate brown locks straight and styled her fringe. She accessorised with a long gold pendant chain which sat just above her growing baby bump. Mum-of-the-moment Jorgie Porter couldn't contain her smile as she arrived at her baby shower at Firefly in Manchester with her fiance Oliver Piotrowski. Party ready: Cutting a casual figure in Manchester on Sunday, the 39-year-old Hollyoaks actress wore a knitted black jumper with an orange and black printed midi skirt The Hollyoaks actress, 34, who is expecting her first child, looked incredible in a figure hugging sheer gold midi dress which showcased her growing bump. The beauty donned a black slip under the long sleeves number keeping her modesty and elevated her frame in a pair of open toe thigh high black boots. Jess recently revealed she's expecting her first child with her husband Nicholas Willes. The actress, 39, who is best known for playing Nancy Hayton in the Channel 4 soap, also opened up about her fertility journey, explaining she has previously suffered two miscarriages. Support: Holding a gift bag as she walked to the central Manchester event, Jessica wore her chocolate brown locks straight and styled her fringe Jessica cosied up to Nicholas, who she tied the knot with in 2020, in the Instagram snaps along with a series of baby scans. The couple were all smiles as they donned matching hats with the words 'mum' and 'dad' written on them. Jessica penned a lengthy caption, which she screen-shotted and posted as a series of images, detailing her fertility journey. She began by saying: 'Nick and I have been on a rocky road to get to this point. Miscarriage is awful, there is no other word for it. Parents to be: Jorgie Porter couldn't contain her smile as she arrived at her baby shower at Firefly in Manchester with her fiance Oliver Piotrowski on Sunday 'It robs you of the future you had planned, your faith in your body, it's isolating, lonely, frightening and nobody seems to talk about it. It's incredibly painful, it's pass out in your bathroom painful. Jessica continued: 'It takes away the joy and excitement when and if you choose (and are able) to get pregnant again. It's replaced by anxiety, stress and more fear than I ever could have imaged. 'Nick and I lost two babies in 2021. Both losses were at the end of the first trimester and completely heartbreaking. Congratulations! Jessica recently revealed she's expecting her first child with her husband Nicholas Willes Sweet: Jessica cosied up to Nicholas, who she tied the knot with in 2020, in the Instagram snaps along with a series of baby scans She then explained how tough it was when her Hollyoaks character became pregnant: 'In a cruel twist of fate, when I got pregnant the second time, the character I play on Hollyoaks was pregnant too. 'On Twitter and Instagram I would see comments that I must be pregnant in real life. I looked pregnant almost straight away and I had started to put on weight. 'I started to show at work, I felt very smug that I'd have the most realistic baby bump ever. Maybe my actual baby could play my child on screen? The wardrobe department, who are the kindest people on earth, were the only ones who knew I was expecting. 'Then I lost the baby. On the Friday, I had a real bump, on the Monday I was putting on a fake one. It was every bit as horrific as it sounds. I tried to keep it a secret and get on with it. Sharing this on social media is not something I ever expected to do.' Tough: The actress, 39, who is best known for playing Nancy Hayton in the Channel 4 soap, also opened up about her fertility journey, explaining she has previously suffered two miscarriages She went on to say: 'On my due date, at work, I was handed a beautiful tiny baby and I cried uncontrollably throughout the whole scene. The director, not knowing my situation must have thought I was fantastic - I was broken. My mental health was s**t. 'I'd given up sleep, I'd developed a fear of driving, intrusive thoughts and we think a form of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). A holiday, meditation, the NHS and most important time, things improved massively and I hope they burned that bloody bump. 'On holiday in Greece, I saw the most beautiful rainbow, I was pregnant by the time I got home.' Jessica concluded by explaining she was getting help from the 'miscarriage clinic' to ensure her third pregnancy continues safely and confirmed: 'At 20 weeks, our baby is healthy and growing. Due spring 2023.' Jessica announced her engagement to Nicholas in November 2019 as she shared a snap of her sparkling engagement ring on Instagram. The soap star captioned the post: 'Be with someone you can be completely yourself with. 'Someone who makes you want to be better, kinder, eat more fruit and veg. So of course I said 'yes'.' The couple secretly got married in October 2020 after their dream 'planned wedding' was postponed due to Covid-19. Happy couple: The pair secretly got married in October 2020 after their dream 'planned wedding' was postponed due to Covid-19 She welcomed her first child, a baby girl, last week with boyfriend Jake Ankers. And Charlotte Crosby took to Instagram on Sunday to update her fans and apologise for taking a break from social media, explaining that she is 'just so in love' with her new daughter. Getting emotional in the video, the 32-year-old described motherhood as 'just absolute bliss' while talking to her 8.2M followers. 'I'm so in love': Charlotte Crosby, 32, got emotional on Sunday as she returned to social media after welcoming her baby daughter An overwhelmed Charlotte appeared make-up free as she began: 'Hi, I'm back and i'm a mother! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. I just can't go too much into it because I will literally cry. 'I am so sorry because I totally forgot that although I had told everyone that I had the baby, I kinda went quiet on Instagram and I completely forgot Instagram existed because I've just been in a world where I'm so in love.' Apologising to her followers for not keeping them in the loop, the Geordie Shore star continued: 'I'm so sorry, I should've come on and updated you all. New mother: She welcomed her first child, a baby girl, via C-section last week with boyfriend Jake Ankers Emotiona: An overwhelmed Charlotte appeared make-up free as she began: 'Hi, I'm back and i'm a mother! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. I just can't go too much into it because I will literally cry 'I checked my messages and I had so many people worried. Everything is fine, it's more than fine. it's just bliss, absolute bliss,' she continued. The video then cut off as Charlotte began to tear up, before returning in the following Story to explain: ' I had to compose myself there for a second. But yeah i have got so much to update you all on.' She welcomed her first child via Caesarean-section last week, with her dad breaking the news first as he gushed over being a grandad in a tweet. Bliss: 'I checked my messages and I had so many people worried. Everything is fine, it's more than fine. it's just bliss, absolute bliss,' she continued Cat out the bag: Charlotte's dad broke the birth news first as he gushed over being a grandad in a tweet last week 'So, officially a grand father! Little girl, all is well. Excited for the new chapter in our little family,' wrote her excited father, Gary. While Charlotte herself then took to Instagram to share snaps from the hospital as she confirmed the joyous news. Charlotte revealed she was expecting her first child in May with beau Jake, who she has been dating for one year. Sweet: While the reality star then confirmed it herself with a slew of sweet snaps, showing her and Jake in hospital as they awaited the arrival of their bundle of joy Loved up: Charlotte revealed she was expecting her first child in May with beau Jake, who she has been dating for one year (pictured with Jake) Charlotte previously told how she decided to start trying for a baby in December 2021, not long after she and Jake started their relationship. The couple then decided to stop trying, realising it was quite soon into their romance to welcome a child, and bought ovulation sticks to refrain from having sex on her fertile days. But then in February on Valentine's Day, the star found it strange when she wasn't in the mood to drink or have sex during a surprise romantic getaway to a swanky London hotel - before realising then she was pregnant. Doctor Who returned for Jodie Whittaker's final outing on Sunday. And the episode, marking the BBC's centenary, was jam-packed with stars from the show's past who helped the actress' time in the role come to an end in epic style. During the action packed finale the Time Lord came face-to-face with many old faces, including her own in the form of Peter Davison, 71, Colin Baker, 79, Paul McGann, 62, David Bradley, 80, and Sylvester McCoy, 79. Taking to Twitter fans gushed over the reunions with one exclaiming that they were reliving their childhood. Back again: Sunday's episode of Doctor Who was jam-packed with stars from the show's past who helped the actress' time on the show come to an end in an epic style (Peter Davidson pictured left in the show, right in 1981) Bradley Walsh also made a return made a return as the hapless Graham, splitting sides as he introduced himself as a 'friend of the Doctor and former busman'. Elsewhere fans were rewarded with not one but who companions from the original series as Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding) turned up to save the world. Paying homage to more former companions the show concluded with Yaz joining a support group for former friends of the Doctor. Back for more: Bradley Walsh also made a return made a return as the hapless Graham, splitting sides as he introduced himself as a 'friend of the Doctor and former busman' She was joined Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford) Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and 97-year-old William Russell actor who returned as Ian Chesterton. According to The Mirror Show-runner Chris Chibnall Tom Baker, now 88, who famously played the scarf wearing Time Lord between 1974 and 1981 was asked to reprise his role but 'could not do it'. He told the publication: 'We asked Tom, but sadly he could not do it. He was not available. Such a shame.' Loving it: Fans were delighted to see Sylvester McCoy's doctor (left) reunited with his companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) left, pictured in 1987 Colin back for more? Colin Baker famously played the Doctor from 1984 to 1986 First Doctor: David Bradley reprised the role of the first doctor after taking over from the late David Hartnell Don't forget me: Paul McGann made an appearance (left) as the character after playing him in a 1996 special (pictured, right) Speaking about the returning cast he said: 'I wanted it to be classic Doctors and there's not a huge amount of those. It was a bit of an instinct, and we asked them, and they said yes.' Adding: 'I didn't tell anyone we were going to be doing it, I just put it in the script. It's about as metaphysical as the show's been. I just thought this was the moment we can ask'. Following the episode taking to Twitter one fan exclaimed : 'Ace was absolutely epic in this episode, her and Graham made such a good duo!'. And: 'When I look back on my 80s childhood we had some fantastic female role models on Doctor Who. And we saw two again tonight thank you for brining us more Tegan and Ace. Pitch perfect and looking fab!'. Shame: According to The Mirror Show-runner Chris Chibnall Tom Baker, now 88, who famously played the scarf wearing Time Lord between 1974 and 1981 was asked to reprise his role but 'could not do it' (left, pictured in 1980 right in 2022 ) More agreed writing: 'I loved Tegan and Ace being reunited with their Doctors and making peace with them'. Another commented: 'When David Bradley popped up I was like aww and then Colin Baker popped up and I was like no way, then Peter Davison popped up and I was like omg omg, then Sylvester McCoy popped up and I was like ohhhh omg delightful, then Paul McGann popped up and I was like...Paul McGann!'. One more said: 'Seeing the classis doctors back on screen, wearing their outfits, after all this time, was a thing of beauty. Especially the scenes between 5 (Peter Davison) and Tegan 7 (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace. Honestly this episode was perfect'. Companions: Elsewhere fans were rewarded with not one but who companions from the original series as Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding, pictured) turned up to save the world. s (right, pictured in 1981) Acing it: Ace (Sophie Aldred) returned after hopping into the Tardis from 1987 to 1989 While another wrote: 'Graham Yaz and the Doctor reunite!'. It comes after David Tennant returned to the lead role in Doctor Who on Sunday as Jodie Whittaker bowed out after five years. Despite not being ready to regenerate Jodie's Doctor exclaimed: 'The blossomiest blossom. That's the only sad thing. I want to know what happens next. Right then, Doctor Whoever-I-am-about-to-be. Tag, you're it. Back again: West End star Bonnie Langford (left) returned to the role that made her famous from 1986 to 1987 (left pictured in 1986) Hello! Katy Manning (left) also celebrated the show as she reprised her role as Jo Grant (pictured right in 1972) Incredible: 97-year-old actor starred as Ian Chesterton way back in 1961 for four years With power and energy shooting from her limbs she then became a familiar face in the form of David Tennant's Time Lord. The newly regenerated ran his fingers over his teeth and said 'I know these' clearly perplexed as he returned to his former body. David is returning to the role after bowing out in 2010, returning three special episodes airing in November 2023, will also star Catherine Tate before Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa takes control of the Tardis. Loving it: Viewers took to Twitter delighted by the returning stars The show ended with a short trailer for the new series that will hit screens sometime in 2023. Following the episode returning show-runner Russell T Davies said: 'If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we've got plenty more surprises on the way!' 'The path to Ncuti's Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We're giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose! ' Beaming: The Doctor exclaimed: 'The blossomiest blossom. That's the only sad thing. I want to know what happens next. Right then, Doctor Whoever-I-am-about-to-be. Tag, you're it. Married At First Sight's Domenica Calarco has revealed she is speaking with lawyers after being accused of 'violent' behaviour during filming of the Nine show last year. The 29-year-old says three former MAFS stars, Olivia Frazer, Jessica Seracino and Carolina Santos, defamed her by claiming she was 'verbally abusive', 'violent' and aggressive towards them. Calarco denies the allegations, saying she just has a strong personality and that conflict arose due to the tense environment of the experiment, but that she never crossed the line. Married At First Sight's Domenica Calarco (pictured) has revealed she is speaking with lawyers after being accused of 'violent' behaviour during filming of the Nine show last year 'I don't take the defaming language against me lightly at all,' Calarco told The Daily Telegraph on Monday. 'It's not about the language of "jealous", but when it gets to the level of calling me "violent" and "abusive", it just needs to stop. Some of the language used against me [last week] was really defamatory against my character. 'People need to know that online hate is not okay and they are going to get held accountable for their words and their actions.' The 29-year-old says three former MAFS stars, Olivia Frazer (left), Jessica Seracino and Carolina Santos (right), defamed her by claiming she was 'verbally abusive', 'violent' and aggressive towards them Frazer, Seracino and Santos made the claims about Calarco last week after Channel Nine announced her new spin-off web show Dom's Debrief. The series has faced resistance from some cast members who have accused the network of favouritism towards Calarco. In particular, there is a feeling that several MAFS stars were unfairly portrayed as 'villains' so she could receive a glowing edit. As reported by The Daily Telegraph, Frazer said on Instagram: 'My issue is with the producers who chose to keep a violent individual on set and then has done nothing but promote that individual and as a result, encourage bullying and vitriol towards me, which was rehashed in yesterday's promo [for Dom's Debrief].' Meanwhile, Seracino accused Calarco on Instagram of violently yelling at her during the cast reunion, in scenes that were not aired on television. Jessica Seracino (pictured) accused Calarco on Instagram of violently yelling at her during the cast reunion, in scenes that were not aired on television 'None of us is jealous [about the web show]. I speak [about] a certain someone the way I do because I was literally verbally abused and bullied from the second I arrived on that show without her knowing a single thing about me or my situation,' Seracino claimed in an Instagram comment. 'I had nobody, I had no family or friends in Sydney, and I would go back to my hotel and cry and vomit from how much stress my body was taking. 'While crying to the psychologist one night, this psycho girl yelled abuse at me. 'Funny how people get off of TV and forget how much goes on behind the scenes and the strength of a false narrative.' It is unclear what Santos said to allegedly defame Calarco. Calarco previously threatened legal action against her co-stars last Wednesday in a video she posted on Instagram in response to Seracino's allegations Calarco previously threatened legal action against her co-stars last Wednesday in a video she posted on Instagram in response to Seracino's allegations. 'This is targeted towards people that have blocked me,' she said, adding a filter over the clip so she appeared to have 'devil horns'. 'Because I've got no other way of contacting them because they all block me because they're all f**king scared of me apparently and they don't want to have any form of communication because they can't handle it,' she added. 'Stop calling me violent, stop calling me abusive. Because if you keep doing that, you'll be getting a f**king cease and desist in your inbox. 'I've got no other way of contacting you, so here you go. I hope all your little minions f**king send this to you in your DMs. Understand?' Hours earlier, she had denied Seracino's claims in a TikTok video. 'I can't believe I have to f**king respond to this, but this is f**king ridiculous,' she said Hours earlier, she had categorically denied Seracino's claims in a TikTok video. 'I can't believe I have to f**king respond to this, but this is f**king ridiculous,' she said. 'Now, Jess brought this up at the reunion that I screamed at her when she was crying, talking to the psychologist.' 'This boils my f**king blood to no avail because I would never do this,' she added. 'I would never scream at a person or abuse them when they're crying and talking to the psychologist. 'I am sitting here shaking with rage right now and, like, sweating because of [the] pure lies of this, like... oh, my god.' Calarco acknowledged last week she may have trouble defending her reputation because she fears the other MAFS stars will all back up Seracino Calarco then acknowledged she may have trouble defending her reputation because she fears the other MAFS stars will all back up Seracino. 'Everyone was f**king there,' she said, 'but of course everyone who was there is going to say that I did this because they all hate me for some f**king reason.' 'This never happened. Jess, I don't understand what it is that you have against me,' she continued. 'Whatever. You don't like me. I don't like you. It's fine. This bulls**t just. Seriously, just stop.' Frazer, Seracino and Santos made the allegations against Calarco last week after Channel Nine announced Calarco's new spin-off web show Dom's Debrief. The series has faced resistance from some cast members who have accused the network of favouritism towards Calarco Calarco concluded her TikTok video by saying she was past the drama and was trying to move on with her life post-MAFS. 'It was the show,' she said. 'We were there to talk about relationships. I didn't know what was going on behind the scenes.' 'Of course you weren't giving enough. I was asking you questions. You weren't answering them,' she added of her on-set confrontation with Seracino. 'Yeah, I went a bit hard,' Calarco then admitted. 'That's my personality. Apologies to you, but this... I never yelled abuse at you. Never. So cut it!' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment. The action packed episode saw the Time Lord regenerate into their former self Advertisement David Tennant returned to the lead role in Doctor Who on Sunday as Jodie Whittaker bowed out after five years as the Time Lord. Following an action packed episode that saw many famous faces returning, the Time Lord regenerated into a very familiar face. Despite not being ready to regenerate Jodie's Doctor exclaimed: 'The blossomiest blossom. That's the only sad thing. I want to know what happens next.' 'Right then, Doctor Whoever-I-am-about-to-be. Tag, you're it,' before Tennant made his shock appearance. He's back! David Tennant returned to the lead role in Doctor Who's feature length episode on Sunday as Jodie Whittaker bowed out after five years as the Time Lord The newly regenerated Doctor ran his fingers over his teeth and said 'I know these' clearly perplexed as he returned to his former body. David is returning for three special episodes, set to air in November 2023, after bowing out from the role in 2010. The feature length 60th celebration of the sci-fi series will also star Catherine Tate before Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa takes control of the Tardis. Jodie's finale episode on Sunday night ended with a short trailer for the new series which will hit screens in 2023. Goodbye: Following an action packed episode that saw many famous faces returning, the Time Lord regenerated into a very famous face as Jodie bid farewell to the role Regeneration: Despite not being ready to regenerate Jodie's Doctor exclaimed: 'That's the only sad thing. I want to know what happens next. Right then, Doctor Whoever-I-am-about-to-be. Tag, you're it' Following the episode, returning show-runner Russell T Davies said: 'If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, weve got plenty more surprises on the way!' 'The path to Ncutis Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? Were giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose! ' Sunday's opening scenes saw the brave Time Lord (Jodie Whittaker) race to save the lives of the passengers of a space train who were battling the Master's newest Cyber Men. One last go: David is returning for three special episodes, set to air in November 2023, after bowing out from the role in 2010 New doctor: The show ended with a short trailer for the new series that will hit screens sometime in 2023. Ncuti Gatwa was seen in his first appearance as the new Time Lord Joined by companions Yaz (Mandip Gil) and Dan (John Bishop) the trio discovered that the Doctor's robotic nemesis were hunting for an unknown cargo. Dressed in space suits they discovered that the much sought after entity was in fact a young girl, who was later kidnapped by the robotic wrongens - who can also regenerate. Following the dangerous altercation Dan decided to leave the Tardis for his safer life back on earth. Returning: Sunday's opening scenes saw the brave Time Lord (Jodie Whittaker) race to save the lives of the passengers of a space train who were battling the Master's newest Cyber Men Evil: Joined by companions Yaz (Mandip Gil) and Dan (John Bishop) the trio discovered that the Doctor's robotic nemesis were hunting for an unknown cargo Then fans of the original show were then rewarded with not one returnee but two in the form of companions Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding). Despite decades away from the Time Lord the duo were still busy fighting for good and were left uneasy when hundreds of the world's most famous paintings had all been removed from view. Elsewhere the Master (Sacha Dhawan) found himself in 1800s Russia and controling the country's King and royal family, resembling the real life Rasputin. When his face began to appear in artworks, UNIT's Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) reunited Ace and Tegan with the Time Lord. Cargo: Dressed in space suits they discovered that the unknown entity was in fact a young girl, who was later kidnapped by the evil entities - who can also regenerate Lover of the Russian queen: Elsewhere the Master (Sacha Dhawan) found himself in 1800s Russia and controling the country's King and royal family, resembling the real life Rasputin No more: Following the dangerous altercation Dan (John Bishop) decided to leave the Tardis for his safer life back on earth Getting the band back together: Then fans of the original show were then rewarded with not one returnee but two in the form of companions Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding) The Doctor was then faced with another of the show's most famous villains when a Darlek hologram appeared in the Tardis. Promising not to be kill, it said that it provided much needed help. The Doctor tracked down the Master who had discovered how to minimise his enemies. Taking him into custody, little did they realise that it was a trap and he had shrunken a 'Russian Doll Cyberman' with hundreds taking over the building. The Doctor then was forced inside a Darlek and had no option but to regenerate with the Master taking over her body, sending her soul into purgatory. Baddies: When his face began to appear in artworks, UNIT's Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) reunited Ace and Tegan with the Time Lord Drama: The Doctor tracked down the master who had discovered how to minimise his enemies. Taking him into custody little did they realise that it was a trap and he had shrunken a 'Russian Doll Cyberman' with hundreds taking over the building Swapping bodies: The Doctor then was forced inside a Darlek and had no option but to regenerate with the Master taking over her body, sending her soul into purgatory With Yaz desperate to save the Time Lord, she planned a trap for the Master, reuniting with Inston Vee Vinder (Jacob Anderson) and Ace - who proudly parachuted into the time machine. Our hero then came face to face with many of her old incarnations played by Colin Baker, David Bradley, Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy. As they set off, Ace and Tegan both had poignant scenes with their own Doctors as the Time Lord switched between all of her former personas. Old faces: Our hero then came face to face with many of her old incarnations including Peter Davidson (pictured) Back again: Sunday's episode of Doctor Who was jam-packed with stars from the show's past who helped the actress' time on the show come to an end in an epic style (Peter Davidson pictured left in the show, right in 1981) Colin back for more? Colin Baker who famously played the Doctor from 1984 to 1986 also made a cameo First Doctor: David Bradley reprised the role of the first doctor after taking over from the late David Hartnell Don't forget me: Paul McGann made an appearance (left) as the character after playing him in a 1996 special (pictured, right) Back for more: Bradley Walsh also returned for a final time as Graham to help his former friend, splitting sides as he introduced himself as a former busman Graham (Bradley Walsh) also appeared to help, splitting sides as he introduced himself as a friend of the hero as well as a 'friend of the Doctor and a former busman'. Kate came very close to a grizzly end as she was almost upgraded to become a Cyberman. But working together with the help of Jo Martin's Doctor the team vanquished the villain's with Master appearing defeated, and the Doctor returning to her body for the epic finale. Danger: Kate came very close to a grizzly end as she was almost upgraded to become a Cyberman Back to normal: But working together with the help of Jo Martin's Doctor the team vanquished the villans Back in her body: The Doctor returned to her body for the show's epic climax Back for more: Jo Martin's Doctor also made a surprise appearance Bye: She then said goodbye to her time in the Tardis in less dramatic fashion as she enjoyed an ice cream with Yaz on the roof of the Tardis as they floated through space She then said goodbye to her time in the Tardis in less dramatic fashion as she enjoyed an ice cream with Yaz on the roof of the Tardis as they floated through space. The duo refused to say 'goodbye' but bid a tender and heartfelt farewell, with Yaz reuniting with both Dan and Graham back on earth. Paying homage to more former companions Yaz joined a support group for former friends of the Doctor that included Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford) Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and 97-year-old William Russell as Ian Chesterton. No tears: The duo refused to say 'goodbye' but bid a tender and heartfelt farewell Quick: As they bid farewell the Doctor realised she was beginning to regenerate Companions: Elsewhere fans were rewarded with not one but who companions from the original series as Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding, pictured) turned up to save the world. s (right, pictured in 1981) Acing it: Ace (Sophie Aldred) returned after hopping into the Tardis from 1987 to 1989 Back again: West End star Bonnie Langford (left) returned to the role that made her famous from 1986 to 1987 (left pictured in 1986) Hello! Katy Manning (left) also celebrated the show as she reprised her role as Jo Grant (pictured right in 1972) Incredible: 97-year-oldWilliam Russell starred as Ian Chesterton way back in 1961 for four years Taking to Twitter one fan exclaimed: 'Ace was absolutely epic in this episode, her and Graham made such a good duo!'. And: 'When I look back on my 80s childhood we had some fantastic female role models on Doctor Who. And we saw two again tonight thank you for brining us more Tegan and Ace. Pitch perfect and looking fab!'. More agreed writing: 'I loved Tegan and Ace being reunited with their Doctors and making peace with them'. Loving it: Viewers took to Twitter delighted by the returning stars Another commented: 'When David Bradley popped up I was like aww and then Colin Baker popped up and I was like no way, then Peter Davison popped up and I was like omg omg, then Sylvester McCoy popped up and I was like ohhhh omg delightful, then Paul McGann popped up and I was like...Paul McGann!'. One more said: 'Seeing the classis doctors back on screen, wearing their outfits, after all this time, was a thing of beauty. Especially the scenes between 5 (Peter Davison) and Tegan 7 (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace. Honestly this episode was perfect'. While another wrote: 'Graham Yaz and the Doctor reunite!'. Bec Judd received the ultimate compliment as she arrived at the Cox Plate in Melbourne on Saturday when she was asked by security to prove she was over 18. The mother of four, 39, boasted on Instagram that she'd been mistaken for a woman half her age, flashing a special age-verification wristband as proof. 'Got carded. Highlight of the day,' the footy WAG wrote next to a pouty selfie. Footy WAG Bec Judd, 39, was asked by security to prove she was over 18 as she arrived at the Cox Plate in Melbourne on Saturday. The mother of four flashed a special age-verification wristband as proof The term 'carded' refers to the act of obtaining an identification document from someone to prove they are over a certain age. Bec looked decidedly youthful at the horse racing event, sporting a white A-line frock emblazoned with silver star designs. She completed her festive ensemble with a celestial-inspired fascinator and black pointy-toe heels. Bec looked decidedly youthful at the horse racing event, sporting a white A-line frock emblazoned with silver star designs She completed her festive ensemble with a celestial-inspired fascinator Despite the wet weather, Bec attended the Cox Plate to cheer on the racehorse Tycoon Bec, of which she is a part owner. She uploaded this group picture with other racegoers, including her husband Chris Judd (far left) Despite the wet weather, Bec attended the Cox Plate to cheer on the racehorse Tycoon Bec, which she part-owns with her husband Chris and other investors. It comes after she revealed one of the secrets to her age-defying look: a $500 skin-tightening treatment involving a machine that emits ultrasonic waves. Posting to Instagram last year, Bec uploaded a video of herself undergoing the expensive treatment in Melbourne. It comes after she revealed one of the secrets to her age-defying look: a $500 skin-tightening treatment involving a machine that emits ultrasonic waves. Posting to Instagram last year, Bec uploaded a video of herself undergoing the expensive treatment in Melbourne In 2020, the former Postcards presenter also shared her easy hairstyling tip to make your face look years younger. 'What [my stylist] has done is tiny little braids, really tight, pulled back and pinned on each side and tied at the back,' she said, showing the hidden braids under her hair Bec told fans she barely felt a thing during the non-invasive procedure, declaring: 'It's tolerable, I've experienced far worse.' In 2020, the former Postcards presenter also shared her easy hairstyling tip to make your face look years younger. Rebecca explained that her stylist braids her hair and then pulls them back tightly to make her face appear tauter. The braids are then concealed under her wavy tresses. 'What [my hair stylist] has done is tiny little braids, really tight, pulled back and pinned on each side and tied at the back,' she said, while showing the hidden braids under her hair. 'The braids pull my eyes back and give that "fox eye" effect.' Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson have explained what really happened on Friday when they walked off their own show in a 'hissy fit'. The KIIS FM radio presenters had stormed out of the studio during an interview with Alan Jones after learning the live broadcast was being censored. Returning to the airwaves on Monday, Sandilands brushed off the incident and said it was just the result of 'mixed signals' between the hosts and station management. Kyle Sandilands (pictured) and Jackie 'O' Henderson have explained what really happened on Friday when they walked off their own show in a 'hissy fit' 'Well, we made it back. Who would have thought?' he said. 'We left the show on Friday in a hissy fit. What happened was, there was some confusion between management and mixed signals, wishy-washy back-end bulls**t.' Sandilands then acknowledged he'd been a bit 'testy' lately after welcoming his first child with fiancee Tegan Kynaston, which may explain his short temper. Later in the show, Henderson clarified that the actual moment that was censored on air 'wasn't even that big a deal in the first place'. It comes after The Kyle and Jackie O Show was plunged into chaos on Friday when Sandilands went home early following a confusing incident. Later in the show, Henderson (pictured) clarified that the actual moment that was censored on air 'wasn't even that big a deal in the first place' Sandilands and Henderson were interviewing conservative pundit and former 2GB anchor Jones when the chat was suddenly 'dumped' from the air. 'Dumping' is radio terminology for when a live show is cut off because the broadcast delay, usually around 45 seconds, is insufficient to censor inappropriate content. It was unclear at the time what caused the incident, but the KIIS FM show abruptly dropped the interview and launched into approximately nine minutes of ads before returning to the airwaves. It comes after The Kyle and Jackie O Show was plunged into chaos on Friday morning when Sandilands went home early following an confusing incident When they came back, a frustrated Sandilands explained they were in the middle of a 'very big situation' and he'd been advised by his lawyers to leave. 'The communication, when it breaks down internally, anything can happen,' he said. 'So it's too dangerous for me. My lawyer said, "Pull yourself off the air until everyone is singing from the same hymn book."' 'It's no good telling me and Jackie one thing and telling the staff...' he continued, before being censored by a string of bleeps. Sandilands explained he'd called his lawyers and was told the situation was 'dangerous' for him After the bleeping, Henderson chimed in and said: 'How were we ever going to know? Communication is key in these situations.' Sandilands then said he was 'turning the microphone off' and calling it a day. Right before the segment was dumped, Sandilands and Jones were discussing how KIIS FM had poached some talent from Jones' former radio network 2GB. The segment was dumped abruptly after Jones (pictured) started to talk about being 'secretly recorded' during a prior meltdown from years ago Sandilands then said that one of the staffers they snagged, who now works as a panel operator on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, was caught watching compilation videos on YouTube of both Sandilands and Jones having 'meltdowns'. Jones then started to talk about how he had been 'secretly taped', causing Jackie to audibly gasp. As he tried to tell the story, the segment was 'dumped' from the air before a series of pre-recorded ads started to play for nine minutes. Sandilands and Henderson later returned to the airwaves without Jones. An ARN spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Kyle was upset about a segment that was dumped this morning and decided to give himself and the team an early mark. The guys are back Monday from 6am.' Jackie 'O' Henderson (pictured) let out an audible gasp after Jones claimed he had been 'secretly recorded' Jones hosted a popular breakfast show on 2GB for 18 years before leaving in 2020. At the time, the millionaire Sydney broadcaster told listeners he was quitting due to ill health. His departure came in the wake of controversy over comments he had made about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Jones later apologised for his remarks after sponsors briefly boycotted the Macquarie Network, then owners of 2GB. In 2021, Jones lost his spot on Sky News Australia when his contract wasn't renewed. Jones hosted a popular breakfast show on 2GB for 18 years before leaving in 2020 Back in September, Sandilands unleashed on his own radio station in an eight-minute rant after what he perceived as a snub by the company's publicity team. The 51-year-old was angry over the lack of press coverage of The Kyle and Jackie O Show's historic ratings triumph that week, which saw the KIIS 106.5 breakfast program record its biggest-ever audience in Sydney. Media outlets glossed over this fact and instead focused on 2GB host Ben Fordham's market-leading audience share. This is because radio ratings are typically reported in terms of percentage share rather than overall audience numbers. Sandilands said the PR department at KIIS FM's parent company ARN should have fired off a press release emphasising his show's ratings milestone, labelling them 'losers', 'flops' and 'absolute a**eholes' for the apparent oversight. He took aim at an external public relations company hired by ARN to handle media relations, but Daily Mail Australia understands PR for survey results is actually handled internally by ARN. Back in September, Sandilands unleashed on his own radio station in an eight-minute rant after what he perceived as a snub by the company's publicity team Furthermore, The Kyle and Jackie O Show's ratings milestone was in fact highlighted in a press release put out by ARN after the latest GfK ratings survey. The release included survey highlights for other ARN stations, including WSFM. 'I am sick and tired of working here,' Sandilands snapped live on air. 'Everyone is a loser, except for everyone on this show. Everyone else outside of this show is a massive loser. I am not joking.' He added: 'They have got no idea. This whole station couldn't pull a root in a brothel with a wheelbarrow full of money and a grin. They wouldn't know, they wouldn't get laid. They are too dumb. Imbeciles. 'I am sick and tired of this joint hiring idiots to run things and then it takes them a year to find out that guy is a d**khead and he should be fired. Get rid of the flops. I should be running this whole joint.' Bindi Irwin has been slammed by cruel trolls for her response to an American farm owner's plea for help after she lost 99% of her birds to avian influenza. Taylor Blake, also known as Eco Sister on Twitter, sent a desperate message to the Irwin clan last week after she thought her beloved emu and TikTok fan favourite Emmanuel had contracted the virus. She offered to fly any of their contacts or members of the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to her Knuckle Bump Farm in South Florida to help save Emmanuel. Bindi responded by saying she wasn't able to provide too much support because the team at the hospital had never treated birds with avian flu, but did send her 'love and prayers' to the farm. Bindi Irwin has been slammed by cruel trolls for her response to an American farm owner's plea for help after she lost 99% of her birds to avian influenza Taylor thanked Bindi for replying, writing: 'Thank you so much for taking the time to write this, Bindi your response alone means more than you know. Please send my love to your family!' But some fans flocked to social media to slam Bindi's response, with one calling it 'pathetic' and 'useless'. 'What a pathetic, useless reply. Zero effort to help when you're in a supposedly unique position to use your influence and contacts to actually help her. Thoughts and prayers are cheap. You are unimpressive and that's being polite,' they said. 'Thoughts and prayers are nice, but is there not someone you could recommend, given your family has been in this field for years?' another agreed. A third person wrote: 'So you don't know of anyone in your network who could help? One would assume it wouldn't be hard for you to ask around or spread the word in the hopes someone with the right experience comes forward, rather than writing this form[al] letter response pretending you care.' Taylor Blake, also known as Eco Sister on Twitter, sent a desperate plea to the Irwin clan last week after she thought her beloved emu and TikTok fan favourite Emmanuel contracted avian influenza Bindi responded by saying she wasn't able to provide too much support because the team at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital had never treated birds with avian flu, but did send her 'love and prayers' to the farm While some fans criticised Bindi, others praised her for supporting and responding to Taylor. 'I'm sure just the response lifted spirits of recovery for Emmanuel. That's all one could even hope for,' one person said. 'I think it is so cool that Bindi Irwin replied. Still praying for Emmanuel,' another agreed. 'Thank you Irwins. We are all [praying] for Emmanuel. He is deeply loved around the world,' a third said. Some fans flocked to social media to label Bindi's response as 'pathetic and useless' Taylor has been sharing the story of her sick emu Emmanuel on social media since her farm in South Florida was struck down with the epidemic. She explained she has lost every chicken and duck as well as many geese, turkeys and swans. Taylor sent a desperate plea to the Irwin clan after she believed Emmanuel had contracted the flu, however he later tested negative to the virus. While some fans criticised Bindi, others praised her for supporting and responding to Taylor She expressed her admiration for the family while asking for advice. 'I have been a fan of your family for as long as I can remember, I am reaching out to you in total desperation right now,' she tweeted. 'I need help saving my emu, Emmanuel. I will pay to fly anyone to us, if they can help, no questions asked.' Taylor has been sharing her story on social media since her Knuckle Bump Farm in South Florida was struck down with the epidemic. She thought her beloved bird Emmanuel was the latest bird to contract the flu, prompting Taylor to send a desperate plea to the Irwin clan Bindi responded: 'Thank you so much for reaching out.' 'Though our Wildlife Hospital which has treated over 100,000 animals including emus, we have never treated an emu with this particular disease,' she added. 'We will need to rely on our fellow animal experts with more experience with this avian flu.' Bindi continued: 'Our hearts are with you and we appreciate that you care so deeply and have such compassion for darling Emmanuel. 'We believe that all of us need to have love for each and every individual animal. 'We hope that someone who has greater experience in their area can be of assistance. Sending love and light your way from our entire family.' Taylor has since revealed Emmanuel tested negative for avian flu and she believes her beloved bird had fallen ill from stress. 'Emmanuel Todd Lopez tested negative for Avian Influenza at 2 separate labs, swab, fecal and blood. He does not have the virus, and is not actively shedding the virus,' she tweeted. 'We believe this all stemmed from stress. Emus are highly susceptible to stress. He was incredibly overwhelmed by the state coming in and euthanizing our flock. (Although it was necessary, it was still very stressful on him) He stopped eating the day they depopulated.' HYDERABAD: Even before the Congress could recover from the impact of leaked audio of him supporting his brother and BJP candidate, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy landed in a fresh controversy hours after he landed in Australia. A video clip of him chatting with locals where he is speaking against a Congress win in Munugode has created a flutter. It also raised speculations that he was BJP-bound. Congress wont win in Munugode and cannot spend the money like the ruling party. Why should I campaign for a losing cause? He (my brother) will win. I won elections five times), he says in the video clip. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy while emphasising that the High Command would be responding to this, asserted that the Congress would secure this seat. I dont want to speak on these developments. The party in-charge and AICC leaders should be speaking on the issue of Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. Congress shall win in Munugode and voters dont care about who is speaking, he said responding to questions from the media at Gandhi Bhavan. Palvai Sravanthi, the Congress candidate, described this as a condemnable backstabbing. I expected his support for me. I am in pain. The party made him a minister and MP, she lamented. Minister for energy G. Jagadish Reddy said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao would emerge as an alternative political force as the graph of PM Modi was on the downside. Twitter HYDERABAD: Minister for energy G. Jagadish Reddy said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao would emerge as an alternative political force as the graph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the downside. It is because of this fear that the BJP leadership is trying to destabilise Opposition parties, he said at a meet-the-press programme on the Munugode byelection here on Saturday. Reddy accused BJP of creating hurdles for Rao to move to national politics. BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy had resigned as Congress MLA post to derive benefits for his family, the minister alleged. He said that the Left parties were supporting TRS prevent the hate politics of the BJP. The minister said that Raos welfare schemes and their implementation were getting plaudits from people in Modi's home state Gujarat. The BJP leadership was unable to digest the record of 24 hours free power supply to the agriculture sector in Telangana. In addition, the state is making arrangements for another 4,000 MW power plant, he said, despite hurdles being created by the Union government. HYDERABAD: The AICC issued a show cause notice to party MP from Telangana Komatireddy Venkat Reddy after a voice recording in which he allegedly sought support for his brother, who is the BJP candidate in the Munugode Assembly bypoll, has gone viral. All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Tariq Anwar, in the notice dated October 22, sought a reply from Venkat Reddy within 10 days as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against him as per the provisions of the party Constitution. Manickam Tagore, MP, in-charge Telangana, has brought to the notice of the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) that a voice recording is being heard with you insisting on Shri Jabbar Bhai, a Congress leader to support the BJP candidate for the Munugode assembly byelection on the 3rd November, 2022 who happens to be your sibling against the Congress candidate Palvai Sravanthi, Anwar said in the notice that was shared with the media here on Sunday. The voice recording has gone viral on social media and prominent electronic and print media as well, said Anwar, Member Secretary of DAC, adding, prima facie, it is an act of breach of party discipline. The bypoll in Munugode has been necessitated as sitting Congress MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, younger brother of Venkat Reddy, had quit and joined the BJP. Venkat Reddy is the incumbent Congress Lok Sabha member from Bhongir. There has been intense speculation whether Venkat Reddy would campaign against his brother and in support of the Congress candidate in the bypoll scheduled to be held on November 3. Counting of votes would be taken up on November 6. The ruling YSR Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam are accusing each other for the fate of Amaravati DC File Image VIJAYAWADA: The ruling YSR Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam are accusing each other for the fate of Amaravati seven years after the foundation for a new capital construction was laid. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on the banks of River Krishna for Amaravati projected as a world-class capital city on October 22, 2015. Ruling party leaders claimed that as N. Chandrababu Naidu could not complete Amaravati due to financial problems, the YSRC government was keen on developing Amaravati as the legislative capital. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on various occasions reiterated in the Legislative Assembly that his government was not against Amaravati but they were eager to develop it as the legislative capital. Citing that they needed Rs 2 lakh crore to complete Amaravati, he said that within Rs 10, 000 crore Vizag can be developed as the executive capital given the availability of the required resources. Jagan clarified that decentralized development is their government policy as a means to develop all regions, including backward north Andhra and Rayalaseema. Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana, Buggana Rajendranath, Ambati Rambabu and A Suresh refuted the allegations of TD and pro-Amaravati leaders that the YSRC government had destroyed the capital city project. They termed Amaravati as a real estate venture of Naidu, which was made worse by insider trading and other illegalities. They pointed out that Naidu had failed to construct even one permanent structure till 2019. They said that only temporary structures were constructed for the Assembly, Secretariat and High Court while housing complexes for ministers, legislators, higher officials and government employees were all partially done. They said that regional conflicts are arising due to centralized development at Amaravati and there is a lot of unrest among backward north Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. They said that the huge success of the recent Visakha Garjana amidst heavy rains in Vizag reflected public support for the executive capital proposal. They said that the YSRC government will go ahead with its three capital moves and accomplish them before the next Assembly elections. Meanwhile, Naidu on Saturday hoped that Amaravati would breathe again and fulfill the aspirations of five crore public. He said, We all wished that Amaravati city would stand as the heartbeat of Andhra Pradesh for at least a thousand years. Everything was ruined because of the Tughlaqian ideas of the rulers (Jagan). The man who welcomed Amaravati before the election had cheated when he came to power. Amaravati will win and this is the final. Meanwhile, netizens trolled about the fate of Amaravati terming it as a ghost capital. The social media platforms took the shape of war zones with YSRC and TD supporters accusing each other for Amaravati sorry state seven years after the foundation was laid. New Delhi: The Centre cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licences of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT), headed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, for alleged violation of laws. This followed a probe team, set up in 2020 with officers from the ministries of home and finance, CBI, and ED, finding alleged manipulation of documents while filing income-tax returns, misuse of funds and money laundering while receiving funds from foreign countries, including China, an official said. The trustees of the RGF are former prime minister Manmohan Singh, P. Chidambaram, Rahul Ga-ndhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former planning commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former journalist Suman Dubey and Dr Ashok Ganguly, industry expert and former MP. The trustees of the RGCT are Rahul Gandhi, Dr Ganguly, Bansi Mehta, former head of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. and Deep Joshi who works to bring social change at the grassroot level. The Congress said the move was aimed at defaming the party and diverting attention from issues facing the country. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the home ministrys action had exposed corruption. RGF worked on health, women and children and disability support. The RGCT addressed the needs of the rural poor. Bengaluru police are perplexed by the purported suicide of a 46-year-old burglar in an upscale house in Indiranagar. The family returned from a Europe trip and was horrified to find the man hanging in the puja room. The deceased, who was previously arrested for theft, had ample opportunity to escape through the backdoor and police say its a mystery why he didnt. The extraordinary events unfolded at the house of senior software architect Shridhar Samantaroy at Eshwar Nagar in Indiranagar on October 20. Shridhar left for Europe on September 20. His wife joined him five days later. The couple returned to their Bengaluru home at 4.30 pm on October 20. Read | Bengaluru: Migrant worker on run after killing colleague in drunken brawl A surprise lay in store for them. The door wont open with the key. The couple summoned a keymaker, who managed to open the door. As the couple entered the house, they were in for more shocks. The backdoor connecting the kitchen had evidently been broken into. So was the kitchen door. Someone had ventured into the living room and other parts of the house. But there was nobody inside. Suspecting a burglary, Shridhar called the police. Before the cops could arrive, security guards from a private agency rushed to the house. One of them peeped into the puja room through a window and was stunned to see a man hanging from the ceiling fan. Police later opened the room and took the body out. Police launched an investigation and were able to identify the deceased as Dilip Bahadur alias Dilip Kumar, a native of Assam. He once lived in Kodihalli, near JB Nagar, and was arrested for a house break-in. He had a Modus Operandi Bureau (MOB) card against him. The mystery of why he killed himself remains unsolved. Its a strange case where the thief was found dead in the puja room, Bheemashankar S Guled, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), said. A police source suspected that Shridhar and his wife had yelled a warning as they believed that somebody was inside the house. Its plausible that Bahadur suffered a panic attack and killed himself. According to a police officer, the time of Bahadurs suicide and the familys arrival is almost the same. This, however, does not explain why Bahadur didnt escape from the backdoor. He had all the time and opportunity to do that, the officer said. Police investigations showed that Bahadur broke into the house on the night of October 19. He remained there until the family returned. He appeared confident of doing a good job. He carried the necessary tools, including a gas cutter, a pair of clothes and other supplies in a backpack. He used the gas cutter to break the backdoor. He had a thorough look at all parts of the house. He ate snacks from the kitchen and slept comfortably on the bed. He even took a shower using toiletries in the bathroom and put on a fresh pair of clothes that he had brought along. He ripped the cupboard but didnt steal anything. He might have put it off as he was certain the family wouldnt arrive soon, police said. Police have taken up a case of suspicious death and sent the body to the mortuary. They are trying to contact his family before ordering an autopsy. Nine people were killed and 47 wounded Sunday in an attack on a hotel in Kismayo, southern Somalia, claimed by the Al-Shabaab Islamist group, the region's security minister said. The port city is the latest to be hit following a recent resurgence of attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked group, which has mainly targeted the capital Mogadishu and central Somalia. Sunday's assault began at 12:45 pm (0945 GMT) when a booby-trapped car rammed the entrance of Hotel Tawakal. It ended around 7:00 pm after the attackers were killed by security forces. Among the casualties were students leaving a nearby school, Jubaland security minister Yusuf Hussein Osman told reporters. All four attackers, including the suicide bomber, were killed, he added. "The first one detonated himself and the (remaining) three were killed by the security forces", he said, confirming an early police statement. "This is not a government target," police officer Abdullahi Ismail said. "It is just an ordinary, civilian-frequented hotel." Farhan Hassan was outside the hotel when the attack happened. "A suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the entrance of the hotel before the gunmen entered the building," he said. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the six-hour attack, saying members of the federal government of Jubaland, where Kismayo is located, were meeting in the hotel at the time. Al-Shabaab has been trying to overthrow the government for more than 15 years and regularly attacks civilian and military targets. Kismayo was once an Al-Shabaab stronghold before it was taken over in 2012 by local militias backed by Kenyan forces. In August, the group launched a 30-hour gun and bomb attack on the popular Hayat hotel in Mogadishu, killing 21 people and wounding 117. In 2019, the group conducted a similar attack on a hotel in Kismayo, killing 26 and injuring 56. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected in May, vowed after the August siege to wage "all-out war" on the Islamists. In September he urged citizens to stay away from areas controlled by jihadists, saying the armed forces and tribal militia were ratcheting up offensives against them. A joint US-Somali drone strike killed one of the militants' most senior commanders on October 1. Just hours after his death was announced, a triple bombing in the southern city of Beledweyne killed at least 30 people. In addition to violence, Somalia -- like its neighbours in the Horn of Africa -- is in the grip of the worst drought in more than 40 years. Four failed rainy seasons have wiped out livestock and crops. Some 7.8 million Somalis -- nearly half the population -- are affected by the drought and 213,000 are on the brink of famine as a result, according to the United Nations. The Union Ministry of Agriculture has constituted an expert committee to study and suggest remedies to the yellow leaf disease in arecanut crops. The committee has seven members - Anita Karun, Director, Indian Council of Agriculture Science - Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasargod; Honey Cherian, Director, Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD), Kozhikode; Femina, Deputy Director, DASD, Kozhikode; Ravi Bhat, Acting Head, Division of Crop Production, ICAR, CPCRI, Kasargod; M Wali, Director of Research, University of Agriculture, Shivamogga, H R Naik, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Dakshina Kannada; Vinayaka Hedge, Acting Head, Division of Crop Protection, ICAR, CPCRI, Kasargod. The committee may convene a meeting and develop strategies to address the issue of yellow leaf disease of arecanut, said the government order. Earlier this week, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje held a meeting with officials of and suggested immediate scientific study of the disease. Recently, a delegation comprising BJP leaders from Malnad region led by Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and former chief minister B S Yediyurappa met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and requested him to depute a team of scientists to study the disease and suggest remedial measures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clear" message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "today's era is not of war" resonated widely in Europe in a very positive way, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann said on Sunday while complimenting India's call for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. In an exclusive interview to PTI, the envoy said there has been a "certain shift" in India's position on the war in Ukraine as he referred to the Indian statement on the UN resolution against Moscow's annexation of four Ukrainian regions. Ackermann said Germany would not "blame" the Indian side for buying crude oil from Russia, but what it expects is a clear positioning saying international laws must be adhered to. Elaborating on the global energy crisis triggered by the war, Ackermann said that there is a need for an international network of like-minded countries to deal with it and that Germany counts India in this group. Asked about Prime Minister Modi's message to Putin to end the war, Ackermann said, "It is a sentence that has resonated widely, widely in the region in a very positive way." "It is a very beautiful phrase. The whole world was listening to it. I think it was a very very clear, very loud sentence that I cannot underline how much I agreed with Prime Minister Modi. So we were very pleased to hear the sentence," he said. In his bilateral meeting with Putin in Uzbekistan on September 16, Modi said "today's era is not of war" and nudged the Russian leader to end the conflict. Germany has been playing a vital role in formulating Europe's strategy to deal with the crisis in Ukraine and it has provided shelter to over one million Ukrainian refugees besides sending humanitarian aid to that country. Also Read | G7 condemns Russia's kidnapping of Ukraine nuclear plant leadership Ackermann also noted India's statement at the UN during the discussion on a resolution on the Russian annexation of four Ukrainian regions though New Delhi abstained from voting on it. "There are certainly some disagreements on some issues. I would say that in the last couple of months if you read carefully the Indian statements on the matter, you will see a certain shift in the Indian position," he said. "We read carefully what the Indian representative to the United Nations said during the vote on the resolution on the annexation. Unfortunately, India abstained, but what the Indian representative said made it clear that India has a very strong emphasis on sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. Ackermann said respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law are crucial and that he saw a growing overlap between German and the Indian position on the crisis. "I will not blame the Indian side for buying energy from the Russians. What we expect is the clear positioning saying that we must adhere to international law," he said. The German ambassador's comments came in the backdrop of growing disquiet in the Western countries about India repeatedly abstaining from votes condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its increasing purchase of crude oil from Moscow. Talking about overall India-Germany ties, the envoy said the relationship is "very comprehensive and extremely broad. "In many ways, the sky is the limit for Indo-German relations. I see a great future for them," he said. On the unfolding global energy crisis, Ackermann pitched for a network of like-minded countries to deal with it. "I think that what we need is somehow an international network of like-minded countries and states and I count India very much in this group," he said. "I think we should sit together and discuss the burning and urgent questions of our times and energy security is one of them. The terrible Russian war of aggression that we are witnessing has led us to understand that the energy crisis is to be solved quickly," he said. The German envoy said the G-20 countries should take up the issue of the energy crisis in its upcoming summit in Indonesia next month, but indicated that a united voice may not come out of it as Russia is part of the grouping. "I think the G20 should very clearly tackle this energy problem. I see, basically, when you take the Russia factor out right now, I see a great convergence in G20 on this issue," he said. Ackermann said now is the time to figure out ways how to minimise dependence on fossil fuel and enhance cooperation to expand the availability of clean fuel. "India is a great power for us in this context. We feel that in this partnership for green and sustainable development that we concluded with the Indian side in May, this is all laid down. We will work together with the Indian side to get the transition from fossil fuel to renewable sources," he said. India has not yet condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and has been pressing for a resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue. Expanding on his comments on growing bilateral ties, he said the defence and strategic ties are going to grow in coming years. "But I would say that the strategic relationship also contains formats that are very important like we started talks on China on a senior official-level discussion with our Indian counterparts, we talk on the burning or the urgent questions for our societies in the years to come," he said. "The strategic partnership that we have comprises much more than defence," the envoy said. "Whenever I speak with the Indian counterpart, I feel that the mood is clearly on how we work together in order to get more renewables in our energy mix. India has made enormous progress on this," Ackermann added. The ties between India and Germany are on an upswing in the last few years. Prime Minister Modi visited Germany in the month of May to attend the sixth round of Inter-Governmental Consultations during which he held extensive talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He again travelled to Germany in June to attend the G7 summit. By Mihir Sharma, On paper, it looks like an overdue transfer of power. Indias principal opposition party, after an internal election contest between two members of Parliament, has elected a new president; and, for the first time in over two decades, the party will not be led by a member of the Gandhi family. The new president may not be the most inspiring of figures Mallikarjun Kharge is 80 years old and has had a largely forgettable tenure as leader of the opposition in both houses of Parliament but at least nobody can argue he is inexperienced. Critics have been clamoring for such a shift for years, arguing that only fresh leadership could rejuvenate the storied Indian National Congress party and, with it, the liberal and secular opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party. The sad reality, however, is that this change at the top likely wont improve the Congresss national prospects and its not clear anything can. Like so much about the party, the apparent transfer of power is all good intentions and very little substance. Kharge was seen as the favorite of the outgoing president, Sonia Gandhi, and her son Rahul. He thus won almost eight times as many votes as his competitor, the former UN bureaucrat and writer Shashi Tharoor. Read | Not accommodating Tharoor could trigger trouble for Gandhis, Kharge That doesnt mean the Gandhis werent sincere about wanting to inject fresh blood into the party leadership. Internal elections have been an obsession of Rahuls for years. As leader of the youth Congress a decade ago, he insisted on US-style primaries for leadership positions. But then, as now, the party rank and file supported the candidates who appeared closest to the powers that be. In any case, nobody expects the elderly new president to knock the Gandhi heir off the front pages. The presidential election has been eclipsed by news about the younger Gandhis ongoing march across the length of India. Our politics has a long tradition of yatras, or journeys sometimes by rail, the way Mahatma Gandhi did it, sometimes by bus, and often on foot, as Rahul intends. These yatras always have some noble end in mind; the younger Gandhi says he wants to help knit a divided country together again. Whatever the purpose, theres limited space in Indias government-friendly press for news about the Congress in the first place and the march at least has yielded a few Instagrammable moments, especially of Rahul addressing an enthusiastic crowd in the pouring rain. But the real problem lies elsewhere. You cant expect internal elections to rejuvenate a party when the candidates mostly agree on real policy. The Congress is not going to discover a new narrative through bland popularity contests where the stakes are patronage and not policies. It's time to admit the Congresss problem is not, in fact, the Gandhis. If anything, they hold together a party that would otherwise split into multiple factions as, indeed, the Congress did in the 1990s, after Rahuls father was assassinated and before his mother picked up the partys pieces. The bigger issue is that nobody in India wants to buy what Rahul and others in the party are so earnestly selling: a return to the muddled moderation of the past. The partys backroom deals and clumsy attempts at social inclusion have no place in an India enamored of larger-than-life leaders such as Modi. Rahul Gandhi once described the Congress as Indias default operating system. That role has now been usurped by Modis BJP. Indias only real opposition lies in the states. Modis main challengers are populist regional leaders such as Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or maverick middle-class messiahs such as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Indeed, it is noteworthy that one of the Congress most popular mass leaders, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, flatly refused to run for the partys presidency even when the Gandhis tried to push him into it. The BJPs overwhelming one India narrative leaves no space in the national imagination for any alternative centralising force. The smartest politicians in the opposition know that. As Kharge will soon discover, the presidency of a national party in the Modi era is a poisoned chalice. To paraphrase Julius Caesar, any politician in India today would rather be first in their state than second in New Delhi. BAGHDAD, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A soldier and two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Sunday in clashes in a rugged area in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, the Iraqi military said. An army force clashed with IS militants during an operation to hunt down the extremist militants near Himreen Lake, some 80 km northeast of the provincial capital Baquba, killing a soldier and two IS militants while injuring another two soldiers, Captain Mohammed al-Timimi from the Iraqi army told Xinhua. The clashes ended after the Iraqi helicopter gunships were called in to carry out airstrikes on IS positions, al-Timimi added. Despite repeated military operations in the Diyala province, remnants of IS militants are still hiding in some rugged areas near the border with Iran and the sprawling area extending from the western part of the province to the Himreen mountain range, including Himreen Lake northern of Baquba, which itself located some 65 km northeast of Baghdad. The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. India is taking steps to increase its defence exports and emerge as a hub of defence production in the Indo-Pacific region. It is useful for building up a domestic defence-industrial-technological base, creating local capabilities and, in the long run, will reduce weapons imports. Indigenously-built critical defence systems will enhance the overall strategic autonomy by reducing dependence on foreign partners. Therefore, India's efforts to market defence systems and engage global players in defence production assume significance. This is the context in which the second India-Africa defence dialogue (IADD) was held on October 18, 2022, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022. The first IADD was held in Lucknow in February 2020. The Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted after the IADD-2, and the dialogue has been institutionalised. It will be held biennially after every DefExpo. While speaking at the IADD, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh linked defence with development. He said, "peace, security and development are interrelated. Security is essential for enabling development in the region". He noted that India has developed a "robust public and private defence industry" that enjoys "the advantage of abundant technical manpower". He said India's defence industry "can work with you to fulfil your defence requirements". This is in line with India's Africa policy that keeps the requirements of Africa at the centre and is guided by African priorities. Africa is a maritime neighbour of India and, therefore, is an inalienable part of India's Indian Ocean strategy. Indian naval presence in the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea is a routine affair and has contributed to making the region more secure and stable. As East and Southern Africa are getting linked with the strategic geography of the Indo-Pacific, the geopolitical activities in this part of the world will have a bearing on the entire Indo-Pacific region. The IADD and enhanced Indo-African security partnership are important in this strategic matrix. Also Read | India successfully test fires medium-range ballistic missile Africa faces multidimensional security challenges. The great power rivalry between the West on the one hand and Russia and China on the other has emerged as a key feature of Africa's strategic landscape. India's growing presence, especially in the domain of defence and security, in the region will present African states with more opportunities while helping them avoid taking sides in the intensifying great power rivalries. Capacity building and the training of military personnel from several African countries have been India's core competencies in the defence domain. For example, Nigeria's current President, Muhammdu Buhari, was trained at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington (Tamil Nadu). However, the growing capabilities of India's indigenous defence industry and the willingness of African countries to look beyond the traditional supplier of arms has presented India and Africa with opportunities to build mutually beneficial defence partnership. India is making efforts to sell the Tejas fighter aircraft to Egypt. The IADD will build on such bilateral initiatives. In March this year, Uganda reached out to India and signed an agreement to provide maintenance and technical support for operating Su-30 MK fighter aircraft. Many other African countries operate Russian-made weapons, and India can explore similar opportunities. Prior to the IADD, Defence Minister Singh held bilateral discussions with the six African defence ministers, five of which hailed from Central and West Africa. It included traditional partners like Ghana and emerging partners like the Gambia, Central African Republic, Cabo Verde and Mauritania. The intensive focus on the land-locked, littoral as well as maritime countries of West and Central Africa is critical for expanding the strategic compass of India's foreign policy. It opens up opportunities for further enhancing India's strategic presence. The region was historically absent from the list of India's traditional defence partners in Africa, and the growing relationships with the regional states would be welcomed. India recently launched joint patrols in the Gulf of Guinea with the Nigerian navy and made port calls in Nigeria and Gabon. The bilateral meetings with West and Central African defence ministers fit well into the pattern of increasing overall relationship with this sub-region of Africa. The Sahel region (a semi-arid strip of land that lies below the Sahara desert) is facing the challenge of Islamist terrorism and has been undergoing a lot of churning in terms of domestic politics as well as foreign policy. Military coups have been a routine affair in the last two years. The presence of foreign mercenaries and the changing regional strategic orientation away from France towards Russia (and, to an extent, China and Turkey) is a challenge for Western influence. India's entry into West and Central Africa is in this complex scenario. From the strategic perspective, the IADD is not just a platform to engage with Africa but an important strategic policy initiative. The real significance of the IADD will lie beyond the numbers in defence sales. The increased Indian defence footprint in Africa is no doubt important. But the true value of the IADD lies in creating a platform that will regularly bring policymakers, experts and industrialists on one forum and create opportunities for sustained and intensive dialogue between stakeholders from India and Africa. (The author is a strategic analyst based in Pune and specialises in Great Power Politics and Indo-Pacific Security) Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH. Detectives investigating the murder of Ryan McNab in Co Antrim have been given more time to interview a man arrested on suspicion of murder. Mr McNab, 31, from north Belfast was killed in an attack on Friday evening in the Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey. Police said they received a report shortly after 8.15pm on Friday evening of a serious assault at an address in the Barna Square area. Despite received medical treatment, Mr McNab died from his injuries at the scene. A murder investigation was launched following his death. A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder. Police said they had been granted an extension for the detention of the man until 11.30pm on Sunday. On Saturday the police said they were aware of footage from the scene was being circulated and asked people not to share it out of respect for the family. Anyone with any information that could assist detectives are asked to contact the PSNI. Samsung has revealed a new Galaxy A-series smartphone called the Samsung Galaxy A04e, on the company's official website. However, the company has not yet mentioned the price and availability info about the entry-grade phone. The phone will feature a 6.5-inch + IPS LCD with a 60Hz refresh rate. It has an octa-core chipset, an unspecified chipset, paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which can expand to up to 1TB via a microSD card. Samsung Galaxy A04e runs on Android 12-based One UI Core 4.1. On the camera front, the smartphone will come with a dual rear camera setup that includes a 13-megapixel primary shooter and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Up front, Samsung Galaxy A04e comes with a 5-megapixel selfie snapper. In addition, the phone packs a 5,000mAh battery. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v5.0, a USB type-C port, and a microSD card slot. Sensors on the Galaxy A04e include an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, and a proximity sensor. The smartphone has been listed in three color options black, blue, and copper and will sit below the recently-launched Samsung Galaxy A04s. However, it is unknown when Samsung will announce the price and availability details of the Galaxy A04e. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Irelands only dedicated brain tumour charity, Brain Tumour Ireland (BTI) is calling on people in Louth to wear their favourite hat on #WearAHatDay on Friday 4 November 2022 and donate 4 to support the charitys vital work for brain tumour patients and their families. Over 400 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour in Ireland each year with many contacting Brain Tumour Ireland for support following a diagnosis. As well as online support groups for patients and families in Louth and across Ireland and practical information for patients, Brain Tumour Ireland raises awareness of brain tumour symptoms among the public and medical professionals and contributes funding to brain tumour research. This year, Brain Tumour Ireland has partnered with Louth-based milliner Sinead Gormley, who will donate a bespoke hat as a prize for the Best Selfie posted with the hashtag #WearAHatDay. The cause is close to Sineads heart as her own father died from a brain tumour 18 years ago when she was 26. Fiona Keegan, National Coordinator of Brain Tumour Ireland said: On Friday the 4th of November, were inviting people in Louth to don their favourite hat for our annual Wear A Hat Day fundraiser. Our brilliant milliner for the year, Sinead will be judging the best selfie, so dont forget to post yours online using #WearAHatDay and to donate 4 to Brain Tumour Ireland by texting BTI to 50300. We are so thankful to everyone who makes the effort to support the work of Brain Tumour Ireland by making a donation on Wear A Hat Day. At the heart of our work is the support we provide for patients and families in Louth and throughout Ireland with over 200 people availing of our services since January 2021. We receive no State funding, so our #WearAHatDay campaign is essential in keeping our services running year-round. This month, the charity will mark 10 years since its foundation with the launch of new information resources for patients and their families on www.braintumourireland.com. Further new supports will be launched in early 2023 including an online support group for parents, an online bereavement support group and individual counselling support for adults. In addition to Wear a Hat Day, BTI will hold a number of special events throughout the week of 29th October to 5th November. One of these events is Bedtime Story. This year Brain Tumour Ireland have arranged for the paediatric consultants and neurosurgeons who treat children with brain tumours to read a bedtime story. The recordings will be available online for parents and children to hear their consultant and neurosurgeon reading some of their favourite bedtime stories including The Tiger who came for Tea and Never Bring a Zebracorn to School. Stories will be read by: Dr Jane Pears, paediatric consultant oncologist at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin; Mr John Caird, paediatric neurosurgeon at CHI Temple Street; Ms Tafadzwa Mandiwanza, consultant neurosurgeon at CHI Temple Street; and Dr Irwin Gill, Consultant Paediatrician at CHI Temple Street. Donate 4 by texting BTI to 50300. A minimum of 3.25 will go to Brain Tumour Ireland as some operators apply VAT. 100% of each donation goes to Brain Tumour Ireland across most network operators. Considering that US Air Force B-1B bombers have just landed in Guam, the US has opted to reinforce its posture in Asia. The White House claims that the choice to send the long-range aircraft was made as a result of the ongoing hostilities in Taiwan and North Koreas purported plans to conduct nuclear tests. It is meant to send a message that the United States stands closely with its allies and partners to deter potential provocation, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters. The US Air Force also confirmed that this is a temporary deployment as part of the bomber task force mission. The bombers presence is also aimed at demonstrating that the United States has the capability to conduct global operations at any time, General Ryder added. According to AFP, the bombers would participate in a number of training sorties in the area. The missions perform a crucial role in deterring potential adversaries and challenging their decision calculus, according to the US Air Force. When asked about the bombers in Guam, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Mount of the 37th Bomb Squadron said in the statement, The B-1 is an extremely capable platform in this region, being able to fly great distances and bear considerable firepower with precision and standoff weapons. The case against a 47-year-old man accused of handling a stolen safe containing over 24,000 in cash was adjourned until November 2. Judge Olann Kelleher adjourned the case to allow time for a book of evidence to be prepared. Garda Paraic White who investigated the case brought the charge against 47-year-old Mark Wolfe of Glentrasna Court, Glen Avenue, Cork, relating to the alleged handling of a stolen safe on July 18. Judge Olann Kelleher agreed to an application by Sergeant John Kelleher to adjourn the case. The accused will appear by video link from prison at Cork District Court on the next occasion. The Cork president of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) says he has been fortunate to be president at a time when things are pretty much back to normal and in-person events have returned. Its great meeting people face to face and strengthening our union and its great to see new energy and new people getting involved, John Driscoll, who is also Deputy Principal of Star of the Sea Primary School in Passage West said. The INTO Presidential Dinner took place on Saturday evening at Fota Island Resort Hotel. Every year the district where the president comes from hosts a presidential dinner so its district 12 which would be the southside of Cork city out to the Beara Peninsula," Mr Driscoll said. The district is hosting the dinner and you have a lot of family and friends and also INTO representatives from right around the country. So, while its held in honour of the president, it really is a major event on the INTO calendar for people around the country to meet and socialise." Bill Driscoll, Ann O'Carroll; John Driscoll, President INTO and Charles McDonnell seen at the INTO Presidential dinner in the Fota Island Resort Hotel recently. Picture: Howard Crowdy Touching on the highlights of his role since becoming president earlier this year, Mr Driscoll said: In June, I visited quite a number of schools for the Pride Flag initiative and it was great to visit a variety of schools, whether they were small rural schools or urban schools or DEIS schools, it was just great to meet so many different pupils and teachers around the country. In that, I was flagging inclusivity and acceptance. I also attended a couple of conferences including the European Trade Union Conference on Education (ETUCE) in July and that was very interesting to meet with teachers from around Europe and to realise that the issues are quite common in terms of attracting and keeping people in teaching and the effects of the war that has unfolded on people in Ukraine and on children who are wondering was the war going to come here. He said a very enjoyable part of the role has been attending retirement functions organised by local branches where recently retired members are recognised for their contribution to education and society. INTO President John Driscoll, centre, pictured with Tracie Tobin, Gillian Driscoll, Deirdre Fleming and Niamh O'Dea at the recent INTO Presidential dinner at the Fota Island Resort Hotel. Picture: Howard Crowdy Most recently, Mr Driscoll visited Creeslough with Secretary General of the INTO John Boyle following the tragedy which took the lives of 10 people. He said that while the visit was sad of course, the teachers appreciated the support and were doing great work in supporting pupils. Mr Driscoll also said that being directly involved in discussions with the Department and helping to make the voice of teachers heard is an important part of the role. He welcomed the news of another 1,450 management posts and the reduction of class sizes and said it is great to see such progress made on these issues. Pfizer's 1 billion investment in a new plant in Clondalkin in Dublin is being welcomed. The pharma giant already employs over 1,700 people at the site at Grange Castle. The Business Post reported on Sunday that construction of the new biotech manufacturing facility will commence next summer, with a completion date at the end of 2026. Local Councillor Trevor Gilligan said that he welcomed the decision for Pfizer to invest in the Clondalkin facility. "A lot of jobs will be created during the construction phase as well, which will continue up until 2026. "Grange Castle... it's a state of the art facility here in Clondalkin, it hosts a wide range of multinationals, from IT, research and development to pharma, and one of the companies there is obviously Pfizer, one of the biggest pharma companies in the world. "They could choose to go anywhere, but they continue to invest in Grange Castle, and so I welcome that decision," Mr Gilligan said. The Business Post reports that the investment by the US multinational company will represent "the largest pharma investment in [the] history of the State". Pfizer operates five sites in Ireland: three in Dublin, one in Newbridge, Co Kildare, and one in Ringaskiddy in Co Cork. It has maintained a presence in Irelnad for over 50 years. Neuralink has delayed its upcoming show & tell event by a month. On Sunday morning, Elon Musk tweeted that the showcase would take place on November 30th, instead of October 31st as was originally announced back in August. Musk did not provide a reason for the delay. Neuralink show & tell now on Nov 30 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 23, 2022 ZIMBABWE expects to end load shedding soon as it prepares to officially commission the 300 megawatts Hwange Power Stations Unit 7 extension next month. Energy and Power Development Minister, Soda Zhemu, told Parliamentarians on Thursday that the prevailing supply deficit of between 250 and 300 megawatts would be filled by Unit 7. Presently, the electricity deficit is between 250 and 300 megawatts and that is causing the load shedding during afternoon and evening peak, he said. We expect this to be a thing of the past as soon as one of the units starts working.Load shedding is soon going to come to an end. The other unit which we expect to be operational in March or April next year, is going to produce another 300 megawatts. Government is also giving us the opportunity to phase out all the recurring problems. Minister Zhemu said as soon as Units 7 and 8 are functional, there will be a need to rehabilitate other units, which are Units 1 and 6. Right now we are checking on what needs to be done in these units and we call that detailed project reports. If we complete refurbishments, we will be able to produce the installed capacity of 900 megawatts, he said. The Hwange expansion project is being financed to the tune of US$1,4 billion and construction began in August 2018 following a ground-breaking ceremony by President Mnangagwa. Meanwhile, the Government through the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) is encouraging high energy consumers to produce their own power. For those companies with machinery that uses a lot of electricity, THE Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) is offering them licences to have their own solar power stations so that they can produce their own electricity, said Minister Zhemu. Some companies in the mining sector such as Caledonia Mining, have started generating their own electricity. Chronicle PODGORICA - BELGRADE / AIR SERBIA JU173/ 3rd October 2022 Montenegro has hosted for the first time a national wine competition, so I was invited to judge it as part of an international jury. It was a good opportunity to spend a few days on the seaside after the competition, so I planned spending an additional 3 days in Petrovac after the competition. On 3rd October, it was time to return home. I took the bus from Petrovac to Budva (out of summer season, there are no direct buses from Petrovac to Podgorica). Obviously, Montenegrins also suffer from lack of bus and truck drivers, given that the bus driver was apparently retired long time ago... But, he was still driving the bus despite his old age. In Budva, I took a connecting bus towards Podgorica. The bus ticket from Budva to Podgorica costs 5,5 EUR and the journey goes via Cetinje. It took almost one hour and a half to arrive at Podgorica's central bus station. From the bus station, I caught a taxi to the airport, which cost 7 EUR. With such affordable prices for taxi, no wonder nobody is using public transport in Podgorica to get to the airport. I entered the airport hall. Check in desks were open for Air Montenegro flight to Belgrade and Austrian flight to Vienna. However, although check in hadnt started for my flight, there was already a line of people waiting at desks 3 and 4 presuming that Air Serbia check in would start soon. After some 15 minutes, two girls arrived, and they started check in procedures. Although the boards were indicating economy and business class check in desks, in reality nobody paid attention to them, so all economy passengers were also completing check in at the business class desk. All around me, I could hear Russian language. I could also recognise Serbian and Montenegrin passports in hands of the passengers. The woman in front of me was flying to Lyon via Belgrade. The girl at the check in desk was quite polite and helpful. She offered me extra leg space seat, which I gladly accepted. Passport control and security control at Podgorica airport went smooth, without hassle. After about 40 minutes, the plane Air Serbia YU-APA (Airbus A319) arrived. That was a good sign that the flight wouldnt be delayed. Indeed, boarding started as announced. Flight JU173 was full. The flight was uneventful. Flight attendants distributed water and biscuits as well as a magnesium granulate bag. I was sitting next to an old lady, she was Montenegrin but living for many years in Denmark. She was flying to Copenhagen. We landed in Belgrade on time. A long walk through Belgrade Airport and we reached the luggage pick up area. Wow. What a scene... All around the place, the area was crammed with suitcases. Wherever you look, there were piled suitcases. I couldnt understand what was happening. I examined nearby suitcases with all sorts of tags: Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Serbia. It seems that these were lost or delayed suitcases that finally arrived at their destination... Incredible scene... I was thinking about the owners of all these suitcases. They will be happy to receive it finally. Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High near 15F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Low 3F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. On September 22, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Wang Yi said, we met two months ago in Bali. The both sides stressed the importance of China-Australia relations, reaffirmed the positioning of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and shared the view that we should follow the spirit of mutual respect to steer bilateral relations back on the right track as early as possible. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia. "At fifty, one knows where his goal of life is headed." Having undergone changes over the past half century, bilateral relations should become more mature, stable, and resilient, and this serves the two sides' interests and the two peoples' expectations. The Chinese side stands ready to work with the Australian side to seriously take stock of experience, properly manage differences, and steer the sound and steady development of bilateral relations. Penny Wong said that Australia stands ready to work with China to develop a stable, mutually-beneficial and productive relationship on the basis of mutual respect. The Australian side stands ready to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to uphold a calm and forward-looking attitude, and have candid communication and constructive exchanges with the Chinese side, to advance the Australia-China comprehensive strategic partnership. Australia respects the system of international law based on the UN Charter, is committed to the one-China policy, and does not support "Taiwan independence". The Australia-China trade benefits both sides, and Australia hopes to maintain an open international trading system. Wang Yi expressed, the Chinese side appreciates the Australian side for reaffirming its commitment to the one-China policy. The two sides should meet each other halfway, uphold a more positive mindset, send more positive signals, tell more stories of win-win cooperation, and carry out more people-to-people and cultural exchanges and exchanges at sub-national levels, to create a favorable environment for the sound development of China-Australia relations. Wang Yi stressed, the Chinese side firmly supports trade liberalization and facilitation, and is committed to fostering an economic system of opening-up of higher standards, and building an open world economy. All parties should carry forward the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, abide by international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and play the central role of the United Nations. Wang Yi also expounded on China's principled position on issues related to Ukraine, the South China Sea, and Xinjiang, among others. A new toy My son picked up this 51 F1 last Summer. It was already running and in fairly decent shape. The truck was originally a inline 6 that was converted to a Flat Head V8 at some point in it's life. The only history we know about the truck is the paint & lettering were done in the 80's by Dave's Home of Chrome & some how survived the Rodney King riots. The truck was used in a Hobby Lobby photo shoot which Hobby Lobby used to sell a print. The owner gave us the print as part of the deal.The previous owner drove the truck from California to Michigan when he moved to the Midwest, so it completed the Route 66 drive from beginning to end. The previous owner moved to FL and had a auto shop friend of his sell the truck. We had that place add the wheels & tires to keep the 50's theme going.The truck needs a lot of small things that my son & I can do at home. Are there any good places to buy parts for this truck? If it was a 60's Mustang or Cougar I would know where to get what I needed. POLICE assistant commissioner Jealous Nyabasa and his subordinates are being accused of protecting a Chinese national Li Song who is being accused of fraud, forgery and externalising of foreign currency. In a letter of complaint addressed to Police Commissioner Godwin Matanga and copied to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), Nyabasa is accused of shielding the Chinese national from investigation. The complainant is an Italian investor Francesco Marconati who is a co-director, along with Song, at Eagle Italian Shoes. The company supplies the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Zimbabwe Prison Services (ZPCS) and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) among others with leather shoes, helmets and baton sticks. Song is said to have political, diplomatic and intelligence links and has been reported to Zacc and the police who allegedly ignored the submissions. According to Marconatis letter of complaint, in October 2021, the Italian filed charges of fraud, perjury and externalisation of forex against Song, which triggered a dispute between the directors. He said one year later, the police have not carried out investigations and instead, submitted incomplete records which could not be used for prosecution. Marconati alleges Song, with the help of Nyabasa is trying to silence him. In a letter dated September 12 this year, Marconati complained that after reporting fraud, forgery and externalisation, a team of detectives was deployed to undertake private investigation on behalf of Song. The team spent one week in Bulawayo to retrieve information that Song intended to use for a civil suit. There is no known criminal allegation raised against this company, but in fact, Song is the one with pending criminal charges for the money she misappropriated in all the companies, Marconati claimed. On September 20 (this year), l wrote another complaint after receiving information that they are now tracking my son using the information of the car track that Song had provided them. I fear that my son's life is also in danger. The same police are using State resources to advance the interest of Song. Song is always in and out of the office of Nyabasa but when it comes to serving summons for her to go to court, they (police) always state that they cannot locate her. Marconati wrote that on September 19, Nyabasa deployed a team of detectives to Maronderas Eagle Italian Shoes premises and interviewed employees concerning his personal life, leading the employees to stage a demonstration against Song. There is no known criminal allegation levelled against me or my companies. That is pure abuse of power. Everything being done is meant to silence me. The government of Zimbabwe lost a lot of money through externalisation and fraud that was committed by Song using a company in Mauritius by the name Jacaranda Consultancy that belongs to her, Marconati wrote. Marconati alleged that Jacaranda Consultancy was Song's briefcase company that she used to swindle the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe by receiving foreign currency at the auction floor and then externalise the funds. I strongly feel that Assistant Commissioner Nyabasa is being used to promote a new company that was set by Song in Southerton, Harare which is trying to make shoes on behalf of the police also, Marconati said. The criminal charges I filed are in the best interest of the nation which is losing money through externalisation. I have submitted this complaint before, l approached the courts of law and relevant authorities to register my frustration as an investor in Zimbabwe. I cannot just sit down and watch my investment for so many years being destroyed by sabotage from a public officer who is busy abusing his office. However, the police responded to Marconati in a letter of February 2 this year confirming receipt of the complaint saying a team of investigators led by Commissioner Wiklef Makamache will conduct a full investigation into the complaint. The letter was followed by another from the Commercial Crimes Division informing Marconati of the progress of the matter saying the matter has been sent to the Harare magistrates for a trial date. But Marconati said the delay was a result of Song's political connections. Efforts to get a comment from Song were fruitless as her mobile phone was not reachable. Newsday Week 42 in review: New iPads, even more Galaxy S23 series rumors This week's headlines were dominated by Apple's iPad lineup. The iPad Pro 11" and 12.9" got updated to the latest Apple M2 processor. The pair of slates also support Apple Pencil hover, meaning they'll detect the stylus from 12mm above the display. Meanwhile, Blackmagic Design confirmed that its hugely popular video editing software DaVinci Resolve is making the trek to the iPad in both its free and paid Studio version. The other iPad announcement was of the 10th generation iPad. More of a redesigned iPad Air than a vanilla iPad replacement, the new 10th gen iPad has a bigger 10.9-inch display, slimmer design, a faster A14 chipset, USB-C, and a higher price tag. Speaking of, Apple raised iPad mini prices across Europe and other regions, sparing only the US and Canada. Some countries have seen prices hiked as much as 20%. On a final Apple note, the company has reportedly cut iPhone 14 Plus production due to poor interest. But don't feel bad for Apple, the 14 Pro is just $100 more, while the Pro Max is $200, meaning most people likely paid more to get a better iPhone. The Galaxy S23 series is shaping up to be a very incremental update. Especially for the non-Ultra models, which will reportedly retain the non-LTPO displays with the same size and resolution, the same camera configurations but gain the Ultra's overly-minimalist camera design and get a slight battery bump. As for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and that's pretty much it. Why mess with a working formula? Finally, it was reported that OnePlus will drop the Pro from its naming convention and the company's next flagship will just be the OnePlus 11. If the rumor pans out that would mean that the company will keep the trend of not releasing a second phone alongside its H1 flagship, like it did with 10 Pro. That's it for this week. Stick around! Samsung Galaxy S23 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 tested by Geekbench This is a preview of the performance we can expect from Qualcomm's next flagship chip, which has an unusual CPU configuration. Best Buy US deals: gift cards for the Pixel 7 series, carrier discounts for Galaxy Z models You can pick up a Pixel 7 or 7 Pro with trade-in credit and get a gift card. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Z Fold4 and S22 Ultra get discounts if you sign with a carrier. Apple AirPods Pro 2 review A smarter case, better active noise cancellation performance, and much better sound quality. Photo of Xiaomi 13 Pro shows an understated design despite having an Ultra-class camera The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is a camera phone and its design let you know it. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is expected to use the same IMX989 1" sensor as the Ultra. Apple iPhone SE 4 renders show XR design, surprise no one The notch is in, the TouchID home button is out - the next iPhone SE will jump forward to the FaceID era of iPhones. Tecno unveils Spark 9 Pro Sport Edition, designed by BMW's Designworks This special edition brings luxury car design sensibilities to the smartphone world and targets a young audience. Apple iPad mini (2021) prices quietly went up yesterday The mini tablet costs the same as it did at launch in the US and Canada, but it suddenly got more expensive in Europe and Asia. Motorola rollable phone concept demoed at Lenovo Tech World 2022 The flexible OLED screen can expand from a 5-inches to 6.5-inches with the press of a button. The Redmi Pad was launched in India earlier this month. Now, it is headed to the Philippines. The news was dropped on Twitter along with a starting price of PHP 14,999 for the base 6GB plus 128GB model. Unfortunately, we don't know the launch date within the country quite yet. Redmi Pad to launch in the Philippines for only 14,999 (6GB+128GB model). pic.twitter.com/uupEQZMp2R Xiaomi Update Philippines (@miupdateph) October 22, 2022 The Redmi Pad has a competitive specs sheet that includes a 10.6-inch LCD display with a 1200 x 2000 px resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. It has four speakers with Dolby Atmos tuning. The tablet is equipped with MediaTeks Helio G99 chipset and can be configured with 3/4/6GB RAM and 64/128GB storage. The Redmi Pad packs a large 8,000 mAh battery with 18W charging. There are two 8MP cameras - one on the back and another 105-degree field of view, one on the front with FocusFrame - which tracks your movement during video calls. The Redmi Pad ships with Android 12 and MIUI 13 and a guarantee for three years of software support and two Android version updates. Redmi Pad For reference, the Redmi Pad starts at INR 12,999 for the 3/64GB trim in India and goes up to INR 14,999 for the 4/64GB one and INR 16,999 for the top-end 6/128GB variant. Color choices include Graphite Grey, Moonlight Silver and Mint Green. You can check out our Redmi Pad review for more info on the tablet. Source A commemorative ceremony is held at the Port Authority of Guam for the Spanish Navy training vessel, Juan Sebastian de Elcano, and its crew before the ship continues on its voyage to the Philippines on March 2, 2021. What began as a dispute over the firing of an employee with the Guam Offices of Homeland Security and Civil Defense has spiraled into a web of accusations involving agency control, the role of the attorney generals office and the Guam Federation of Teachers. Termination Longtime Civil Defense Planner Leo Espia was terminated in April by Homeland Security Advisor Samantha Brennan. Espia allegedly used an unauthorized private web server to store sensitive government information, in a breach of the government of Guams internal computer network. Shortly after, he appealed his firing to the Civil Service Commission and denied the allegations. Espia, in documents filed with the CSC, stated that the server was not personally owned by him but established by a Guam Homeland Security employee in 2017. The server wasnt a secret, he stated, and management, including Civil Defense Administrator Charles Esteves, was aware of and had used the server. Administrator Esteves, on military leave at the time, attempted to revoke Espias termination in a May letter to the Civil Service Commission. Esteves stated that Brennan had no authority to fire Espia, and had acted unlawfully. He added that Brennans toxic leadership style had created a hostile work environment and called the firing retaliatory. Espias appeal has proceeded before the Civil Service Commission. Assistant Attorney General Donna Lawrence, tasked with representing the Office of Civil Defense in the case, has motioned to completely remove Esteves from the proceedings and expunge and destroy testimony or documents submitted by him. Two years off island Lawrence, in a September motion filed with the CSC, stated that Esteves has no involvement in the case because he had been off island on military orders for two years prior to June 22 and was not involved in operations at Civil Defense or the investigation of Espias alleged misconduct. When Esteves returned in June, he was ordered by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to report to Homeland Security Advisor Brennan on the operations of Civil Defense and its personnel management, a memo filed with the CSC shows. According to government staffing patterns, Esteves receives $106,799 in combined annual salary and benefits from federal grant funding. The governors spokesperson Krystal Paco San Agustin on Friday said no response could be given on whether Esteves was drawing pay prior to his return in June. The status of Mr. Charles Esteves is a personnel issue but we can confirm the fact that he is currently on leave for military duty, Paco San Agustin said. Mr. Espias case is now before the Civil Service Commission and we cannot comment on the litigation beyond confirming Assistant Attorney General Donna Lawrence has been assigned by the Office of the Attorney General to represent the (Office of the Governor) and (Civil Defense) in the litigation before the CSC. According to Homeland Security Civil Defense public information officer Jenna Blas, Esteves is on island but is on active duty orders with Joint Region Marianas for up to a year as of Friday. There is currently no acting Civil Defense administrator, she said. Overthrow the office Guam Federation of Teachers field representative Robert Koss, who is representing Espia in the appeal of his firing, has since moved to have Assistant Attorney General Lawrence ejected from the case. Koss has accused her of trying to overthrow Civil Defenses management. Koss in a filed response stated that Lawrence has no standing to intervene on behalf of Civil Defense because Esteves, as the head of the office, has not authorized her to. Donna Lawrence does not trump an agency head or any client she represents, and she cannot simply inject herself at will, Koss stated, adding that Brennan could not lawfully obtain legal services for Civil Defense. Even if Lawrence was authorized by the Office of the Governor to represent Civil Defense, she was required to do so at the pleasure of Esteves, Koss said. Settlement questioned Koss on Sept. 12 filed a settlement agreement signed by both Esteves and Espia, which would see Espia reinstated at his previous pay grade and receiving back pay for the time he spent unemployed. Koss has motioned for the case to be dropped, with the settlement already approved. Lawrence called the settlement agreement an attempt to improperly mislead the (Civil Service) Commission, as it was submitted on Civil Defense letterhead without necessary approval from the governors office. She has moved to strike the agreement from the record, and to have Kossa nonattorney who Lawrence says is unauthorized to practice the lawbooted off the case. Espia had not been reinstated at Civil Defense as of Friday, Blas said. CSC investigation Staff at the Civil Service Commission have also come under fire, with Lawrence accusing three CSC employees of improper and unethical conduct. She has moved for an administrative investigation to be launched. Lawrence said that CSC staff made repeated, unauthorized contact with employees at Civil Defense and Esteves without her knowledge, despite repeated requests that they cease and desist. The assistant attorney general also called into question the CSC staff members handling of procedural matters around the case and motioned for them to be barred from any involvement, except as witnesses. They may have potential knowledge, conflicts of interest, and or other dealings or relationships with Charles Esteves unknown to management, Lawrence stated. She has also motioned for CSC Chairman Juan Calvo to recuse himself, as he is the father of the governors Chief of Staff Jon Junior Calvo, who according to Lawrence is now a witness in the case. This is an ongoing case, and we at the Civil Service Commission, we dont comment on any of these matters, CSC Executive Director Daniel Leon Guerrero said Friday, stating that it was a matter of policy. The launching of an investigation, or the recusal of Chairman Calvo, would be matters for the commissioners to address, Leon Guerrero said. A motion hearing on Espias appeal is scheduled for Nov. 10. Haiti - Crisis : Companies forced to dismiss thousands of employees Wilhelm Lemke, President of the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH), declared this week on a radio station of the capital "[...] The situation is extremely serious [...] the survival of the Nation is at stakes." Due to the lack of availability of petroleum products and the free movement of goods and services, the country is paralyzed, companies are forced to dismiss their employees pending the resumption of activities. The crisis affects everyone from the youngest to the oldest... The majority of businesses are closed, not only for lack of fuel, some have been looted or burned like the 4C laboratory toilet paper factory, others are threatened or subject to extortion or ransom. A few rare companies are still open, which had increased their fuel reserve in anticipation of a blockage of the country, are operating at idle and their fuel stock is inexorably reduced. At the end of the fiscal year, companies without resources filed for bankruptcy. The Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH) is discussing with the Professional Association of Banks to help businesses remain open until the lifting of the blockage... At the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) have studied a formula to reduce the tax burden which companies can no longer face, for lack of commercial activities and income... If the release does not happen quickly "[...] it's a total closure with the dismissal of hundreds of thousands of employees [...]" mentioned Wilhelm Lemke. TB/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Drama : Oxygen shortage announced in hospitals, patients on borrowed time The General Hospital is heading towards an oxygen shortage and fears the worst for the lives of the patients who depend on it. The General Hospital's oxygen supplier has warned that it will soon be unable to supply oxygen to the hospital, as essential production equipment is blocked at Port Lafiteau. The Hospital still has a maximum reserve of one to two weeks for the survival of its patients... For the university hospital, it is the oxygen cylinders that are blocked at the Port, while for the hospitals of the Saint-Luc and Saint-Damien foundation, among others, which have oxygen concentrators, it is the lack of fuel who will prevent these concentrators from working and producing vital oxygen for the sick... For the private hospitals of the organization "Development of Health Activities in Haiti" (DASH), the situation is quite different. Dr Ronald Laroche Director of the DASH Health Network explains that the network is not affected by the lack of fuel, the essential infrastructures of DASH running on solar energy and the oxygen concentrators as well as the operating rooms normally operate. Nobody wants to imagine the total depletion of oxygen supplies and the fate of the patients who depend on them, dying one after another. Everyone is hoping for an unblocking of the situation before it's too late... S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Health : First case of cholera imported into the Dominican Republic Thursday, October 20, 2022, the Dominican Ministry of Public Health confirmed in a press release the first case of cholera imported from Haiti which is plagued by a new outbreak of this disease https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37948-haiti-cholera-74-increase-in-hospitalizations-in-48-hours.html It is a 32-year-old Haitian woman, who entered the country on Monday from Port-au-Prince and en route to the province of La Altagracia. The suspected case was confirmed positive on Thursday by the national laboratory Doctor Defillo. The patient who also suffers from amoebic colitis, acute pyelonephritis and pre-existing kidney failure was admitted to the Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia Hospital in the municipality of Higuey where she is receiving adequate treatment. An epidemiological check was carried out with all the people who could have had contact with her and so far, none have shown symptoms of the disease, including her relatives and her one-month-old baby are negative for cholera. Saturday, October 22, the Ministry of Public Health indicated that the patient presented a stable clinical picture, with a notable decrease in evacuations, exceeding her state of the disease, for which she evolved satisfactorily, but she remains hospitalized being treated for his kidney disease. A cholera alert has been in effect in the Dominican Republic since October 2, 2022, after a first case was detected in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37795-haiti-flash-cholera-back-in-haiti-fear-of-epidemic-the-un-ready-to-intervene.html In the last published bulletin of the Haitian Ministry of Health https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37948-haiti-cholera-74-increase-in-hospitalizations-in-48-hours.html there were 115 confirmed cases 34 deaths and 1,235 suspected cases since October 2, 2022 See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37948-haiti-cholera-74-increase-in-hospitalizations-in-48-hours.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37795-haiti-flash-cholera-back-in-haiti-fear-of-epidemic-the-un-ready-to-intervene.html S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Village of Noaille : UNESCO condemns UNESCO in Haiti condemns with the utmost rigor the acts of vandalism and violence that cost the lives of peaceful citizens and artisans of the artistic village of Noailles https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37935-haiti-flashthe-village-of-noailles-victim-of-the-gang-war-at-least-15-dead.html ; too much damage to the intangible cultural heritage of the Republic of Haiti. UNESCO expresses its solidarity with the loved ones of the victims and says it is committed to supporting recovery efforts following this heinous tragedy. PNH : 1 bandit killed, 10 arrested As part of the fight against banditry and armed gangs, the Departmental Directorate 2 of the West is increasing operations in areas such as Torcel, Soison, Merizye, Tapage where a bandit was fatally injured and about ten people were arrested. Nearly 45 police officers shot dead Nearly 45 police officers have been shot dead in Haiti, from January 2022 to date, revealed Lazarre Leronel, Coordinator of the Syndicate of the National Police of Haiti (SYNAPOAH), who deplores the tragic assassination of the Chief Commissioner of Tabarre Evangelot Bact https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37926-haiti-news-zapping.htmlwhich extends this long list of victims. Rosny Desroches, for a foreign intervention Rosny Desroches, Executive Director of the Civil Society Initiative, is in favor of the intervention of a foreign armed force in Haiti, convinced that this intervention will not be a new occupying force and hopes that the objectives and terms of reference of this mission are clearly defined IOM supports the most vulnerable communities Thanks to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of the United Nations, the International Organization for Migration (IOM - Haiti) continues to support the most vulnerable communities. Last week, the Organization made a monetary transfer to 60 families to help them relocate to the city of Les Cayes, it also made a donation of hygiene kits to the National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), which will distribute them to 1,000 prisoners and 300 hygiene kits to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Holland), which will distribute them to the cholera treatment center to fight against the epidemic. 45% of the population in a situation of acute food insecurity In Haiti, 4.3 million people (45% of the population) are in a situation of acute food insecurity, of which 1.3 million are in need of emergency food aid. Plan Haiti began its response to the crisis by distributing emergency humanitarian aid with cash transfers for the purchase of food, by organizing nutrition awareness sessions and by establishing child protection mechanisms in emergency situation in several affected communities in the south-east of the country. HL/ HaitiLibre Law officers honor 'cop's cop' for 50 years of service David McMurray accepts a plaque from Sheriff Lowell Griffin honoring his 50 years of law enforcement service. [PHOTO BY JOHNNY DUNCAN/Henderson County Sheriff's Office] Lowell Griffin recalled from his earliest days as a first responder that one particular State Highway Patrol trooper was a welcome sight at the scene of a car crash. Over 30 years ago, before I got into law enforcement, when I was even a young firefighter, we were always responding to traffic accidents, he said. As soon as wed taken care of the patients and the chaos of the accident was done, we would take positions to help facilitate the flow of traffic so that the troopers could actually come in and do their job and get the road clear. Any time I saw David (McMurray) coming it was like a comfort because (of how) the public can be when theyre coming through and how mouthy they can be. When we were out there, if anything happened, David always had our backs. Time has passed from the days when Griffin, who started his public service as a volunteer firefighter as a teenager, and trooper McMurray crossed paths on country roads in Edneyille. Three decades later, Griffin is Henderson County sheriff and McMurray, at long last, is retired from law enforcement. On Friday Griffin hosted a farewell get-together for the longtime lawman at the sheriffs office honoring his 50 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, the Highway Patrol, as head of basic law enforcement training at BRCC and finally at the sheriffs office as a firearms training officer. A graduate of East Henderson High School and Western Carolina University, McMurray was in training to be a Marine Corps officer in 1972-73. He was ready to go on active duty and they announced they were pulling out of Vietnam and didnt want us anymore, even though I was that far into my training, he said. Given the abrupt drop in demand for officers, the Marine Corps gave young recruits the option of an honorable discharge. McMurray took the offer and joined the Highway Patrol, riding the roads, stopping speeders and responding to car crashes from 1973 to 2003. Hes always been one that has always been grounded, has never forgotten where hes come from, Griffin said. Hes always been that cops cop. If David was around, you knew he had your back. Matter of fact, he and I have stood shoulder to shoulder on occasion and been yelled at by a superior and hes been right there with me as that takes place. A BRIDAL boutique is to open in Goring next Saturday (October 29). Nicole Maes Bridal has taken over the former Hamiltons unisex hair salon in Station Road. Owner Nicole Osborne, 31, said: I come from a fashion buyer background, working in elevated fabrics, having been to fashion school and studied bridal wear. I got out of buying when covid hit and because of my background, a friend approached me about helping her run a bridal boutique. After a while I thought I could do it for myself because I have a background in bridal dresses and I love working with brides. I was on the hunt for the perfect shop in the perfect location and I came across this shop in January. I couldnt believe that there wasnt already a boutique in Goring as it is such a beautiful place. Just everything about Goring is beautiful and all the people I have met in the village have been amazing. There is such a little community, its just gorgeous. The location of my shop is just off the high street but its where people go to and from the station and it is quite a busy corner with Going Hardware next door. Driving over the bridge with the river and the beautiful houses, it is very picturesque and that makes a difference if you are looking for a dress and seeing that its in a beautiful village it really sets the scene. Miss Osborne, who lives in Little London in Hampshire with her partner, who works in construction, said the shop was a mess when she received the keys and she has enjoyed transforming it. She said: The shop itself looked a bit like a building site there was sand in the middle of it. It used to be a hairdressers but I am having such fun with the decor and the soft furnishings. Im adding customised rails as well as sofas and putting my little stamp on it. I have invested everything in this. Miss Osborne says a basic wedding dress will cost from about 1,200 to about 3,000 and she will also stock niche accessories. She said: I will be running one-to-one appointments and we will chat over a glass of bubbles and discuss likes and dislikes. I have picked four designers and I have various niche accessories which create a point of difference, with coats and sleeves and overskirts so you wouldnt necessarily need a second dress for the evening. These extra bits will accessorise and complement. My dresses will suit a younger customer more but at the same time I have a range of silhouettes and have some smaller sizes whereas most bridal shops stock just 14s. Sometimes brides have a strong idea of what they like and dislike but dresses look very different on the hangers than they do on, so brides need to trust me as an expert. I offer a personal shopping experience with the right advice. For example, if I had a heavy-chested woman who said she wanted a fishtail dress I would be the one to say that it might not suit her and suggest a gown that was more flattering. Miss Osborne said that once she had a bride from India contact her about a dress, which she had to model over Zoom. She said: It was a Freda Bennet dress people google designers and I was one of the stockists. Miss Osborne, who is expecting her first child in March, says she will have friends and family on hand to help run the business. There will also be an office dog called Pumpkin, a French bulldog. Next Saturdays opening is a welcome event to meet people and answer any questions and will run from 11am to 3pm. Miss Osborne said: Opening a business and having a baby is tough but this is something that I want to do. A very good friend, who went to fashion school with me, and my mum will help me. I have taken out an initial five-year lease but I am looking to stay here for years to come and have something to pass on to my children. Meanwhile, the former McColls shop in High Street has a new tenant and will re-open as the Goring Convenience Store. The premises is currently being modified and fitted out. A date for completion will be announced in due course. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 MUNICH / BORDEAUX Apaleo, the open hospitality platform, has been selected by the French hospitality startup, Gogaille, as its property management infrastructure, to build a state-of-the-art technology stack enabling modern guest and staff experiences while powering its ambitious growth plans across France. Gogailles mission is to reinvent hospitality and the art of tasting it. Mixing accommodation and food or Loges and Echoppes, as it calls it, the brand aims to revalue local French heritage.Hoteliers have stopped innovating in B & C-tier cities for the past twenty years, which partly explains Airbnb's high growth. There has also been a trend towards the peripheralization of the hotel industry and the end of interaction with local communities. And, in the face of this, we currently see a sustained demand." explains Hugues van Heesewijk, co-founder & CEO. Having launched its first location in Limoges in early 2022, and 3 more in the pipeline for 2022 and 2023 (Tours, Orleans et Poitiers), the group aims to open 15 locations by 2025. Considering our technology backgrounds and its rising importance for business competitiveness, our founding team always had the desire to leverage it in Gogaille's business model and value proposition. We were, therefore, on the lookout for a solid property management partner to build upon and when looking at the various players on the market, Apaleo came out as a clear winner for scalability and flexibility when it came to API capabilities, shares Maxime Lesaulnier, co-founder and Chief Experience Officer at Gogaille. Having the freedom to build and connect our own software, in line with the experience we want to create for our customers was a deciding factor for us, adds Sebastien Houze, co-founder & CTO. With low to no staff on-premise on the accommodation side, the Apaleo platforms capacity to enable a high level of department centralisation and automation was key to Gogailles decision. Gogaille is the first of many innovative French brands to join Apaleo and were glad to be partnering with entrepreneurs who build on top of the platform, shares Thibault Gence, Director of Growth for Apaleo. Im excited to see how Gogaille will reinvent local experiences supported by modern technology. About Apaleo Founded in 2017 out of Munich, Apaleo is the open property management platform for hotel and serviced apartment groups. Apaleo empowers accommodation providers to create the ultimate digital experience for guests & staff with Apaleo and some of the hundreds of integrations available in the Apaleo Store. The platform was built on the core belief that hospitality software should never be fixed in time because guest and staff expectations are constantly evolving & increasing, and every hospitality business must adapt to survive and thrive. Operators join Apaleo believing in the true value of the ecosystem and community to accelerate innovation. Customers include numa, Limehome, Mollie's by Soho House and Vagabond Club. For more information visit apaleo.com. EHL gives the next generation of highly talented team members the opportunity to formulate the group strategy EHL 2030 and to lead EHL in the Executive Leadership Team to the next level of sustainable success. Markus Venzin has taken over the role of CEO of EHL Group following his nomination end of 2021 and his introduction into EHL in April 2022. As a first priority, Venzin has been working closely with the extended leadership team to define the groups priorities and strategy to continue to grow the academic and business consulting activities. As EHL wants to empower leaders to make decisions within their area of responsibility, EHL decided with the Board of Directors to complement the strategy review with a new organizational structure and the appointment of the next generation of leaders in the Executive Leadership Team. By doing so, EHL is providing the next generation of highly talented EHL team members not only the great chance to design and formulate the group strategy 2030 but also to explore new ways and lead its execution. We are proud that we are able to promote exclusively internal members to the Executive Leadership Team. Team members with a proven record of leadership, high performance and a student-centric orientation, ready for people development and caring about culture, explains Carole Ackermann President of the Board of Directors. "The new organizational structure, organized by service segment, will allow us to rethink how we work and provide each business unit with the autonomy to achieve our ambitions. This structure will allow us to better understand and serve the needs of our students, clients and partners states Markus Venzin. As a result, a few members of the Executive Committee offered to step aside and give the fullest support to their colleagues in the new leadership position. Markus Venzin, along with the members of the EHL Board of Directors, express their gratitude for the remarkable achievements of the previous Executive Committee during their tenure and look forward to continuing their legacy in the development of hospitality management education. Thanks to their vision and dedication under the leadership of Michel Rochat, EHL has grown into the strong global organization it is today. Markus Venzin and the EHL Board of Directors warmly welcome the new members of the Executive Leadership Team: Ines Blal (Undergraduate School) (Undergraduate School) Achim Schmitt (Graduate School) (Graduate School) Patrick Ogheard (Hospitality Operations School) (Hospitality Operations School) Noemie Danthine (Sustainable Hospitality Services) (Sustainable Hospitality Services) Meloney Brazzola (Corporate Communications). They will join Juan-Francisco Perellon (Academic Office), Tony Morales (Administration, Finance and Control) and Remi Walbaum (Growth Office) in their new roles. EHL has full confidence in the new Executive Leadership Team and its capability to fulfill future student needs and to drive the Groups development into a next exciting phase. About EHL Group EHL Group is the global reference in education, innovation and consulting for the hospitality and service sector. With expertise dating back to 1893, EHL Group now offers a wide range of leading educational programs from apprenticeships to master's degrees, as well as professional and executive education, on three campuses in Switzerland and Singapore. EHL Group also offers consulting and certification services to companies and learning centers around the world. True to its values and committed to building a sustainable world, EHL Group's purpose is to provide education, services and working environments that are people-centered and open to the world. www.ehlgroup.com As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. ASUS recently announced a comprehensive lineup of Intel Z790 motherboards across the ROG Maximus, ROG Strix, TUF Gaming, and Prime product familiesall built to support the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors. Thanks to exclusive technologies like AEMP II, AI Overclocking and AI Cooling II, plus user-friendly features such as Q-Design, ASUS Z790 motherboards are ideal solutions for users aiming to build a next-gen machine or upgrade their existing system. Reign supreme with the latest and finest Intel motherboards that feature support for enhanced memory profiles, overclocking, cooling, and easy installation AEMP II: Easy memory optimization When ASUS first launched the previous-gen Z690 models, DDR5 memory modules had only recently hit the market. Many builders looked for assurance that their new memory would work as advertised in their new motherboardsand ASUS went above and beyond to make that happen. It collaborated closely with a wide range of industry partners to offer ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile (AEMP), which ensures better and wider compatibility with popular brands of RAM. Now that the DDR5 market has matured, and a wide range of memory kits are available at increasingly enticing prices, builders are rightly thinking more about performance than compatibility. Once again, ASUS has gone above and beyond. For every Z790 motherboard that supports DDR5, ASUS is introducing AEMP II profiles that offer up to 37.5% faster RAM speeds than baseline DDR5-4800 specs. Built through a flexible training method, these profiles make it easy for users to tune their memory above baseline settings while maintaining stable system operation. With AEMP II, optimized memory settings are just a click awaywhether one is getting the most out of an entry-level module or priming a high-speed kit for ultimate performance. AI Overclocking: Easy CPU optimization ASUS AI Overclocking is powered by exhaustive research and characterization of the performance potential of thousands of actual CPUs in ASUS testing labs. This tool leads the industry for overclocking performance and ease of use. It boosts CPU clocks for both lightly threaded and all-core workloads with just one click. AI Overclockings sophisticated intelligence also monitors CPU cooler efficiency and changes in a PCs operating environment to tune parameters over time for the best performance with each systems unique set of components. Users will have access to AI Overclocking on all ROG Maximus and ROG Strix Z790 motherboards. AI Cooling II and FanXpert: Comprehensive thermal solutions When users first enable ASUS AI Cooling II though FanXpert in the Armate app, it uses a machine learning algorithm to gather data about their system during a brief stress test. From then on, AI Cooling II monitors the CPU and uses the data from its stress test to calculate the lowest fan speed required to effectively cool the systemwhile minimizing noise levels. This fan control system can reduce system fan noise by up to 5.7 dB under sustained loads. Through this self-adaptive system, users always have cooling power when they need it and quiet operation when they want it. ASUS has also taken the opportunity to update FanXpert with the full set of fan calibration and control options. Users get temperature input mapping and fan response mappingall inside Windows through the convenient Armoury Crate app. ASUS Q-Design: User-friendly PC building The ASUS PCIe Slot Q-Release button lets users easily release a graphics card from the slot with a simple press of a finger. ASUS first debuted this convenient feature on the highest-end Z690 motherboards, and now it is proud to offer this even on the mainstream TUF Gaming and Prime Z790-A WiFi boards. Similarly, traditional DIMM slot designs require users to lock in both sides of the memory stick, and it was not always easy for those with larger fingers to unlock the latch closest to the graphics card. That is why ASUS has also implemented its single-sided Q-DIMM latching design on all its Z790 motherboards. With this arrangement, users do not have to worry about a latch that may be too close to a graphics card. A single latch on the easier-to-access side of the DIMM slot is all it takes to hold a memory stick firmly in place. Installing RAMand upgrading it down the roadis much easier. ASUS has also simplified the process of installing an M.2 drive. The ASUS M.2 Q-Latch gives users the peace of mind that they will never have to handle another tiny, easily lost M.2 screw ever again. Now they can secure or loosen an M.2 drive with just their fingertips. The M.2 Q-Latch is offered on every ROG Maximus, ROG Strix and TUF Gaming Z790 motherboardand it is even included on the mainstream Prime Z790-A WiFi. Availability & Pricing ASUS Z790 motherboards are now available in The Philippines. SRPs are as follow. In celebration of its heritage of innovation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd today announced the return of Samsung Week, an annual global campaign that takes place in line with Samsungs founding anniversary in November. Samsungs biggest global campaign event marked with exclusive deals and promotions on Samsungs range of products, Samsung Week runs exclusively on the Samsung Online Store. From October 24 to November 3, enjoy special promotions from your favorite Samsung flagship products to the best bundles and exclusive items available only on the Samsung Online Store. To empower consumers to level up their everyday lifestyles and experience a better tomorrow, this year's Samsung Week encourages consumers to embark on a brand-new chapter in their lives, enabled by cutting-edge Samsung innovations. From October 24, fans can visit the Samsung Online Store for the most amazing offers on a wide range of their favorite Samsung products, from the latest smartphones and wearable devices, to TV and soundbars, smart monitors and connected home appliances. Apart from never-seen-before promotions and customized offers on the latest Samsung flagship products, shoppers can also supercharge their Galaxy experience with attractive bundle deals. In addition, shoppers can look forward to exclusive collaboration and multi-device bundle packs, including limited edition product offerings including Online Exclusive colors and branded accessories. As we celebrate another year of innovation at Samsung, we want our loyal customers to journey ahead with us, embracing a better way of living enabled by our products, said Minsu Chu, President of Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. (SEPCO). Through the personalized recommendations, bundle deals and exclusive offers that we have put together, shoppers will not only be treated to the best value of our latest innovations, but also enjoy a seamless experience across our products. We hope to reward our customers with this week of amazing offers, where they can shop with convenience at the Samsung Online Store as they welcome the upcoming festive season. Step into the next chapter, a week of amazing offers awaits Highlights of Samsung Week in the Philippines include up to 50% off on select Galaxy devices and accessories, exclusive vouchers that can be used on any Galaxy device purchased online, and up to 30% off on TVs and Home Appliances. Keen to take steps towards a better tomorrow? Visit the Samsung Online Store to learn more about Samsung Week and stay tuned for the amazing offers starting October 24 2022! A major highlight of the just concluded DefExpo 2022, Indias largest-ever defence exhibition, was the presence of a large Armenian delegation led by their countrys Defence Minister Suren Papikyan. The focus is on expanding bilateral military and military-technical cooperation between the South Caucasian country and India. Armenia is a tiny speck on the worlds map, a country few Indians know about. And for India to expand significant defence cooperation with Armenia is a far-sighted policy undertaken by the current administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why are ties with Armenia significant? One, Armenia, situated in the south Caucuses range, sits at the heart of Eurasia, and its geostrategic importance can be gauged from the fact that it borders countries that are both friendly to India, like Russia, and Iran, and those inimical to her, like Turkey, and Azerbaijan. For India to gain a foothold in the region is of long-term benefit, important for power projection. Second, for the first time India will be exporting the indigenously manufactured Pinaka rocket launchers to Armenia. Last month the two countries signed a deal for Rs 2,000 crore, which would include the Pinaka system, ammunition and anti-tank rockets. The system was developed by Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the order by Armenia is the first international order of its kind. Earlier, Armenia had procured four Swathi Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) also developed by the DRDO at a cost of $40 million in 2020. Such export of military hardware is meant to give a boost to the countrys defence industry and indigenous production. This is in keeping with the governments Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India policies. The government has set an export target of $5 billion dollars of defence goods for 2025. As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at his inaugural speech at the DefExpo, India would become a defence manufacturing hub for the world in the next 25 years. Thirdly, according to sources in Armenia, the visit of Papikyan is the beginning of a many more such high- level visits between the two countries as cooperation in defence is to be further deepened. This, apart from procuring arms from India, also envisages setting up joint manufacturing bases in Armenia, something that India is set to do with Egypt. Armenia has a struggling economy but a large pool of specialists. At one time it was known as the Silicon Valley of the CIS. It can become a hub for defence exports further to countries in the region and the Balkans. Fourth, Armenia-India ties go back centuries, evidence of which are scattered all across India at least. India enjoys a position in the mindscape of the country that few other nations do. This gives India an advantage there. At the same time Armenia is embroiled in a conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan. While till recently the conflict centered around the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, now taken over by Azerbaijan, the recent fighting has targeted Armenian territory within its internationally established borders. Does this have any significance for India-Armenia defence ties? It indeed does, in a two-fold way. First, Armenia is not just a friendly country embroiled in a conflict with a neighbour who is massively helped militarily by another country inimical to India Turkey. But in recent years the Azerbaijan-Turkey partnership has expanded to include Pakistan. This again in itself may not have any bearing for India-Armenia ties. But not only has Turkey been stridently raking up the Kashmir issue in the UN General Assembly, it has been expanding defence partnership with Pakistan, and sheltering anti-India individuals and organizations. At the same time Azerbaijan has injected itself into South Asian politics, by also taking up a pro-Pakistan position vis-a-vis Kashmir and spelling out its intent to support Pakistan in resolving the Kashmir issue. Azerbaijan is also negotiating with Pakistan for the procurement of Chinese-origin JF-17 fighters. This, therefore, only strengthens the case for a stronger India-Armenia partnership, The other major reason for strong India-Armenia partnership, especially in defence, stems from the Azerbaijan intent in forming a corridor to Nakhichevan and thereon to Turkey through Armenian territory. Azerbaijan envisages the Zangazur corridor would connect it to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan in western Armenia and onward to Turkey without Armenian border control over it. It cuts through Armenias southernmost province of Syuni which borders Irans Azeri province in the north. I have written in-depth about it in an earlier article here. The corridor has major implications for India. It will effectively be out of Armenian control and would be controlled by Azerbaijan and Turkey, who can close the border with Iran with ease which would effectively cut off Iran from the Caucuses and the Black Sea routes to Europe. These are the multi-modal routes important for Indias backing of the International North South Transport Corridor. On the other hand, the corridor would give Turkey easy land access to Central and South Asia. Azerbaijan is intent on securing this corridor even by force, and the attacks on Armenian territory are in this direction. India should do everything possible to prevent the forceful imposition of such a corridor, which takes on greater significance in the wake of the sanctions imposed on Russia. This would require a militarily strong Armenia, which, without being a threat to its neighbours, should be able to defend itself. With Armenias strongest defence ally Russia being distracted by Ukraine, India must do everything to help the tiny but strategically located country to protect itself. Also Read: Interview: After the Ukraine conflict, will Armenia step up partnership with India in weapons, trade and investments? Already on an upswing, the defence cooperation between India and Armenia is expected to get a major uplift after the visit of a high-level delegation from the South Caucasus country to Gujarats Gandhinagar for DefExpo 2022 this week. As he met his counterpart Rajnath Singh, Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan focused on the possibilities of expanding bilateral military and military-technical cooperation between the two countries. Papikyan and accompanying interlocutors also spent quite a bit of time touring the exhibition booths at Asias largest defence event, familiarising themselves with the presented exhibits and having discussions with the managers of a number of companies. The significant visit took place amid the latest military escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan due to the decades-long dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. India has maintained a consistent position with regard to the disturbances in the Caucasus region, calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomatic means right from the beginning of the hostilities. I presented the situation created as a result of the recent aggression of Azerbaijan and thanked for Indias clear position in international platforms. I also invited my colleague to visit Armenia on an official visit, said Papikyan after the meeting with Rajnath Singh. With Turkey and Pakistan backing Azerbaijan to the hilt, Yerevan has been keen on building a strong strategic partnership with New Delhi. It all began with India supplying Armenia with four Swathi Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at a cost of $40 million in 2020. Since then, from indigenously-developed Pinaka Extended Range multi-barrel rocket launchers and laser-guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) to the New Generation Akash (Akash-NG) missile, the government led by Nikol Pashinyan has been showing deep interest in acquiring the latest Indian military hardware. As reported recently, the two countries have now signed a 250 million USD weapon deal to take their defence partnership to a new high. The collaborative partnerships have been taking many other forms as both countries work on enhancing trade through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) by utilization of the Chabahar port in Iran which is being developed by India. Landlocked Armenia is a key member of the project to establish the vast pan-Eurasian transport network and has shown keen interest in the utilization of Chabahar port which India is pushing to include in the INSTC framework. The centuries-old India-Armenia connect makes the bond even stronger. During the first-ever visit to Yerevan by an External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India last year, S Jaishankar also spotlighted that the relations between the two countries go back several centuries with the recorded history of the presence of the Armenian diaspora in India from medieval times. There is a presence of rich Armenian heritage with churches, cemeteries and educational institutions in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Agra, where the first Armenian Church was consecrated in 1562. Also Read: Interview: After the Ukraine conflict, will Armenia step up partnership with India in weapons, trade and investments? Cover Image Attribute: The file photo of a TSMC facility in China / Source: PhoneArena According to a source familiar with the situation, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC, ) has suspended production of advanced silicon for Chinese startup Biren Intelligent Technology () to ensure compliance with U.S. regulations. The decision was based on publicly available information suggesting Biren's products beat Nvidia's Ampere A100 graphics processing units (GPUs), which are now barred from the Chinese market, according to a person who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. While TSMC has not concluded whether Biren's BR100 matches the U.S. threshold, the Taiwanese chipmaker has opted to halt shipments to the Chinese startup, for the time being, the person added. The BR100 is a general-purpose GPU developed by Biren, a small startup company headquartered in Shanghai, China. A recent presentation at Hot Chips featured the architecture in its entirety . According to the details, Biren had tapped TSMC's 7-nanometer process node to manufacture their GPU. The GPU was going to measure at a behemoth 1074mm2 and feature a total of 77.0 Billion transistors. Biren also disclosed how their chip would be up to 2.8x faster than NVIDIA Ampere A100 GPUs, which are some of the fastest data center chips that one can get access to. Image Attribute: The BR100 series has 7-nanometer chips with 16-bit floating point and 8-bit fixed-point computer power that reached maximum speeds of over 1000 T and 2000 T, respectively. California-based Nvidias comparable chips are up to 624 T and 1248 T. The BR100 series has 7-nanometer chips with 16-bit floating point and 8-bit fixed-point computer power that reached maximum speeds of over 1000 T and 2000 T, respectively. California-based Nvidias comparable chips are up to 624 T and 1248 T. The chip would have been an alternative to NVIDIA's Hopper H100 and Ampere A100 GPUs. However, information published by Bloomberg reveals that the United States government has formally requested that TSMC cease production of advanced silicon for Biren. At the beginning of this year, Biren, backed by notable investors such as IDG Capital and Walden International, was looking to raise more capital at a valuation of $2.7 billion. Its flagship BR100 and BR104 processors are designed along similar lines to the graphics chips that Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have adapted to A.I. purposes and are used to train artificial intelligence models and algorithms. Only last week, TMSC secured a one-year license to continue ordering American chipmaking equipment for its expansion in China. In addition, the U.S. government assured TSMC that it would be able to ship the equipment to a manufacturing facility in the Chinese city of Nanjing. But, today's development was not at all surprising but, at the same time, was not expected to be so early. Earlier in August 2022, Dutch photolithography machines manufacturer ASML was forced to cease its business with China. The company holds a monopoly in an advanced form of technology known as extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lithography. ASML's EUV machines manufacture cutting-edge chips with transistors that measure as little as seven nanometers (billionths of a meter) or less. The financial results for the first half of this year revealed that the company derived nearly a sixth of its revenues from China. The electronic tagging of criminals while out on temporary release from prison is not being used for financial reasons, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has admitted. The Department of Justice has confirmed that electronic tagging is not currently being used as an alternative to keeping offenders in prison. Ms McEntee said the reason was due to cost considerations and limited use. Figures published earlier this year showed almost 1.1m was spent on the electronic tagging of prisoners since 2014 before the Irish Prison Service (IPS) stopped using the measure last year over concerns about value for money. They showed the average cost of tagging a prisoner between 2018 and 2021 was almost 15,200 up from just 4,591 in the period 2014-2017. In response to a parliamentary question from independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath, the minister said a total of 151 prisoners have been electronically monitored to date since the introduction of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 which allowed for the measure in relation to the temporary release of prisoners. However, the majority of cases involving the use of electronic tagging occurred between 2013 and 2017, with falling numbers in recent years. Helen McEntee acknowledged that the use of electronic tagging for the temporary release of prisoners has only been used in limited circumstances to date by the IPS. Mr McGrath had questioned the delay in the commencing legislation that allows for the electronic tagging of criminals who are on bail or who are subject to orders restricting their movement. Electronic tagging has been used by the IPS since 2014 to monitor prisoners granted temporary release as part of the Community Return/Community Support Scheme as well as for monitoring some prisoners who are patients in hospitals. However, Ms McEntee stressed the electronic tagging of prisoners had its limitations. It is important to note that while electronic monitoring can serve a useful purpose, it does not in and of itself, prevent the commission of a crime. It is not a real-time surveillance system but primarily a means of checking compliance with any conditions of temporary release. Ms McEntee said electronic tagging, if it is to be used, should be considered in conjunction with various other ways of engaging with and monitoring peoplewhether they are on probation, bail, or temporary early release. She noted that the Government had also recently approved the publication of a bill which would, if passed, allow a court to order an electronic monitoring device to be fitted to a convicted sex offender as part of a post-release supervision order or some order which includes a condition restricting their movement. She said the aim of the Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021 was to provide the courts with a range of appropriate tools and interventions to allow for the monitoring of sex offenders in order to reduce any potential risk they posed as well as to facilitate their rehabilitation. There is some evidence that electronic monitoring can be effective in respect of sex offenders when used for a short duration in tandem with other interventions such as probation supervision, she said. Ms McEntee said she envisaged a pilot programme would be introduced once the legislation is passed which would examine its costs and benefits. However, she stressed that the operational details of the electronic tagging of sex offenders would have to be carefully developed and would need to take account of the costs and value for money in the context of the technologys overall effectiveness. A pilot programme for the electronic tagging of prisoners in 2010 was beset by equipment malfunctioning. There are currently around 1,700 individuals on the register of sex offenders in Ireland. The IPS announced in April 2019 that it was providing a budget of 680,000 over the following two years for the tagging and monitoring of prisoners allowed out of jail on temporary release. However, the only bid to operate the monitoring services was by the same company that was already providing the IPS with electronic tags. The IPS in conjunction with the Department of Justice subsequently took the decision in January 2021 not to renew the contract. The Government is examining the use of tented accommodation to house Ukrainian refugees in the coming weeks, even though they are not designed to be used in winter. Senior Coalition sources have suggested that it would be better to offer those arriving here from Ukraine a tented shelter under State supervision as opposed to turning them away, as happened this weekend. Ahead of Monday night's meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee, there is a frustration that some departments are seeking to blame each other for what happened when 43 refugees were turned away due to a lack of beds. Senior sources have said the Taoiseach will seek to put an end to departmental passing of the buck and demand a much greater unified effort is brought to bear. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said the Government was somewhat caught out by the large numbers of Ukrainian refugees coming to Ireland this weekend. He said the system is under huge pressure but turning away refugees is not acceptable. What's happened this weekend is not acceptable," Mr Coveney said. "The Government is not happy about it. We have a meeting tomorrow to try and put responses in place. And this, by the way, is not just the responsibility of one minister. It's the responsibility of us all in government to ensure that we find sufficient accommodation." He said the State has in a relatively short number of months accommodated almost 60,000 Ukrainians in people's homes, and in 22% of the hotel rooms across the country. He said: But it is no secret, Ireland is being put under huge pressure. Ireland has never faced a migration crisis like this before. And unfortunately this weekend, we have been somewhat caught out in the context of the numbers that have come over the last few weeks. We need to respond to that as a government now and we will, Mr Coveney said. A major difficulty the Government is facing is that hotel operators are willing to accept Ukrainian refugees but not those seeking international protection. With the Irish Red Cross saying there are about 2,000 unfulfilled pledges of accommodation, Government sources have said that much of what has been offered has been deemed unsuitable. Senior Coalition sources suggest it would be better to offer people arriving to Ireland from Ukraine a tent such as those used earlier this year rather than turning them away. File picture: PA The Irish Red Cross said the situation is pretty desperate but said it has offered assistance to the Government but that pledge of help has of yet not been taken up. Red Cross secretary general Liam ODwyer said there are about 2,000 unused pledges not yet taken up despite being offered by the public, but some of the places are in hard to get to rural areas and the families arriving from Ukraine are reluctant to move to those areas. He said: We have offered support to the government and they haven't taken that up just yet. I think the situation is fairly desperate at the moment. Mr ODwyer said he is aware that a significant number of commercial offers have come through our office directly into the department. As these are very much commercial offers, what is done with them is in the hands of the Government, he said. Mr ODwyer also hit out at the Department of Housings failure to bring forward its plan to use modular housing, saying: We haven't heard of the modular housing. What should scare people the most about bats is what would happen if they disappeared, says Susan Kerwin, the founder of Irelands first dedicated Bat Hospital. The facility in Bruree, Limerick, which has been in operation for three years, has just received charity status, which will allow it to raise vital funds. Ms Kerwin has been caring for bats and other wildlife for over a decade. She currently has 34 bats in her care, as well as barn owls, peregrine falcons and buzzards and expects many more animals over the coming winter months. Bat Rehabilitation Irelands new status as a charity will allow her to run badly needed fundraising to meet the increased costs of caring for the species. Im very proud to be a charity because it just shows all of the work and the commitment that we have put in and that has been recognised. It allows us to fundraise which means we can care for more animals which is what its all about, she said. No easy task Caring for bats is no easy task, and involves a rigorous schedule, especially during the winter months. When injured bats come to her hospital at this time of the year, they need to be kept awake to heal their wounds until the spring when they would otherwise be hibernating. While in hibernation, bats reduce their body temperatures from 37C to below 5C which allows them to live off fat stores over the winter. However, this stops their healing process. Prolonged periods of heat can leave bats grounded and dehydrated which is a common occurrence for Ms Kerwin but cats are the main culprits behind the hospital admissions in Bruree. "Cats are absolutely obsessed with bats. If a cat can find where bats are emerging from and are accessible to it, they will return every night and will decimate the whole colony in a week. They don't eat them, they just think it's a game," she said. The bats end up with wounds, often thanks to cats who are 'obsessed' with them. These bats end up with puncture wounds, torn wings and fractures which require extensive treatment and monitoring. Ms Kerwins love of bats began during a challenging time in her life 15 years ago. A victim of a cancer misdiagnosis, she visited the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick with complaints of severe bleeding and was told repeatedly that she did not have cancer. Nine months after initially attending the hospital, Ms Kerwan was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 27 and had to undergo a subsequent hysterectomy and radiotherapy. She experienced menopause, chronic stress and depression at the time following the treatment and found it almost impossible to sleep. At this time, she would sit outside late at night and began to notice bats flying around her house. "It was a time that I got lost in, I became obsessed with them and it was an escape for me from the daily worries and what was going on," she said. One thing led to another and she began studying the creatures with a bat detector, which allowed her to distinguish one species from another before going on to train in Ireland and in institutions across the world including Florida. 'Nothing to fear' With Halloween around the corner, Ms Kerwin said that people should not fear bats but fear what the world would look like without them. She says bats promote good health as they reduce the amount of pesticide that farmers need for crops and reduce the costs involved in doing so. 'There's nothing to fear with bats', Ms Kerwin says. Irelands smallest species, the soprano and the common pipistrelle weigh between five and six grammes and eat their body weight in insects each night, according to Ms Kerwin. The population of each species is said to be around one million in Ireland, so if you have a million each of them and theyre weighing five to six grammes if you multiply that, thats over ten tonnes of insects that are being eaten each night by just two of the nine species of bat that we have in Ireland, she said. The impact on our lives as humans and our health is huge, she said before adding that bats are responsible for pollination and seed dispersal in addition to keeping insect populations under control. As Ireland is among the least forested country in Europe, they are under threat as bats roost in trees and use hedgerows as pathways to forage for insects, she said. What should scare people the most about bats is what would happen if they disappeared. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were said to be locked in talks late into the evening as speculation mounted over whether the pair could strike a deal to lay the foundations for a unified Conservative government. Mr Johnson was lagging behind his former chancellor in public support from MPs as Mr Sunak gained a valuable ally in Kemi Badenoch on Saturday, with backers of the ex-PM challenged over claims he had reached the number required to secure a spot on the Tory ballot paper. James Duddridge, a friend of Mr Johnson, said the former British prime minister had the support of the 100 MPs required to reserve his place in the vote. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Gatwick Airport in London on Saturday (Gareth Fuller/PA) But Sunak supporter Richard Holden cast doubt on this suggestion, arguing that the equivalent number of public declarations had not been made because they dont exist. As the day drew to a close, neither Mr Johnson nor Mr Sunak had declared their candidacy, with reports suggesting the pair held talks in the evening to agree on a joint ticket. Mr Sunak formally entered the Tory leadership contest early this morning, promising he would lead with integrity, professionalism and accountability in an apparent attempt to contrast himself with his predecessors as his backers warned a Johnson comeback would be a guaranteed disaster. In a blow to Mr Johnsons campaign should he decide to seek a second stint in Downing Street, International Trade Secretary and former leadership contender Ms Badenoch threw her weight behind the ex-chancellor, insisting it was not the time for nostalgia for the cavalier elan of 2019. She admitted she had on occasion been a member of the Boris Johnson fan club, but she said the Tories are not organising a popularity contest, and stressed the party is not a vehicle for any one individuals personal ambitions. Mr Johnson has returned to the UK to plot a second run for the top job, in a move that has divided opinion among Conservative MPs including his former allies. He arrived at Gatwick Airport on Saturday morning with his family after breaking off from a holiday in the Dominican Republic following Liz Trusss dramatic resignation on Thursday. Meanwhile, an ally of former home secretary Suella Braverman told the PA news agency she had been personally heavily courted by both Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak and was likely to decide who to back for the Tory leadership on Sunday. Despite being the only candidate to declare so far, Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is far behind her potential rivals on public support from MPs, with just 21 to Mr Johnsons 44 and Mr Sunaks 113, according to a PA tally. Setting out her plan to unite the party and the country in the Express, she warned the Tories had let ourselves become distracted by internal disputes. Ms Mordaunt used her pitch to stress the need to make Brexit work, focus on the potential of all our citizens and defend our Union and its territorial integrity, pledging her support for reforming the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol. She insisted she is not seeking the top job for an easy ride, and vowed to build a government which draws from all our best talent. The party needs a unifying figure to do whats right for the UK. At this moment, I believe that person is Rishi. Im a fan of Boris but his return, given all thats happened would not bring people together. We all need to set aside our differences and work for the greater good. https://t.co/xVZdoXU0rw pic.twitter.com/ILxXJoyF0s Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) October 22, 2022 Writing in the Sunday Times, Ms Badenoch said her party must remind people that Conservatives care about the country, not ourselves. The International Trade Secretary suggested Mr Sunak would bring a disciplined approach to Government, citing his fiscal conservativism and stressing that right now, being able to say no is what we need. She said everyone in the party will need to make sacrifices to prove to people the Tories can unite. For her, this means refraining from a second leadership bid, she said, while some will have to forsake a job in government under their preferred candidate so that others can be brought into the tent. Mr Johnsons potential return has divided opinion even among his allies in the parliamentary party, including his former deputy prime minister and foreign secretary Dominic Raab. Mr Raab said we cannot go backwards and pointed out the ex-PM faces an investigation into his actions over partygate. He backed Mr Sunak, saying he was very confident the former chancellor would stand. Rishi Sunak outside his home in London on Saturday morning (Beresford Hodge/PA) Moments after Mr Johnson landed back in the UK on Saturday, ex-home secretary Priti Patel said he had her support but his potential bid suffered a setback as former close allies Steve Barclay and Lord Frost urged colleagues to back Mr Sunak. Mr Johnsons father Stanley predicted that his son would put his name forward and beat Mr Sunak in a head-to-head contest. The former PM has so far won the support of six Cabinet ministers: Ben Wallace, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke, Chris Heaton-Harris, Alok Sharma and Anne-Marie Trevelyan. But his public endorsements fell far short of those for Mr Sunak. Ive been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest. Im running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister - to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE.#PM4PM pic.twitter.com/MM0NTHJ5lH Penny Mordaunt (@PennyMordaunt) October 21, 2022 Another supporter of the ex-PM, ex-culture secretary Nadine Dorries, said in a contest between Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak only Boris is a proven winner, adding that if the former chancellor was instead chosen, we would enter unchartered and potentially dangerous waters. Writing in The Mail on Sunday, Ms Dorries added: Any Tory MP who votes for Rishi Sunak tomorrow will be taking a risk with the future of the party. If he is chosen, power would be transferred out of the hands of the people who exercised their choice at the ballot box less than three years ago and placed into their own very privileged and already powerful hands. That would be an untenable and undemocratic position for us to be in. If that happens, I have no idea how we would be able to look voters in the eye and deny them a General Election that Labour is screaming out for A Tory Party led into the next Election by anyone other than Boris Johnson would mean the country would be looking into the face of a Socialist government. Tory MPs will vote on Monday, and two candidates will be put forward to the party membership unless one pulls out, with a result being announced on Friday. Candidates have until 2pm on Monday to secure the 100 nominations, limiting the ballot to a maximum of three candidates. Supporters of Mr Johnson believe that if he can make it to the last two, he will win in the final online ballot of party activists with whom he remains hugely popular. Some MPs have warned they would resign the Tory whip and sit in the Commons as independents if Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street. Sir Jake Berry wants members, rather than just MPs, to decide the next leader of the Tories (Victoria Jones/PA) Meanwhile, Conservative Party chairman Sir Jake Berry joined the Business Secretary and Johnson-supporter Mr Rees-Mogg in calling for the vote to be decided by members rather than MPs. The Tory chairman told the Telegraph the partys future was in the grip of an existential crisis and if the Tories believed in democracy, members cannot be denied a say on who the next leader of the party is. He added: We have seen two Prime Ministers in a row effectively removed from office by MPs despite the fact that they have won the membership. I fear that it might be a point where members think what is really the point of being a member of the Conservative party. Politics is not delivered in this country by 650 MPs sat in Parliament; it is delivered by thousands of Conservative councillors up and down the country who deliver elections for the party. Asia ASEAN ministers to hold emergency talks on Myanmar The 55th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Phnom Penh in August 2022. / AFP PHNOM PENHSoutheast Asian foreign ministers will hold emergency talks in Jakarta next week to discuss strife-torn Myanmar ahead of Novembers ASEAN leaders summit, diplomatic sources said Friday. Myanmar has been in chaos since a coup in February last year, with more than 2,300 killed in the militarys brutal crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has spearheaded so far fruitless efforts to resolve the crisis, and the bloc is frustrated by escalating human rights atrocities including the execution of political prisoners and a recent airstrike on a school. There has been little progress on a five-point plan from April last year, which called for an end to violence, increased humanitarian aid, as well as dialogue between the military and the anti-coup movement. An Indonesian foreign ministry official said a meeting was scheduled for Thursday at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. The talks are expected to review progress on the plan. A special meeting is now needed as there are specific issues that will be looked into further before the leaders meeting, the official told AFP. The Myanmar junta doesnt show any desire or concrete steps for implementation (of the plan). The official noted that any potential suspension of Myanmars ASEAN membership would not be an easy process. Another diplomatic source told AFP that article seven of the ASEAN charter, which allows the 10-country blocs leaders to address an emergency situation, would be the basis for action. International Institute for Strategic Studies analyst Aaron Connelly said possible options included a de facto suspension and an expansion of the number of meetings that junta officials were not invited to attend. They might for instance no longer attend the defence ministers meeting, he said. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn who is a special envoy to Myanmar as part of his countrys role as host of the ASEAN summit will chair Thursdays meeting. Chum Sounry, Cambodias foreign ministry spokesman, told AFP a team had been sent to Myanmar to discuss concrete action and the envoys third visit to the country originally slated for September. We are now waiting for a response from the Myanmar side, he said. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has not been invited to the ASEAN leaders summit for the second year in a row and Myanmars top diplomat Wunna Maung Lwin was excluded from ministerial talks in February and August. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Ted O'Brien: Labor pretended they stood with the Coalition in opposing this, only to reverse their position upon winning office." The Federal Government's decision to sign on to a pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30% on 2020 levels by 2030 has come in for criticism by the Opposition. Shadow Climate Change and Energy Minister Ted O'Brien said in a statement that the decision reflected a broken promise, adding that it been announced quietly on a Sunday under the cover of budget week. He pointed to two statements made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prior to the May 2022 election, both in response to questions from the media. The move on methane was a joint US-EU commitment, announced in September last year. On 28 October last year, Albanese was auoted as saying a decision not to pledge lower methane emissions was the right one. In this case, Albanese was asked, "Australia's decision not to pledge to lower methane emissions has been labelled disappointing. Was that the right decision?" His response: "It was the right decision. Here in Australia, there are some potential scientific breakthroughs that are being worked on that can make a significant difference, driving down emissions from methane. "But here in Australia, we have a very different system of agriculture. I was in New England on Monday. What you have there is cattle across vast parts of the New England. And it is different from the way that agriculture and farming practices happen in other parts of the world. We need to drive down emissions as much as possible. But it would have been premature for Australia to sign up to that commitment." And on 12 November the same year, Albanese told interviewer Virginia Trioli on 774, "Look, we wouldn't sign up to that pledge. And we said that. That wasn't an objective in terms of the lead-up to COP and the detail.' Trioli's question had been: "Would Labor sign Australia up to the COP26 pledges to reduce methane emissions and phase out the use of coal?" O'Brien pointed out that 50% of Australias methane emissions came from the agricultural sector, and the only way to reduce it was culling herds. He claimed the Coalition understood why it was important to cut methane emissions and that was why it had invested more than $18 million while in government to monitor and reduce fugitive methane emissions in the energy and resources sector. Labor pretended they stood with the Coalition in opposing this, only to reverse their position upon winning office," O'Brien said. [Climate Change and Energy Minister] Chris Bowens word cannot be trusted and Labor cannot be believed when they claim it wont cost anything. Itll be a tax by stealth as Labors... methane cut morphs into additional costs for farmers. It is Labors T-Bone Tax. Farmers wont be able to carry the additional costs and so itll be Australian families that pick up the tab. 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. At least four people were killed in an attack on a hotel in Kismayo in southern Somalia, al-Shabaab Islamists, police and a witness said on Sunday. The port city is the latest to be hit in recent months by bloody attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked group, which has mainly targeted the capital Mogadishu and central Somalia. Sundays attack began at 12:45 p.m. (0945 GMT) when a booby-trapped car rammed the entrance of the Tawakal Hotel. Another civilian body was discovered, accounting for four of the civilian casualties we have confirmed to date, Police Officer Abdullahi Ismail said, updating the number from three previously given by officials. This is not a government goal, Ismail said. Its just an ordinary hotel frequented by civilians. When the security forces tried to break the siege, they killed two of the attackers, he added. They are evacuating the hotel building and will soon announce that the siege is over. Witness Abdikarin Yare told AFP that the forces managed to storm the main building and we can still hear gunfire, adding, Two bodies of the attackers were dragged out. Another witness, Farhan Hassan, who was outside the hotel at the time of the attack, said a suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the hotels entrance before the gunmen entered the building. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and said members of the federal government of Jubaland, where Kismayo is located, met at the hotel at the time. Total war Al-Shabaab has been trying to overthrow the government for more than 15 years and regularly attacks civilian and military targets. Kismayo was once an al-Shabaab stronghold before it was taken over by local militias backed by Kenyan forces in 2012. In August, it launched a 30-hour gun and bomb attack on the popular Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, killing 21 and wounding 117. In 2019, the group carried out a similar attack on a hotel in Kismayo, killing 26 and injuring 56. Somalias President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected in May, vowed to wage an uncompromising war on the Islamists after the August siege. In September, he urged citizens to stay away from jihadist-controlled areas, saying the armed forces and tribal militias would step up offensives against them. A joint US-Somalia drone strike on October 1 killed one of the militants senior commanders. Just hours after his death was announced, a triple bomb blast killed at least 30 people in the southern town of Beledweyne. In addition to the violence, Somalia like its neighbors in the Horn of Africa is being hit by the worst drought in more than 40 years. Four failed rainy seasons have wiped out livestock and crops. Apart from the heart-flutter rom-com series, Hallyu is also known to produce top notch horror K-dramas perfect for Halloween. From spine-chilling stories, and terrifying yet amazing visuals to an interesting cast lineup, here are 5 K-dramas that will surely keep you up to keep you up at night. 'Kingdom' Based on the webtoon "The Kingdom of the Gods," "Kingdom" which stars Bae Doona, Joo Ji Hoon, Ryu Seung Ryong, Kim Sung Gyu, and more, are among the most-watched K-zombie series. Released in 2019, the thriller historical series depicts the story of a Crown Prince who is deemed a traitor after the Joseon King died of a mysterious illness. On the other hand, the whole Kingdom was engulfed in a plague with a terrifying disease. Following the massive success of the K-series, "Kingdom '' had its second season and a spin-off "Kingdom: Ashin of the North'' starring Jun Ji Hyun. Interestingly, Netflix is also rumored to release the second spin-off "Kingdom: Tale of the Crown Prince" featuring the story of the Crown Prince. 'Strangers from Hell' Another K-drama that gained the viewers' attention in 2019 is "Strangers from Hell." Based on the webtoon of the same name, the psychological-crime-horror series stars Im Siwan as the fresh grad Yoon Jong Woo, who moves to Seoul to find a job. However, he becomes the target of his creepy neighbors residing at the cheap hostel, Eden Gosiwon. "Strangers from Hell" shows off Lee Dong Wook's versatility as he plays the odd dentist Seo Moon Jo. 'Save Me' From one psychological thriller series to another, "Save Me" is a 16-part episode K-drama that focuses on the religious group's bizarre activities run by Spiritual Father Baek Jung Ki of Goosunwon played by Jo Sung Ha. Penned by "Strangers from Hell" and "Dark Hole" writer Jung Yi Do, "Save Me" also stars Seo Ye Ji, Ok Taecyeon, and Woo Do Hwan as lead stars. Released in 2017, the psychological thriller also aired its season 2 in 2019 starring Chun Ho Jin as the Spiritual Father while the new protagonist is played by Uhm Tae Goo. 'Happiness' Of course, Halloween-themed K-drama will not be complete without a K-zombie series. Aside from "Kingdom", another binge-worthy series is "Happiness." It stars Han Hyo Joo as special agent Yoon Sae Bom who were among the first to encounter zombies. Joining her is Park Hyung Sik as the detective Jung Yi Hyun, investigating the spread of a mysterious disease. Yoon Sae Bom and Jung Yi Hyun were trapped in the apartment building along with their neighbors after the authorities found out that it was the ground zero of the zombie-like disease. 'The Witch's Diner' The psychological horror K-drama "The Witch's Diner" is based on a novel about people who wants to fulfill their wishes. With this, they come to dine at the restaurant run by witch Jo Hee Ra, played by Song Ji Hyo. In exchange for their granted wish, the customers have to sacrifice the most precious thing in their life. Joining Song Ji Hyo as lead stars are Nam Ji Hyun and Chae Jong Hyeop. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Chae Jong Hyeop Joins Kim So Hyun as Lead Star in Webtoon K-drama 'Is It Fate?' KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills As he discovers that Ha Seok Jin was adopted from the Hope Welfare Center, Ok Taecyeon gets more suspicious of his brother. Tension arises between the two in "Blind" episode 11. 'Blind' Episode 10 Preview In the previous episode, Ryu Sung Joon (Ok Taecyeon) discovered that his brother was in a childhood photo of a young boy called number "11." He realized that Ryu Sung Hoon (Ha Seok Jin) had been adopted from the Hope Welfare Center. Before "Blind" episode 10 ended, it gave viewers an interesting cliffhanger as the mystery man who suddenly approached Jo Eun Ki (Jung Eun Ji) and covered her mouth was Ryu Sung Hoon. 'Blind' Episode 11: Ryu Sung Joon Gets Suspicious of His Brother's Behavior In continuation of the story, as soon as Ryu Sung Joon found out that Jo Eun Ki went missing, he immediately began to investigate her whereabouts. Gladly, he was able to locate her with Ryu Sung Hoon in the rare forest. Eun Ki showed up without any injuries, but the detective could not completely erase the suspicion towards his brother. Meanwhile, another murder happened. A student named Kwon Do Na (Kang Na Eon) was found dead inside a cabinet. Sung Hoon, who entered the police station as a witness to the murder said, "It was a huge prison," describing the hellish past when asked about the hope Welfare Center. The harrowing truth about Sung Hoon's past made even the detectives, who were listening to the story, feel miserable. Is Ryu Sung Hoon Ally of the Real Murderer? Ryu Sung Joon stepped up his pursuit of the real criminal, who is becoming a murder victim beyond revenge for the HWC. The detective, who found a photo of Sung Hoon entering Choi Soon Gil's (Choi Jae Seop) house on the day of Ahn Tae Ho's (Chae Dong Hyun) death on his cell phone, began to follow his brother's traces. Thanks to Sung Joon's passionate investigation, Ryu Sung Hoon's suspicious behavior slowly came to the surface. As he knew the culprit of the murder of Jung Man Chun (Jeon Jin Woo), but pretended not to know, and had the same clothes as the black raincoat that attacked Sung Joon at the daughter's wedding of Kang Young Ki (Kim Ha Kyun), the clue to the incident seemed to be gradually increased. Ryu Sung Joon was convinced that his brother was the culprit. He secretly followed Sung Hoon and witnessed him with a black raincoat. Even before the sense of betrayal that his trusted brother was communicating with the criminal disappeared. A mysterious man wearing a black raincoat shocked him for stabbing Sung Hoon. Will Ryu Sung Joon be able to save his brother and resolve all suspicions? Let's all find out in the next "Blind" episode. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars. KDramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is pictured on Friday, July 26, 2013. Toronto police say operations at the downtown island airport have been suspended and the airport's ferry terminal has been evacuated as they investigate a suspicious package. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michelle Siu Increasing pay for certified nursing assistants at a Kenosha County-owned skilled nursing facility became a discussion point as elected officials and members of two panels reviewed the 2023 proposed spending plan for human services. Beleaguered by staff shortages and fewer patients seeking services, the 154-bed Brookside Care Center had reported revenue losses of more than $1.2 million earlier this summer. Brookside Care Center and Willowbrook Assisted Living Kenosha Countys Brookside Care Center and Willowbrook Assisted Living debuted three newly landscaped and furnished outdoor gardens in summer 2021. Brookside, located at 3506 Washington Road, serves patients in need of short-term rehabilitation to recover from illnesses and injuries or long-term care. Brookside officials are compensating for the shortfall with pandemic-related stimulus funds from the federal government. The county had access to these funds through the American Rescue Plan Act, according to Lynda Bogdala Brooksides director. The relief funds are used by local governments to respond to the public health and economic emergency, provide premium pay to essential workers and replace revenue lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial wage increases In June, the county implemented an initial wage increase that raised the starting pay for certified nursing assistants more than $2 per hour from $17.10 for $19.13 for those already employed at Brookside. In addition, shift differential and weekend pay premiums also rose. The starting pay is expected to increase again for next year. But that may not be enough, according to two County Board supervisors who called on administration to consider applying additional federal stimulus funds to raise their pay to be at least competitive. Supervisor Monica Yuhas, a member of the Human Services Committee, said that according to Wisconsin Health System data online, the average pay for a CNA is about $24 an hour in Wisconsin. According to county human services administration, the pay schedule for CNAs includes a minimum of $17.43 per hour while the maximum is $22.15 per hour. Those at the midpoint earn $19.79 per hour. Brookside, which was established as a self-funding facility has revenue that comes from user charges for its beds and a variety of sources. Those sources include private payers, state taxes, Medicare, managed care contracts, Medicare Part B and Medicaid. However, revenue is projected to drop from $19.7 million to $19.4 million, based on fewer admissions. I would like to see the pay increase for these CNAs, said Yuhas during the nearly three-hour budget review Wednesday night. I dont think that even at $17.43 an hour youre going to attract employees and were going to have a facility that isnt being used. Panels tentatively approve budget The Human Services Committee, composed of County Board supervisors and the Human Services Board, made up of community members, voted unanimously to approve Brooksides budget proposed to increase by 5.6% or $1,172,057 from $21,101,206 this year to $22,273,263 in 2023. The approval included pay increases for CNAs, however, not to the level suggested by the supervisors. That would be dependent on recommendations that would come from the long-awaited classification and wage study the its employees. According to county administration, the study is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The panels advisory approvals also included a reduction of $317,857, in Brooksides budget, of which $121,000 was attributed to employee attrition, a $92,000 payroll decrease, as well as, a $57,000 drop in vendor food costs, due to the decline in patient admissions, according to Bogdala. The centers budget was part of the comprehensive review of the countys Human Services Departments spending plan, also approved by both panels, and which is proposed to increase by just over 2.5% or $2,677,175, from $106,292,113 in 2022 to $108,969,288 next year. A majority of the departments revenue comes from state and federal grants with the remaining funding coming from tax levy. Next years levy for human services levy is expected to increase from $19,474,720 to $20,211,645, or 3.78%. The budget will go before the Finance Committee during hearings next week. Yuhas said that with a state average of $24 per hour and competition from Illinois where theyre paying more than that the county should look into using the federal stimulus funding as other municipalities and counties are also doing the same to offset losses. She said without a more competitive wage to attract workers, beds will remain empty and were going to be in a deficit next year of $2 million. Bogdala said she didnt feel that throwing money at this would solve the problem. She said she knows of a facility in Kenosha County that pays its CNAs $25 per hour, but isnt attracting workers. Theyre halting admissions because they cant staff it, she said. In addition, about a half billion workers have left the healthcare industry during the pandemic, she said. Theres a shortage of every aspect of the health care personnel whether its CNAs RNs, LPNs, does not matter, she said. Employment incentives Bogdala said the state is currently working with Brookside to help attract people interested in the health care field. The center is participating in a state program that offers educational support and cash incentives to successful certified nursing assistant applicants. Under the WisCaregiver program, free training, no-cost admission to be placed on the Wisconsin CNA registry and the opportunity to receive a $500 retention bonus after six months continues to be offered to those CNAs who remained employed at Brookside. Bonuses of $400 to $500 have also been offered to current employees who refer a new CNA who remains on the job for six months, while a newly hired CNA would receive a bonus of $200 to $250, depending on full-time equivalent hours after six months of employment. It just started so its starting to get there, she said. However its having to grow people. People left (the profession). Theyre gone. Its definitely a difficult time. She said its not just a Brookside problem, or a Kenosha County, but a worldwide problem. Brookside has had the referrals for patients in need of services and has had to turn them down due to the worker shortage. In August, Brookside denied at least 44 potential admissions, Bogdala said. She said she and her staff meet daily on whether they can accept additional patients based on their health to having staff to meet the quality of care needed. Supervisor Jeff Gentz said the county needs to figure out how it can attract more CNAs quickly. If it means ARPA money in, higher salaries come in at $24 (per hour) to start with weve got to figure it out, he said. We cant be turning away 60 people in two months in our community. PLEASANT PRAIRIE On Aug. 27, 1993, a photographer walking in the 12700 blocks of the Soo Line railroad tracks in Pleasant Prairie found a deceased males body. The decedent was in an advanced state of decomposition. Pleasant Prairie Police and the Kenosha County Medical Examiners Office (KCMEO) responded to the scene to investigate. An autopsy, forensic anthropology exam, forensic dental exam, and a reconstruction of the decedents tattoo were performed. Unfortunately, the information did not yield the decedents identity or any additional leads in the case. In January 2009, investigators entered the John Doe case information into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database; however, it didnt produce any additional leads, and the decedents identity remained unknown. In December 2014, the medical examiners office and the Pleasant Prairie Police met and decided to submit John Does skull to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI). On behalf of NamUs, a secondary forensic anthropology examination, forensic odontology examination, and DNA extraction were conducted. UNTCHI notified the KCMEO in June of 2016 that the forensic anthropologist tests showed the 1993 John Doe was a male between 40 and 60 years old with Hispanic, Native American, or Caucasian ancestry. With the DNA analysis complete, investigative teams uploaded the results into the FBIs national database. In September 2016, the KCMEO contacted the Michigan State Police Biometrics and Identification Division. That office agreed to perform a facial reconstruction of the 1993 John Doe to help identify the man. It shared and the reconstruction results in May 2017, asking anyone with information on John Does identity to contact authorities. Efforts continued in 2018 when the KCMEO partnered with the DNA Doe Project in hopes of identifying the man. While the identity of the 1993 John Doe has not been determined, advanced genetic genealogy has detailed that the decedent is of Native American descent, with family possibly being from Keshena, Shawano, Langlade, Calumet, or Waupaca areas. Investigators also determined the male descendant has relatives from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. KCMEO and the DNA Doe Project teams continue to work to give 1993 John Doe his name back. Anyone with interest should contact the Pleasant Prairie Police Department at 262.694.7353. Archived 220 Shares Share I was sitting in front of a panel of six people for my psychiatry training interview in Wellington, New Zealand. Two community members, two psychiatry consultants, and a senior psychiatry registrar, all of which were of Caucasian ethnicity. I can recall talking about cultural differences in my upbringing and how that has helped me to connect to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Samoan culture is adherently based on the relational self rather than the secular or individualized self. I was unprepared for the two subsequent questions that followed. What is it to be Samoan? What is it to be a minority? I could feel the tension rising as I panicked to answer. I certainly wasnt expecting a psychiatric evaluation of my identity, so I responded honestly. Im a child of two worlds. Im half Samoan and half Scottish, and grew up in New Zealand. I dont know what it is like to be either, but I am both. To answer your question, to be Samoan is to struggle, and to be Samoan is to overcome that adversity. Its a struggle because we dont get taken seriously in academia; its a struggle to be considered the same or equal to others with the same qualifications. In medical school, I can recall being harassed by fellow medical students about why I deserved to be there despite having multiple degrees and a higher GPA. All too common situations like these make us feel we must perform to a much higher standard just to be considered the same or worthy of being in the same place as others. On the flight home, I remember thinking it didnt go well and beating myself up about every question other than the one eating at me inside. Do they ask these types of questions to everyone? A week later, I received a congratulatory phone call highlighting my acceptance into the psychiatry training program. It wasnt until a little while after that I discovered I was declined my training placement. Without my knowledge, my supervising consultants asked why the RANZCP representatives declined my position. Their answer: We were not impressed with his answer to a set of questions. On further probing, they relented and said they didnt like the answer to the question, stating that I was angry and didnt know who I was as a person. This launched a back-and-forth centered around the inherent racism represented by the college representatives. I came to find out that they didnt ask anyone else who was interviewed about their ethnicity, gender, or type of socks they were wearing, and thus formed the basis of the argument to train me in psychiatry. My consultants were aware of the unfair questions posed to clinicians of different ethnicities seeking fellowship. There had been a handful of African psychiatrists trained in the U.K. who were asked similar questions and declined positions due to questions about their race. Such questions highlight an evident lack of understanding of what others go through in life and a lack of knowledge of their own biases and racism. Psychiatrists should be mindful of how prejudice and racism impact their decision-making. I can recall countless times when Polynesian consultants were not even considered the doctor in the room. While some would look defeated, others would speak up. I recall routinely being rostered for double the amount of extra after-hours duties compared to everyone else despite being paid the same. Despite all this, we still have exceptional Polynesian clinicians who overcome adversity. Some would ask, why persist? I suspect it comes down to an archetypal relational understanding of their why. I can recall a moment when an elderly Samoan man working as security in a busy emergency department grabbed me by the arm as I walked by. He said, Its so good to see someone like us doing the work you do, and had a look of sincerity and hope in his eyes. I will forever cherish this moment as it reminds me of why I persist in medicine. I was doing it for them people like this man who looked like he could be a distant relative. I knew that if other clinicians were willing to treat me poorly based on my ethnicity, how would I expect those clinicians to treat my people with respect and dignity? I cant. This is the burden that Pacific and Maori clinicians often feel indebted to carry. This sense of duty can lead to increased rates of burnout, mental health issues, relationship breakdowns, and helplessness that often present as a lack of career progression and attainment. We are so focused on trying to make up for the shortfalls of a racist system that we dont have the time for much else. So what do we do about it? We can have dedicated plans by health organizations to address institutional racism. We can call it what it is: racism. And we address its factors. Theres medical students lived experience. Otago University has a great program to place medical students with Maori and Pacific families for up to a week. I suspect this needs to be longer. Theres medical school representation a diverse representation of medical students and faculty members. Theres continued professional community engagement and work throughout the life of the health practitioner. To those supervisors who supported and advocated for me, thank you. It shows that despite this topic often making you feel isolated, you only have to surround yourself with the right people to address these issues head-on. Jamie Ioane is a general practitioner in New Zealand. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Kilkenny is the seventh best Irish county for electric vehicles according to a report from insurance company, chill.ie With 32 EV charging stations, coming out at 3.1 for every 10,000 members of the population, Kilkenny comes out as the seventh-best Irish county for electric vehicle owners. Those looking to make the switch also have 12 EV dealerships to choose from. When it comes to driving, it seems that electric vehicles (EVs) are the cars of the future with the government pledging to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. To rank each county, the report looked at factors such as the number of EV charging stations per 10,000 people, the number of EV dealerships per 10,000 and the potential petrol savings for people in each county. According to the findings of the Irish Electric Vehicle Report has found that county Carlow is the best county in Ireland for electric vehicles. It consistently came out towards the top of each of the rankings, including the number of EV charging stations and dealerships, as well as potential savings for EV drivers. The government has also announced a range of initiatives and grants to make owning an EV cheaper and more accessible The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is offering a government grant of up to 5,000 off the price of an electric vehicle, providing it's from an approved list of EVs. Eligible homeowners can also receive up to 600 towards purchasing and installing a home charging unit for their electric vehicle. Typically, charging from home costs less than public charging points. Electric vehicles now qualify for the lowest tax band of motor tax, meaning your new rate yearly rate could be 120. Anne Neary, Kilkennys Queen of cooking first opened Ryeland House Cookery School 32 years ago in Kilkenny to provide cooking classes. The house itself is a country farmhouse built in 1845, it has been the home of the Neary family for over four generations and is located approximately five miles outside the historic city of Kilkenny at Cuffesgrange. Pat & Anne Neary Anne is married to Pat Neary for 52 years, they have three children and eight grandchildren. Anne is a woman of many talents and in addition to running the Ryeland House Cookery School she is now a published author. She provides exclusive outdoor catering. She is also one of the founding members of our famous food festival Savour Kilkenny. She also presents a cookery slot live on air on KCLR 96FM. When it comes to food the ethos of Anne and the Ryeland House Cookery School has always been one of using locally sourced, great quality ingredients. Much of the food used at Ryeland House is grown on their home farm, their neighbours farms or is produced locally by skilled artisan food makers. Some call Ryeland House the Ballymaloe of Kilkenny. Anne has recently built a new cookery school on the farm in her new home, called The Lodge at Ryelands, where she is offering private bespoke classes. The Lodge will host a special November class with Anne's favourite food - fish, with fishmonger Liam Burke from Waterford. Selection of fish from fishmonger Liam Burke At the ripe age of 74, there is no stopping Anne Neary, as I was soon to find out Whats your secret, what keeps you young at heart? I think its simply because I love life and I love meeting people. I love the conversation and the chat, and I think you can be as old as you want or as young as you want. Some days I think Im 40 and other days I think Im a 100! People ask me what age I am, and I have no problem telling them. Sure, you only have to look at the wrinkles on my face to know! I think the secret is being busy and working on several jobs. Sure, look at this week, it was most unusual. On Monday and Tuesday, I gave private one to one class. On Wednesday I got my nails done as Im going to America next week, then to a funeral and back to play cards that night. On Thursday I did the radio, went to the second part of the funeral and that night we had the most amazing sustainable meal in Butler Gallery, hosted by the artist Deirdre OMalley and cooked by Chef Clare-Ann OBrien. I heard about that extraordinary event in Butler Gallery and sustainability in farming was the hot topic. The whos who of the food industry attended the event. From Darina Allen, to farmers, people in the food business, to people with masters and state and PhDs in the agricultural industry. They are all talking about sustainability and how it will be in 100 years time. Each course prompted them to talk about it, i.e., whether it was juicing or producing purple potatoes or organic lamb, or seaweed and charcoal butter or coffee made from dandelions. What I found the most unusual, is that they said we only have 100 more seasons to cook to. I know sustainability is the hot topic now, and I know farming communities are trying to cut back and do everything that they can, but it must be done at a certain rate. Theres no use saying to the farmer with 200 cattle that he needs to sell them in the morning. This farmer is set up for 200 cattle and he has built buildings for them, which he is trying to pay the banks for. When we went to Ryelands in 1984 organic farming wasn't in at the time, it was a taboo, but I was very much leaning towards organic farming. People used to say to me what are you talking about? All you're doing is growing thistles and weeds outside in the field. But you are not, you are actually saving the planet. Unfortunately, we never got to do organic farming, had it been 10 years later I would have probably dug into it. Now it's essential. You came from a wonderful background of food and always talk warmly about growing up by the coast. Im originally from the coast in Wexford, as our good friend Edward Hayden says, I'm Oreo from the sea!. When you take the ferry crossing from Passage East to Ballyhack, you arrive in my home which faces Hook Head. A lot of my family are fishermen and we loved fish, fresh fish every day. We lived on black sole and crab crawls, because they would be odd sizes which the fisherman couldnt use, so they would leave in a bucket for us on their way home on the weekends. All the neighbours would get them. My grandmother lived in the next inlet. I spent my summers with her, and it was a wonderful childhood, waking up in the morning to bring in the cows in your bare feet with the dew on the grass and collecting brekines and periwinkles all day. I never remember it raining, it did of course but I never remember it! My first love of cooking was from my other granny, her father was a French man. Thats where it comes from down the line. He was a Hodnan who came from North Cambria in France. My grandmother was fantastic at making a dinner out of nothing. She made choux pastry, when people didnt know what choux pastry was. I came from a wonderful background of food. All my cousins are fantastic cooks, and it all comes from her. Tell me about your journey to the food industry? I did a secretary course when I left school. My father wanted me to work in the County Council where I would have a permanent job and a pension. I refused; I was only 18 but I knew I wanted to cook. My father said it was out of the question. In the meantime, Ranks the film crowd had a training programme for hotel management in the 60s. So, I got in that way, but once I was in the kitchen, I didnt leave it. My father wasnt one bit delighted, unfortunately he died when I was 21, and he never got to see what I did with my career. Roll on, I got married to Pat and we moved to Kilkenny in 1984. Tommy Duggan of the Monster House asked me to help out on the Estee Lauder counter for the Christmas season. I went in to give them a hand in 1988 and I didnt leave 1993! I just did two days a week and loved it. Then in 1991 my uncle was home visiting from England and said to me, I dont understand why you dont teach people how to cook. You are brilliant in what you do, and you can transfer it easily onto others. When I come home this time next year, I want you to open a cookery school. Eight friends of mine came to my first class and the rest is history! Savour Kilkenny is only around the corner. From the very first Savour meeting many years ago, did you think it would grow so successfully? Noel McCarron from Cafe Sol asked me to come on board for a food festival. I said yes straight away. We were sitting in the Hibernian Hotel for our first meeting and when they asked me what my vision was. I remember looking out the window and distinctly saying how someday Id love to see the parade full of food tents and cooking demos. There were five original board members Olivia Goodwillie, Kayrin Connery from Fleva, Rhoda Nolan from Rosquil Guest House, the late Paddy Friel from OPW, and me. We had no money, so we just begged, and borrowed! My husband Pat used to go around with the gas cooker and the cylinder of gas for the cooking demos. The very first year was in Kierans Street, then it was around the town in different spots. We didnt have the parade until the fifth year. I stayed on the Savour Board for six years. When Marian Flannery came along 11 years ago as Festival Director, it turned into what it is today with the current wonderful board members. Sixteen years later, I cannot believe how incredible it has turned out. Dont miss Anne Neary & Edward Hayden on the Stage Savour this October bank holiday www.savourkilkenny.com For Ryeland Cookery School Christmas cookery classes visit www.ryelandhousecookery.com Rishi Sunak has formally entered the Tory leadership contest, promising he would lead with integrity, professionalism and accountability in an apparent attempt to contrast himself with his predecessors as his backers warned a Boris Johnson comeback would be a guaranteed disaster. Mr Johnsons supporters have downplayed the fact he is lagging behind his former chancellor in public support from MPs, saying he is clearly running, although he has not officially declared this. Mr Sunak, becoming the second candidate to enter the race after Penny Mordaunt, said he wants to fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country. The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis. Thats why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country. pic.twitter.com/BppG9CytAK Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 23, 2022 He said in a statement: I served as your chancellor, helping to steer our economy through the toughest of times. The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities, if we make the right choice, are phenomenal. I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto. There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done. Mr Sunak on Sunday gained the valuable backing of Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, an influential figure on the Tory right as the former head of backbench Brexiteers. Mr Baker was scathing in his assessment of what a comeback by Mr Johnson would mean. The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis. Thats why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country. pic.twitter.com/BppG9CytAK Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 23, 2022 He told Skys Sophy Ridge On Sunday: Boris would be a guaranteed disaster. Theres going to be a vote before the House of Commons on this issue of privileges, whether he will deliberately misled the house. In that vote its guaranteed therell be a large number of Conservatives who will refuse, as they see it, to lay down their integrity to save him, and at that moment his premiership will collapse. Mr Johnson is to face an inquiry into whether he lied to the Commons over the partygate scandal, for which he was fined by police. If found guilty by the Commons Privileges Committee, he could face recall proceedings that would leave him battling for his seat in the Commons if he receives a suspension of 10 days or more. Im not willing to lay down my integrity for Boris Johnson, Mr Baker said. He added that this isnt the time for Boris and his style, noting that Mr Johnson does not have the capacity to comply with tedious rules. Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed Mr Johnson intends to run, told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: I have been speaking to Boris Johnson, and clearly hes going to stand, theres a great deal of support for him. It came as Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, became Mr Johnsons latest Cabinet backer as he said he got the big calls right and argued Britain needs him back. A maternity consultant, who uses art to challenge the huge stigma and sexualisation around breastfeeding, is set to unveil new artworks at an exhibition next month. Afif El-Khuffash, a neonatologist and lactation consultant at Dublins Rotunda Hospital, has swapped his stethoscope for a paintbrush in his spare time with the aim of confronting societys judgment of how Irish mothers feed their babies. The father-of-two said he wants to depict the emotions, struggles and elation that comes with the breastfeeding journey. Women are always judged, no matter what choice they make, Dr El-Khuffash said. We should never judge mothers but simply provide the support and safe environment for them to raise and feed their babies. The fact is that 80% of new mothers want to breastfeed, but by the first week after their babies are born, only 40-50% are doing so. And there are many reasons for that. The Kuwaiti-born consultant, who was part of a Canadian hospital team which saved the life of a baby girl born at just 380g, went public with his artworks two years ago. He is now gearing up to join over 160 exhibitors at Art Source, an international art fair at the RDS in Dublin, which will run from November 11-13. An exhibition of works by Damien Hirst, the English artist who recently burned hundreds of his artworks, will be the centrepiece of the art show. Dr El-Khuffash said his latest works celebrate the unshakeable bond between mothers and babies. But he also wants them to challenge a societal sexualisation surrounding breasts. It is so pervasive in our culture and I hope that women breastfeeding infants in public will be unilaterally accepted as normal, he said. Through my work and my art, I am determined to work towards improving the breastfeeding environment and challenge the current taboo thinking. Women can get criticised for breastfeeding and they can get criticised for not breastfeeding. Its a lose-lose situation and there is still a huge stigma around the issue. My paintings are intimate and raw, and encompass the wide range of emotion, experiences, struggles and elation that come with the breastfeeding journey. Dr El-Khuffash said he has no plans to quit medicine but plans to devote himself full-time to art once he retires. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has admitted the Government has been caught out this weekend by the increase in the numbers of Ukrainian refugees seeking accommodation. Mr Coveney added that it was not acceptable that refugees were told there was no accommodation for them on their arrival into Ireland. A total of 43 Ukrainian refugees were left without State accommodation this weekend. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko has described the lack of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees as unacceptable. Mr Coveney told RTEs This Week on Sunday that almost 60,000 Ukrainians had been accommodated to date this year. Whats happened this weekend is not acceptable, he said. The government is not happy about it. We have a meeting tomorrow to try and put responses in place. And this, by the way, is not just the responsibility of one minister. Its the responsibility of us all in government to ensure that we find sufficient accommodation. He added: It is no secret that Ireland is being put under huge pressure because of the huge numbers this yearIreland has never faced a migration crisis like this before. And unfortunately this weekend, we have been somewhat caught out in the context of the numbers that have come over the last few weeks. We need to respond to that as a government now and we will. Ms Gerasko said it would have been better if the Government had informed people in advance that there was not enough beds As far as I know the Government is working on on plan, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland said. Its not acceptable. Its unacceptable for us, because, of course we are worrying about our people. They bought the tickets, they arrived in Irelandit would be better to to announce the lack of, or absence of, the accommodation in advance. Ten more refugees were left without State accommodation in the country on Saturday due to a shortage of emergency beds. It brings to 43 the number of Ukrainian refugees who have been told over the weekend that there was no accommodation available to them. It emerged on Saturday that 33 Ukrainian refugees were told on Friday there was no State accommodation available. It is understood a number of refugees slept in Dublin Airport on Friday night. A spokesman for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth told the PA news agency on Sunday: A further 10 people, all single males, were informed yesterday that no accommodation was available and asked to provide contact details for when it does become available. It followed Equality and Integration Minister Roderic OGorman admitting on Thursday that the Government could not rule out that Ukrainian refugees will not end up on the streets due to a shortage of accommodation. Up to 55,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the country since the outbreak of the war in February. The Taoiseach on Saturday defended the Irish Governments response to the accommodation shortage. Micheal Martin said the State had been remarkably fast responding to the wave of refugees and asylum seekers entering the country since the onset of the war in Ukraine. But he admitted it was not satisfactory that refugees were left without accommodation and that the Government was urgently seeking further accommodation. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said on Thursday night that the Citywest transit centre had reached capacity amid a severe constraint on suitable accommodation. A group representing NGOs said that pregnant women and the elderly were sleeping on chairs and on the floor at the overcrowded Citywest facility. An electron microscopic image shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virus particles as well as crescents and spherical particles of immature virions. Six people who tested positive for monkeypox -- two in New York City, two in Chicago, one in Nevada and one in Maryland -- have died, local health departments have confirmed. Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung speaks during his visit to an accident site in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Joint Press Corps DPK calls for president's apology, threatens boycott of his National Assembly speech By Nam Hyun-woo The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is striving to protect Chairman Lee Jae-myung, who is in the crosshairs of prosecutors' investigation of a land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, threatening to boycott President Yoon Suk-yeol's scheduled administrative speech this week if there is no apology for, in the DPK's words, "the suppression of the main opposition party." "We urge President Yoon to apologize to the public and the National Assembly for his suppression of the main opposition party," DPK floor leader Park Hong-keun said during a press conference, Sunday. "If there isn't at least an apology to rebuild trust, the DPK will not be able to tolerate Yoon's administrative speech." Yoon is scheduled to deliver his administrative speech at the Assembly, Tuesday, which will be about explaining the government's budget for next year and seeking cooperation from the DPK, which holds the majority in the Assembly. "Opening up the door to bipartisan governance and providing a starting point for the restoration of politics that can overcome the crisis must be premised on a sincere apology from the president," Park said, adding, "Indiscriminate investigations and suppression of the opposition cannot serve to secure an impotent state or restore public sentiment." Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday. Joint Press Corps Park's remarks came after the prosecution recently arrested or indicted DPK Chairman Lee's close aides on a series of charges associated with the land development scandal, including one that Lee accepted illegal sources of political funding during the past presidential election. The DPK has been claiming that the prosecution's moves are "political suppression" led by Yoon, who was the former prosecutor general and had a long career as a prosecutor before running for president. In a separate press conference, Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, secretary of general of the DPK, also urged President Yoon to accept Chairman Lee's call for a special counsel probe on the Seongnam land development scandal before the president's planned speech. A special counsel probe refers to investigations by an independent counsel called a special prosecutor for cases involving high-ranking officials. To appoint this counsel, the Assembly either uses the existing Act on the Appointment of Independent Prosecutor or can legislate a special bill on the respective case. When using the existing law, a seven-member committee is formed to recommend two special prosecutor candidates, and the president choses the special prosecutor. The rival parties each can appoint two people to the committee, while the vice minister of justice and vice minister of national court administration will each claim a seat, meaning the ruling bloc can have four members under its influence. Due to these rules, the DPK is seeking to legislate a special bill to appoint an independent counsel for the land development scandal, which allows the Korean Bar Association to recommend four candidates and each party to choose one. However, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) is refusing to recommend one, saying there is no need to employ a special prosecutor because the prosecution's investigation is picking up speed. "The Yoon administration is obsessed with taking down Chairman Lee and suppressing the DPK, while turning a blind eye to the public livelihood, cooperative governance and the economy," Cho said. The DPK's resistance came after Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., started to speak about the land development scandal, hinting that it might involve Lee. The company was in charge of the 2015 development project, which developed the Daejang-dong area in the city into apartment complexes. DPK Chairman Lee, who was the city's mayor at the time, has been the subject of suspicions that he received personal benefits from the project. Yoo, who was released from custody last week, told prosecutors that he delivered 847 million won in funds from the Seongnam land development to Kim Yong, vice president of the DPK think tank, Institute of Democracy, and one of the closest aides to the DPK chairman, from April to August last year. During an interview with local daily Hankook Ilbo, Yoo was asked, "Did Chairman Lee know all about this?" to which he responded "How could he not know?" Also, he argued that Lee's recent comment that he did not receive "a penny of illegal political funds" is a lie, adding, "I will tell everything to the prosecutors." Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp. and one of the key figures in the Daejang-dong development project investigation in Seongnam, leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Friday, after attending a hearing on the case. Badrinath (Uttarakhand) [India], October 23 (ANI): Doors of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple will remain closed on October 25 on the solar eclipse, said the temple committee. After the eclipse, the pujas will be performed in the evening, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Shri Kedarnath-Badrinath Temple Committee added. Also Read | ISRO LVM3 M2 Launch Video: Indias Heaviest Rocket with 36 Broadband Communication Satellites of OneWeb Lifts Off From Sriharikota. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Badrinath temple on Friday. Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami accompanied Prime Minister at the shrine. Before arriving in Badrinath, PM Modi visited Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag and offered prayers donning a traditional pahadi outfit, Chola Dora, that was gifted to him by Himachali women during his tour to the state. Also Read | Rozgar Mela: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Hands Over Appointment Letters to Over 200 Candidates. PM Modi arrived at Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun earlier in the day and was received by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh. He later laid the foundation stone of the Kedarnath ropeway project and after that visited the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal. He reviewed the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath. PM Modi also interacted with the construction workers engaged in the Kedarnath Dham development project. According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present to only about 30 mins. The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 mins. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park, said the PMO statement. The ropeways, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of around Rs 2,430 crore, are an environmental friendly mode of transport that will provide a safe, secure and stable mode of transport. This major infrastructure development will give a boost to religious tourism, which will give a fillip to the economic development in the region and lead to the creation of multiple employment opportunities as well. Foundation stone for road widening projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore will also be laid during the visit. The two road widening projects - from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B) - shall be another step towards providing last-mile all-weather road connectivity to our border areas. Apart from boosting connectivity, these projects will also prove beneficial from a strategic point of view as well. Kedarnath and Badrinath are among the most important Hindu shrines. The area is also known for one of the revered Sikh Pilgrim site - Hemkund Sahib. The connectivity projects are aimed to ease access and improve basic infrastructure in places of religious significance. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Eluru (Andhra Pradesh) [India], October 23 (ANI): In a bizarre, another incident of superstition surfaced in Southern India, the Andhra Pradesh police have arrested four men for allegedly practicing black magic in the Musunuru Mandal of the Nuziveedu constituency. These four persons were caught practising occult worship and black magic at midnight for excavating hidden treasures in Pedapativarigudem village, Sub Inspector (SI) Kutumba Rao informed. Also Read | Air Pollution in India: Mere 50% of Funds Released Under National Clean Air Programme Utilised. The incident is reported from the suburb of the Gopavaram village in Musunuru Mandal. One of the farmers in this village, Boda Rajesh was seen performing an occult puja and excavation in his lemon grove on Friday midnight to obtain treasures. Also Read | Do UFOs and Aliens Exist? NASA Constitutes 16-Member Special Team to Investigate UFO Sightings, Claims of Extraterrestrial Life. The villagers said that all four persons were together in the lemon orchard, and when they tried to get a hold of them while Boda Rajesh was digging, they allegedly escaped their catch. The villagers have demanded strict action against those practising black magic, occult worship and digging for hidden treasures. The case has come days after the Kerala police have been investigating the Kerala human sacrifice case where two women were brutally killed in the name of a ritual after being lured for money. The process of evidence collection in the Kochi case has "almost completed" and the police added that they rely on cyber evidence as it was important in this case. The police remand report of the accused mentions the shocking "human sacrifices" were suspected to have been committed as part of a ritual to obtain financial benefits, where the remains of the two deceased women--identified as Padma and Roslin-- were exhumed later from pits near the residence of accused Bhagaval Singh and Laila in the Pathanamthitta district. According to police, the accused allegedly lured the victims with the promise of money. The remand report stated that the accused allegedly chopped up the bodies of the victims before burying them. The police have also seized several phones from the accused. The Commissioner also asserted that the main accused used to mutilate the bodies in a butcher's style. As per the reports, the police have found 39 grams of gold that belonged to victim Padma mortgaged by Shafi for Rs 1 lakhs out of which he gave Rs 40,000 to his wife. As per the police remand report, the accused husband-wife pair of Bhagaval Singh and Laila conspired with the "prime accused" Muhammed Shafi to commit the crimes. On September 26, Shafi approached the 52-year-old Padma, who used to sell lottery tickets in Kochi and lured her by offering Rs 15,000 for sex work, the police remand report read. "Then she agreed and went with Shafi to the home of Bhagaval Singh and Laila in the Pathanamthitta district. There, the accused strangled her with a plastic cord around her neck to make her unconscious. After that, Shafi mutilated Padma's private parts using a knife and slit her throat. After that, they chopped her into 56 pieces and put the mutilated body parts into buckets and buried them in a pit," the report detailed. Police said that it is investigating the possibility of cannibalism that the accused possibly ate the flesh of the victims. Kochi Police Commissioner CH Nagaraju addressing a press conference told reporters that Shafi, the main accused, was a pervert and has a criminal past. (ANI) (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 23: A retired IPS officer died after getting trapped in a fire that broke out at his house in the Indira Nagar area in Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday late night, said police. The deceased IPS officer has been identified as former Inspector General of Police Dinesh Chandra Pandey. Pandey's wife and son, who were present in the house with him, sustained injuries and are admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Both are currently being treated at Chandan Hospital in Lucknow. After receiving the information, Indira Nagar Fire Station and police reached the spot. UP Shocker: Several Cartons of Illicit Liquor Recovered From Kitchen Store of Government School in Kushinagar (Watch Video). "Retired IG Dinesh Chandra Pandey died after being trapped in a fire that broke out in his house in Indira Nagar yesterday late at night. Pandey's wife and son, who were present in the house with him, sustained injuries and are admitted to the hospital in critical condition," said DCP North Qasim Abidi. He further said that during the search operation, a joint team of fire and police rescued the three trapped from the first floor. UP Shocker: Man Beats Brother to Death With Frying Pan After Being Accused of Having Affair With Deceased's Wife, Arrested. "Immediately, they took them to the nearby hospital. where the doctors declared the retired IPS officer dead while his wife and son are in critical condition," the DCP added. Further investigation is underway to find out what caused the fire. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here A case of an inmate accused of pouring boiling water over his cellmate in the Midlands Prison has been referred back to the DPP. Declan Harris, 63, of 15 Harbour Row, Cobh, Cork is charged with assault causing harm at the Midlands Prison on August 11, 2020. Sgt JJ Kirby said the case was before the Portlaoise District Court in June and the DPP had directed it be heard in the District Court. Judge Andrew Cody said it was alleged boiling water was poured over someone and noted Judge Patricia Cronin had requested better quality photos of the injuries at the June sitting. Solicitor Barry Fitzgerald confirmed the alleged injured party was the mans cellmate. He said his client, who wasnt in court, was on bail in relation to the matter. On viewing new images, Judge Cody said I will not accept jurisdiction in this case. He said it wasnt suitable for the District Court. Refuse jurisdiction and refer it back to the DPP for further consideration, he remarked. Judge Cody remanded the man on bail in his absence until November 24 in order to give the DPP an opportunity to consider the matter. A newly qualified Laois doctor is celebrating being accepted into the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI). Dr Evelyn Fennelly of Ballyfin was recently conferred with Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI). The ceremony took place in the Colleges historic headquarters on Kildare Street in Dublin. Attending with Dr Fennelly were her proud parents, Mountmellick native Frank and Cathy. Dr Fennelly is from a family of high achievers, including her sister, teacher Olivia who spent this summer volunteering in Mexico, and her aunt Joan, a long distance swimmer. She is a graduate of the Brigidine Convent (later Mountrath Community School) in Mountrath. Dr Fennelly is now working as a Medical registrar in Dublin. Conferral of Membership of the RCPI recognises the completion of professional examinations taken as part of the training scheme in Internal Medicine. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland was founded in 1654 and remains the largest postgraduate medical training body in Ireland. Dr Fennelly is a graduate of the medical school at NUI Galway and completed her postgraduate training in the Mater University Hospital Dublin, University College Hospital Galway, and the Mayo Clinic Arizona, USA. Laois people are being invited to support a coffee morning that celebrates 30 years of fundraising for vital hospice care for people across thecounty The annual Borris-in-Ossory coffee morning in aid of the Laois Hospice Foundation will be held in St Canices Parish Hall on this Thursday October 27. The event will take place from 10am to 1pm. The organisers say this will be the 30th coffee morning in aid of Laois Hospice to take place in the south Laois village. "The event has always been a great success. Please support this very worthy cause," they say. Since its inception in 1989, Laois Hospice Foundation has helped to provide a palliative care service for cancer patients, whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment. The Hospice also provides support for the families of such patients. This care involves doctors, nurses, a team of specialists and the clergy, who are all concerned with quality of life. Richard Harriss son has said he is excited for people to see how his father was a renaissance man when his new archive collection opens at the University College Cork (UCC). The estate of the late actor donated the extensive selection of his letters, photographs, literary works and professional and personal documents which span more than 50 years to help preserve his legacy. The multi-award winning actor, who died in 2002 aged 72, starred in a plethora of plays and films during his career including playing Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in 2000s Gladiator and Abbe Faria in 2002s The Count Of Monte Cristo. His son and actor Jared Harris told the PA news agency: What Im excited about is that people will get an idea of just what a kind of renaissance man he was and how varied his interests were. Because it represents not just what you would expect of him in terms of his interest in his professional career as an actor, but also his ambitions as a director. Among the collection is his directors copy of a production of Hamlet, a collection of his poetry and letters he kept from friends. One of the letters is from Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the fantasy film series, wishing him a good recovery while Harris was in hospital in his last days. Another was written to his parents when he was in a production of Arthur Millers A View From The Bridge where he reveals the playwright came to visit them every day and that Marilyn Monroe came to rehearsals one evening. Harriss son added: He collected an awful lot of personal memorabilia. I wasnt aware that he was that sentimental and I dont mean that in a pejorative way, its heartwarming to me that he considered these things to be valuable and things that he wanted to hang on to and collect. The items will be first exhibited in Harriss birth city of Limerick at the Hunt Museum. Jared Harris added: The archive has been sitting almost since my father passed away, which is 20 years now, in a lockup and Ive spent the good last 10 years trying to figure out what to do with it and the family, obviously we dont want to leave it sitting in a lock-up slowly getting damp and degrading. And we needed it to go somewhere someplace that would look after it and the University of Cork the programmes and the curriculum that they have on offer mirror so many of my fathers interests. They have a school of film, theatre, drama, they do fantastic literature programmes and it seemed as though this dovetailed with what his passions were. Cronan O Doibhlin, head of collections at UCC Library, said: The Richard Harris Archive will be of great benefit to the arts and culture industry to Richard Harriss home province of Munster, where his legacy as a loved and internationally respected actor continues to be celebrated and cherished. Lisa Gifford, Gypsy Gifford and Richelle South have just announced the completion of the new Leitrim Hill Creamery at Leitrim Hill, Drumcong. Lisa Gifford, the matriarch of the operations, moved to Leitrim in 2016 fulfilling a lifelong dream to come back to the home county of her grandparents. Grandmother Margaret Curry was born in Manorhamilton and moved to New York in 1863 at age 19. Grandfather Shields was a blacksmith who learned the trade/art under his father who was given work by the Hamilton family. Her grandfather secured a job as blacksmith for the New Your Fire Department and met Margaret in New York. Relocating to Ireland at age 75, Lisa felt a connection to the land and the people of Leitrim and feels at home here in Drumcong. When Lisa arrived in Ireland she acquired some goats and began making cheese for herself and her neighbours. She felt it was a great way to connect with her community and keep herself busy. Her daughter, previously Corporate Chef of Disney Studios and Assistant Professor at The Culinary Institute of America, has always had a passion for working with farmers and using artisan products to create real food that nourishes the soul. Loving the cheese, she and her wife, Richelle, decided to join Lisa in 2021 at Leitrim Hill and build out a cheesemaking facility in an old hay barn. Richelles background is business development both in food and tech, allowing her to be the third pillar on which Leitrim Hill Creamery can stand. Leitrim Hill Creamery currently produces a raw milk soft goat cheese with plans to expand the types of cheeses made. The main pillars of which Leitrim Hill Creamery are based on sustainability (environmentally and professionally), farming with nature, product integrity and support of the community. T hey plan to bring jobs and more food tourism to Leitrim through farm tours, cheese making classes and promotion of local products. None of this could be possible without the phenomenal support of the Leitrim Enterprise Office and the Capital Priming grant awarded to the business. Leitrim Hill Creamery cheese can be found at the following Farmers Markets; - The Farmers Market at Market Yard in Carrick-on-Shannon on Thursdays from 10-2; - The Manorhamilton Farmers Market at Bee Park Resource Centre on Fridays from 10-2; - The Courtyard Market at Kings House in Boyle on Saturdays from 10-2; - The Farmers Market at Atlantic Technological University Sligo (formerly IT Sligo) on Saturdays from 9-1. You can also find their cheese served at The Red Bank Restaurant in Carrick-on-Shannon, Osta Cafe in Sligo, The Lakeside Tavern in Drumcong, the Selkie Restaurant in Tullaghan, and Jinnys Tea Room in Drumshanbo. And of course, you can always come by Leitrim Hill Creamery to see the goats, taste the cheese, look out at the view of Lough Scur and Sleive Anierin, and pick up a bit of cheese to take home to enjoy. They are open Monday-Saturday from 10am to 6pm. ABOUT LISA GIFFORD: Lisa has served as nurse, politician, professor, and poet while raising four children through college in California. Leitrim Hill Creamery and Farm are her dreams brought to fruition. Leitrim Lass returns home! About Gypsy Gifford: Gypsy has dedicated her life to making food that connects the farmer and the guest. After working as a Chef in New York for ten years she moved to Los Angeles where she headed up Disney Studios as Corporate Chef. In 2013 she and her wife moved to Singapore where she took on teaching for The Culinary Institute of America and spent nine years deepening her knowledge of Asian cuisines. In 2021, it was time to combine her love for farming and food in Leitrim, Ireland making cheese that reflects the time and place of Leitrim Hill. About Richelle South: Richelles first career was as a professional dancer in Los Angeles CA where she was born and raised. While studying dance she also became fluent in American Sign Language which brought her to working in assistive technology for the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing using voice-recognition software. At Captel she really cut her teeth on business helping grow the company from small to large over ten years. She continued this work in Australia building out offices in six cities around the country. Before moving to Leitrim, she ran the Singapore office of the largest craft spirits distribution company in Asia, Proof & Company. She is thrilled to bring her background of building companies to Leitrim Hill Creamery and plans to drive agrotourism and put Leitrim on the Irish cheese map! Netflix has advised customers that the crackdown on password sharing, initially announced earlier this year, will begin in 2023. The streaming service have told customers who share their login credentials will be charged extra, and will have to create and pay for a sub-account if they want someone else to share their password. Account and password sharing is against Netflixs terms of service but to this point, the company had taken a relaxed approach to enforce the rule. While the company has not given an indication of how much the extra cost might be, some test runs of the system in South America show that it may be a 25% increase or about 4.50. Netflix stated this week,After listening to consumer feedback, we are going to offer the ability for borrowers to transfer their Netflix profile into their own account, and for sharers to manage their devices more easily and to create sub-accounts (extra member) if they want to pay for family or friends." From 3 November in the United States, Netflix will offer an advertising-supported subscription called Basic With Ads, a lower-cost option that will show people four to five minutes of ads per hour of content they watch. This ad-supported plan will also be available in 11 other countries in November: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Spain and the UK. The company said it planned to expand the offering to more countries over time. Netflix said it would charge 4.99 a month for the Basic with Ads service in the UK, while it will cost $6.99 in the US. For comparison, the current Basic plan Netflixs cheapest tier right now costs 6.99 and $9.99 each month. Business owners in Leitrim have been urged to review security and protect buildings and sites as an increase of 40% to 50% in unwanted activity across the country is anticipated in the coming days. The warning comes from security specialists Netwatch who say that warehouses and building sites are likely to experience the highest increase in unwanted activity or security breaches, which has been the pattern around Halloween in recent years. Colin Hayes, Head of Business for Netwatch said, We are urging all business owners to review their safety provision and ensure that all loose materials are secured over the Halloween period. A well-lit, locked and secured area with no visible targets will deter most Halloween criminals. It can be an expensive time for business owners says Hayes. Along with intentional criminal activity, there will always be an element of bonfire material collection from sites. Warehouses, construction sites, yards and unoccupied premises are particularly vulnerable. While the majority of incidents are minor, there are often serious incidents each Halloween which result in severe damage to businesses. Hayes added, Many of us associate Halloween with fun games and festive traditions, but it can also prove difficult for emergency services dealing with bonfires, fireworks, anti-social behaviour and other public order related issues. With this comes added stress and worry for those protecting business premises as it can lead to potential pilfering of stock, damage to buildings or even injury to trespassers. This in turn gives rise to increasing insurance costs and other unwanted headaches. In our Business Security Risk & Cost Survey in 2021 we saw that insurance and public liability influences security for 82% of Irish businesses. We believe around the Halloween holiday period, this is a major worry and risk for businesses. Netwatch is a world leader in proactive video monitoring and has five security tips which it says are important for businesses in order to prevent crime and keep premises safe during the Halloween period. 1. Keep the perimeter well lit: Falls are a huge cause of injury on Halloween. Keeping lights on overnight will prevent accidents and deter vandals. Installing motion sensor floodlights will accomplish the same goals while conserving energy. 2. Limit access to the property: Keep all entryways locked and be certain to secure windows. Control who holds keys. 3. Review your current security plan: Test alarms and review your entire security system. Your system may not be as effective and efficient as newer systems currently on the market. 4. Train employees to watch for unusual behaviour: Criminals tend to lurk or investigate an area before committing a crime. Teach your employees to watch out for suspicious behaviour and have a proactive plan to deal with these individuals. 5. Keep materials secure: Ensure all potential bonfire material i.e. pallets or building materials, are kept safe and secure, out of harms reach. Kyiv's energy operator on Sunday, October 23, said scheduled power cuts have been introduced in the Ukrainian capital as Russia has repeatedly targeted the nation's power network. More than one million Ukrainian households have lost electricity following recent Russian strikes, according to the Ukrainian presidency, with at least a third of the country's power stations destroyed ahead of winter. Moscow announced a new incursion on Sunday, saying it had destroyed a depot in central Ukraine that was storing over 100,000 tonnes of aviation fuel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday evening denounced "vile strikes on critical objects" by Russia after fresh attacks on energy facilities and power outages were reported nationwide including in western Ukraine far from the frontline. 'Stabilization shutdowns' National energy operator Ukrenergo introduced "stabilization shutdowns" in Kyiv on Sunday to "avoid accidents", energy company DTEK said in a statement on its website. The blackouts started at 11:13 am with consumers in Kyiv divided into three groups that will be "disconnected for a certain period of time", DTEK said. It added that the blackouts should last "no more than four hours" but may be longer "due to the scale of damage to the power supply system". Read more Subscribers only 'Putin wants us to freeze to death in the dark': Russian strikes terrorize civilians in Kharkiv DTEK reiterated calls for residents to use electricity "sparingly" and for businesses to limit their use of external lighting. The intensification of Russian strikes on Ukraine, particularly energy facilities, came after the bridge linking the annexed Crimea peninsula to mainland Russia was partially destroyed by an explosion earlier this month. The incident was seen as another major setback for Moscow's forces, which are battling to contain a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south and east of the country. Russia talks to France, UK, Turkey Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held telephone calls with his French, Turkish and British counterparts to discuss Ukraine. Mr. Shoigu conveyed "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'" in all three calls, the Russian defence ministry said. The power cuts and deadly strikes came as pro-Moscow officials in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson that Russia claims to have annexed urged residents on Saturday to leave "immediately" amid a "tense situation" at the front. Kherson, the region's main city, was the first to fall to Moscow's troops and retaking it would be a major prize in Ukraine's counter-offensive. We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback A Moscow-installed official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, told Russian news agency Interfax on Saturday that around 25,000 people had left Kherson city to the left bank of the Dnipro River. Ukraine has denounced the removal of residents from Kherson as "deportations." Read more Subscribers only What Putin's decision to impose martial law in annexed regions means for Russia Le Monde with AFP Israeli medics and police carry a Palestinian teen who was shot by police after allegedly stabbing an Israeli in Jerusalem, Saturday, October 22, 2022. Israeli police on Saturday said they shot a Palestinian man who was suspected of carrying out a stabbing attack in Jerusalem. MAHMOUD ILLEAN / AP Soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, October 22, hours after a knife attack in east Jerusalem left an Israeli man in a serious condition. The Palestinian health ministry said Rabi Arafah Rabi, 32, was hit by "a bullet to the head" at a checkpoint southeast of the city of Qalqilya. An Israeli military spokesman said soldiers fired on a car containing three suspects near Qaliqilya as the vehicle sped off after hitting a soldier when they tried to stop it for inspection. "The soldiers fired toward the vehicle," the spokesman said. "The soldier did not need medical treatment. We are aware of reports regarding a hit. The incident is under review." Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has surged in recent months, amid an uptick in anti-Israeli attacks and near daily raids by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Read more Subscribers only Protesters in and out of 'revolving door' of prisons run by Israel and Palestinian Authority Earlier on Saturday, police said officers "neutralized" a Palestinian stabbing suspect in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem after an attack that left an Israeli man in serious condition. Police said the man was stabbed in the back. Israeli media said the stabbing victim was a religious Jew in his 20s. "His condition is serious but stable," said a statement from Jerusalem's Shaarei Tsedek hospital. "The suspect stabbed a passer-by with a knife and fled" the scene north of the Old City, police said. They said the suspect, who is 16, was later found at a football pitch in the Sheikh Jarrah district of east Jerusalem, not far from the scene of the stabbing. Police said he tried to run off when he saw officers coming, but an officer gave chase. At one point he turned to the police officer "with an object in his hand, the officer feared for his life... shot at him and neutralized" him. The suspect's condition is not known but police said they had detained both his father and his brother for questioning. More than 115 Palestinian fighters and civilians have been killed this year, the heaviest toll in the West Bank for nearly seven years, according to the United Nations. Read more Subscribers only 'Shutting down a Palestinian organization punishes society,' says head of an NGO banned by Israel We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback Israel seized east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move not recognised by most of the international community. Some 200,000 Israelis live in the sector as well as 300,000 Palestinians. Around 475,000 Israelis now live in settlements across the West Bank, alongside some 2.8 million Palestinians, who in different areas of the territory are subject to Israeli military rule or live under limited Palestinian governance. On Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said a Palestinian was killed overnight in clashes with soldiers in the flashpoint West Bank city of Jenin, and three other Palestinians were wounded in the clashes. Le Monde with AP and AFP Brothers of Italy's leader Giorgia Meloni, followed by The League leader Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia president Silvio Berlusconi, left, leaves the Quirinale Presidential Palace after a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella as part of a round of consultations with party leaders to try to form a new government, in Rome, Friday, October 21, 2022. ROBERTO MONALDO / AP European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday congratulated far-right leader Giorgia Meloni on becoming Italian prime minister and said she looked forward to "constructive cooperation" with her government. "Congratulations to Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Italian Prime Minister, the first woman to hold the post," Ms. Von der Leyen tweeted. "I count on and look forward to constructive cooperation with the new government on the challenges we face together." Ms. Von der Leyen later tweeted that she and Ms. Meloni had a "good first call" with a picture of her holding a mobile phone to her ear. "We will work together to address the critical challenges of our time from Ukraine to energy," she added. The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, also welcomed Ms. Meloni as Italy's new premier, and tweeted: "Let's work together for the benefit of Italy and the EU." Ms. Meloni tweeted back thanks to Ms. Von der Leyen and Mr. Michel, saying she was "eager and ready to work with you to strengthen EU resilience towards our common challenges" and "We're ready to do our best!" Read more Subscribers only Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni presents a government designed to reassure Rome's partners The congratulations to Ms. Meloni were echoed by the speaker of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who tweeted in Italian that "Europe needs Italy". Ms. Meloni responded by saying: "Italy will do its part for a strong and effective Europe in responding to the challenges of our time." Ms. Meloni, the 45-year-old leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, was named Italian prime minister on Friday, taking the helm of the EU's third-biggest economy. She named a former European Parliament speaker, Antonio Tajani, as her foreign minister. Ms. Meloni's coalition wants to renegotiate Italy's portion of an EU post-Covid recovery fund, arguing that the current energy crisis should be taken into account for their disbursement. But the funds are tied to a series of reforms and analysts say Ms. Meloni has limited room for manoeuvre on that issue. NATO NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday also congratulated Giorgia Meloni on becoming prime minister of Italy and said he looked forward to working with her. Ms. Meloni, the 45-year-old leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, took office on Saturday after promising to keep her country "fully, and with its head held high, part of Europe and the Atlantic Alliance (NATO)". "Congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni," Stoltenberg tweeted. "Italy is a founding member of NATO, committed to the transatlantic bond and making strong contributions to our security in a more dangerous world. I look forward to working with you." Ms. Meloni tweeted back her thanks, saying: "Ready to work with NATO, that is more than a military alliance: a bulwark of common values we'll never stop standing for." Her pledge to work closely with NATO contrasted with the stances of her partners in her coalition government, who are both considered close to Russia. Read more Subscribers only Berlusconi 'renews ties' with Putin and stirs up trouble in the coalition One of them is Matteo Salvini, a long-time fan of President Vladimir Putin, who is now deputy prime minister under Ms. Meloni. The other is former premier Silvio Berlusconi, who was this week heard in a leaked recording talking about his warm ties with Moscow and appearing to blame Russia's war in Ukraine on President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ms. Meloni, in a tweet on Saturday thanking Mr. Zelensky for his congratulations to her, said: "Italy is and will always be on the side of the brave people of Ukraine that is fighting for its freedom and for a rightful peace." We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback Le Monde with AP and AFP LIMERICK IFA is to hold an open meeting next week to discuss farm trespass, hunting with dogs on farmers lands and crime prevention. It takes place on Tuesday, October 25 in the Woodlands House Hotel, Adare at 8.30pm. Limerick IFA chairman Sean Lavery said there has been an upsurge throughout the county in uninvited visitors coming onto farmland and causing distress and worry for farmers and landowners. Very often the farmer encounters these visitors alone and by themselves in remote locations. Speaking with farmers they feel insecure, threatened, and unsure what to do. The closure of local garda stations has resulted in a loss of engagement at local level and response times to callouts has further increased insecurity, said Mr Lavery. Limerick IFA has received numerous calls recently from farmers reporting incidents of people coming onto their farms. They can be casual walkers but of most concern is groups with dogs who proceed to release the dogs, causing worry to cattle and sheep. When challenged the walkers say they are only hunting vermin and they are free to do so. In the worst cases the farmers are threatened for stating their opposition to hunting on their lands. Other issues are theft of equipment, damage to gates, fencing and water troughs, said Mr Lavery, who called the open meeting in response to this increase in trespassing in County Limerick over the last year. Speakers on the night will include a senior superintendent who will discuss the gardais role in crime prevention and support of the farming community James Staines, IFA solicitor, will discuss all aspects of the law around trespass. He will explain what rights farmers have, to prevent access by legal means. Barry Carey, crime prevention executive with IFA, has years of practical experience dealing with these issues across the country especially in North County Dublin. A spokesperson for the National Association of Regional Game Councils, who represent properly organised and insured hunters, will also be available on the night to answer questions on how they operate A National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) spokesperson will explain what legal hunting is especially around hunting hares and rabbits. And a Limerick City and County Council representative will explain how the dog warden service operates. All are welcome to attend. A GARDA on mobile patrol encountered a car crashed into a parked vehicle, Kilmallock Court heard. Garda Niall McInerney, of Hospital garda station, said he was on routine patrol at around 7.40pm on January 10, 2022. The garda told Judge Patricia Harney that he came upon a traffic collision on the Emly Road, Hospital. A Toyota Avensis had crashed into a parked vehicle, a Skoda. The keys were in the ignition of the Avensis. I was approached by Mr Ryan who was clearly intoxicated. He admitted driving the Avensis," said Garda McInerney. John Ryan, aged 58, of Ballynaveen, Emly, Co Tipperary pleaded guilty to drink driving on the day in question. Garda McInerney said he arrested Mr Ryan and conveyed him to a garda station on suspicion of drink driving for the appropriate tests to be carried out. Judge Harney interjected and asked was Mr Ryan generally co-operative? Yes, said Garda McInerney. The garda outlined to the judge that Mr Ryan has two previous convictions for drink driving dating back to 2011 and 2006. Kevin Power, solicitor for Mr Ryan, said his client is on disability benefit and has a number of dependents including having to drive one to hospital on a regular basis. Mr Power asked for the driving disqualification to be deferred for the maximum period of six months. Judge Harney said: I am mindful he has a little bit of a problem. She imposed a three year disqualification from driving on Mr Ryan and agreed to defer the commencement date of the ban until April, 2023. Mr Ryan was also fined 250. A LIMERICK-based company was one of the winners at the 2022 SEAI Energy Awards which took place 'in-person' for the first time in three years. Among the winners on the day was Limerick-based business J&J Vision Care which came out on top in the Large Business category. Based at the National Technology Park in Plassey, the company is the world's largest contact lens manufacturing site and it is the third largest energy-consuming site within Johnson & Johnson worldwide. The company's Castletroy site has led the way with its energy programme and it has delivered substantial energy, CO2 and financial savings. The activities have set the site as the benchmark for energy performance in J&J worldwide. J&J Vision Care's ambitious targets include using 100% renewable electricity by 2025 and carbon neutrality by 2030. It is the first J&J company to install onsite wind turbines and it also has a geothermal system to provide cooling for the plant. The company also constructed a new gym and medical centre which was Irelands first greenfield site to achieve SEAI EXEED Certification, resulting in a 25% energy efficiency improvement versus building regulations. In total, the JJVC energy team has measured energy savings of over 45 GWh (gigawatt hours). Twelve awards were presented by the SEAI at the 2022 awards to individuals, businesses, communities, and public sector organisations in recognition of their commitment to sustainable energy and climate action. The awards ceremony was hosted by broadcast journalist, Andrea Gilligan and the event, at the Gibson Hotel in Dublin, referenced the pressing urgency of climate action and the need for the whole of society to rise to the challenge. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan and William Walsh, CEO of SEAI both called for a transformation in how we use energy. There were 37 finalists shortlisted from 107 entries to this years SEAI Energy Awards with projects delivering combined energy savings of 36 million. Commenting, Mr Walsh said: Never has commitment to sustainable energy been more crucial. These awards always set a new benchmark in best practice as exciting sustainable energy solutions continuously emerge. I congratulate this years winners whose dedication is hugely inspiring. The scale of change required needs exemplars who demonstrate the highest levels of motivation and innovation." He added: I encourage them to share their journeys and expertise and to inspire further action. Geopolitical and economic circumstances make it absolutely essential that we accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and increase sustainable energy practices across all sectors. Success will mean we have a more reliable, secure, affordable and environmentally sound energy system. HUMANS have lived in Lough Gur since Neolithic times and on Saturday a band of Limerick's strongest warriors descended on the ancient site. Under clear blue skies and brilliant autumn sunshine, the Limerick hurlers gathered at the lakeshore where they togged off in their county colours. However, they could leave their hurleys at home as this wasn't a clash of the ash - it was a photoshoot for their fourth official team photo to mark their All-Ireland victories. And historic Lough Gur was the perfect location as this team will go down in history. The team and management gathered together for the photo against the beautiful backdrop of the lake and Knockadoon hill. The man with the camera was award-winning photographer Diarmuid Greene from Pallasgreen. Diarmuid has now taken all four of the Limerick All-Ireland winning team pictures. Previous incarnations have been shot at Adare Manor, Gaelic Grounds and Shannon Rowing Club with King John's Castle as the backdrop. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lough Gur Visitor Centre (@visitloughgur) Lough Gur were delighted to welcome the All-Ireland champions on a perfect day for the shoot. "What an honour to have the Limerick hurling team in Lough Gur today for their official photo," visitloughgur posted on their Instagram account with a video montage of the lads mingling while the shoot was being set up. The Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition - a song about the innocence of youth - accompanied the reel. "Superstar athletes and genuinely decent guys too. Thanks for choosing Lough Gur," concluded the post. The Limerick team photograph is expected to be on sale in the coming weeks. Let's hope the panel will be back in a year's time for a photo in a new picturesque location in County Limerick! Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. The Taoiseach has defended the Irish Governments response to the accommodation shortage for Ukrainian refugees, describing it as remarkably fast. Micheal Martin admitted it was not satisfactory that more than 30 Ukrainian refugees were left without accommodation on Friday. But he rejected the suggestion that the increased numbers of refugees arriving in the country was predicted months ago. It has emerged that more than 30 Ukrainian refugees were left without accommodation on Friday. It comes after the Government admitted on Thursday that it cannot rule out that Ukrainian refugees will not end up on the streets due to a shortage of accommodation. Speaking ahead of the Cairde Fail dinner in Dublin on Saturday, Mr Martin said it was not a fair argument to suggest that the Government should have predicted the need for accommodation. The figures were not expected to be higher, he said. Certainly not before the summer they were not expected to be anywhere near higher levels than we currently have. And the state hasnt been slow. The state has been remarkably fast, I would argue, in terms of responding to a wartime situation, the worst humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Weve witnessed the displacement of well over six million people and Ireland in percentage terms per capita terms has responded in my view, in an extraordinary way, an unprecedented way, in terms of the sheer numbers weve already accommodated. He added: Just because somebody said there could be 200,000, doesnt mean you magic up 200,000 spaces overnight. Up to 55,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the country since the outbreak of the war in February. Mr Martin said the Government was urgently seeking further accommodation, admitting it was under pressure. Asked whether he knew the exact numbers of refugees being told there is no accommodation, Mr Martin replied: Thirty-three is the number I have now and I believe some have gone back to the airport. The Fianna Fail leader added that the Government will do everything it can to speed things up to accommodate the increasing numbers of refugees. Some countries have had people in tents for quite a long time because of the sheer numbers fleeing war, the Taoiseach said. So I think this is not just an Irish phenomenon. It is a European-wide phenomenon, unfortunately. We certainly will do everything we can to speed things up and get more accommodation into play. Earlier Junior Minister Martin Heyden said it was disappointing that refugees did not have accommodation, adding that it was not the space the Government wanted to be in. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth confirmed to the PA news agency on Saturday that 33 refugees, all single men, were told on Friday that there was no accommodation available for them. A spokesman said: Thirty-three people, all single males, were informed yesterday that no accommodation was available and asked to provide contact details for when it does become available. The Citywest transit hub, which processes new arrivals, has reached capacity. It is understood some slept in Dublin Airport overnight. Mr Heyden told RTEs Saturday with Katie Hannon that from Monday an overnight facility will be in place at Dublin Airport to take in refugees who arrive on late flights, before being processed at the Citywest transit hub the next day. He said an increase in people coming from Ukraine has put stress and strain on the system. He added: We cant guarantee everybody who comes here a bed now because of the situation were in. We have to be honest and upfront about that while we redouble our efforts, work across Government, across State agencies to develop those medium term solutions. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said on Thursday night that the Citywest transit centre had reached capacity amid a severe constraint on suitable accommodation. A group representing NGOs said that pregnant women and the elderly were sleeping on chairs and on the floor at the overcrowded Citywest facility. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Irelands premier has called on the DUP to honour the mandate of the people of Northern Ireland by contributing to the restoration of the Stormont institutions as the election deadline looms. Micheal Martin said it does not appear that devolved government at Stormont will be restored by Fridays deadline. The Taoiseach added that it is not satisfactory that the powersharing institutions are not functioning. There is less than a week to form a Stormont executive before Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris will be obliged by law to call a fresh assembly election. The DUP is refusing to nominate ministers to form a new executive until the Westminster Government takes decisive action on the Northern Ireland Protocol. They argue that the post-Brexit arrangements hamper trade and place a border in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Speaking at Fianna Fails annual party dinner in Dublin on Saturday, the Taoiseach said: From the meetings I had on Monday there doesnt appear to be a likelihood that the executive or the assembly will be restored by the deadline. The British Government are adamant and the outgoing government was adamant that there will be elections. We will engage with the British Government ministers over the coming days to keep abreast of the situation. Meanwhile, I would say to the DUP that they should participate in the assembly and they should contribute to the restoration of the executive because otherwise we are denying democracy, denying the mandate that the people of Northern Ireland have given to their elected representatives to form a parliament and to form the executive. The Fianna Fail leader said there has been too much stop-start with the Stormont institutions. Its never satisfactory, in my view, that after elections, the assembly doesnt get established, or the executive, and I think, historically, weve had too much stop-start with the assembly and with the executive over different periods, and thats simply not good enough, he said. I think the people are becoming increasingly annoyed about that. And I would say particularly to the DUP in this case, because the other political parties want the restoration of the executive and the assembly I would say to the DUP to honour the democratic mandate that has been given. Asked about the prospects of an executive being formed before Friday, and Boris Johnson reportedly gaining the 100 nominations needed to enter the contest to become the next Conservative leader, Mr Martin said: I dont know that and Im not going to interfere in the internal contest within the British Conservative Party in respect of who becomes their leader, or indeed who becomes the next British prime minister. I do think stability is important in respect of both the European Union and the United Kingdom relationship, the British-Irish relationship, and of course political stability in Northern Ireland. Ten more refugees have been left without State accommodation in the country due to a shortage of emergency beds. It brings to 43 the number of Ukrainian refugees who have been told over the weekend that there was no accommodation available to them. It emerged on Saturday that 33 Ukrainian refugees were told on Friday there was no State accommodation available. It is understood a number of refugees slept in Dublin Airport on Friday night. It followed Equality and Integration Minister Roderic OGorman admitting on Thursday that the Government could not rule out that Ukrainian refugees will not end up on the streets due to a shortage of accommodation. Up to 55,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the country since the outbreak of the war in February. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth told the PA news agency on Sunday that 10 people, all men, had been told on Saturday that there was no State accommodation available. A spokesman for the department said: A further 10 people, all single males, were informed yesterday that no accommodation was available and asked to provide contact details for when it does become available. The Taoiseach has defended the Irish Governments response to the accommodation shortage. Micheal Martin said the State had been remarkably fast responding to the wave of refugees and asylum seekers entering the country since the onset of the war in Ukraine. But he admitted it was not satisfactory that refugees were left without accommodation and that the Government was urgently seeking further accommodation. Speaking at the Fianna Fail Cairde Fail presidents dinner in Dublin on Saturday evening, Mr Martin rejected the suggestion that the increased numbers of refugees arriving in the country was predicted months ago. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said on Thursday night that the Citywest transit centre had reached capacity amid a severe constraint on suitable accommodation. A group representing NGOs said that pregnant women and the elderly were sleeping on chairs and on the floor at the overcrowded Citywest facility. Employees at General Motors Co. balked at a request to return to the office. At Meta Platforms Inc., bosses are asking workers to get more done with fewer resources. Some CEOs say things are so tense that handing out modest raises can spark a backlash in an era of rising inflation. Intense rumours of a comeback were put to rest as former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he will not seek the position of Conservative Party leader. It was widely believed that Johnson, who was fired in July on ethics allegations, would run to succeed Liz Truss, who resigned last week. He said he had accumulated more than 100 votes, the required number to run, after spending the weekend trying to win over his fellow members. Johnson, who left office last month after a series of scandals rocked his premiership, said in a statement that it would simply not be the right thing to do" to mount a bid because it would divide his party. You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament," Johnson wrote in a statement on Sunday. The best thing I can do is not allow my nomination to go forward." The pound extended gains after Johnson said he wouldnt stand, rallying 0.8% to $1.1388. Johnson insisted he had the support to go forward to a ballot of the members but said that doing so might deepen splits within the parliamentary party. I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago," Johnson said. There was a very good chance I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party member. But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do." The decision leaves Sunak facing House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt in the contest, with the former chancellor of the exchequer having the public support of key Tory members of Parliament. Mordaunt is staying in the race, a person familiar with the matter said after Johnsons exit. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is the frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. Sunak garnered the public support of over 100 Tory lawmakers to forge ahead of his two main rivals: former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt. But widespread uncertainty remained after British media reported that Sunak held late-night talks with Johnson on Saturday. Speculation mounted that the pair could strike a deal to unite the fractured governing party after it was left reeling from Truss' rapid downfall following Johnson's ouster. The Conservative Party hastily ordered a contest that aims to finalize nominations Monday and install a new prime minister its third this year within a week. Sunak, 42, was runner-up after Truss in this summer's Tory leadership race to replace Johnson after he was forced out by a string of ethics scandals. On Sunday, he confirmed he was running again in the latest leadership contest. Sunak has the backing of at least 124 Conservative lawmakers, according to unofficial tallies compiled by British news organizations. That's well ahead of the 100 nominations required to qualify. There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done," Sunak said in a statement. Earlier, Tory voters backed Truss over Sunak, but he was proved right when Truss' unfunded tax-cutting package triggered chaos in the markets in September. Dozens among Britain's 357 Conservative lawmakers have not yet publicly declared whom they are backing to replace Truss. (With inputs from agencies) President Joe Biden joked that it's difficult acknowledging he's about to turn 80, but said he's physically and mentally capable of serving a potential second term in the White House. Biden, who turns 80 on Nov. 20, said its totally legitimate" for voters to question whether someone his age can manage the demanding stresses of the American presidency. Biden made the comment in response to a question about his age during an MSNBC interview that aired Sunday. He said people should judge for themselves whether he is up to the task as polls show that voters would rather not see a rematch with Donald Trump, the Republican ousted by Biden in 2020. Biden would be 82 on Inauguration Day in January 2025; Trump would be 78,. A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows only about 3 in 10 people questioned want either Biden or Trump to run for president in two years. Just 5 in 10 Democrats want Biden to seek a second term, while 6 out of 10 Republicans hope to see Trump seek the presidency again. I think the best way to make the judgement is to watch me. Am I slowing up? Am I going at the same pace?" Biden said in the interview that was taped Friday during a visit to the Delaware State University campus to promote his student loan debt forgiveness executive order. Biden has yet to officially announce whether he will run for a second term, but has repeatedly said it is his intention to seek reelection. During his 2020 campaign, Biden often presented himself as a transition candidate" who would build a bridge to new Democratic talent. The age and health of both Biden and Trump loomed throughout a race that was decided by a younger and more diverse electorate and at a moment when the nation is facing no shortage of issues of consequence. In the MSNBC interview, Biden said voters should look at his passion" for the work as they consider his age in factoring whether they should vote for him. Biden joked that he's still coming to terms with becoming an octogenarian. I cant even say the age I am going to be. I cant even get it out of my mouth," Biden said. Biden went through a battery of blood, physical, gastrointestinal, dental, vision and neurological examinations shortly before his birthday last year. Dr. Kevin OConnor, Bidens primary care physician, wrote in a six-page memo released by the White House after that exam that Biden was healthy, vigorous" and "fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency." OConnor said he investigated Biden for increased instances of throat clearing" during public remarks and a stiffening of his gait. OConnor reported that Bidens coughing was the result of gastrointestinal reflux and that the stiffened gait was the result of a new diagnosis of mild peripheral neuropathy," spinal arthritis and compensation for a broken foot sustained shortly before he took office. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. As hostilities continue to escalate across Ukraine, the Indian embassy in Kyiv has issued an advisory asking Indian citizens currently in the war-hit country to leave at the earliest. It also shared information on five available border-crossing options for Indian nationals. Taking to Twitter, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi shared the options for border crossing for Indian nationals based on the available information with the embassy in Kyiv. The information was regarding leaving Ukraine by crossing the border of Ukraine-Hungary, Ukraine-Slovakia border, Ukraine-Moldova, Ukraine-Poland, and Ukraine-Romania. The available options for border crossing for Indian nationals shared by @IndiainUkraine may be seen at https://t.co/MTa8Hhq9zA. https://t.co/XKl1KV9Fm0 pic.twitter.com/bSvPOUO99m Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) October 22, 2022 Ukraine war: Border-crossing options for Indians 1) Ukraine-Hungary border: The Embassy said that the checkpoints are located in Zakarpathia region (Tysa-only for vehicles, Dzvinkove, Luzhanka, Vylok, Chop). A convenient option is to travel to Chop city by train, it added. To cross the border, the mission said, Indian nationals should have a valid passport, valid Ukrainian resident permit (Posvidka), Student card/student certificate (if any) and preferably an air ticket. 2) Ukraine-Slovakia border: Checkpoints are located in Zakarpathia Region (Uzhhorod-only for vehicles, Malyi Bereznyi, Mali Selmencionly for pedestrians). Unless they already have valid Schengen/ Slovak visa, Indian nationals need to obtain visa at the border check post, it added. To obtain the visa and cross the border, it noted, Indian nationals should have valid passport, valid Ukrainian resident permit (Posvidka), Student card/student certificate (if any) and preferably air ticket. 3) Ukraine-Moldova border: Checkpoints are located in Chernivetska (Kelmentsy, Rososhany, Sokyryany, Mamalyha), Vinnytska (MohylivPodilskyi) and Odesska (Palanka-Mayaki, Starokozache) regions. Unless they already have a valid Moldovan visa, Indian nationals need to obtain a Moldovan transit visa in advance at the Embassy of Moldova in Kyiv. To cross the border Indian nationals should have a valid passport, valid Ukrainian resident permit (Posvidka), Student card/student certificate (if any), Air ticket and Moldovan transit Visa. 4) Ukraine-Poland border: Checkpoints are located in Lvivska (Rava-Ruska,Shegyni, Krakivets, Grushiv), Volynska (Yagodyn) regions. Unless they already have valid Schengen/Polish visa, Indian nationals need to obtain Schengen/Polish visa in advance at the Consulate General of Poland in Lviv. To cross the border Indian nationals should have valid passport, valid Ukrainian resident permit (Posvidka), student card/student certificate (if any), preferably air ticket, Schengen/Polish Visa. 5) Ukraine-Romania border: Checkpoints are located in Zakarpathia (Dyakove-only for vehicles, Solotvyno) and Chernivetska (Porubne) regions. Unless they already have valid Romanian visa, Indian nationals need to obtain an advance Romanian visa at the Consulate General ofRomania in Chernivtsi or Solotvino. To cross the border, Indian nationals should have a valid passport, valid Ukrainian resident permit (Posvidka), student card/student certificate (if any), preferably an air ticket, and Romanian visa. The war between Russia and Ukraine has only escalated after a truck recently exploded on the Crimea road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. The Crimean Bridge was opened in 2018 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea, and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia's transport network. (With ANI inputs) A new wave of robots is arrivingand, in a world short of workers, business leaders are more eager to welcome them than ever. Irelands only dedicated brain tumour charity, Brain Tumour Ireland (BTI) is calling on people in Longford to wear their favourite hat on #WearAHatDay on Friday, November 4, 2022 and donate 4 to support the charitys vital work for brain tumour patients and their families. Over 400 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour in Ireland each year with many contacting Brain Tumour Ireland for support following a diagnosis. As well as online support groups for patients and families in Longford and across Ireland and practical information for patients, Brain Tumour Ireland raises awareness of brain tumour symptoms among the public and medical professionals and contributes funding to brain tumour research. This year, Brain Tumour Ireland has partnered with milliner Sinead Gormley, who will donate a bespoke hat as a prize for the Best Selfie posted with the hashtag #WearAHatDay. The cause is close to Sineads heart as her own father died from a brain tumour 18 years ago when she was 26. Fiona Keegan, National Coordinator of Brain Tumour Ireland said: On Friday the 4th of November, were inviting people in Longford to don their favourite hat for our annual Wear A Hat Day fundraiser. Our brilliant milliner for the year, Sinead will be judging the best selfie, so dont forget to post yours online using #WearAHatDay and to donate 4 to Brain Tumour Ireland by texting BTI to 50300. We are so thankful to everyone who makes the effort to support the work of Brain Tumour Ireland by making a donation on Wear A Hat Day. At the heart of our work is the support we provide for patients and families in Longford and throughout Ireland with over 200 people availing of our services since January 2021. We receive no State funding, so our #WearAHatDay campaign is essential in keeping our services running year-round. This month, the charity will mark 10 years since its foundation with the launch of new information resources for patients and their families on www.braintumourireland.com. Further new supports will be launched in early 2023 including an online support group for parents, an online bereavement support group and individual counselling support for adults. Brain Tumour Awareness Week 2022 Events Line-Up In addition to Wear a Hat Day, BTI will hold a number of special events throughout the week October 29 to November 5 including: Information Evening on Brain Tumour Research hosted by RCSI Brain Tumour Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons are hosting an information evening to discuss ongoing advancements in brain tumour research in Ireland. The event, Research, clinical practice and rehabilitation: an evening to review and discuss ongoing advancements in brain tumour studies in Ireland, will take place on Tuesday, November 1, at 6.15pm in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Stephens Green. The research will be introduced by Professor Annette Byrne, Head of the RCSI Precision Cancer Medicine Group. Other speakers include: Dr Kate Connor, Research Fellow & Honorary Lecturer, PCM Group GBM sub-group leader will present a talk entitled Searching for New Ways to Tackle Glioblastoma. Professor Frances Horgan, RCSI School of Physiotherapy, will present a talk entitled 'Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, but now what? Exploring the rehabilitation needs of people with brain tumours in Ireland'. Mr Kieron J. Sweeney, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Beaumont Hospital and RCSI Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer will present a talk entitled Brain tumours: current practice and recent advancements. Bedtime Story This year Brain Tumour Ireland have arranged for the paediatric consultants and neurosurgeons who treat children with brain tumours to read a bedtime story. The recordings will be available online for parents and children to hear their consultant and neurosurgeon reading some of their favourite bedtime stories including The Tiger who came for Tea and Never Bring a Zebracorn to School. Stories will be read by: Dr Jane Pears, paediatric consultant oncologist at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin; Mr John Caird, paediatric neurosurgeon at CHI Temple Street; Ms Tafadzwa Mandiwanza, consultant neurosurgeon at CHI Temple Street; and Dr Irwin Gill, Consultant Paediatrician at CHI Temple Street. Walk and Talk event followed by lunch Brain Tumour Ireland are hosting two Walk and Talk events on Thursday, November 3 to mark their 10-year anniversary day. Walk and Talk events, followed by lunch, will be held at: Marley Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, meeting at 11.15am. The Regional Park, Ballincollig, Cork, meeting at 11.15am. For further information, please visit: https://braintumourireland. com/ Local News By Long Island Published: October 23 2022 State Police responded to two separate calls for wrong way drivers last night and this morning, both on the Southern State Parkway in the area of exit 42, town of Islip, The State Police responded to two separate calls for wrong way drivers last night and this morning, both on the Southern State Parkway in the area of exit 42, town of Islip, Suffolk County. Around 9:30 PM Troopers and Suffolk County Police responded to the Southern State Parkway and located a vehicle westbound in the eastbound lanes near exit 42. Two Troopers with the assistance of a Suffolk County Highway Patrol Officer were able to stop the operator of the vehicle without incident. It was determined that the operator had been reported missing. He was turned over to Suffolk County Detectives and reunited with family. Just after 5:00AM this morning Troopers responded to another call of a vehicle driving the wrong way in the same area westbound in the eastbound lanes of the Southern State Parkway entering the Sagtikos State Parkway northbound in the southbound ramp. The Troopers were able to stop the vehicle on the ramp without incident. The operator was from out of state and transported to a local hospital and family the family was contacted. Thankfully with the quick actions of the Troopers and Suffolk County Police working together, potential tragedies were avoided and loved ones were reunited. It was 2006 when Daniel Craig first appeared as James Bond. Six years before the release of Casino Royale, he spent time filming in Mallorca. This was for the TV film Sword of Honour, in which he starred as aristocrat Guy Crouchback. At that time, the Palma Pictures production company was barely seven years old. It came to an agreement with Channel 4 for a film that would be over three hours long. Much of the filming was in Mallorca, the CEO of Palma Pictures, Mike Day, remembering it as "a great production". He recalls filming in Selva, where "the whole village town turned out". "It was beautiful." Nofre Moya, who was assistant director, says that it was "something powerful". Sword of Honour brought together "hundreds of extras, up to 300 in a single day". There were hard days, such as when they filmed in Cala S'Almunia "with hundreds of actors, explosions and troop movements". For Moya, "it was a luxury to see how the British worked". "They were very methodical, and it was great to see how they prepared everything." This was a production based on Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy and loosely paralleled Waugh's experiences during the Second World War. In Mallorca, it was the production of that year, 2000, with locations chosen to represent Egypt, Italy and Yugoslavia. Valldemossa became an Italian town, the quarry in Porreres was a camp in Egypt; camels were used for authenticity. Cala S'Almunia and Cala Torta were chosen for landings and for escapes from enemy fire; Selva was a village full of partisans. Even the Castell de Sant Carles in Palma was a location. In the film it was a military barracks. Filming would normally be difficult there because it is a Spanish military place. However, and as Nofre Moya explains: "When we told them what the story was about, they loved it. Everything was easy." A video from a daycare center in Mississippi has gone viral in the United States and has sparked outrage among parents. Specifically, workers at the center were scaring young children with masks similar to those worn for Halloween. In fact, one of the mothers named Katelyn Johnson has told TMZ that both her children and their classmates are "traumatized." Parents react "The Mississippi daycare workers who put on scary masks to frighten the children deserve harsh punishment for the pranks," Johnson said. Katelyn Johnson herself assures that, although her son "is too young to communicate how he feels," he is notoriously "traumatized" by the attitude he has adopted. The mother points out that her son "finds it difficult to go to bed at night" and it is causing a delay in his learning. Punishments requested As TMZ states, parents have lobbied for punishment for the daycare workers, specifically charges of child abuse. Katelyn states that the four daycare workers be charged with felonies, which the sentence would be to serve between 6 and 12 months in social work. In addition, TMZ reports that, according to the mother, the video is just a small sample of an event that happened regularly. No legal action However, Katelyn Johnson has not considered suing the workers, because she believes that they would not be able to pay a possible fine. Unlike the other parents, the child's mother will not take legal action. As a consequence of the "trauma" that her son suffers, Katelyn Johnson claims that she uses "a sound machine and a night light" to calm the child, who is supervised throughout the day. American tycoon Bill Gates, one of the most respected people in the world, is in the habit of making predictions about the future of technology and global society. The future of cell phones, telecommuting and the future of work are just some of them. However, this week in a chat with CNBC, Gates dared to make some predictions about the energy crisis. For the Microsoft co-founder, the crisis that Europe is suffering due to the energy shortage "is good in the long term", because "people will not want to depend on Russian gas". However, he himself acknowledged that he was wrong to believe that this transition would be quicker. Instead, Bill Gates said that in his opinion this will take at least three decades. In his comments, Gates pointed out that many people are dependent on what we consume and our world revolves around it, so the change will not happen "radically". Therefore, "a plan to accelerate the process" is needed. Bill Gates' key: Do not marginalize developing countries. But what would this plan consist of? For Bill Gates, it is important that new technologies create "clean energy" should do so without marginalizing developing countries. "Help people adapt to new circumstances by funding industry," he added. Gates made an appearance at the Energy Summit held in his hometown of Seattle and organized by his venture fund Breakthrough Energy. At the summit, Gates said that he and many investors did not find companies to invest in back in 2015. However, their concern went away because they now work with more than 100 companies focused on meat alternatives, energy conservation or energy-efficient buildings, among other initiatives. Every festival has its charm but Diwali hits differently because apart from meeting your loved ones and hogging on sweets, everyone gets a bunch of nice gifts from families, friends, neighbours and even their offices. Sorry, not everyone gets nice gifts, unfortunately! iStock Someone on Reddit who got a donation badge as a Diwali gift from their company shared, So, apparently they have donated something to some people. So yeah, we got this badge as Diwali gift. Couldn't be happier. iStock They further asked other people what they get for Diwali and the grass is not greener on any side, it seems. Most corporate employees are in the same boat. Here is what they said: 1. In my new company, they are distributing just a sweet box, for which they are asking to come to the office to collect. No_Woodpecker259 iStock 2. Not of now but this happened in TCS Bangalore many yrs back before 2010 Yr 1 - Sweet box to each employee Yr 2 - 5 star to each employee Yr 3 - 2 eclairs to each employee Yr 4 - 1 eclair to each employee Yr 5 - Happy Diwali email. Less_Delay_5306 3. We get a mail every Diwali thanking us for the hard work and dedication along with a link to a Flipkart gift voucher. Click on that link and surprise surprise it's a phishing link. Congratulations! Now you have to complete another mandate regarding information security. kpb7 iStock 4. Not yet received but 3-4 year ago in previous company they gave us money plant and said "change water regularly and money will come if its green. prajax_ 5. My company hasnt decided yet on whether they should recognise Diwali as a festival worthy of a holiday. faltugiribuster iStock 6.We have option to get our Salary earlier cause it's Diwali. You see ? Our own salary. just earlier. badalax iStock However, there were some who shared the amazing Diwali gifts and bonuses they got from their employers. Here are the best ones: 1. Amazon voucher for 21k Seeing other responses, my love for my company has rekindled. razdaman92 2. They gave us 4 choices smart watch,speaker,wireless earbuds or grinder. MysteriousCup1836 iStock 3. I got an air fryer worth 7k and a box of sweets. ZimmerDude1999 4. Bonus, 20k KingsmanVishnu 5. Speakers by Harman, a custom denim jacket, scented candles, lights and couple of boxes of assorted chocolates. Not too bad. Mundane_Toe3468 iStock Whether it is the luckier bunch you belong to or the ones who get an e-card for Diwali, we hope you arent working on the festival! RRR is without a doubt one of the biggest Indian films made to date, with many across the world hailing it as a blockbuster. Even award-winning Hollywood producers and filmmakers have been praising RRR for everything shown in the film. Now, while many have been watching the film from OTT Platforms, it just released in Japan for the first time. To everyone's amazement, the movie really impressed the Japanese audience, and looks like we have another country where there will be love for the film. As per reports, the RRR team arrived in Japan with their families prior to the film's release. Not just that, it looks like the cast and crew also met with some fans, with the whole ordeal being such a great sight. Here's another video of a heartwarming moment. Another amazing photo showed some Japanese fans actually sobbing as they met their heroes. Twitter RRR revolves around the story of two legendary revolutionaries and their journey far away from home after which they come back to fight back against British colonialists in the 1920s. Earlier, Hollywood's Ant-Man writer Adam McKay has spoken on how the movie should have a big screen at the prestigious Rose Bowl venue in the United States. For the unversed, Rose Bowl is one of the most iconic venues in America, with global stars like the BTS performing there in the past. Earlier, India had reportedly snubbed RRR for Chhello Show for the Oscars. Now, while talking about the Oscars snub, McKay said the screening should definitely go ahead. "This is a travesty. But lets make sure it gets a best picture nom. Can we do a screening at the Rose Bowl? (How amazing would that be?)" said McKay on Twitter. Clearly, RRR's stocks just keep rising with time! Source: India Times System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f027a390)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0283df0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f027a390)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0283df0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f028de00)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0283df0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0283df0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e4d442d8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f024c5b8)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f024c5b8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 The Marine Corps new armored Amphibious Combat Vehicles, intended to become the main transport in the future for getting troops and gear from ship to shore, wont be available for their first planned deployment this fall and are now being restricted in water training at Camp Pendleton because of safety concerns. Four of the new ACVs flipped in the surf in just the last year in all cases, the Marines were able to get out and swim to shore. Three of the 36-ton vehicles were damaged beyond repair. The ACVs, which use eight wheels and have a shape designed to better survive a bomb blast, are replacing the Marines aging fleet of 800 tracked Amphibious Assault Vehicles, which have been in use for decades and now require many hours of maintenance to keep operational. The ACVs have been designed to have a swim capability similar to the AAVs and have equal or greater mobility when compared to the M1 Abrams tank, another vehicle on its way out. But Marine officials are slowing the rollout of the new ACVs after the vehicles difficulties in the surf zone. Since the first ACV flipped in September 2021, leaders have restricted the water conditions Marines can train in and even temporarily suspended water training to give time for further reviews. Still, Marine officials say the ACV is the future of amphibious warfighting. And the Marine Corps response placing restrictions on training with the ACVs shows lessons were learned, officials said, after a deadly training accident in 2020 involving an AAV nine men died when the vehicle sank to the bottom of the ocean as it swam from San Clemente Island to an awaiting ship. Investigators said the accident could have been prevented, and a lack of adherence to protocols and a rush to prepare for a deployment contributed. The Marine Corps rolled out new, stricter rules and procedures guiding training. Marines called for the delays in ACV training to ensure that the assault amphibian community can review best practices and procedures to remain capable, safe and ready. To prepare for upcoming deployments, Marines and their vehicles typically undergo extensive training, especially in the final six months. Training is done in a crawl, walk and then run cycle, with each step getting more intensive and progressively more complex platoons are graded after each training event. The ACV platoons began training in March off Camp Pendleton, making beach landings from the USS Anchorage. U.S. Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicles (ACVs) conduct movement on the shore after a successful training evolution at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, March 13, 2022. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by 2nd Lt. Joshua Estrada) After an open water pause was initiated in July when two ACVs flipped in high surf off Camp Pendleton, Marines could only train with the vehicles in protected waters near the base. Then, late last month, those restrictions were lifted, and the vehicles returned to the ocean again, but only if the surf conditions were moderate, including waves at 4 feet or smaller. Then, on Oct. 13, another ACV flipped in surf condition reported at 2 feet to 3 feet. On Oct. 14, Marine officials again limited the vehicles from surf zone training. Marines can still train in the ocean, but only by entering and exiting through a protected basin. It took Marines four days to get the broken-down ACV from the water. Were taking a deliberate and methodical approach to fielding this platform, Lt. Gen. David Furness, deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, said. This adjustment to current guidance ensures our Marines have the ability to safely train and maintain proficiency while we work to conduct additional testing. ACVs were first evaluated on West Coast The ACVs were put through their paces on land at Twentynine Palms and then in 2019, moved to Camp Pendleton for evaluation on training ranges and in the water. Marines who tested them then reported finding the vehicles superior to the outgoing AAVs. The vehicle can carry 13 infantry Marines plus three crew members. It travels at 6 knots in the water and up to a distance of 14 miles at sea. The ACV is considered the future of the Marines operations, especially now as Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger sees the service returning to its amphibious roots and working more closely with the Navy. He envisions the potential for island-hopping campaigns and other amphibious operations in the Indo-Pacific, an area military leaders expect will be particularly contested in the coming years. Before purchasing the ACVs from BAE Systems, the Marines tested another vehicle known as the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, built by General Dynamics. But after spending $3 billion in development, the program was cut in 2011 during testing. In 2018, the military signed a $198 million deal for 30 ACVs from BAE also the manufacturer of the AAV. The Marines expect to field 632 of the ACVs in total, each costing about $5.9 million. As of September, there were 126 vehicles at Camp Pendleton; 90 are with the 3rd Amphibian Assault Battalion stationed at Camp Pendleton and 36 are being used by Marines at the base schoolhouse that trains the amphibious troops. Concern about ACVs from the AAV community But some Marine veterans familiar with the vehicle and its operations have worried about the reliability of the ACV, especially in the surf zone. Among them is retired Lt. Col. Kent Ralston, a former AAV battalion commander who was also a testing director for the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle a vehicle he said was actually incredible in the water. When the ACV program was announced, Ralston and others in the AAV community werent so sure its design was the best for replacing the AAVs. The AAV runs on tracks, which help anchor the vehicle in water. The ACV switches out those treads for wheels. When it flips, they want to go to the surface like eight gigantic balloons, Ralston said. Were fortunate those four vehicles only flipped on their side. If they flipped on the top, Marines would not have been able to get out. Maybe they could have found an air pocket until someone could get them, but one of the vehicles sat out there for days. As the ACV program continued to ramp up over the last several years, Ralston went as far as to write letters to two commandants at the time, airing his concerns. I felt strongly it was a bad idea and that its going to get guys killed, he said. I could see the disaster it would be. Im very skeptical you can make a wheeled vehicle as stable as a tracked vehicle, he said. The ACVs steering, Ralston said, could also be a factor in the surf zone. He said from what hes heard from Marines who have driven both, the ACVs steering takes more to learn. AAV is using the steering wheel just like a car; in the ACV you dont use a steering wheel, you use hand throttles and a gear selector, he said. It just comes down to whats more natural, but the new method can be learned. The main issue is that the steering motors arent responsive, and there is a pause before they actually start to steer. Its like coming to an intersection, he said, and not being able to steer left till the next intersection. U.S. Marines escape from a simulated submerged AAV during a training event at the Submerged Vehicle Egress Trainer in the 53 Area pool on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 8, 2020. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alison Dostie) Ralston said he worries that with all of the vehicles limitations, including its present training restrictions, it wont meet real-world applications and will not meet the needs of the Marines in the field. When they put it into a real-world environment, it cant do it because it doesnt match real-world needs, he said. There might be an engineer that can fix it, but I dont think theres anything they can do to get it through the surf zone. I think the tires are an inherent design flaw that cant be overcome in surf zones ops. When youre in an extreme situation, he added, you cant wait for the sea state to get into your parameters. Marines remain confident in the ACVs Marine Corps officials say they are convinced the ACV is the best vehicle for their future operations and that it is more lethal, is better designed for troops to survive attacks and is reliable. Marine officials worked with manufacturer BAE on the vehicles design to meet their needs and on production and testing. Included in the testing was making sure the ACV could surf through a 6-foot wave, Marine officials said. Now, in light of the recent incidents with flipping, Marines will test the ACVs in the surf to see what other factors beyond surf height might impact the vehicles performance, officials said. And, officials said, contrary to what Ralson has heard, Marines who have operated both vehicles report the ACV is more responsive in the water. Our current guidance allows us to train our Marines, giving them the opportunity to gain that experience safely while also allowing us to test the ACV in certain conditions, said Capt. Ryan Bruce, a Marine Corps spokesman. Well take the data from these tests and ultimately incorporate it into our tactics and procedures that will allow us to take full advantage of the ACVs capabilities in the real world. Marines will continue to test the ACVs in controlled water conditions to determine the challenges and how to best overcome them, he said. The vehicles have no restrictions on their use for land training. And, in the meantime there are aircraft and Navy craft that can handle some of the work the ACVs would have performed during the next deployment, officials with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said. The Marine Corps is a learning organization, Bruce added. Every time we go out for training or on an operation, were capturing data and insights and using those lessons learned to refine our tactics and procedures. Its how we ensure we remain ready to respond to crises around the world. FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) A person was taken into custody following what authorities described as a barricade situation at a U.S. Army base outside the nation's capital, the FBI said in a statement Sunday. A squad from the agency's Washington field office responded to Fort Belvoir in northern Virginia at about 8 a.m., according to a statement from the FBI. The situation was resolved and the unidentified person was taken into custody at about 3 p.m. The Army's criminal investigation division is the lead agency, while the FBI has provided victim assistance services, the agency said. The FBI provided no further details. WUSA9 reported that the situation was inside a home. Fort Belvoir is located about 20 miles south of Washington along the Potomac River in Virginia's Fairfax County. The base has more than 2,000 family housing quarters, according to Fort Belvoirs 2022 strategic plan. The base is home to several Army command headquarters, elements of the Army Reserve and Army National Guard and nine Department of Defense agencies, according to a Department of Defense website that serves the military community. Hundreds of retired military officials took high-paying jobs in foreign governments, at times making up to seven figures in salary and benefits, despite how some of the countries have been accused of human rights violations, according to a report. A new investigation by The Washington Post found that more than 500 retired military personnel have taken jobs with foreign governments since 2015, and a majority of the positions were located in North Africa or the Middle East, including consulting jobs for Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense. The jobs are also highly lucrative, The Post found through a Freedom of Information Act request. Australia's government, for example, offered former senior US Navy officials more than $10 million for consulting deals. In Azerbaijan, one retired US Air Force general was offered a consulting job with a pay of $5,000 a day. In comparison, an active four-star general with more than two decades of experience receives up to $203,698 a year in basic pay, according to The Post. Saudi Arabia, which has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations, has hired at least 15 retired US generals and admirals as consultants for the country's Defense Ministry, The Post reported. One former Navy Seal was hired as a special operations advisor for $258,000 a year. Saudi Arabia's offense against outside dissenters also has not stopped US military officers from taking work from the country. In 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Post, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The country's officials later admitted that Saudi agents carried out a "rogue operation" without the knowledge of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. However, the CIA determined that the crown prince ordered the assassination. Still, dozens of military personnel have accepted jobs contracted from Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi's killing. Retired general James L. Jones, who served as national security advisor during the Obama administration, has two Virginia-based consulting firms Ironhand Security LLC and Jones Group International LLC that have contracts with Saudi Arabia. In an interview with The Post, Jones said that he was encouraged by the Trump administration to accept more contracts from the country's Defense Ministry. According to Jones, his companies have four such contracts, with 53 U.S. citizens in Riyadh. Eight are retired generals and admirals, and 32 are former lower-ranking military personnel, The Post reported. "Nobody ever came to us and said, 'Hey, we think you ought to pull out,'" Jones told The Post. "I don't know what the alternative would have been if we had pulled away. I was worried that (the Saudis) would possibly drift off to other relationships with the Chinese and the Russians, and I didn't think that would be very good." Charles Wald, a retired four-star Air Force general, who accepted a job to work in Riyadh for one of Jones' firms said there was considerable debate on whether to stop working for Saudi Arabi after Khashoggi's killing. "We asked ourselves, are we basically turning a blind eye toward immortality? Or supporting a legitimate government," Wald told The Post. The firm decided to stay. Other military personnel have taken jobs in Indonesia or the United Arab Emirates. Under the Emoluments Clause Restrictions, the Constitution states that retired U.S. military personnel, which generally applies to those who served at least 20 years in uniform and are eligible to receive a pension, cannot receive consulting fees, gifts, jobs, or titles from foreign governments without expressed approval from Congress. The Post found however that approval is almost always granted. Out of the 500 requests since 2015, about 95% were approved. The Post also reported that some people negotiated jobs with foreign governments during active service. There is no penalty for violating the law and enforcement is rare, according to the publication. One of the more prolific cases of a former U.S. military officer being penalized for accepting fees from a foreign government was Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to Donald Trump. An investigation by the Defense Department found that Flynn received about $450,000 from Russian and Turkish sources in 2015, a year after he retired from the Army, according to The Post. Flynn pled guilty in December 2017 for lying to the FBI about his ties to a Russian ambassador. Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020. Key Locality type: Town Largest Settlements: Place Population Potosi 2,640 (2017) A post office since 1830, and county seat since February 26, 1814, replacing Mine a Breton. Moses Austin and John R. Jones by an agreement were to donate forty acres and ten acres respectively in 1814 for the location of the county seat adjoining Mine a Breton. The old village of Mine a Breton and Potosi now go under the latter name. The town was called Potosi by Moses Austin, for the celebrated silver mining district in South America, in Bolivia. A grant of land containing 6,085 acres directly northwest of Potosi and including a portion of the town site obtained by Moses Austin in 1797. Moses Austin was born in Durham, Connecticut, in 1761. While he was in Richmond, Virginia, perhaps owing to the pewter manufacturing business in which he was engaged, he became interested in mineralogy, and especially in lead mining. He went to Wythe County, where he operated the lead mines known during the Revolutionary War as the "Chisel mines." A settlement gathered around his store, which he conducted in connection with his mining operations, and became known as "Austinville." At this time there were many stories told of the mineral wealth of Upper Louisiana. After meeting someone from Ste. Genevieve who had been in this mining region, he determined to visit the district. With a passport from the Spanish minister, Gardoqui, as well as encouragement to emigrate to Upper Louisiana and to develop the mineral wealth, he set out in 1796. He remained in St. Louis for some time; then he went to Ste. Genevieve. From Ste. Genevieve he visited the mining country of southeast Missouri and finally decided to establish himself at Mine a Breton, if he could receive a grant. He received his grant on condition that he introduce certain improvements in mining and manufacture some of the lead for commercial purposes. In 1798 he brought his family and some in his employ to Mine a Breton. Here he sank the first shaft according to European practices in Upper Louisiana, erected a reverberatory furnace for smelting lead ores, and began the manufacture of sheet lead and shot. His house, "Durham Hall," became the nucleus of the American settlement in the country west of Ste. Genevieve at this time. About 1820 he obtained permission from the Mexican government to establish in Texas a colony of three hundred families, but died before the project could be established. He did not recover from the exposure of this trip to San Antonio de Bexar, where he went to get permission for the establishment of the colony, and died June 10, 1821. He is buried in the Presbyterian cemetery at Potosi. The colony was founded by his son Stephen F. Austin, who has been called the founder of the State of Texas, and for whom the state capitol, Austin, is named. Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements Detailed Mineral List: Quartz Formula: SiO 2 Reference: MacFall, P.M. (1951) Gem Hunter's Guide (1st ed.). Science and Mathematics Publishing Company, 187 pages. Quartz var. Agate Reference: MacFall, P.M. (1951) Gem Hunter's Guide (1st ed.). Science and Mathematics Publishing Company, 187 pages. Quartz var. Chalcedony Formula: SiO 2 Reference: MacFall, P.M. (1951) Gem Hunter's Guide (1st ed.). Science and Mathematics Publishing Company, 187 pages. Gallery: List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides Quartz 4.DA.05 SiO 2 var. Agate 4.DA.05 SiO 2 var. Chalcedony 4.DA.05 SiO 2 List of minerals for each chemical element O Oxygen O Quartz SiO 2 O Quartz var. Chalcedony SiO 2 Si Silicon Si Quartz SiO 2 Si Quartz var. Chalcedony SiO 2 Fossils References Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A) In-text Citation No. Zimmer, Gertrude M. (1944), Place Names of Five Southeast Counties of Missouri, M.A. thesis, University of Missouri-Columbia. Other Databases Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potosi,_Missouri Wikidata ID: Q955174 GeoNames ID: 4404348 Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary. An incorporated city. Lead mining began sometime between 1775 and 1780 at Mine a Breton, the name of which was later changed to Potosi.There are 4 fossil localities from the PaleoBioDB database within this region.- These data are provided on an experimental basis and are taken from external databases. Mindat.org has no control currently over the accuracy of these data. 22.10.2022 LISTEN The 6th annual Ghana Music Awards UK will honor legendary rap artist Reggie Rockstone with the Legendary Honorary award as he appears as special guest at this years event. The prestigious accolade is given to individuals in the music industry for their outstanding contributions to Ghanaian music. The industry veteran is behind the success of one of the biggest music genres, hiplife. The board, management and planning committee of Ghana Music Awards UK will celebrate his remarkable achievements come October 29. This years exciting packed event is scheduled to take place at the Royal Regency Palace Manor Park in London. Patrons coming from Ghana, UK and Europe will be thrilled with performances from top artists such as Camido, Kelvin Boy, Joyce Blessing, Diana Hamilton, D-Black, Sefa among many others. The Ghana Music Awards UK is an annual event to celebrate Ghanaian musicians in the UK and Ghana for their hard work in the creative space. It will also reward some key industry players who have paid their dues in the creative industry. Kwadwo Safo Jnr 23.10.2022 LISTEN The Chief Executive Officer of Kantanka group of companies Kwadwo Safo Jnr has described Ghanaian youth as lazy. Many Ghanaians have attributed the recent economic crisis and the Cedi's depreciation to the President's refusal to reshuffle the ministers and sack the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta. While most Ghanaians are backlashing the ruling government for the economic crisis, the CEO of Kantanka group of companies, Kwadwo Safo Jnr thinks otherwise. According to Kwadwo Safo Jnr, the youth of this country have failed to venture into entrepreneurship; especially farming because of their lazy attitudes. He added that the government is not responsible for every misfortune that happens to the citizens of the country. In a tweet, he wrote, Youth in farming is the way forward. In every small way, anyone can. Plant something. Government isnt responsible for it all. No. We the citizens should also take responsibility. The youth of today are honestly lazy. Nobody wants to get his hands dirty. However, checks revealed that he quickly edited his tweet. Akufo Addo is the best president Ghana has ever had, the most patriotic president, and a visionary man, according to something I read recently. "One thing which is extremely evident is that Blacks don't appreciate good things, which is why Whites term us evil," the person concludes. There are a lot of folks out there who occasionally try to impress others that they are intelligent, but what they say instead shows they are complete idiots and morons. People should avoid saying things they dont know. After the abolition of slavery, the comment made by this imbecile is more of the kind of stuff that, when read by a white man, immediately sends the message to him that the person is either sick, stupid, a moron, or in shackles of mental-tribalism. After more than 400 years of slavery, the black man is still looking for his identity, and African-Americans are still having trouble being acknowledged as citizens of the United States. So what has the black man done that the white man may accuse him of being evil? Apart from Ghana, where that made the insignificant comment was born, I have no idea where he has traveled to because, as he claimed, "whites call Blacks evil." In actuality, since the beginning of time, Blacks have been the ones who frequently accuse white people of being evil because of things like slavery, colonial brutality, Apartheid, and medical crimes like Aids, HIV, Ebola, tuberculosis, nodding syndrome, and other intentionally inflicted diseases on Africans. Many Ghanaians have freed themselves from mental slavery decades after slavery was abolished, only to re-chain themselves with mental tribalism. Thanks to Bob Marley for using the words from his "Redemption Song" and the song's title, "Stiff Necked Fools," as the heading for my article. He claims that "Akufo Addo is the best president of Ghana," which even further demonstrates the likelihood that this individual has never even left the shores of Ghana for the Republic of Togo or the Ivory Coast, let alone Europe or the United States of America. If he had traveled outside of Ghana, he would undoubtedly be aware of what a good leader is among Ghana's leaders. When I traveled outside of Ghana, I can still recall the phrase "Travel and see" that was written on the back of many of Ghana's commercial vehicles. Ghana has an image of being a peaceful nation in West Africa, but it also has a darker side. The nation has a dark side despite the exceptional harmony between Christians and Muslims. Ghana is not progressing because it is a nation rife with hatred and entwined with tribalism. Given the destruction and misery, Akufo Addo has inflicted on Ghanaians due to his incompetence and incapacity to combat corruption, a sensible person would never describe him as a good president. "If you want to keep something from a black man, write it down in a book," is a white man's derogatory statement. Such a pejorative phrase is hurtful, yet there is truth in it because many Africans would not say anything so foolish as "Whites call Blacks evil" if they had much time to study. What crime has a Black man committed for a white person to label him evil? This makes no sense. The Black man is not responsible for slavery, colonial brutality, Apartheid and medical deliberate crimes in Africa. This is how people with hate and tribalism-infected brains frequently say such dumb things. Many tribal bigots don't care about the destruction and devastation Akufo Addo has wrought in Ghana because they place tribalism before prosperity. You won't ever hate your brother or sister because of where they come from if many people are not phony Christians or Muslims. Ghana is experiencing horrible leadership from a single individual who hasn't any leadership skills, and as soon as you criticize Akufo Addo, you automatically get his anger and idiots attacking you. Yes, Akufo Addo is the best president Ghana has ever had considering the amount of money he has embezzled, including COVID funds, and the massive debt he has put Ghana in without being held accountable. Since he failed to keep his campaign promises to decrease taxes and protect the public purse, he is also a good president. Despite spending more than six years in power, without creating jobs for the populace, he preferred to raise taxes and even enacted the E-Levy, a false tax that failed and damaged the companies of many poor Ghanaians. After taking down some of the nation's banks, Akufo Addo has proven to be a capable leader indeed. He is also the best president Ghana has ever had since he chose to make corruption easier for his incompetent relative Ken Ofori-Atta by appointing him as finance minister. It was this easy access to corruption that caused Ghana's economy and currency to collapse. Instead, because Akufo Addo is terrible, the white man would label everybody who believes he is the best president as evil. Akufo Addo told Ghanaians that "power belongs to them, therefore; give me that power to serve you" as he stood in front of them to seek power. Then, after being granted authority, this man transformed into a demon that hunts down his detractors. Yes, Akufo Addo is the best president Ghana has ever had because he dated Serwaa Broni and Ghanaians didn't demand that he should step down. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is the best president Ghana has ever had because to avoid any incriminating evidence to cover up the affair, he sent top NPP criminals to go after that woman at gunpoint. Since there are white people who are interested in African news sites and who may read untrue statements like "Blacks don't appreciate good things, which is why whites call us evil," it is best to avoid making stupid comments on news websites to impress others that you are intelligent. There has never been a democratic government in Ghana's political history that has inflicted the devastation Akufo Addo has done to the country and the unneeded hardships this man has brought to the homes of Ghanaians today. Thousands of jobs have been destroyed due to the country's declining economy and weakening currency. An intelligent Ghanaian would let the government know what the populace needs to find answers to their issues. Coming out and saying stuff like, "Akufo Addo is the best president Ghana has ever had, the most patriotic president, and a visionary man, and Blacks don't appreciate good things that's why whites call us evil," exposes there are many ignorant mad people in Ghana. Such a person is so stupid that a pig is smarter than him. A sensible individual contributes to the development of a nation. He opposes criminality, corruption, ineptitude, and crime in the state but because of uncontrollable tribalism and hatred, they speak rubbish. As I've already stated, only a useless and stupid president would pledge to fight corruption while being personally so entrenched in it that he had to add corrupt politicians to his government. What do you anticipate the NPP or Akufo to do? No Ghanaian should vote for such a useless government if the president does not imprison Charles Bissue, Eugene Arhin, and Paul Adom-Octchere. Ghana requires a competent leader who will move the nation forward, not backward. A former Member of Parliament for Akwatia in the Eastern Region, Baba Jamal, says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has failed Ghanaians woesfully. The former NDC MP, on the sidelines of the Ayawaso East NDC constituency elections, said the governing party has done a lot to destroy President John Mahamas gains. He urged Ghanaians to take solace in the fact that the NDC, will return to save Ghanaians from their plight. What the people truly want is competent leadership. The NPP has not done so much, but the NDC is going to return, and when we do, we will restore the country. We have a representative who has been in the position he is vying for before. He is thus coming with a lot of experience. The galamsey fight, for instance, has worsened since this government came to power. The President should have resigned if he had any dignity for failing Ghanaians woefully, but then, the NDC is coming back to rescue Ghanaians. ---citinewsroom 23.10.2022 LISTEN The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has been awarded Cyber Security Regulator of the year at the 12th Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA). The CSA was established on October 2021 by section 2 of theCybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) to regulate cybersecurity activities in the country; to promote the development of cybersecurity in the country and to provide for related matters. Cybersecurity Regulation in Ghana; The dependence on digitalisation to transform Ghanaseconomy comes with increased risk of cyber threats and attacks on Critical infrastructure, businesses and individuals.The current digitalised and interconnected environment means that a single cybersecurity incident can affect an entire organisation, a whole nation and the world at large. As cybercrimes increase, cybersecurity services, establishments and professionals have become a critical solution for mitigating cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities within Ghanas fast developing digital ecosystem. It is therefore necessary that the industry is regulated to ensure that there are appropriate guidelines for practitioners and so that practitioners can be held accountable for their actions as part of efforts to control cybersecurity risks and to protect the interests and safety of Children, the Public, Businesses, and Government. Globally, regulatory compliance has become one of the most effective and reliable strategies to mitigate cyber risks within the industry. The implementation of cybersecurity regulations is imperative to deal with both existing and emerging cyber threats which have the potential to undermine the digital dividends expected from our digital economy. The Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) provides the regulatory framework to promote cybersecurity development in the country. The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has thus commenced a number of regulatory activities including the protection of Critical Information Infrastructures, pursuant to Section 35 to 40 of Act 1038; licensing of Cybersecurity Service Providers pursuant to Sections of 49 to 56 and regulations on cybersecurity incident reporting and response, pursuant to Sections 41 to 48 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2022. Plans are advanced to ensure that starting January 2023, businesses, firms and individuals will not be able to offer cybersecurity services unless the entity or the individual is licensed or accredited by the Authority. Similarly designated Critical Information Infrastructure Owners will be subjected to mandatory audit and compliance checks against the Directive for the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures which was adopted on October 1, 2021. In order for these regulations to be effectively enforced, the Cyber Security Authority has since the beginning of the year held collaborative meetings on the implementation of the Actwith key stakeholders to ensure mutual understanding and commitment to implement the provisions of the Act. The internet offers several opportunities for improving the lives of children through access to information which is beneficial to their education, health and social wellbeing. Many children are, however, becoming prone to criminal online practices which are detrimental to their development. The Cyber Security Authority, as a regulator, is committed to ensuring the protection of children online per its mandate in the Cybersecurity Act 2020. In furtherance of the mandate, the Child Online Protection Framework has been revised to ensure the utmost safety of our children online. The Cyber Security Authority is being guided by the Governing Board and also through the Joint Cybersecurity Committee to approach cybersecurity regulations from a collaborative perspective. To improve awareness amongst key stakeholders on the regulatory provisions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) and to create a culture of cybersecurity regulatory compliance, as well as effective operations and management of reporting and responding to cybersecurity incidents among stakeholders especially the sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams,. Subsequently, the 2022 edition of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is celebrated in October every year is being organised under the theme, Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach, to build synergy among public and private sector institutions and stakeholders to effectively regulate the countrys cybersecurity. This was a follow up the previous years awareness month which was organised under the theme, Ghana's Cybersecurity Act, 2020; Its Implications and the Role of Stakeholders to mark the introduction of the landmark cybersecurity legislation to provide the legal backing to the countrys cybersecurity development. The Authority, working with other stakeholders, has so far engaged industry professionals, critical information infrastructure owners, the Bank Of Ghana and the Ghana Association of Banks, Civil Society Organisations, parents and children, international partners among others. Collaborations underpin the activities of the Cyber Security Authority in the execution of its mandate. This has reflected in the inauguration of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) under Section 13 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020, to collaborate with Authority and other sector-institutions represented on the Committee for the implementation of relevant cybersecurity measures. The Industry Forum is also set to be established under Section 81 of the Act, as a platform to periodically bring private sector industry players together to discuss matters of common interest. Dr. Antwi-Boasiako receives Top 20 Tech Leaders Award The Ag. Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has received Top 20 Tech Leaders Award at the 12th Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA). Prior to his appointment on October 1, 2021, he served as the National Cybersecurity Advisor and Head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) from July 2017 to September 2021 He led the institutionalisation of Ghanas cybersecurity development which progressed from 32.6% in 2017 to 86.69% in 2020, according to the ITUs Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), with Ghana ranked 3rd in Africa and 43rdglobally. In 2011, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako founded e-Crime Bureau, the first cybersecurity and digital forensics firm with a state-of-the art e-Crime Lab to be established and operated in West Africa. Since 2014, He has served as an Expert with the Council of Europes Global Action on Cybercrime Extended (GLACY+) Project. In June 2021, he was recognised as the worlds 20th most Influential Security Executive in the Cybersecurity Category by IFSEC Global. He currently serves on the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). He is a Bureau Member of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) and is the Government of Ghanas representative on ECOWAS Regional Technical Committee (RTC) on Cybersecurity. He is a Member of the Governing Boards of the National Information Technology Agency and the Cyber Security Authority. President Nana Akufo-Addo has backed the One-District, One-Factory initiative under the broader industrialisation agenda of the government, as a basis for developing a home-grown infrastructure that is capable of withstanding the uncertainties of exogenous shocks to the Ghanaian economy. In this regard, the president pointed out that the Eastern Region, alone, has completed 1D1F enterprises, with another 16 at various stages of completion and soon to be inaugurated, as well as another four at the project conception stage. The performance and success of the completed 1D1F projects across the country, with regards to minimising unemployment and shoring local production, has thus far, been a clear indication of President Akufo-Addos long-held belief that Ghanas path towards self-reliance is largely premised on the countrys determination to industrialise. According to the President, who began a three-day tour of the Eastern Region on Friday, 21 October 2021, the whole purpose of the policy means having factories and enterprises here in Ghana, which will substitute the ones that are coming from abroad. That is the whole purpose of the policy. Instead of importing XYZ, you're going to have them made here. He added: When we said we wanted to implement 1D1F and certain strategic industrial policies, we were told it couldn't be done, but today, everyone is talking about how important it is for the Ghanaian economy to lessen its dependence on foreign goods and foreign services. Now, people are beginning to understand that, indeed, we had the foresight, we knew exactly what we needed to do to bring substantial progress, real progress not intermittent progress, but substantial progress, which is going to be strong and resilient. That is what I've noticed is ongoing, he added. President Akufo-Addo indicated further: By the time we are through, then the commitment of a 1D1F would have been established. And we can only strengthen the industrial development of the country, which is very important to note that foreign import dependence will not inure to our growth. We have the panacea, the solution, and the government is working towards it. President Akufo-Addos 1D1F initiative is meant to change the nature of Ghanas economy from one which is dependent on the import and export of raw materials to one which is focused on manufacturing, value addition and export of processed goods from raw materials that are largely found in the districts across the country. Thus far, the One-District-One-Factory initiative, which has seen the ongoing construction of 296 factories across the country, of which 125 have been completed, is part of the foundation on which the Akufo-Addo government is we are building a comprehensive industrialisation programme, inspired by the development of strategic anchor industries, such as the emerging automotive industry and the co-ordinated exploitation for the entire domestic value addition of our bauxite and iron ore resources. I am hopeful that, by the end of my term, the full complement 296 factories will be in operation to help provide quality domestic alternatives to the consumption needs of Ghanaians and reduce substantially our dependence on imports. We do not only account for the youth as labour in the 1D1F programme, but also as managers and owners. Indeed, 58 of these factories are wholly owned by young people who have received direct government support, he added. Source: ClassFMonline.com Police in the Ashanti Region are on a manhunt for a suspect of an armed robbery attack at Suame Magazine in Kumasi. Police say they launched a special anti-robbery operation following intelligence that an armed robbery gang was planning an attack on the cluster of banks in the Suame Magazine and Maakro enclaves in Kumasi. The armed robber and his accomplice who were on motorbikes attacked a customer who had stepped out of a bank at Maakro, carrying a brown envelope. The robbers attacked the bank customer and snatched the envelope amidst firing of guns. According to the Police, the rear windscreen and the left door glass of a Daewoo Matiz saloon car which was parked on the bank premises were hit during the shooting. The Police, who had mounted surveillance in the area, responded to the situation by firing at the armed robbers and succeeded in hitting the pillion rider who fell off the motorbike. However, the rider who also sustained gunshot wounds managed to escape. One of the police officers was shot by the armed robbers during the exchange of fire and sustained a gunshot wound to his right hip. Both the injured officer and the suspect were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for medical attention. The suspect was, however, pronounced dead on arrival. The body of the deceased suspect has been deposited at the morgue for preservation, identification and autopsy. Efforts are underway to get his accomplice arrested to face justice, police added in a statement. The Police are thus appealling to the public especially those who run health facilities within the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs to report any person seeking medical attention with a gunshot wound, for prompt police action. It also commended all the officers who took part in the operation and also wish our injured colleague a speedy recovery. citinewsroom As the number of black students increased at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa in the 1980s, township struggles spread onto the campus and management came under increasing grassroots pressure to implement change within the university. In response, social scientists in the Faculty of Humanities, with the financial support of the university's research office, undertook an extensive survey of perceptions of Wits. It included organisations in black communities as well as of international academics, students and staff at Wits. They even had a meeting with the then-banned African National Congress (ANC) in Lusaka. The outcome of this Wits-initiated research project was published at the height of apartheid in 1986 Perspectives of Wits: Tomorrow Begins at Wits Today: The Role of the University in a Changing South Africa . It revealed a disconnect between black South African's perceptions of Wits and the image the administration had been attempting to convey of the university as a progressive opponent of apartheid. The research revealed that a large proportion of the community members surveyed thought Wits served mainly white, corporate interests. The report recommended further transformation of the university. Knowledge for whom, for what, by whom? Nearly 40 years later, university leadership, staff and students are increasingly representative of South Africa's demography. Wits has made progress towards what the late anti-apartheid cleric Reverend Beyers Naude described during the interviews as: securing a democratic, educational future for all in South Africa. However, we must ask whether the university's responses to the multiple crises South Africans face today are not reproducing a similar disconnect. A growing number of students are struggling to pay their fees, and impoverished masses are eking out an existence in the country. Do we need another survey to establish whose interests and needs the university is serving? This survey needs to be framed by three crucial questions: Knowledge for whom? Knowledge for what? And knowledge by whom? Mind the mines These questions are of relevance because of the university's long-standing relationship with the mining industry. Its origins go back to the South African School of Mines , established in Kimberley in 1896. At the time of the Perspectives of Wits survey, the Chamber of Mines and Anglo American in particular was the university's largest private donor. Of course, there have been occasions when the Chamber, now Minerals Council, felt it was not receiving a satisfactory return on its investment in the university. An example was the attempt by the asbestos industry to suppress the findings in the 1950s by the Wits Pneumoconiosis Unit of a link between asbestos and cancer the hidden disease of mesothelioma. On balance, however, it can rightly be claimed that Wits has served mining capital well over the years. Today, extractivism the process of extracting natural resources from the earth to sell on the world market particularly of coal, is under attack because of its relationship to climate change and deepening inequality. As in the past, there are various responses to these crises among Wits' diverse constituencies. The establishment of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies and the recent appointment by Wits of a Pro-Vice Chancellor on Climate, Sustainability and Inequality is an exciting response. It places Wits at the forefront of two central national challenges. These are climate change and the persistence of South Africa's position as the most unequal country in the world in terms of income and wealth. The high levels of inequality have been sustained, and in some cases have deepened, in the post-apartheid era. Will researchers at Wits help promote a shift in the dominant view of coal? From being seen as a source of energy, jobs and foreign exchange, will coal be seen as a driver of inequality and environmental damage? Will it help promote a democratic just transition from coal, which includes the lived experience of people in coal-affected communities? In the present cacophony of voices addressing the question of a just transition, we hope that these marginalised voices will be heard. Commodifying knowledge Much has changed over the past four decades as Wits and universities globally have been restructured according to a market logic. Knowledge is largely valued in terms of its capacity to be commodified. As the state has defunded universities, funds have been sought through raising student fees, the provision of short and online vocational courses, trusts and foundations, and endowments from wealthy alumni. One of Wits' biggest mistakes, which it has since rectified, was to try to cut costs by outsourcing its service staff to avoid paying benefits. Furthermore, over time, the balance of power has shifted from academics to the administration. A form of academic managerialism triumphed and Senate was in danger of being sidelined. The Senate is accountable to the Council for regulating all teaching, learning, research and academic functions and all other functions delegated or assigned to it by the Council. The Australian academic Jill Blackmore suggests that this market logic results in epistemic injustice it ignores the social and material conditions of knowledge production the social relations of collegiality and collaboration, the emotional labour of teaching and researching. She warns that this is dangerous for democracies. As Wits proudly celebrates a century of independent critical thought, maybe it needs to revisit the perceptions of its external stakeholders. This is particularly pertinent in the face of increasing inequality, casualisation of labour and ecological devastation. Indeed, is it not time for all South African universities to revisit their multiple publics and explore with them what a public university in southern Africa in the 21st century could and should become? This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in the University of the Witwatersrand's special Curiosity edition to mark the institution's 100th anniversary. Edward Webster receives funding from University of Witwatersrand. He is affiliated with Southern Centre of Inequality Studies . He was a member of the Perspectives of Wits research team in the 1980s. Jacklyn Cock was a member of the Perspectives of Wits research team in the 1980s. By Edward Webster, Distinguished Reserach Professor, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand And Jacklyn Cock, Professor Emerita in Sociology and Honorary Research Professor in SWOP, University of the Witwatersrand French President Emmanuel Macron is in Rome on Sunday for the start of a three-day peace summit hosted by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Catholic charity known for its efforts to promote interfaith dialogue, notably in Africa. He will also meet with Pope Francis on Monday. Macron is set to deliver a speech at the opening of the annual event in Rome alongside the presidents of Italy and Niger. The gathering, also attended by France's chief rabbi Haim Korsia, will mark the latest in a series of meetings between Macron and leaders of the Catholic charity. Nicknamed "the little UN of Trastevere" (from the name of the district of Rome where it is based), Sant'Egidio, was founded in 1968 by young Catholic students and has become over the years the informal diplomatic arm of the Vatican. In 1992, Sant'Egidio oversaw the signing of a peace agreement in Mozambique which put an end to 16 years of civil war between power and the rebellion. Similar diplomatic actions have been undertaken in Guinea, Niger, Central African Republic, Chad, and South Sudan. Very involved in welcoming refugees, one of the pillars of Francis' pontificate, since 2015 Sant'Egidio has been organising "humanitarian corridors" bringing refugees from Syria, the Horn of Africa and Greece, an initiative rewarded in 2019 with an award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Multilateralism Announcing the event's programme earlier this month, Marco Impagliazzo, the head of Sant'Egidio, praised Macron's views on European cooperation and relations with Africa. He also defended the French president's decision to maintain a dialogue with Moscow amid the war in Ukraine. According to the Elysee, Macron's address will be along the lines of the one given to the UN General Assembly in September, when he denounced "a return to the age of imperialism and colonies" imposed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Macron is keen to emphasise multilateralism as a way to face the "crises that run through our planet" - be it climate, inequalities and war - as well as "on the importance of avoiding the creation of artificial fractures" between the North and the South, explained the president's office. This three-day interreligious summit entitled "The Cry of Peace" will end on Tuesday in the presence of the Pope. Pope Francis will host Macron at the Vatican on Monday morning, for the third time since he became president, the previous one dating back to less than a year ago, in November 2021. New guard Macron will also meet with the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella on Monday during a private lunch. It has not yet been announced whether Macron will meet with Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who was sworn in on Saturday as the country's first female leader after her far right-wing party won elections in September. Odon Vallet, a historian of religion told France 24 television that Macron is wary of being too openly welcoming to Italy's new leadership which hails from the far right political wing. "It's a delicate balancing act for Macron's second and last mandate," Vallet explains, adding Macron is keen to ensure his own country does not slide into the hands of the far right. "A quarter of France's Catholic voters, many of them practising, voted for Marine Le Pen at the recent presidential election a percentage equal to that of the wider public. It's a major problem for Macron, because it means there is a genuine risk that church leaders might one day cease to oppose the far right with the steadfastness that has characterised Pope Francis, for instance". French Catholics, he says and indeed the wider public are also deeply divided on a number of sensitive issues, including plans to legislate on abortion rights and euthanasia. "Macron needs to rekindle the flame with Catholic voters, which has faded after the euphoria that greeted his first months in office," the professor says. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; and knock and it will be opened for you because everyone who asks receives; everyone who seeks finds; and everyone who knocks and it will be opened. That is a motivational verse that keeps Christians and Muslims alive in their faith. However, God won't revive Ghana's economy because he has given wisdom to man to utilize it wisely by creating a beautiful world and healthy environment. "In the beginning, God created everything and gave man authority over all things, but because of human greed, the world has been ruined, our water supplies are in jeopardy, our surroundings are in danger, and famine is a real possibility. In Ghana, where there are significant levels of corruption, crime, and unemployment, environmental catastrophes continue to occur. However, religious bodies and organizations are unable to warn those in charge; instead, we have heard them pray against illicit mining in the nation. Despite having abundant natural resources, the developed world now views Africa as a joke and an object of poverty because its leaders are thought to be unable to think rationally. Since every leader who pledges to combat corruption, one of the most serious factors contributing to the decline of the continent, never keeps their word, there is no development in Africa. When granted authority, they prefer to dive right in and ensure that riches are accumulated in the shortest amount of time feasible. A scripture like "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, and knock, and it will be opened" can encourage and strengthen our confidence in God, but it doesn't miraculously create our schools, hospitals, fight crime and corruption, or support a nation's economy. Such accomplishments are possible thanks to a strong judicial system and leadership. Our religious texts' magnificent scriptures are still being misconstrued. Because the Bible states that when you ask God for anything, your faith will enable you to receive it, many Ghanaians visit prayer houses Monday through Friday to pray. But they don't realize that if you don't labor for what you want from God, you can come up empty-handed. Without working honestly and putting in a lot of effort, it is impossible to imagine living in a luxurious home, and the same holds for obtaining the car of your dreams. Life is a journey that requires labor, and if you don't put in the effort, you'll become a thief, a liar, and a con man. Some people believe that engaging in theft or corruption is crucial to obtaining what they want, but you should consider those who lack employment, are struggling without a future, and have no idea where their next meal will come from if you share their perspective. This is true even if you work as a minister or politician. Most Ghanaian politicians never care for the welfare of the people, even though their job is to serve the interests of the people and their communities. As a result, both the dead and the live politicians are corrupt. According to Mahatma Gandhi, "Earth gives enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed." The Ghanaian economy is harmed and derailed by the same greed and stupidity that caused the collapse of its currency. It doesn't imply that individuals shouldn't put forth the effort to ensure a brighter future when Jesus says, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself because sufficient for the day is its trouble." Additionally, it does not imply that Ghana's religious authorities shouldn't worry about speaking out against corruption there. What puzzles me now is that during Mahama's tenure, when Ghana was at its best, many opposed him because they believed he was dishonest and ineffective. However, individuals who persuaded the citizenry that the former Ghanaian leader wasn't excellent but corrupt and that, as a result, they would improve things for the populace, have now turned into state looters. Ghana has been stripped bare, just like a piece of meat is eaten down to the bone. Although the NPP government's malicious plot against the previous administration has had negative effects on the country, no one is speaking out against the president for fear of being a victim. No matter how fervent your belief in God is, I want to be clear that anyone who believes Ghana will be saved by the current administration is not only fooling themselves but also the invincible, all-powerful God. The blessing of good hands leads to increased productivity and progress, whereas the blessing of bad hands leads to the breeding of corruption, unhappiness, suffering, and crime. Don't even go to the IMF for help because Ghanaians will not benefit anything from it with this administration. I've been repeating it without ceasing: only the discovery of strong leadership among the populace will upend Ghana's basis and improve conditions for current and future generations. Effective leadership includes both separating the wheat from the chaff in our nation and taking the battle against corruption seriously. All corrupt politicians must be charged and sentenced to prison. Indicting individuals like Paul Adom-Otchere, Ken Ofori-Atta, Nana Akufo Addo, Charles Bissue, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, Eugene Arhin, Benard Antwi Boasiako, nicknamed Chairman Wontumi, and many others, and imprisoning them if found guilty, would leave an indelible mark on Ghana's political history. Without doing this, the rule of any leader after this government will be pointless. Ghana has been independent for more than 60 years, but despite this, little has changed in terms of growth, largely because corrupt officials never face punishment for their wrongdoings but are instead reinstated into the office to continue serving the populace. Since the industrialized world does not allow this nonsense, they have established strong foundations for the populace and the judicial system, therefore; intelligent Ghanaians must no longer put up with this nonsense too. The Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has stressed the need for Africa to consider developing petroleum infrastructure networks across Africa if the continent is to address fuel distribution challenges and also aims to end energy poverty by 2030. According to him, ending fuel poverty in Africa is not just about establishing either large or modular refineries but rather having an efficient fuel distribution network across the continent that makes it possible to transport fuel from one country to the other. Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid made the call during a panel discussion on the 3rd day of the just-ended Africa Energy Week 2022, held in Cape Town, South Africa, from October 18-21, 2022. The panelists were Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, CEO of NPA, Alex Cole, General Manager/Head Business Development Sahara Group, Anibor Kragha, Executive Secretary, African Refiners & Distributors Association, and Robert Meza, CEO of Trinity Energy. The panellists sought to find solutions to Africa's fuel demand and more especially solutions for new regional exporters. Setting the stage for the discussion, Anibor Kragha, Executive Secretary of the African Refiners & Distributors Association (ARDA), told the energy sector players across Africa that the continent's total refinery capacity is about 3.3 million barrels per day from about 20 countries. He continued that "ten years ago, the utilisation of the refineries across Africa was about 75 per cent but now it is between 50% and 55%." In his view, there was the need to first, bring back the continent's refinery capacity to 100 per cent before "we look at other factors if the continent should have self-sufficiency of fuel." Answering a question on what should be done to attract investments for refineries, Mr Humphrey Nwugo, Regional Chief Operating Officer for Southern Africa, Afreximbank, noted that there has been a decline in the capacity of refineries in Africa. He blamed the situation on a lack of maintenance and investment. To address the problem, he said the bank and other partners are setting up a US$3 billion infrastructure fund to support the development of petroleum infrastructure networks in Africa. Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid told the gathering that Ghana has taken a bold step to address insufficient petroleum infrastructure in the country by establishing the Petroleum Hub Development Authority (PHDA) to establish a petroleum hub in the Western Region. The project, which is private sector-led, is expected to have three refineries, storage tanks, water treatment plants and other facilities. The $60 billion project is intended to serve West Africa upon completion. Citing the West African Gas Pipeline Project which passes through Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria and allows the aforementioned countries to supply gas for power generation, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid said it should be possible for countries within the southern belt of Africa to develop a network pipeline infrastructure and for those in the northern part to do same and then tie all of them together for African nations to be able to trade among themselves. He, thus, called for collaboration between regional blocks within Africa notably ECOWAS, SADC and EAC. "If we have an integrated pipeline for SADC, EAC, North Africa, then when we have done all that, you will see that it will be easy to tie them together to have a continental-wide petroleum infrastructure of feeding the entire continent," Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid posited. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held phone calls on Sunday with his French and Turkish counterparts, to discuss the Ukraine crisis, officials said. Meanwhile, residents in the southern Kherson region have been to evacuate, while elsewhere, millions found themselves without electricity due to Russian airstrikes on infrastructure. "The situation in Ukraine, which has a steady tendency towards further, uncontrolled escalation, was discussed," by Shoigu and France's Sebastien Lecornu, the ministry said. Later on Sunday, the ministry said Shoigu held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar. In both calls, Shoigu conveyed "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'". The statements did not provide further details. Shoigu also held a rare phone call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday. Both sides confirmed they discussed the Ukraine crisis. Russia's defence ministry said Sunday it destroyed a depot in central Ukraine that was storing over 100,000 tonnes of aviation fuel. "A fuel depot was destroyed near the village of Smila in Cherkasy region, where more than 100,000 tonnes of aviation fuel for the Ukrainian air forces was stored," the defence ministry said in its daily briefing. Meanwhile, pro-Russian authorities on Saturday urged residents in the southern Kherson region, which Moscow claims to have annexed, to leave the main city "immediately" in the face of Kyiv's advancing counter-offensive. Power cuts The call came as President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 36 rockets overnight in a "massive attack" on Ukraine. This came as fresh strikes targeted energy infrastructure in Ukraine's west, Ukraine's energy operator Ukrenergo said on social media. More than a million households in Ukraine were without electricity, according to the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidency Kyrylo Tymoshenko. "These are vile strikes on critical objects," Zelensky said in his evening address on Saturday. "The world can and must stop this terror." Power outages were reported in other parts of the country and local officials repeated calls to reduce energy use. Some parts of Ukraine have already cut their electricity use by up to 20 percent, according to Ukrenergo. Kyiv's energy operator DTEK said Sunday that scheduled "stabilisation" power cuts have been introduced in the Ukrainian capital. It added that the blackouts should last "no more than four hours" but may be longer "due to the scale of damage to the power supply system". Sanctions Zelensky also said Ukraine was working with international partners to extend sanctions to Russian media workers and celebrities who had backed Russia's invasion. "They should receive a full package of individual sanctions so that they can't do anything around the world at all," he said. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he had had his first call with Italy's newly appointed foreign minister Antonio Tajani. Wishing him success, Kuleba stressed that Ukraine's "highest priority" was to "swiftly receive air defence systems". (with newswires) President Akufo-Addo has asked Ghanaians to have faith in him to change the countrys current ailing economy. According to Nana Akufo-Addo he has kept faith in God, and he is optimistic that God will help him change the current economic crisis. Addressing congregants at the St. Mark Anglican Church during the inauguration of the Kyebi Archdeaconry to begin the final day of his 3-day tour of the Eastern Region, President Nana Addo said Ghanas current economic crisis too shall pass. Let's keep our faith in God and let's trust God to use me to turn the fortunes of the nation around. Don't lose your faith in me. Keep believing me, know that this too shall pass. The Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Church, Rt. Rev Felix Odei Annanxy who noted the global economic crisis pleaded with the president to have direct contact with God for vision to lead the country right and change the economy. Out of a total of 190 constituencies cleared by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to hold Constituency conference yesterday, October 22, 2022, 169 of them successfully elected their officers. The elections in 21 constituencies were inconclusive due to delays in arrival of voting materials among other issues, the Party's Deputy Director of Elections, Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, told the Ghana News Agency. Mr Mensah said a total of 83 constituencies that were unable to hold their elections yesterday had been cleared to conduct the exercise today, October 23, 2022. In the 21 Constituencies that were inconclusive, six of them held their Women and Youth elections so the main elections will be held today, he said. Mr Mensah said the Party was also working to resolve issues in constituencies that were yet to be cleared to go ahead with the elections as a result of court injunctions among other disagreements. The NDC's Functional Executive Committee had earlier directed that all the elections should be held in one day. The elections were scheduled to commence at 0900 hours. However, reports gathered by the GNA indicate that in some of the constituencies, including Adentan, Bolgatanga Central, and Ablekuma South, voting started in the afternoon due to delays in arrival of electoral materials. In the Adentan Constituency for instance, as of 20:00 hours, voting had not closed. Mr Mensah said the National Office had taken notice of the delays in some of the constituencies and had directed the Regional Offices in the affected constituencies to submit a report on what caused the delays in the arrival of the materials. The Regional Offices are responsible for the delivery of the electoral materials so we have directed the affected regions to submit a report so we will know what exactly happened, he said. A total of 11, 825 candidates had filed to compete in the elections in the 276 constituencies, including the Santrokofi Akpafu Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) Constituency, which does not have a representation in Parliament yet. Per the Party's guidelines, eligible voters would be required to have paid their party dues in full before they would be allowed to cast their votes. Branch executives and former government appointees of the Party are eligible to vote in the elections. The Party said the Chairman and Constituency executives were responsible for the venue for the constituency conference, but where there were disagreements, the election venue shall be at the District Capital. GNA Mr William Kpormatsi, a former Parliamentary Aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Akatsi South, has urged members of the party to embrace all aspirants vying for the various executive positions at the end of polls today. A winner or loser must be seen working together to enable the NDC bring back all those who left the party and to also attract first-time voters. Mr Kpormatsi made this known to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Sunday on the sidelines of the ongoing Constituency Executives election within the constituency. He advised delegates not to allow money to influence their thinking level before choosing the best aspirants that they know. So far, the GNA has observed a calm atmosphere at the election centre as some aspirants keep doing their last chance tactics in quest for victory at the end of polls. No issues of anomaly have since been recorded as of 0915 hours at the election ground where over 1,216 delegates were expected to cast their votes before the end of polls. Voting is yet to commence at the AKAST long hall where the exercise would be conducted. GNA Imagine being a 12-year-old girl, feeling scared and ashamed because youve missed your period for 3 consecutive months. Youve grown copious amounts of facial hair seemingly overnight, your voice has deepened, and youre having unexplainable mood swings, amongst other symptoms you dont understand. Family members interrogate you mercilessly because they assume you may be pregnant, but of course, you know this cant be the case. So they force you to do pregnancy tests, and they always come back negative. Still, these symptoms never disappear, and eventually, you just learn to cope, welcoming the discomfort as an accepted way of life. Until one day, you seek medical intervention and suddenly your world comes crashing down, as youre diagnosed with PCOS. PCOS is a hormonal disorder that can cause irregular periods, excess body hair, type 2 diabetes and infertility. 1 in 10 women of childbearing age across the globe are affected by this syndrome. Nigerian-British TV host, actress and PCOS conqueror, Stephanie Coker Aderinokun, is on a mission to raise awareness, by amplifying the voices of brave women living with PCOS through mediums like documentary, Where The Heck is My Period. Produced by Stephanie, the documentary features interviews with culturally diverse Nigerian women living with Polycystic ovarian syndrome. Directed by Michael AMA Psalmist Akinrogunde, this feature length documentary highlights the everyday struggles caused by the syndrome with interviews from gynecologists, pastors, public figures, and native African doctors. Riveting stories shared include how a mom living with PCOS lost her child, who only lived for 30 minutes, a painful divorce stemming from one womans infertility struggles due to PCOS, and many more heart-rending accounts. However, make no mistakes - these women are not victims, they are warriors, and through their voices, they will help amplify conversations about PCOS and infertility. Speaking about why it was important for her to produce this documentary, Stephanie says, As someone living with PCOS since age 16 and being put on medication such as the contraceptive pill. I wanted to shed more light and educate people about this incurable disorder and hopefully help young girls going through the same issues. Where The Heck is My Period will premiere during Africa International Film Festival 2022 (AFRIFF). Beyond the documentary, Stephanie Cokers NGO, The Future is Her, will continue advocacy to drive awareness, acceptance, and aid for African women living with PCOS. Watch the documentary trailer here: Experts will gather from 24 to 28 October 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the Experts Group Meeting of the 6th Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CoM6) organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The meeting will review progress in developing civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems over the last ten years, including taking note of new developments since the previous Ministerial Conference and the fast-approaching deadline of the 2030 agenda. The meeting will also share innovative practices and strategies for developing CRVS systems and; provide policy directives on priority measures for accelerated improvement of CRVS systems which will constitute the new regional CRVS strategy and plan. Oliver Chinganya, Director of the African Centre for Statistics at the ECA, explains the importance of this meeting in identifying priority strategic actions that will accelerate the progress of civil registration and vital statistics systems in Africa over the next eight years. Ensuring considerable progress in achieving 100% and 80% registration of births and deaths respectively as set by agenda by 2030." Africa needs to build its statistical capacity to produce accurate, high quality and timely data to inform policies that will support the full implementation of the sustainable development goals and the continent's Agenda 2063. Timely, accurate, high-quality data and statistics to inform policy remains a significant challenge across Africa. The Expert Group Meeting will bring together country experts drawn from Ministries responsible for Civil Registration, Ministries of Health, National Statistical Offices, National Identity Management offices, Young African Statisticians, and development partners for technical deliberations aligned to the theme and the statutory issues of the meeting. Several side events and exhibitions will be held on the margins of the meeting. 23.10.2022 LISTEN The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will host the Eighth meeting of the Regional Committee for Africa of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM: Africa) in Ethiopia from 24-28 October to discuss opportunities and look at issues related to geospatial information policy at the national and regional levels that require a decision, resolution or recommendation to be issued by Member States, ECA or partners and other stakeholders. UN-GGIM: Africa was established to coordinate African geospatial development and to contribute to the wider global initiative. UN-GGIM: Africa plays a leading role in making joint decisions and setting directions on the use of geospatial information within national, regional and global policy frameworks. It also works with Governments to improve policy, institutional arrangements, and legal frameworks, addressing global issues, contributing to the collective knowledge as a community with shared interests and concerns. As one of its major activities, UN-GGIM: Africa conducts annual meetings across the continent. With the support of local and international organizations, UN-GGIM: Africa has organized until now seven of such meetings in Tunis (Tunisia) in 2014, Nairobi (Kenya) in 2015, Abidjan (Cote DIvoire) in 2016, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in 2017 and in 2018, Kigali (Rwanda) in 2019; Virtual meeting in 2020; and Abidjan (Cote DIvoire) in 2021. Each of these meetings is attended by delegates from African countries, as well as observers from international organizations, academia, regional organizations and networks, and the private sector. The meetings look at policies, measures and steps African countries could take to ensure a successful implementation of the UN-GGIM initiative in the region as well as reviewing the UN-GGIM: Africas governance structure and modus operandi; the terms of reference of the Executive Working Groups, the African Action Plan on Geospatial Information for Sustainable Development in Africa (GI4SD), among others. The Eighth meeting scheduled to be held at the United Nations Conference Centre, in Addis Ababa will bring together from national officials in mapping, cartography, surveying, statistics; high-level experts selected from academia, research institutions, government, and the private sector; representatives from sub-regional and regional organizations. The meeting will be co-located with the Statistical Commission for Africa (StatCom-Africa) Conference to maintain and strengthen the synergy between geospatial and statistical communities in all domains of applicability. The meeting will help member States to consolidate existing consensus on the Regional Committee and to review its structure, functions and operations in Africa while defining its funding mechanisms. The meeting will review the progress made on the recommendations and actions of past meetings of the Regional Committee. It will also provide opportunity for participants to share knowledge and best practices related to the development of geospatial information in Africa, increasing their awareness of the benefits of utilizing geospatial information for sustainable development, as well as promote networking among institutions and practitioners in geospatial information and generate synergy at the national level to facilitate its management. Emphasis will be given to experiences sharing and identification of ground-level geospatial infrastructures that will be required for the post-COVID-19 recovery at the national level. Participants will also take time to exchange views on means and measures for modernizing national mapping agencies and their workflows in response to the current trends of geospatial technology, so that they remain relevant in providing authoritative facts and evidence for use in policymaking. Equally, they will review a comprehensive programme ECA is putting forward to streamline innovative geospatial activities in Africa that will provide ideas, insights and strategic pathways for the intelligent and integrated management of fit-for-purpose development information and services. It is expected that the outcomes of the meeting will help to consolidate the consensus and drive the political will to leverage geospatial information technology to support the African development agenda and address emerging global challenges. ECA notes that strategic guidance that has emerged from the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management has been essential in ensuring that the Regional Committee continues to play a leading role in determining the way forward in the use of geospatial information in national and regional policy frameworks. With ECA support, the Regional Committee has also made a substantive effort to provide a forum for African nations representatives to meet and to discuss and collaborate on important issues relating to integrated geospatial information management in Africa. 23.10.2022 LISTEN I have been longing to sketch a call of a sort that will tickle the conscience of Dr Abu Sakara Foster to reflect on his posture and open political commentary that suggests a silent antagonism between him and his brother, President John Mahama. I think after watching his show, The Key Points on TV 3 this morning, I am inclined to come forward with this call this way. Dr. Abu Sakara is one of Ghanas finest academicians, politicians and above all, a career technocrat in Agriculture, who has seen and perhaps experienced all the stages of life at 64. Perhaps, one thing that the internet might not capture is the fact that hes a pure Gonja royal from both the Kpembe traditional area (maternal) and the Bole traditional area (paternal). In Kpembe, Dr. Abu Sakara is partly from Kanyase where his mothers father takes his appellation from and maternally from Sungbun. In fact, his mother shares same parents with the late Hajia Fati Jawula, former Ambassador to Denmark under John Mahamas administration. The late Yagbonwura Doshie from the Sungbun gate is a maternal grandfather of Dr. Abu Sakara. This is what makes him a pure royal from Kpembe. His father, S.S Sakara was from Kakulase in Mankuma, a pure traditional community in the Bole traditional area where Gonjas lay their Kings (Yagbonwuras) to rest. Coincidentally, John Mahama is a grandson of Mankumawura Adama. So, when you see the fine academic making cogent arguments, just know that hes doing so partly as a Gonja royal. Dr. Sakara, you made this comment when addressing students in UDS on November, 18, 2015, when you called out Martin Amidu at a time he was at usual height of his agenda to pull John Mahama and Northerners down. I urge all of you to avoid stereotyping; you should never stereotype because it is the basis of prejudice that will later be applied to you and that is why I was saddened to hear the statement that has been made to suggest that because of some reasons, there will never be another northern president in the next thirty years. I think that is the most unfortunate statement. In fact, I was proud to be associated with you as a tribesman, although, that pride is being watered down by the day, with your posture and public commentary in recent times. In 2008, what inspired most of us from the Gonja Kingdom to get active in politics was the fact that, on that panel for the Vice Presidential debate, you sounded brilliant and convincing just like your brother, President John Dramani Mahama. Luck shined on us again in 2012 when both of you were up again as Presidential candidates on same platform. A Gonja couldnt be any proud at the time, seeing two Presidential aspirants coming from their stock at that crucial period in our political history. It indeed played back the memories of the days of J.A Braimah from the far Eastern bloc of Gonja and E.A Mahama from the Western bloc, staging a fine political opposition in Ghanas first republic. In fact, most of us were expecting you to be a principal part of John Mahamas administration, especially in the Agric sub-sector, not just a minister but, even as a policy advisor. It didnt happen anyway, but in politics, we know the bulk of the work is mostly done behind the scenes. So, I, particularly thought you were doing something behind the scenes for your brother, John Mahamas government to succeed. In the end, your critical commentary and conversations about his regime, and the fact that many people saw you as one of the agents of regime change was quite disturbing. Well, anything was possible in 2016, because the NPP succeeded in brainwashing, indoctrinating and cajoling many fine stakeholders and critical voices to believe that John Mahama was indeed the devil himself. Doc., I had cause one time to comment on your post on Facebook when you took on John Mahama on an issue. I dont think we as youngsters from the Gonja Kingdom are asking much from you. We are not asking you to change your party like what Edward Mahama did for the sake of Dr Bawumia; we are not asking you to run after John Mahama without your conscience simply because hes a Gonja brother; neither are we asking you to float about with outright lies and falsehoods like what Prof Martey did to support Akufo-Addo in 2016. What we the younger ones from the Kingdom are asking you to do is to also behave just like Prof Stephen Adei and his ilk. How they played an ostensible middle class and a senior citizen role in support of Akufo-Addo. Although, we all know they were conspicuously biased and most part utterly unreasonable. At worse, just dont openly dangle your body to suggest you are shifting your weight away from John Mahama, your brother. I watched you dance gleefully to the Damba tune on that day, 12th February, 2019, at the instance of President Akufo-Addo, at the Flag Staff House, when he, the President, signed the LI, creating the Savannah Region. Prior to that, we all saw your active involvement in the creation of the region and the unwavering support you gave to the government at the time. That was commendable, but I want to know, after 3 years of its creation, are you so proud of the Savannah region beyond its name and administrative structures? Dont you think you should be leading the charge to call Akufo-Addo out for creating an election winning vehicle other than a development platform out of Gonjaland? Is lamentation in low tone and periodic grumbling enough to get what we deserve? Dont you think it is about time you came out boldly to lead the charge for us to follow? It will be justified even if you come out boldly to support John Mahama now as things stand. After all, he was accused of packing his government with his kinsmen, which has become the pivot of this government instead. Who doesnt know that John Mahama the savior in waiting? I still see you once in a while, try to lump John Mahama and Akufo-Addo together as though they were one and same. Are you fair to your brother, John Mahama? President John Mahama is your brother and hes seeking a second coming. You are likely not to run in the next election, given that you are now leading the National Interest Movement, which is more of a movement than a political party. You are a Nkrumaist just like John Mahama. You and your brother share almost everything in common. What he expects from you in these trying times is to amplify your voice in support of his dream to come and change the very structure of the economy you envisaged. Alternatively, we expect you to stand with the masses in genuinely criticizing the current regime and seeking a regime change just like it were in 2016. Interestingly, one of the central points of your call over this period is constitutional amendments or a total change of the 1992 constitution. On top of John Mahamas agenda in his second coming is to amend or change the constitution as you are currently fighting for. Dont you think this is the moment for you to come under one shelve as brothers to work out something workable for this country? Is there something you are not telling us? I saw how uncomfortable you were in your body language when Lawyer Martin Kpebu went bold and raw on President Akufo-Addo on that show today. Your submission thereof sounded more of a lecture than calling out on Akufo-Addo which I think you should be doing by now. At the most part, you were engaged in blame-sharing and attempting to water down the fact that the current problem is the governments creation than a structural defect. You were lamenting other than criticizing. You were generalizing other than narrowing your arguments to the government. In fact, you almost fell for the exogenous factors arguments being advanced by the NPP in the wake of this economic mess we find ourselves. Ironically, under John Mahama, when not too close like this economic mess happened, you all watched or participated in making everything look like it was a government problem. In fact, they made it like a John Mahama creation and not structural defects. At the time, exogenous factors were never part of any economic module. How come today, you want to justify the current self-inflicted economic hardships with an existing structural defect? The youth are watching and we are gradually picking out those who stand by us in these trying times and those who stand against us. There is no middle line in these times of tyrannical manoeuvres engaged in by Akufo-Addo. Anybody who attempts to stand in the middle is against us, and that must be sounded clear and straight. I am not attempting to regularize or justify tribal politics, but if others did it and its become a fresh but acceptable convention, I think you coming home to support John Mahama cannot be described in same parenthesis and make it sound like a novel. You have to come home and support your brother. The ancestors of Gonjaland and the soul of Ndewura Jakpa will be proud to see a Gonja pull another from a ditch and not further his woes in that ditch. I grew up knowing Gonjas are bold and brave but today, you allowed Lawyer Martin Kpebu to steal the Gonja out of you on that show. You saw nothing wrong with the government and especially Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumias style of leadership. At a point, you attempted to posit that even if we changed the NPP, nothing was going to change. By extension, you dont think John Mahama will be any alternative to Akufo-Addo and Bawumia. Was that a fair position to hand to your brother, John Mahama? It is time for Gonjas to accept one of their own before others will take us serious. It is becoming too heavy to bear the tag that Gonjas dont like their own. We dont have to show our hate against ourselves outside. We can pull the daggers in our chambers, but support each other in public. Please, come home, Dr. Abu Sakara Foster. The Environmental Office of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly has started a campaign dubbed " Name, shame, sanction" campaign. The campaign is to raise awareness of the need to keep the environment clean after the increasing rise in sanitation problems in the Municipality. During this campaign, the Environmental officers move with media team from Obuasi to identify places in Obuasi especially chop bars operators and filling station operators who flout environmental laws, arrest and penalise offenders. The campaign is also intended to assist the Obuasi Municipal Assembly to enforce sanitation bye-laws and raise awareness about the need to keep our environment clean Briefing the media after the first round of the exercise, the Municipal Environmental Health officer, Fuseina Imoro said the rationale behind the exercise was to follow up on a feedback from the general public about the unsanitary conditions at some chop bars in Obuasi. " We decided to involve the media in this exercise to serve as a deterrent to those who constantly flout our laws with impunity. We have had a lot of complaints from the general public and our officers on the ground so this time around we decided to involve the media to name and shame offenders," Miss Imoro added. She said as part of the exercise, they issued abatement notice to those who had violated environmental laws to afford them the time and space to correct their wrongs. She emphasized that her office will do a follow to ascertain whether the anomalies detected have been corrected. "When we come back and see things are the same, we will process offenders for court". She said the Assembly has resolved to enforce its environmental bye-laws to ensure full compliance in a bid to keep the environment clean. Current public health laws are punitive enough The Municipal Prosecutor Richmond Adam Brown has revealed that the current Public Health laws are punitive and deterrent enough. He added that strict enforcement of it will help keep the city clean. "The bye-laws and the criminal offences act were not deterrent enough but the introduction of the Public Health Laws 2012 Act 851 has given us hope that we can fight to keep our environment clean and safe since it contains punitive actions to deal with offenders " He added that the Assembly has taken into consideration the process involved in the enforcement of environmental laws hence has decided to first give verbal education and abatement notice to offenders. He stressed that they will follow it up with court actions if nothing has been done about the situation. Mr. Brown called for the support and Cooperation of the people Obuasi to enable the office keep the environment clean. The ongoing trial of the former head of the COCOBOD, Dr Opuni, has revealed the extent of the baleful influence of the agrochemical industry, on our ruling elites. Yet, because of its importance as an economic pillar, it is imperative that the COCOBOD and giants of the global chocolate industry, collaborate to make organic farming in Ghana - using certified agroforestry principles - as their focus, for ensuring a climate-resilient climate-smart organic future, for Ghana's cocoa sector. As regards the health of our people, all food production in Ghana needs to be converted to organic farming, in which agroforestry principles empower smallholder farmers nationally, asap. Truth be told, we are literally paying money to buy foodstuff (including fruits and vegetables) with unacceptable levels of chemical residue, in reality. The cocoa sector is a classic example: We need to aim to become the biggest growers of organic cocoa in the world - and Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka's innovative organic growth medium and organic pesticides could be used to do so, with giant factories producing those inputs. What's going on in the cocoa sector, shows the dearth of transformative leadership, which is attuned to the fast-expanding global export markets' demand for organic agricultural produce. Luckily, a replicable organic farming business model already exists in the Western Region, executed in world-class fashion, by the brilliant founder of B-BOVID, Issa Ouedraogo - who has chalked on-the-ground successes using a social impact agroforestry business model that bedrock the welfare and well-being of host communities from which his company, B-BOVID Farms Limited's smallholder oil palm farmer-stakeholders, hail and farm in, as the company's strategic-underpinning, and main focus. The cocoa industry could replicate his social impact business model to secure the future of Ghana's cocoa industry, at a time when climate change is impacting rural Ghana so negatively. He can share his experience in producing certified organic oil palm fruit, with governments of the day - who should collaborate with successful agrisector agripreneurs like him, perhaps via his NGO, T.R.A.C.T.O.R. His commitment to farming organically, through agroforestry climate-smart-farming, is an inspiration. There is no time to waste, as the cocoa industry is being decimated by the powerful big-thieves-in-high-places, who are destroying our protected forest reserves to mine their gold deposits. Yet, Ghana's priceless natural capital is a zillion times more valuable than all the gold, which is mined in them - because of the existentially-irreplaceable ecosystem services they provide: particularly as global climate change will inexorably lead to water scarcity, as sure as day follows night, if we don't make the protection of the remainder of our natural heritage, a top national security concern. Organic farming in Ghana, using certified agroforestry principles, must go hand in hand with the preservation of the remainder of Ghana's natural capital, and bedrock of all our greening Ghana initiatives. In light of all the above, the COCOBOD and the giants of the global chocolate industry, must make organic farming in Ghana, using certified agroforestry principles, their focus, on ensuring a climate-resilient climate-smart organic future, for Ghana's cocoa sector. October 23, 2022 The MoA Week In Review - (Not Ukraine) OT 2022-180 Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama: --- Other issues: An adult European: James Gordon Meek: Iran: Use as open (not Ukraine) thread ... Posted by b on October 23, 2022 at 12:57 UTC | Permalink Comments next page Incumbent school board candidate Tiffanie Harrison writes thank you notes at her mother's home in Round Rock, near Austin, Texas, Oct. 12, 2022. BCs Tales of the Pacific | The collapse of the snow crab The Liberian Peoples Party (LPP) appeals to Liberian Lawmakers to request and investigate domestic debts and the USD $106M loan offered by our premier economic adviser and major creditor, the World Bank. Public reports indicate that Liberia, represented by President George Weahs Minister of Finance, Development and Planning, honorable Samuel D. Tweah, and the World Bank have signed a $106M loan agreement, increasing debts to $1.8B, from $1.7B. (See page # 61 of the 2021 Central Bank Annual Report). Debts, especially money borrowed by under-developing countries, can be used to produce food, repair bridges, construct clinics, hire qualified teachers, etc. On the other hand, if improperly managed, the development will be impaired, and most sadly, chaos might not be far away from the country and its residents. Residents of Ghana are now experiencing the burden of excessive loans, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is the same African country that was once praised for good governance. The Institution-IMF reported in September 2022 that prices of goods and services have surged to 37.2%. Worst, according to the 2020 report of the World Bank, 44.1% of Ghanas national revenue was appropriated to pay interest, the cost to borrow money. Before Ghanaians began feeling the pains of excessive debts, Liberians, in 2010, celebrated the freedom of limited debt when donors canceled Liberias $4.5B loans and gave the country an opportunity to borrow money and finance programs. The international partners canceled the total debts of USD $4.5B (Principal was $1.9B and Interest was $2.5B), excluding domestic debts of USD $270M. (See page # 37 of the 2007 Annual Report of the Central Bank of Liberia-CBL). Passing on the corruption torch Unfortunately, our former President, Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, did not follow the 2009 Public Financial Management Laws but rather increased Liberias debts to $870M by 2018. Liberia would have advanced forward in real growth without borrowing more money had her administration reduced corruption, and prudently used billions of dollars donated by donors, and appropriately used the new banknotes it printed frequently. Her handpicked successor, President George Weah, is not only increasing Liberias debt burden but rather he and his advisers are also stealing the governments resources. President Weah has yet to account for the $25M borrowed to buy back mutilated old banknotes; the government cant account for the L$16B, and cant provide documents for the use of the 23M collected for Road Fund. In August 2021, the Liberian Peoples Party (LPP) called on President George Weah to explain why the government reduced public spending by 63%, from $115M in 2019/20 to $42M in 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively. And, of course, budget analysts used the cuts and increased payment to domestic creditors from $28M in 2019/20 to $77M in 2020/21, to $77M in 2021/22, and to $77M in 2022/23, respectively, according to Page # 41 of the 2022 National Budget. Transferring money from one budget item to another budget item is normal practice, LPP stated. Therefore, the government can reduce allocations for the Use of Goods and Services and increase payments to domestic creditors. Yet, such a cut should not undermine the smooth operation of government, nor strangulate the economy. The 63% ($115M minus $73M) reduction in the appropriation of Use of Goods and Services will affect the economy, LPP predicted. What economic arrangement that has compelled the government to increase domestic debt payment by $49M? The government paid USD $28m in 2019/20 but drastically increased it $77M. Moreover, why did the government begin paying debts to CBL in 2020 when debts payment was to begin in 2029 and end in 2044? Page # 55 of the Audited Financial Statements of CBL stipulates that Liberias debt payments to CBL should commence in 2029 and end in 2044. The two public documents of CBL (Annual Reports and Audited Financial Statements) didnt record any transfer of money to pay CBLs debts. On page # 103 of CBL 2021 Annual Report, authorities didnt disclose the governments payment of $77M, also on page # 14 (Cash Flow) and page # 81 (Related Party transactions) of the 2020 Audited Financial Statements, authorities didnt report the payment and/or the transfer of USD $77M in 2020. Had CBL earned a loss/profit from investing the USD $77M into a business, page # 11 of the 2020 Audited Financial Statements would have disclosed it. In fact, CBL is prohibited from competing with money-making entities, including non-profit-making institutions. In addition, it cant usurp the functions of national and/or local governments to build roads, repair bridges, construct clinics, etc. LPP recommends that our Lawmakers advise President George Weah to retrieve the appropriation reported in the National Budget as payments to CBL. If CBL didnt spend the $77M in 2020 and USD $77M in 2021, as evidenced by the financial records of CBL, Liberia should not borrow the $106M. Thanks, J. Yanqui Zaza Chairman By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Hold it. Smile![1] Alert reader C.O. tossed some links on smiling my way, no doubt in response to my constant grousing about people being told to take off their masks because we want to see your smile.[2] I cannot recall such a combination of hoity-toity disparagement and society-wide officiousness in my lifetime, unless it be against long hair when Hippies were a thing (and no matter what some might have thought at the time, hairstyles arent a life or death choice). Leveraging the smile against masks is cultural phenomenon I havent seen anyone tackle perhaps because the opinion-havers among the PMC are themselves anti-maskers? so I thought I would try. I need not rehearse the many examples I have already given in Water Cooler under the maskstravaganza heading, but heres a new one: I am so f#cking done with the @UnitedAirlines boarding announcement dont wear a mask we want to see your smile. CO2 levels over 4000 during boarding. My mask isnt hiding a smile. #1Klife Daniel Shoskes (@dshoskes) May 21, 2022 Maybe Id be smiling more if my knees werent jammed up under my chin because of the size of the seats, idk. And if I werent at risk of infection. In any case, this post will inquire into two ugly power trips social functions of smiling: As a class marker, and as a sign of submission. Between the two, I will take a brief detour, in order to point out that both social functions are an example of what Bourdieu would call a classification struggle. The Smile as a Class Marker As is well-known, teeth are a class marker. The working class is far more likely to have bad teeth. Even the CDC understands this. From Disparities in Oral Health: About 40% of adults with low-income or no private health insurance have untreated cavities. Low-income or uninsured adults are twice as likely to have one to three untreated cavities and 3 times as likely to have four or more untreated cavities as adults with higher incomes or private insurance. Studies confirm. From BMC Oral Health, Use of oral health care services in the United States: unequal, inequitablea cross-sectional study: After need-standardization, the group with the highest educational level had nearly 2.5 times- and the highest income had near three times less probability of not having a dental visit in the past 12 months than those with the lowest education and income, respectively. From Bloomberg, Americas Great Dental Divide: Income is key, as the Gallup-Healthways study surmised. People see a dentist more frequently in higher-income states. The correlation between the two is considerable (.66). But income is not the only factor to play a role. Using a statistical technique called partial correlation analysis, we can control for its effects and see how important other factors are. All the correlations we report below have income factored into the equation. Dental visits closely track socioeconomic class . They are much higher in states where a higher percentage of the workforce is employed in knowledge, professional, and creative work. The creative class is significantly associated with dentist visits (.31). The same is true of the share of college graduates, a measure of the knowledge base and human capital in a state. The correlation between dental visits and college grads is even higher (.65). On the flip side, visits to the dentist are negatively associated with the working class share of a states workforce (-.28). Bad teeth mean class-based real harms. From the New York Times, How Dental Inequality Hurts Americans: And from Deseret News, No teeth means no job: Studies show bad teeth prevent otherwise qualified candidates from getting jobs or promotions. There is a social cost of going without dental care, too. Numerous studies show a strong correlation between appearance and income. Research by Daniel Hamermesh, professor of economics at the University of Texas, found that better than average looking people earn 5 to 10 percent more than average looking people, who earn 5 to 10 percent more than below average looking people. Teeth are an important component of physical appearance, Hamermesh said. But income isnt the only thing impacted by the appearance of a persons teeth. Researchers have noted pronounced negative associations with crooked, discolored and decaying teeth. Approximately 40 percent of respondents to a 2012 study by Kelton Research said that they would not date someone with crooked teeth. And about 73 percent said that people with straight teeth are more trustworthy. Of course, if youre a creative class influencer, say, you can buy yourself good teeth. From Dissent, The Class Politics of Teeth: Better-off Americans routinely pay for elective procedures ranging from teeth whitening and veneers to complete smile makeovers costing many thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, more than one out of three low-income American adults avoids smiling because of poor oral health, according to a poll conducted for the American Dental Association (ADA) in 2015. So the demand to take off your mask because I want to see your smile is a demand that you enable yourself to be classified by (social) class, and possibly be deemed not dateworthy, not trustworthy, and definitely not worth being hired. (Of course, this varies by context. In the airline context, I would imagine bad teeth would translate into poor service and a less-than-happy seatmate.) And now the brief interlude with Bourdieu Classification Struggle From Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles (2018), p. 56: Classifications are a site of conflict. Our starting point is the simple realization that people are engaged in a constant struggle to insult or classify each other no need to give further examples and that the daily struggles over classification are struggles to impose the dominant criterion. The fact of knowing that the social world is an area of conflict allows us to question the work dof the classifier. We see above that a demand for the modern, tooth-revealing smile allows classification by (social) class; bad teeth are a mark of being working (low) class. Thats a generalization, but the demand also takes a particular and personal form: To be classified as submissive. I would speculate that these two social functions of the modern smile are essential to ruling class elites, and thats why they deprecate masks. (We know from Ron Klains interview of really by Caryles David Rubenstein that elites care about only two things, with Covid: Vax, and no masks.) The Smile as a Sign of Submission Humans are primates, and our ability to smile is a feature of being one such. From Scientific American, How Did the Smile Become a Friendly Gesture in Humans? Baring ones teeth is not always a threat. In primates, showing the teeth, especially teeth held together, is almost always a sign of submission. The human smile probably has evolved from that. In the primate threat, the lips are curled back and the teeth are apartyou are ready to bite. But if the teeth are pressed together and the lips are relaxed, then clearly you are not prepared to do any damage. I cannot find any articles to quote on the smile as a sign of submission, sadly. In a way, thats revealing; one doesnt want to reveal too much of the machinery, after all. And who doesnt love a smile?[3] Lacking a general theory of any sort, I will give four examples that show mask-wearers being put in a submissive position by dominating individuals operating with the anti-masking social sanction provided by our public health establishment, among others (see, e.g., Rochelle Wakensky: The scarlet letter of this pandemic is the mask). This doesnt imply that those in the dominant position always dominate, or that those in the submissive position always submit, but that is the dynamic. Example 1: A Walk-In Clinic: BC recent walk-in clinic experience: Told masks were no longer required because we had to balance the needs of those who need to wear them against the "mental health" needs of those who are tired of them & want to see smiles again chantzy (@chantz_y) October 21, 2022 Submissive: Mask-wearing patient. Dominant: Clinic staff. Sanction: CDC Infection Control Guidelines, which are antimask. Example 2: A Hospital: Why on earth do they keep doing this? I (almost) get their choice not to mask appropriately themselves, but why are inadequate masks being forced on us patients? It feels like being trapped inside a fictitious dystopian narrative, only for real. Ailurophile (@bk_ailuros) August 23, 2022 Submissive: Mask-wearing patient. Dominant: Clinic staff. Sanction: CDC Infection Control Guidelines, which are antimask. Example 3: Wait Staff. From Catharine A. Mackinnon, Louise Fitzgerald, The UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center, Take off your mask so I know how much to tip you, The UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center[4]. Eesh. Awful stuff: Many workers report a dramatic increase in sexual harassment during the pandemic, which is compounded by having to ask customers to comply with COVID-19 safety protocols. Comments by male customers indicate that they feel entitled to demand that workers remove their protective gear, exposing them to the risk of illness or death, in order to obtain the tips they need to make up their base wage. More than 40% of workers (41%) reported that there has been a noticeable change in the frequency of unwanted sexualized comments from customers, and just over one quarter (25%) report that they have experienced or witnessed a significant change in the frequency of such sexual harassment. Nearly 250 workers shared sexualized comments from customers, a substantial portion of which were requests from male customers that female service workers remove their mask so that they could judge their looks, and, implicitly, determine their tips on that basis. A full 43% of the women who responded to the survey said that they themselves had received or witnessed unwanted sexual comments specifically related to CoVid-19 protocols, such as masks or physical distancing. Mask comments were particularly common. For example: I wish I could see your pretty lips if they match ur eyes Your mask brings out your eyes! Smile for me . The patrons make comment about using the mask in a bedroom. Male customers would frequntly demand that their server take off her mask, as if the woman server stripping came with the meal: Take your mask off I want to see whats underneath is the most mild of them all. Submissive: Mask-wearing waitstaff. Dominant: Customer. Sanction: the tipping relation, sexism. Example 4: School Bus. From the Des Moines Register, Johnston schools officials working with police after anti-mask flyer handed out to elementary students: According to an email to Beaver Creek Elementary School families Friday, a parent put the flyers in students backpacks at a bus stop on Thursday. With a heading of, We want to see your smile, the flyer went on to say, If you dont want to wear a mask, please ask your parents to write the school board and tell them how you feel. Submissive: School children. Dominant: Unknown activist. Sanction: Speculating, anti-mask fervor. Conclusion So we can see not only that Let me see your smile allows you to be classified into (social) class, with attendant harms, it places you in a submissive position to a dominant actor. In each case, your ability to protect your own health and the health of those around you is compromised. Black Girl In Maine tweets: People are really making decisions and living life as if there's not an infectious disease out there that can kill or disable them. The next surges are going to be nasty AF. Masking requires so little, but our selfish hearts refuse to give. Shay Stewart Bouley (@blackgirlinmain) October 9, 2022 I dont know what to do about this, except to keep doing the right thing and advocating for it. A society that demands infectious behavior from its members cannot survive long; one can only hope we pull out of the nose-dive in time. NOTES [1] Although the ability to smile is considered a cultural universal, actual smiles and the appropriateness of smiling differ across cultures and over time. To give a few of the nuggets I collected: Thailand (Land of Smiles) divides smiles into thirteen named classifications, so Let me see your smile could be demanded with more precision in that country than here. There is a famous story of a prime minister who, during a press conference, answered all questions only with the appropriate smile, drawn from that repertoire. (In America, we have a popular tips on smiling, but no real classification accepted society-wide.) Eastern Europe is a different story. During an anti-corruption campaign: Stickers with the message A smile is the best gift to your doctor were on almost every door at the Vilnius hospital and outpatient clinic in 2017. Do patients continue to bring envelopes? I asked family doctor Loreta, who also had the sticker on her office door. Sure, she said, confirming that she continued getting money and chocolates. But what about the stickers, I asked. She smiled, shook her head and recounted how one of her patients came in on the day after every TV station in Lithuania ran a report about the anti-corruption campaign: So, the next day he comes in and gives me the box of chocolates. I say to him havent you seen the report on TV yesterdayI cannot take anything from you. He went mad, This is my gift to you from the bottom of my heart and none of those idiots on TV can tell me what to dowhether I can say thank you to my doctor or not! This is my gift. I never go empty-handed; I cant. You cannot refuse, my doctor. These stickers were not working, according to the doctor; smiles are not something that Eastern Europeans are known for. Heres an example of what I mean by a smile. From a photo taken four days before Walensky came down with Covid: Walenskys handwashing teambuilding session 4 days ago. Now shes Covid positive. pic.twitter.com/g65buAI0GY Pandemic News (@mildanalyst) October 22, 2022 The open-mouthed smile, showing teeth, is OK (though that was not always true; historians say originated in pre-revolutionary Paris, along with the profession of dentistry). The only person in that photo not smiling is the person holding his mask in his hand; the corners of his mouth are turned down. At best, we might call that an ironic smile, or a dry smile. [2]. CORDELIA: Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I, Scene 1. [3] From Smile When You Say That, Partner: This is why many companies that depend heavily on a telemarketing sales force have mirrors installed in front of the phones, so the callers will start every call with a smileand keep on smiling. Not surprisingly, prospects they call will envision a smiling person, because the smile adds sparkle to our vocal tones. [4] This seems to be a deliverable from the Times Up project, one of the few I have seen, Hummingbird Migration Takes an Incredible Journey Birds & Blooms Newham Parks Service is going wild for nature! Newham London. A seven-mile pollinator trail. What a great idea! FX swaps, shadow banks and the global dollar footprint Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. Despite its partial success in reducing instability due to cross-border financial imbalances, the Feds uneven and hierarchical lender of last resort approach cannot sufficiently stabilise global finance to underpin a new era of macrofinancial stability. Way above my paygrade. Readers? How a magician-mathematician revealed a casino loophole BBC Climate Water #COVID19 Shot: Respiratory viruses are on the rise across the United States. Take preventive actions to stop the spread of viruses like flu, RSV, and #COVID19: Get an updated COVID-19 vaccine & get your annual flu vaccine Stay home if you are sick Practice good hand hygiene Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (@CDCDirector) October 21, 2022 Notice anything missing? Chaser: [Slams the glass down on the bar]: Walenskys handwashing teambuilding session 4 days ago. Now shes Covid positive. pic.twitter.com/g65buAI0GY Pandemic News (@mildanalyst) October 22, 2022 I love the one guy holding his mask. Notice how hes the only one not smiling broadly? Removing ones mask for photo ops is one of the more insidiously destructive of elite norms. Anyhow, Im sure they can all avail themselves of the best America has to offer in contact tracing. Oh, wait. * * * In Cleveland and beyond researchers begin to unravel the mystery of long COVID-19 Cleveland.com. Well worth a read. Remote work opened some doors to workers with disabilities. But others remain shut NPR. The headline conceals this gem of a data point: Researchers collected online responses from supervisors working in companies with at least 15 employees from May 11 through June 25.. Among nearly 3,800 supervisors surveyed, 16.9% said they had a disability, said Andrew Houtenville, a professor at the University of New Hampshire and the reports lead author. Forty percent of respondents said they had supervised someone with lasting physical or mental challenges associated with COVID-19 . Thats a lot. Implications: If I were Sun Tzu, I would keep my population free from infectious disease at all costs to gain advantage. Barry Hunt #COVIDisAirborne (@BarryHunt008) October 22, 2022 * * * Effectiveness of Monovalent mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19Associated Hospitalization Among Immunocompetent Adults During BA.1/BA.2 and BA.4/BA.5 Predominant Periods of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in the United States IVY Network, 18 States, December 26, 2021August 31, 2022 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC. Three-dose monovalent mRNA VE estimates against COVID-19associated hospitalization decreased with time since vaccination. Three-dose VE during the BA.1/BA.2 and BA.4/BA.5 periods was 79% and 60%, respectively, during the initial 120 days after the third dose and decreased to 41% and 29%, respectively, after 120 days from vaccination. ACT-A: The international architecture did not work for us The Lancet. Consisting of ten UN agencies and global health organisations, The World Bank, Wellcome, and the Gates Foundation, ACT-A aimed to develop health products for COVID-19 and to ensure their equitable distribution, while helping health systems with delivery. ACT-A afforded too much influence to donors and corporate partners, global targets were not met, and low and middle-income countries (LMICs)the purported beneficiaries of the schemewere excluded from conceptualisation. It documents particular dissatisfaction with ACT-A in Africa and Latin America. (Natural News) Are the powers that be planning to unleash another more deadly strain of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19)? New research out of Boston University seems to suggest so. Scientists there claim to have just developed a new Omicron-S spike protein virus that upon infection kills 80 percent of its victims. Such a bioweapon, assuming it really exists, is far worse than what was announced in late 2019 and early 2020. Researchers claim they had to conduct this dangerous research to figure out what makes the Omicron, or Moronic, variant of the Fauci Flu as transmissible as it allegedly is. Tony Faucis National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) helped fund the project, as did the National Institutes of Health (NIH). (Related: Remember when the Moronic variant was suspected to be the solution to covid?) We are told that this new-and-improved death virus is five times more infectious than the original Moronic variant. Here is what a pre-print of the study states: The Omicron spike (S) protein, with an unusually large number of mutations, is considered the major driver of these phenotypes. We generated chimeric recombinant SARS-CoV-2 encoding the S gene of Omicron in the backbone of an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 isolate and compared this virus with the naturally circulating Omicron variant. Wait, is illegal gain of function research openly taking place on American soil? You might be asking yourself at this point in time how a new alleged covid virus was able to be created in the United States if not for the use of gain of function technology, which is illegal? And more importantly, why is the NIAID and NIH funding it? We continue to be told that gain of function research was not taking place in communist China where the original Chinese Virus originated, let alone right here in one of Americas old cities. What is really going on here? How many times did virologists say they were not making chimeric SARS viruses more deadly? How many??? asked Paul D. Thacker on Twitter. Latest preprint shows they made a chimeric SARS-CoV-2 w / Omicron S gene and ancestral SARS-CoV-2 backbone that showed 80% mortality in humanised mice. We know from the paper itself, which has not been peer reviewed, that the spike protein in this new chimeric virus is not only highly infectious but also changes to other parts of its structure, which accounts for its deadliness. Compared to the original Moronic strain, this newest Moronic strain produces five times more viral particles, we are told. In in vitro infection assays, the Omicron spike-bearing ancestral SARS-CoV-2 (Omi-S) exhibits much higher replication efficiency compared with Omicron, the paper further explains. Similarly, in K18-hACE2 mice, Omi-S contrasts with non-fatal Omicron and causes a severe disease leading to around 80% mortality. This suggests that mutations outside of spike are major determinants of the attenuated pathogenicity of Omicron in K18-hACE2 mice. Further studies are needed to identify those mutations and decipher their mechanisms of action. The claim is that, despite its deadliness in mice, the new Omi-S strain of Chinese Germs is unlikely to be this deadly in humans. Researchers at Boston University need to be locked up for violating national and international law by experimenting with bioweapons, noted a commenter on a story about the new research. The death cult is not satisfied with the current mortality rate, responded another. The latest news about the never-ending Chinese Virus merry-go-round of mass deception can be found at Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) When it comes to adding Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines to the official immunization schedule for children in the United States, Dr. Robert Malone has three words for it: this is corruption. Malone wrote an op-ed this week blasting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is planning to add the gene-editing shots to the list of injections required for children in America to attend school. I am shocked by the malfeasance, Malone says about the CDCs plan of action. I have no trust left at all in our public health. It is broken. (Related: The CDC is being sued for refusing to share incriminating data about covid injections.) In case you missed it, the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously 15-0 this week to recommend that children get all vaccines and boosters for the Wuhan Flu. Some states require that children stay up-to-date on the CDC immunization schedule, which means covid jabs are about to become mandatory for millions of U.S. children. It is important to recognize that this is a work-around because Congress is not funding more jabs into arms, Malone says. If this product is put on the childhood schedule, Congress does not have a say in the funding. Furthermore, if the emergency use authorization (EUA) vanishes, then the liability of the companies would continue under the childhood schedule. This is corruption. Tell the CDC: NO to covid injections on the immunization schedule Malone believes that the ACIP is unlikely to go there since these are still unlicensed products. He says he does not know if an EUA injection can even be added to the schedule since it has never been done before. Then again, there are a lot of things that have never been done before that quickly became the norm once the government and the media started blasting propaganda about a scary new virus that threatened to kill everyone. It is highly likely that covid jabs will be added to the CDCs immunization schedule for children, Malone says. Public school systems will then start mandating them under the pretext that the government has officially sanctioned them as a necessary injection for public health. This is all being done at the last minute and basically behind the backs of the public, as this received virtually no media attention prior to the vote, Malone says. I do not believe that this vote was announced to the public beforehand. The CDC very recently opened up its scheduled vote for public comment and received thousands of negative comments. Anyone can comment against the addition of covid injections to the CDC schedule, by the way. We encourage you to do so at this link. As usual, there is no actual science behind the addition of covid jabs to the CDC immunization schedule. The proposition is entirely based on regulatory capture, budgetary issues, and of course politics. The adverse events caused by the jabs are too numerous to list for the purposes of this article, but they are many. Meanwhile, the risk of covid, especially in children, is zero. Most other countries in the world have completely stopped jabbing children for Chinese Germs, and yet U.S. politicians and their puppet masters are forging full steam ahead with plans to force them on all human life both in and out of the womb. If they add these jabs to the childhood schedule, it will completely break the trust of the American family in the CDC, as it should, Malone says. The latest news about Fauci Flu shots can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: LifeSiteNews.com NaturalNews.com Regulations.gov (Natural News) 96 doctors in Quebec are sacrificing their careers to speak out! Heres the summary: (Article republished from SteveKirsch.Substack.com) See the full story here. This is progress! COVID data repository There is a nice repository of COVID related info here. 80 young doctors in Canada have died since the vax rollout Heres a story about the 80 doctor deaths in Canada collected by William Makis. I called Bill and asked him if hes heard back from the CMA on the letter he wrote them. Of course not! Canadians are rejecting the booster And a story about how people in Ontario are rejecting the booster. They are no longer blindly following insane medical advice. This is more evidence that things just arent going as planned. Think about it only 16% are getting the jabs despite the fact that there is no safety data available! Now, youd expect that since there is no safety data available, that there would be 100% compliance wouldnt you? After all, we are talking NO safety data! The 16% compliance rate is a sign of intelligent life in Ontario. Im not sure what the officials there will do now. Perhaps switch ad agencies? Read more at: SteveKirsch.Substack.com As a rather abrupt change from the record cold earlier this week, soaking rain and severe thunderstorms are anticipated this weekend in some of the Central US's drought-stricken regions. In some of the same central and northern Plains regions that have recently experienced record-breaking low temperatures for mid-October in the teens and 20s, the threat of severe weather will increase later on Sunday. However, on Sunday, temperatures will shoot up to the north, as far as the Dakotas and Minnesota, reaching the 70s and 80s. By late Sunday afternoon through the evening, severe thunderstorms should develop across portions of Kansas as well as northwest Missouri and into Minnesota due to that warm and slightly more humid air. Strong thunderstorms with wind gusts that have the potential to cause tree damage and power outages will be the main severe weather threat. Hail and the strongest storms are also a possibility for the area. It is possible that there will be one or more tornadoes near the Missouri River, and perhaps even approximately between Kansas City and Sioux Falls. From Drought to Floods Although the overall severe threat currently appears low, additional severe thunderstorms are a threat in some areas of the Southern Plains on Monday and in the lower Mississippi Valley on Tuesday. Additionally, as the cold front moved slowly through the area, locally heavy rain is anticipated. Expect at least an inch of rain on Monday and Tuesday across a fairly large area, extending from Texas to the middle of the Mississippi Valley. This is generally good news because, following a dry late summer and early fall, a large portion of the Mississippi Valley and the Plains are either abnormally dry or experiencing various levels of drought. However, most of that rain may come down quickly enough to cause flash flooding by evaporating quickly over dry ground, especially in the Ozarks' hilly terrain, The Weather Channel reported. Red Flag Warning: Southeast Kansas, Ozarks A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service - Springfield office for strong winds and low humidity for much of the Missouri Ozarks as well as extreme southeast Kansas starting 11 AM this morning through 7 PM CDT this evening. By midday and into the early evening, conditions will develop that will allow wildland fires to spread quickly. Southerly winds are blowing 15 to 25 mph, with gusts reaching 40 mph. There will be as little as 25% relative humidity in the area. Today is predicted to have an afternoon high temperature in the low to mid-80s, creating the conditions for a rapid spread of wildfires. Authorities advised residents to take the appropriate safety precautions, according to AccuWeather. Read also: Roslyn becomes Tropical Storm, Expected to Hit Western Mexico with Heavy Rainfall and Hurricane Conditions Record-Cold to Thunderstorms The jet stream pattern has changed, turning the Plains states from record cold to thunderstorm threats. The West will experience much colder temperatures as well as mountain snow thanks to the jet stream's sharp southward plunge. Warm, slightly more humid air will move northward through the initially shivering eastern and central US as it emerges from that so-called jet-stream trough. Jet Streams Explained The jet stream is being impacted by global warming, which also has an impact on the weather. The temperature difference that propels jet streams has decreased as a result of the Earth's polar regions warming faster than the rest of the planet. Slower and weaker jet streams can hold weather systems into position, stalling them to stay longer over areas, which has been linked to Greenland melting and a potential increase in deadly weather events. According to National Geographic, although other reports state that, on average, winter cold snaps are getting warmer due to climate change, studies have linked a warming Arctic with far more severe winter weather in the US. The polar vortex, a churning area of low pressure between the South and North poles, plays a role in this connection. Cold Arctic air can enter the jet stream when a polar vortex becomes unstable, causing storms and frigid winter weather to move south. Related article: Warm Daytime Temperatures in Colorado Puts off Ski Season, Weekend's Snowstorm Not Enough Bahrains Labour fund Tamkeen has announced its support for the StartUp Bahrain initiative. This comes as part of its efforts to support the entrepreneurship ecosystem through promoting Bahraini startups and attracting investment that contributes to economic growth and sustainability. The StartUp Bahrain initiative is one of the most prominent community initiatives launched in 2013 by stakeholders within the ecosystem, including: government, startups, private sector companies, investors, entrepreneurs, and educational institutions, as well as several business incubators with the aim of fostering an environment that supports and stimulates entrepreneurship. The platform organised events, workshops, and initiatives that brought entrepreneurs together to exchange knowledge and expertise. Official platform To build on its momentum from the previous years, StartUp Bahrain aspires to establish an official platform that brings together emerging Bahraini startups and enterprises looking to expand in the kingdom by providing the required services, facilities, programmes and initiatives that contribute to the growth and expansion of these enterprises locally and internationally. The platform aims to attract more than 350 startups and facilitate the necessary support, thus contributing to the creation of high value sustainable jobs for local talent in high potential sectors whilst providing the required training to achieve this objective. Maha Mofeez, Acting Chief Executive of Tamkeen said: We strive to foster the entrepreneurship ecosystem especially for startups in the kingdom, as it is the source of innovative ideas which position Bahrain as a leading hub in the region. Local talent She added: Supporting startups encourages local talent to transform their entrepreneurial ideas into successful business ventures which have a positive impact on the national economy. Bader Kamal, Managing Partner, StartUp Bahrain, said: We are eager about this fruitful partnership with Tamkeen during an important phase of StartUp Bahrain, as we aspire to seek greater economic impact on the national economy by linking the relevant partners in the ecosystem through a unified platform that brings together supporters and stakeholders within the startup ecosystem, thus facilitating its growth and attracting startups to join the initiative. Since its establishment, Tamkeen has supported more than 19,000 entrepreneurs to launch their new business ventures, fostering a thriving ecosystem for startups in the Kingdom. In addition, partnerships have also been established with several financial institutions to offer financing plans, supporting more than 7,000 small and micro enterprises. Effective plans Furthermore, Tamkeen recently launched a programme titled Financial and Management Training for Entrepreneurs in partnership with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) which aims to provide management and finance training for entrepreneurs in Bahrain to help them develop effective and efficient strategic and financial plans. This initiative provides entrepreneurs with the materials required to address the key challenges that affect long-term success, which may not be necessarily related to rapid market changes or technical difficulties.-- TradeArabia News Service The latest weather forecast showed that a coastal storm with potential tropical moisture would impact portions of the northeastern U.S, especially in the mid-Atlantic coast and New England. A week before the end of October, a coastal storm could result in heavy rains with gusty winds in portions of the Northeastern U.S. Meanwhile, cities in the Central U.S are expected to experience heavy snow and severe weather conditions. Residents in affected areas are advised to stay updated with the current weather reports. The weather forecasts in the United States have been a rollercoaster in the month of October. From widespread temperature cooldown in the Midwest, Northeast, and Northwest to a sudden shift to winterlike feeling and a rebound to warm temperature Forecasts noted that heavy snow would have a mixture of rain as the country approaches winter. Unlike last year in the United States, winter would be different, noting the less snow accumulation and warmer winter. The tropical rainstorm in the northeastern U.S would also help drought lands and offer some relief from the near-record high temperature. Local downpours and minor coastal flooding Based on the latest weather update from AccuWeather (October 22, 2022,) the weather news reported that stormy weather on Sunday would bring local downpours, rough surf, minor coastal flooding, and a windy feeling at the coast. Conditions would start to become better on Sunday. However, the report noted that the storm would still drench parts of the U.S, and it would persist depending on the low-pressure area. According to AccuWeather, they emphasized that the coastal storm would impact the following areas: Areas in Boston, New York, Rehoboth Beach, and Virginia Beach would experience tropical moisture, which could produce stormy rainfall. Portions in Virginia to New Jersey should caution for minor coastal flooding. Eastern Long Island, New England, could experience heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding. However, the beneficial rain would help drench drought farmlands. From Sunday to Monday, portions of New York, Boston, and Portland could experience rainfall with the potential to reach 1 to 2 inches or 0.50 to 1 inch. Near the coastal areas or onshore flow would result in a potential rise of water levels on Monday. New York City Area and North Carolina should be cautious of potential minor coastal flooding due to high tides. Until Monday, areas of Detroit, Syracuse, and Pittsburgh are recorded with warm and dry temperatures. Meanwhile, the rain will linger in Bangor, Boston, and New York portions. Also Read: What to Expect this Coming Winter in Parts of the United States Rainy weather The coastal storm to tropical rainstorm could drench portions of the northeastern U.S. Residents near the coasts should be wary of potential coastal flooding. Bring your raincoat or umbrella, as pockets of rain could persist until next week. Stay updated with the weather reports, especially for water level rise near the coasts and high tides. Be careful with the rough surf in the sea. Meanwhile, Roslyn has strengthened into a tropical storm, and it is expected to become a hurricane moving to the coast of western Mexico. Tropical Storm Roslyn could bring hurricane-level conditions, including heavy rains and strong winds. Related Article: Return of Summerlike Warmth Could Unleash in Midwest This Weekend For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. A woman searching for rocks with her family found human bones on the shore of the Mississippi River, which is suffering from record-low water levels. The historic low water levels on the Mississippi River have been drought-stricken. On October 20, 2022, Reuters reported that the low water levels in the said river would continue this winter in the United States. While some parts of the United States have been feeling the early taste of winter and rainfall, the Mississippi River drought could worsen, based on the NOAA Climate Prediction Center reports. Meanwhile, the woman who discovered the bones was Crystal Foster. According to CNN News, she found it in Clarksdale, Mississippi, while searching for rocks. She and her family often visited the area to look for rocks, especially when the water level was low. They reported immediately and called for the Coahoma County Sheriff's Office, noting that the bones appeared from a human. According to a CNN report, Foster hoped the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation would quickly act on the case, identifying the human bones based on the available dental records. She added that it would help to bring closure to the family. Also Read: What to Expect this Coming Winter in Parts of the United States Meanwhile, Chief Medical Examiner Scotty Meredith of Coahoma County, Mississippi, told CNN that the human bone remains include rib bones, lower jawbone, and others that are still unidentified pieces of human bones. To better investigate, the remains found in the river would be analyzed at the state crime lab, where the bones' DNA would be matched with the recorded missing cases. No changes this year Meanwhile, AccuWeather reported that the low water levels in the river resulted in residents or tourists witnessing Tower Rock, which is known for its magnificent rock formation. It is located southeast of St. Louis. The report added that tourists could also chance upon the shipwreck remnants at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While some residents are looking forward that rainfall would ease the drought-stricken Mississippi River, AccuWeather reported that the expert meteorologists revealed that the all-time low water levels at the river could have no changes for the year 2022. The experts noted that there could be prospects for improvement next year. Furthermore, Reuters reported that drought could be expected to worsen in parts of the Mississippi River, West, and Great Plains based on the NOAA winter outlook from December 2022 to February 2023. Coastal Storm in Northeastern U.S Meanwhile, portions of the Northeastern United States would experience tropical rainstorms to coastal storms that would bring pockets of rain and gusty winds. The moisture from the storm would soak areas in the New England and Mid-Atlantic coast. The coastal storm would improve this Sunday, but rain would persist until next week, depending on the low-pressure area. The storm's impact could result in minor coastal flooding, localized flash flooding, rough seas, and local downpours. Portions of Boston, New York, New Jersey, Virginia Beach, Eastern Long Island, New England, North Carolina, and Portland could experience rains and persistent rainfall. Related Article: Return of Summerlike Warmth Could Unleash in Midwest This Weekend For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. Forecasts said that the Pacific Northwest would have better air quality after the areas were affected by the wildfires in Washington and Oregon, causing foggy haze. Reuters reported that wildfires from Washington and Oregon caused portions of the Pacific Northwest to be blanketed with smoke, which residents in the area inhaled the worst quality of air due to wildfires. Some residents were advised to use masks and purifiers, especially those with asthma or lung problems. According to the report, Reuters said that areas in Seattle, Portland, and the Pacific Northwest recorded the worst air quality, including in Washington and southeast Portland. It added that more than two dozen wildfires emerged and burned in Oregon and Washington based on the InciWeb Wildfire Information Site. On the other hand, AccuWeather said that officials advised residents in Portland to keep staying indoors, wear N95 or use purifiers to alleviate the impact of smoky haze. The report from AccuWeather explained that cleaner and better air would arrive in the Pacific Northwest starting this weekend. The west's onshore wind would help to cleanse the smoky haze due to wildfires. In addition, the weather website added that the rain would assist in putting out wildfires that cause the worsening air quality in the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, portions of the Midwest and Northeast have been experiencing rollercoaster temperatures since October. From the early taste of winter and cold temperature and sudden jump to warm temperature. Also Read: What to Expect this Coming Winter in Parts of the United States A coastal storm would emerge in Northeastern U.S, bringing heavy rains and gust winds. Residents in the coastal areas should watch out for potential minor coastal flooding. The tropical rainstorm could help drought-stricken regions. In Central U.S, Residents could feel severe weather conditions and heavy snow. Snow lovers could expect less snow this season. The forecast said the 2022 winter would be warmer than 2021. Drought-stricken area The Mississippi River has been suffering from low water levels, which could persist until the end of 2022. Farmers who depend on the water supply for their fields are also affected, noting the impact on the economy and agricultural harvest. Heavy rains could also help the drought-stricken river. Moreover, the low water levels in the river allowed residents and tourists to chance upon rare sightings of Tower Rock and remnants of a shipwreck in the area. Health impact of smoke from fires United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the smoke from wildfires could cause health problems, noting health threats from the fine particles of wildfires. EPA explained that prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke could affect the lungs and eyes and aggravate diseases in the body, including the heart. Individuals with asthma, lung diseases, and older adults are also at risk. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency emphasized the importance of preparations to prevent the impact of wildfire smoke. The report also advised buying air cleaner to alleviate the smoke's effect. It is essential to discuss with your doctor the potential impact on your health. Related Article: Return of Summerlike Warmth Could Unleash in Midwest This Weekend For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. Bahrain's leading telecom sevices operator Batelco has joined hands with other leading Middle East operators including Etisalat Group, Saudi Telecom Company, Zain Group, Mobily, du from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), and Omantel, to release a whitepaper titled 'Open RAN for Brownfield Operators, Challenges and Opportunities.' The seven operators are part of an Open RAN (Radio Access Network) Consortium formed in 2021 aimed at increasing momentum for the technology and its solutions in the region. The Whitepaper reinforces the joint commitment by the seven operators in jointly pushing forward the implementation of Open RAN solutions in their respective networks. According to Batelco, the detailed Whitepaper elaborates on the challenges and opportunities identified in the deployment of the Open RAN, and also highlights the activities being carried out including field trials and the establishment of a test lab with the support of TIP (Telecom Infra Project) and Intel. The operators plan to continue with field and lab trials and establish further labs to accelerate the Open RAN use cases development. The implementation of Open RAN solutions supports flexibility and provides more innovation in managing the networks for more efficient use cases and operations. Batelco General Manager Technology Rashid Mohamed said: "We are pleased with the advances made since the establishment of the Open RAN consortium leading to the publication of the Whitepaper and its detailed progress report." "The joint efforts have led to a number of milestone achievements so far, and we look forward to further collaborations with our partners to accomplish key goals including faster 5G deployment, network efficiencies and delivery of ultra-advanced solutions for customers throughout the region," he added. 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). Saudi Tourism Authority has held a promotional meeting in Egypt, with the participation of more than 35 entities representing the most important components of the Saudi tourism system. The meeting shed light on the enormous potential, facilities provided, and investment opportunities by Saudi Arabia's tourism sector. The meeting is a reflection of Saudi Tourism Authoritys efforts to promote the kingdom's tourism and attract a larger number of tourists from regional markets, in addition to supporting and empowering the private sector by concluding important agreements and building fruitful partnerships, said a Saudi Press Agency report. Saudi Tourism Authority also invited key travel and tourism companies in Egypt to participate in meetings with influential authorities in the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. The organisations taking part in the meeting included the Tourism Development Fund, the Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Cruise and MDL Beast, in addition to many major companies operating in the tourism sector, including airlines, hotels, and tourism agencies, as well as the "Nusuk" platform, one of the initiatives of the pilgrim service programme. Multimedia Specialist Anthony Zilis is a multimedia specialist at The News-Gazette. His email is azilis@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@adzilis). 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. I believe that the office of county clerk and recorder should be operated as a non-partisan office. I do not believe in delaying information to parties opposite of my own. I believe that all people and businesses, should have the same access to information and service from the clerk and their staff." This story contains original reporting by News-Gazette staff. If you are not a subscriber, please consider becoming one, because local journalism is only possible with your support. A subscription to The News-Gazette plays a vital role in making this reporting possible. Thank you for your support and helping us continue to connect our community. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 SalamAir, a low-cost airline in Oman, is set to launch two direct flights a week to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic - from Muscat and Salalah - starting from November 4. The journey between the city of Prague and Muscat will take about six hours and fifteen minutes, said the Omani airline in a statement. One of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Prague historic center features on the Unesco World Heritage List. The stunning city offers everything that makes a fascinating holiday, from unspoiled island destinations to enchanting alleys, gorgeous cathedrals, perfect art galleries and spectacular bridges. A modern metropolis pulsating with life, Prague is among the most popular destinations in the world, said the Omani budget carrier, and will now be accessible to travellers from the sultanate. SalamAir said its flights to Prague are scheduled on Fridays from Muscat and Wednesdays from Salalah. It will be operating a fleet of modern A320neo and A321neos for its operations to Czech Republic, its second destination in Europe. This marks the airlines further expansion into central Europe, it added. CEO Captain Mohamed Ahmed said: "SalamAir is very excited to connect Oman with Prague. The new connection creates an excellent opportunity for the citizen of the Czech Republic to explore the warm weather in Oman and visit one of the most popular attraction sites in Muscat and Salalah, which support Oman's 2040 vision." "Similarly, Prague represents a fantastic destination for travellers in terms of beauty and culture. The city embraces its rich history and provides the perfect backdrop for a memorable trip. The city is known for transforming itself during the winter months," stated Ahmed. "We are committed to opening every possible door to different markets, enabling travel, trade, and business while creating demand for new travellers looking to explore and experience unforgettable holidays," he added. Jaroslav Filip, Aviation Business Director of Travel Marketing International, GSA for SalamAir, said: "The connection from the Czech Republic to Salalah in Oman clearly has strong tourist potential. Moreover, in the case of the direct Muscat route, we can also see its business potential, and the possibility of transfers to more distant destinations in the Middle East and Asia." "We expect SalamAir to transport up to 9,000 passengers in one direction between Oman and Czech Republic during the winter operational season. Until now, destinations in Oman have mainly been operated from Prague by seasonal charter flights," he added. SalamAir flies to several international destinations including Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jaipur, Trivandrum, and Lucknow, Sarajevo, Istanbul, Karachi, Multan, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Baku, Phuket and Prague.- TradeArabia News Service In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers investigated the association between two or three doses of the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and viral loads and symptoms during infections with different severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants. Background Community cohort studies reported a significant decrease in the severity of COVID-19 symptoms, viral shedding, and duration of infection after widespread COVID-9 vaccination efforts. However, the emergence of immune-evading SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and the waning of vaccine-induced immunity is increasing breakthrough infections, albeit with mild symptoms. Mild or moderate COVID-19 severity is observed in most SARS-CoV-2 infections, and such cases are thought to contribute significantly to the spread of COVID-19. However, the data on such cases, as well as information on routine community testing and the presence of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants in a population, is limited. Such data are essential to understand the efficacy of vaccinations against the severity of infections from SARS-CoV-2 variants. About the study In the present study, the researchers used a prospective cohort of frontline and essential workers in six states in the United States (U.S.) to study the virological and clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infections from the original strain and Delta and Omicron lineages and compare clinical outcomes and viral loads. The study also investigated the association between two and three mRNA vaccine doses and COVID-19 symptoms, severity, and viral load. Frontline or essential workers as individuals whose occupation requires 20 hours or more of regular contact with others, such as those working in the education, medical, waste management, and transportation sectors. The data comprised sociodemographic characteristics, SARS-CoV-2 infection history, and chronic medical conditions. Vaccination cards and online surveys were used to gather information about COVID-19 vaccination status. Nasal swabs were collected from the participants every week and tested using reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Whole genome sequencing was used to identify the viral lineage, and quantitative RT-PCR was performed to assess viral loads. For samples with a cycle threshold value greater than 30 with identified viral lineages, plaque-forming units (PFU) on Vero cells were used to determine the viability of the virus. The clinical outcomes measured in the study were the presence and number of COVID-19 symptoms, duration of the infection, days spent in bed for at least half a day, number of days away from work, and the medical care requirements. The virological outcomes measured were PFU counts and viral loads. Results The results reported that of the 1199 COVID-19 infections in the cohort, the percentages of infections from the original strain, Delta variant, and Omicron variant were 14%, 24%, and 62%, respectively. The severity of symptoms was correlated to the vaccination doses. Individuals with two doses of the vaccine were less symptomatic during Delta infections than unvaccinated individuals. A third vaccine dose one to 21 weeks before infection significantly reduced the incidence of fever and chills and the duration of the symptoms. The severity of symptoms during infections with the Omicron variant did not vary much between individuals with two vaccine doses and no vaccination. Still, individuals with three vaccine doses were significantly less likely to experience fever and chills or require medical attention than unvaccinated individuals. The virological outcomes indicated that individuals who contracted the Delta or Omicron infection two to 21 weeks after the second vaccination dose had significantly lower viral loads than unvaccinated individuals. The viral loads during Omicron BA.1 infections were higher than during infections with the original strain and similar to the Delta infection viral loads. The durations of Omicron infections were shorter, and the symptoms were milder. The authors believe that the higher viral load combined with the high frequency of mild or asymptomatic cases could explain the increased transmissibility observed during the Omicron prevalence period. Conclusions Overall, the study indicated that two or three doses of mRNA vaccines less than 150 days before contracting a SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly reduced the severity, duration, and viral load of Delta or Omicron infections in frontline workers. The vaccine doses also reduced the need to seek medical care. According to the authors, the high transmissibility of Omicron variants could be related to the higher viral loads and milder symptoms during Omicron infections as compared to infections with the original strain. Gen. James McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army, gives his opening remarks during a In a War for Talent Recruiting, Retention and Opportunity, panel Oct. 13 during this years Association of the U.S. Army convention. (Staff Sgt. Michael Reinsch) Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. Morning high of 1F with temps falling to near -10. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Clear skies. Low -22F. Winds light and variable. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Bahrain condemns Houthi attack on oil port, calls it escalation against the truce Bahrain condemns Houthi attack on oil port, calls it escalation against the truce TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrain yesterday strongly condemned the attack by terrorist Houthi militia on the al-Dhabba oil terminal in Yemen as an escalation against efforts to extend the truce in Yemen. The incident is the first significant escalation since the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed government failed to renew an UN-brokered truce earlier this month amid differences over the payment of salaries for civil servants in Houthi-controlled areas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the latest attack a violation of international law and grave threat to navigation, global trade, and the marine environment. The hostile acts, the ministry said, go against efforts to achieve peace and security and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. Bahrain, the ministry said, reaffirms its support to the legitimate government in Yemen. Yemeni officials had said the Houthi drones attacked the al-Dhabba oil terminal, located in the town of al-Shihr in Hadhramaut province, as the oil tanker Nissos was preparing to enter the terminal. Nissos was scheduled to load 2 million barrels of crude from the terminal, a Yemeni official said, adding that there was no damage to the port and the tanker. The office of Hadhramouts governor Mabkhout bin Madi confirmed the attack. Saudi said the attack is a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international laws and norms. The attack confirms that the terrorist Houthi militia and those who stand behind it continue to target civilian and economic facilities and global energy supplies and passages, the Kingdoms foreign ministry added. United Nations special envoy Hans Grundberg said he would continue to push for an extended and expanded deal between the warring parties under intense international pressure to agree. Road worker dies after being hit by vehicle in Bahrain Road worker dies after being hit by vehicle in Bahrain TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com A road worker died when a speeding vehicle struck him as he was engaged in development works on Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway. The vehicle also hit a traffic patrol vehicle stationed at the site. The vehicle knocked down the man as it was taking a deviation on the highway marked for development works. The Interior Ministry confirmed the incident in a tweet. It explained that the incident occurred on the Shaikh Isa bin Salman highway towards the King Fahd Causeway. The vehicle lost control and rammed through the workers and on-duty traffic patrol. The injured were rushed to the hospital by the National Ambulance team. Competent authorities were at the scene, said the ministry. Agencies | Dubai / New York The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Israel has agreed to sell an advanced air defence system to the United Arab Emirates, two sources familiar with the matter said, in the first such known deal between them since they forged ties in 2020. Israel approved a UAE request in the middle of the summer and would supply with Rafael-made SPYDER mobile interceptors, two sources said. A third source said the UAE had acquired Israeli technology capable of combating drone attacks like those that struck Abu Dhabi earlier this year. It was not immediately clear how many interceptors, which are fitted to vehicles and can defend against short to long-range threats, would be supplied, or if any had so far been shipped. Dhaka, Oct 23 (UNI) The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) held a rally in the divisional town of Khulna demanding the establishment of a caretaker government during the next general elections scheduled to be held by the end of next year in Bangladesh. The rally was part of similar rallies planned by the BNP to be held across divisional towns of Bangladesh over the next few months protesting against the price rise, killing of BNP activists during protests and demanding the release of its President and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Speaking at the largely attended rally at Khulna BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Saturday said free and fair election cant be held unless the incumbent government resigns and the election is conducted by an impartial caretaker government. He challenged the ruling Awami League that it will not win even 10 seats if free and fair elections are held in the country. BNP has announced it will hold its next divisional rally in Barisal on November 5. Earlier, the transport union of Khulna had declared a two-day strike beginning Friday morning. Transport services including buses, launch and ferries did not operate on Friday and Saturday. BNP claimed that the transport strike was intended to stop people from joining the rally. Meanwhile, the official news agency BSS reported that over 50 workers, employees and police were injured at Railway station and Awami League office were vandalised by the BNP men on Saturday noon on their way to join the rally. The Khulna Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner Sonali Sen told BSS that some outsiders had an altercation with Railway workers and they ransacked glasses and pelted bricks in which five cops were injured at Khulna. Accusing BNP of inciting violence, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Saturday that BNP wants dead bodies to intensify its movement. He said that if BNP carries out violence like 2013-14, they will get a befitting reply. Calling the BNP rally a conspiracy, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said anti-liberation forces are hatching conspiracy to foil elections. He said next general elections will be held as per constitution which has no provision for a caretaker government. UNI MAZ SY , Oct 24 ( NHK ) - Japan's Emperor and Empress have attended the opening ceremony of art and culture festivals in Okinawa Prefecture. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako appeared at the opening ceremony for the national cultural festival and the national art and cultural festival for people with disabilities in Ginowan City on Sunday. In a speech, the Emperor mentioned Okinawa's long history of cultural activities through its exchanges with East Asia since the time when it was the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Emperor said he is delighted to see people gathering in Okinawa for art and cultural events this year, when the prefecture marks 50 years since it was returned to Japan from US rule. The Imperial couple later enjoyed music and dance performances depicting Okinawa's history. ...continue reading , Oct 24 ( Nikkei ) - Japanese companies are striving to build supply chains that do not depend on China, amid that country's growing conflict with the U.S. This is expected to dramatically increase the costs of all manner of products. Are companies prepared for "zero-China?" This past summer, a top-secret project was in full swing at Honda Motor -- a massive restructuring plan to explore building passenger cars and motorcycles using as few China-made parts as possible. Companies will have to choose whether to continue doing business in China in the event of a Taiwan contingency. Management must always consider business continuity. China accounts for more than 30% of Honda's global sales, and the company's policy of making China a mainstay of its earnings will not change in the future. Although the automaker has no intention of leaving China anytime soon, it is facing the China risk head-on to ensure the company is prepared for an emergency. The company is rushing to estimate the cost of procuring parts from other regions, such as Southeast Asia, while parts for cars to be built in China will be procured within the country. A Honda spokesperson told Nikkei that it is always looking at various options to hedge risks in its supply chain. ...continue reading The President, Muhammadu Buhari, will on Sunday depart Abuja for Seoul, South Korea, to participate in the First World Bio Summit, 2022. The President, Muhammadu Buhari, will on Sunday depart Abuja for Seoul, South Korea, to participate in the First World Bio Summit, 2022. In a statement signed and made available to our correspondent by the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the summit which is jointly organised by the government of the Republic of Korea and the World Health Organisation has the theme: The Future of Vaccine and Bio-Health. Nigeria was invited to the summit based on her selection with five other African countries by WHO and the European Union during the last EU-African Summit in Brussels, Belgium in February this year for mRNA technology transfer and Global Training Hub for bio-manufacturing of vaccines on the African continent. Also expected to feature at the World Bio Summit are CEOs of global vaccine and Biologics companies who will share and shape ideas on the theme, given that, according to the organisers, global health security profoundly depends on the innovation and development in the bio-industry. The partnership between the Republic of Korea and WHO, is therefore, to underscore not only the above historic truth, but also the need to launch international stage-efforts on the nature of creativity and innovation required to contain any future health pandemic. President Buhari, who is expected to deliver a statement at the summit, and meet separately with President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea, will also seek other ways of more effective partnerships that impact positively on the lives and safety of Nigerians during his other engagements and meetings while in Seoul. Accompanying the Nigerian leader are: Governors Aminu Masari and Abubakar Bello of Katsina and Niger states; Geoffrey Onyeama, Osagie Ehanire and Adeniyi Adebayo, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment respectively; and Timipre Sylva, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources. Others on the delegation are: Maj-Gen. Mohammed Monguno (retd), National Security Adviser; Amb. Ahmed Abubakar, Director-General, National Intelligence Agency; Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director-General, NAFDAC; Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, Director-General, NCDC; Bashir Jamoh, Director-General, NIMASA; Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, NiDCOM as well as other top government officials, the statement from Adesina reads. President Buhari is expected back home after the Summit. The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a father, Dr. Fred Ekpa Ayokhai, and his daughter for assault. DSP Ramhan Nansel, Public Rela... The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a father, Dr. Fred Ekpa Ayokhai, and his daughter for assault. DSP Ramhan Nansel, Public Relations Officer issued a statement following the viral video of the incident. Ayokhai, an associate professor at the Department of History and International Studies, Federal University of Lafia, and Emmanuela Ayokhai, are in custody. The police said the vehicle used to convey the victim to a location along Kwandere road in Lafia, where she was assaulted, has been recovered. Preliminary investigation revealed that Emmanuela and the victim had a misunderstanding over a man named IG. The victim had accused Emmanuela of snatching her supposed boyfriend and assaulted her. In retaliation, Emmanuela mobilised her family, went after the victim and assaulted her as well. She was hit with a stick, flogged and stripped. Nansel said the Commissioner of Police, AIG Adesina Soyemi has ordered an intensive manhunt for the fleeing suspects. The CP further directed that those arrested be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation at the State Criminal Department, Lafia. The Emir of Katagum, Umar Farouk 11 has commended the Bauchi State Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar for ensuring a routine quarterly re... The Emir of Katagum, Umar Farouk 11 has commended the Bauchi State Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar for ensuring a routine quarterly review of cases of persons in various correctional centres across the state. Farouk 11 explained that the review has not only sped up the dispensation of justice but also gone a long way in decongesting the custodial centres. The Emir also noted that the routine visits to the centres by Justice Rabi Talatu Umar have kept the various court judges and magistrates on their toes and instilled discipline in their minds while keeping attention to their judicial responsibilities. Your ability to undertake such a routine quarterly cases review visits to the custodial centres and your taking of decisive actions in the judiciary has changed many things for the better, the emir told the chief judge. Farouk 11 similarly commended Governor Bala Mohammed for recently pardoning 153 awaiting trial inmates from various custodial centres in the state under the prerogative of mercy granted him by the constitution. The Governor granted the prisoners freedom in commemoration of the countrys 62nd independence anniversary. Meanwhile, Justice Rabi Umar explained that during the cases review visit, her team also supervises the duties of sharia court judges and magistrates with the intent to make corrections where necessary and equally release inmates who were unnecessarily kept awaiting trial without concrete reasons. She said her visit to the palace was to pay homage to the Emir, being in Azare for official duties and to seek the prayers and blessings of the Royal father, as well as advice from the Emir in the conduct of her official duties. Justice Rabi Talatu Umar had during the visits to the custodial centres warned the judges and magistrates to always be around her visit to the custodial centres to shed light on cases of awaiting trial persons and to help ease the review process. During the visit, the Chief Judge released 21 awaiting trial persons, namely Ningi 2 persons, Shira one person, Jamaare 2 persons, Azare persons, Nabordo 3 persons, Remand Home Bauchi 2, and Bauchi Correctional Centre 9 persons. The nine released in Bauchi are Salmanu Rabiu, Musa Yusuf, Rabiu Abdullahi, Usman Babayo, Usman Abdullahi, Ahmed Alhaji Yusuf, Babangida Isah, Ahmed Rashidu Sani, and Nasiru Ahmed. Justice Rabi Umar counselled the released persons to seek pardons from their parents and equally look for lawful things to earn a living, saying Any father whose son is incarnated in the custodial centre is in jeopardy and any child who jeopardizes his parents would receive punishment from God. The Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC in the 2023 general election, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has on Saturday to... The Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC in the 2023 general election, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has on Saturday told Nigerians not to have any regret about President Muhammadu Buhari. This was as he said they should not be deceived by critics that the President has not performed within over seven years of his administration. Tinubu stated this in Kano while commissioning an edifice of the APC Presidential/State Campaign office along club road in the state. According to him, Dont have any regret at all. Dont allow those who dont know the way to victory, and dont understand the success of a nation to lie to you about Buhari or anybody. Dont let them. Throw it back at them. Take your broom firmly and sweep Nigeria clean. This party will receive victory, this country will experience progress, and this office will be filled with joy come February 2023, he said. Tinubu continued when he said, Those whom I think have not been adequately rewarded, I beg your pardon forget it. The time of God Almighty is the best time. God will answer your prayers and give you the ultimate and good rewards. As I stand before you, I promise that I will change the reward system once I become President Insha Allah. You will not regret ever working for our party. It is a joy for me to be back home in Kano. We are not conducting any rallies, we are only inspecting and talking to business groups. I will come back prepared to do a big rally, the former Lagos State Governor however said. On his party, the partys National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu said the ruling party has no reason or excuses not to deliver the President, State Governors and members of the National Assembly come 2023. Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State said the state has a good political transition as his Deputy, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and his former Commissioner is about to succeed him in office. Tinubu was in the company of his running mate, Kashim Shettima, Governors of Jigawa and Zamfara State, Badaru Abubakar, and Bello Matawalle among other dignitaries. The Presidential candidate is in Kano State on a three-day visit as he is expected to pay an homage to the Emir of Kano on Sunday at the palace among others. Thank you for using NNY360! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Locally reported news and sports Stay Current with What's Happening Get the most of NNY360, register today! By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails and special offers from NNY360.com A new study shows the effects of the pandemic could even have altered our personality. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images/TNS Hey Blake, The NOPD 8th District station on Royal Street seems like it must have a story. How old is the building, and has it always been a police station? Dear reader, The building at 334 Royal St. that is home to the New Orleans Police Departments 8th District dates to 1827. It was built as the Bank of Louisiana, which purchased the land from the Destrehan family. The building was damaged by fire and rebuilt in 1863. Noted architect James Gallier Jr. was involved in the rebuilding process. According to the National Register of Historic Places (to which the building was added in 1973), the bank continued to operate on Royal Street until it went bankrupt around 1868. For one year, the property served as the state Capitol, with the Louisiana Legislature opening its session there on Jan. 4, 1869. In December 1870, the building became the Royal Street Auctioneers Exchange and was later a concert hall and saloon. In 1874, the property was sold to the city, which remodeled it and relocated Criminal Court and later Juvenile Court there. In 1921, the city leased the building to the American Legion, which occupied the site as Crescent City Post 125 until 1972. The city then leased it to the Greater New Orleans Tourist & Convention Commission, which operated a visitor information center there until 1984. In 1985, Mayor Ernest Dutch Morial and police chief Warren Woodfork created the NOPD Vieux Carre District, or 8th District, to patrol the French Quarter and area surrounding the newly opened Convention Center. The Royal Street building underwent a $45,000 renovation to become the districts headquarters. For a time, the Vieux Carre Commission also had its offices on the buildings second floor but moved to City Hall in 2013. Faimon Roberts III covers rural communities in Louisiana. His work is supported by a reporting grant from the Microsoft Journalism Initiative and is administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. He can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com. For This Louisiana Businessman, GreenTrees Carbon Removal is about Fun, Friends, and a Family Legacy A Dyer scuba shop owner has dived all over the globe, exploring coral reefs and coming close to sharks. Goose's Scuba Shack owner Doug Gossage found the remains of a Roman supply ship in Malta, searched for Spanish shipwrecks in the Florida Keys and discovered World War II planes that crashed into Lake Michigan, the result of Great Lakes Naval Station pilots in training failing to stick the landing on an aircraft carrier that once floated in the Great Lake. His latest adventure took him to the northern reaches of Lake Michigan to an island near Michigan's Upper Peninsula in search of treasure. Gossage helped the hosts of the History Channel's "Beyond Oak Island" search for gold lost at sea during the Civil War near Poverty Island. He appears in three episodes of the show over the next few weeks, the first of which ran Tuesday and will re-air as a rerun. Brothers Rick and Marty Lagina host the show, which is named after the famous island in Nova Scotia where people have long sought buried treasure dating back to the 1700s, when it was rumored that Captain Kidd's treasure was buried there. It follows treasure quests around the globe while regaling viewers with tales of Blackbeard, the outlaw Jesse James, Aztec gold and other historical curiosities. "Beyond Oak Island" is now in its third season. The program's producers learned about Gossage because of his store selling scuba equipment in Dyer. Goose's Scuba Shack has been in business for nearly 40 years. It was in downtown Lansing for 17 years before relocating to 1490 Joliet St. in Dyer in 2002. He also owns the neighboring Castle Storage on U.S. 30. The business sells, rents and services scuba gear. It also provides scuba diving lessons at an on-site pool and takes people diving all over the world. "The producers loved the store," Gossage said. "They said they'd contact me to help them out." They called him up when they planned to go on a treasure hunt in Poverty Island, a small uninhabited island in northern Michigan that's owned by the federal government. It's best known for its abandoned lighthouse and ironically for riches. The lore is that Civil War treasure sunk nearby. "It's in the middle of nowhere," Gossage said. "There's no cell service. It's an hour-long boat ride, maybe longer, to get out there." Maritime legend about sunken gold has long swirled around the isolated island. Many believe there is more than $450 million in gold bullion and coins buried there as a result of a failed bid to sneak it from Canada into the United States during the Civil War. "The ship that dumped the treasure was being pursued by either pirates or military ships," Gossage said. "It was trying to take gold from Canada to the south to support the confederacy during the Civil War. The French were supportive of the south's efforts because it relied on the textiles and cotton produced in and exported by the south. A Frenchman living in Canada tried to send $450 million in gold." But the voyage to bankroll the confederacy failed. The gold was lost at sea in 1863. "Either pirates or Civil War Union cruisers patrolling the Great Lakes pursued the ship," he said. "It chained five chests of gold and threw them overboard. It was common for pirates to operate on the Great Lakes up through prohibition times. I can't imagine trying to rob Al Capone's ship. You'd have to be suicidal. But it was a common thing back at the time." Another ship operating in the area snagged its anchor on a crate or box that didn't make it all the way to the deck. "That breathed more life into the story," Gossage said. Relatively few treasure hunters have sought out the gold because of how remote and hard-to-reach the island is, he said. A commercial diver out of Milwaukee sought to find the treasure back when the lighthouse on the island was still manned by a lightkeeper, who lived there with his family, which included young teenagers. They watched the diver searching intently, having little else to do on the secluded island. "One evening they heard him hooting and hollering on his ship, which was a wooden sailboat," he said. "He was a commercial hardhat diver in search of the chests. They heard a lot of jubilation. But then the ship got caught in a storm. The kids retreated for shelter. Then from what they could see the ship had sunk, with lumber pieces floating on the surface. He made it to the island but did not go to the lighthouse for help and declined when they asked him if he wanted them to call the Coast Guard. He got off the island somehow. That added more to the story." Gossage knew of it for years as he has searched for wrecks all over the world. "This is more than a hobby," he said. "It's something that I've perfected, a skill. Shipwrecks get broken up, and I find the small pieces, often covered up by the bottom." On the show, he's introduced as a geophysical remote sensing specialist. "When you survey for wrecks, it can take months or years of survey work to get to the actual wreck," he said. "But since there was only one structure on the island, we had an idea where the ship was. It literally took six runs with the instrument in the water to find broken-up pieces of the wreck. We thought we got something, moved over to the next lane 25 to 30 feet away. We found pieces of the shipwreck in the area." He filmed with the History Channel show for a few days. "I was pretty pleased with the first episode," he said. "It ends leaving people in TV land not knowing what's going to happen." Gossage has been diving since 1976 when his father asked if he wanted to go scuba diving, strap an oxygen tank on and stay underwater for a long time. They started diving in Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisconsin. "We dived and found wrecks in Lake Michigan back before they were all covered with zebra mussels," he said. "Now you can't even tell if it's an anchor chain. It just looks like a big old heap of zebra mussels." Few of his customers at Goose Scuba Shack want to dive in Lake Michigan even though it's only a few miles away. "Most people take exotic trips to nice warm weather where the water is clear and there's better visibility," he said. "Most people want to look at pretty fishes and coral." Gossage was a student at Northern Illinois University when he decided it was too slow-paced and he wanted to get out and do something. So he and his father decided he should start a store in 1983. He's since traveled the world, doing dives in the Red Sea, Egypt, Fiji Island, the Caribbean, Venezuela and the Bahamas. He searched many historical sites such as submarines that were sunk in the Pacific after attacking Pearl Harbor. "I dived in Fiji two times, and the same reefs weren't in the same place," he said. "You might not be so impressed on one trip, then six years later it's a completely different place. Everything's always changing underwater." Scuba diving offers an escape to a peaceful, watery retreat, Gossage said. "It's refreshing. It's relaxing. It's quiet," she said. "It's away from ringing telephones and buzzing texts. You have a clean mind. You're weightless. It takes the aches and pains off of you. It's something few people will ever see. You can watch it on television, but it's different with fish swimming all around you. You're living life, not just existing." He's sought to popularize scuba diving among the general public. "Diving is a whole different type of experience," he said. "It's rewarding to introduce people to a sport that could change their life. It often does. People get hooked. Their lives become about experiencing underwater in different locations." He estimates only about 1.5% of the population ever goes scuba diving. "There's not a whole lot of people with the time, money or desire, for whatever reason," he said. "Kids' activities also have taken over as a priority for a lot of people, which is understandable." Gossage also looks to dispel misconceptions people have. "There's Shark Week and all that stuff on television," he said. "They hype it up where people believe if you swim in the ocean you'll get eaten by a shark. You have to get people over those fears. It's fun to watch people see their first shark and come away with a whole different perception. They marvel at the fluidness of movement. Sharks have no interest in you. You're observing it." Beholding aquatic life up close is an almost mystical experience, Gossage said. "There's no pane of glass between you and it," he said. "You experience the fish's reaction to you. You become one with the sea, not to sound like a hippie. The little critters will run away when there's a big critter blowing bubbles, which are loud underwater. The small stuff retreats and hides from you. They're like puppies where they're afraid of this big person but still curious and come out only to run away and hide again." He's embarked on many expeditions over the years, including searching for planes Great Lakes Naval Station trainees crashed into Lake Michigan. "My dad and I started looking for the World War II airplanes they tried to land on paddlewheel aircraft carriers in the Great Lakes," he said. "It was touch-and-go. They were converted wooden decks. Many missed the ship or crashed into the ship. There was no landing gear. So if there was no room to turn around they would take a forklift and shove it off the side." They went to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., to figure out the names of the ships and their bearings as that was long before GPS coordinates were used. They discovered the Navy was in the process of pulling the planes out of the lake and some of them were already gone. He got interested in treasure hunting after ending up on the crew of Ellsworth Boyd, a writer for Skin Diver Magazine, a scuba diving publication he read religiously. He's pursued treasure all over the world, once finding artifacts of an ancient ship Romans used to transport grain. "You find things on the surface. It's no longer a wreck after hundreds of years," he said. "There are living organisms that eat wood. There's no ship anymore. You might find iron or bronze fasteners. Treasure hunters recover things from ships that can actually go in a land museum, maybe a sextant they used to navigate. It's things you can touch, feel, see and measure. If it's underwater under sand or vegetation, it's lost forever." "Beyond Oak Island" airs on the History Channel every Tuesday, with new episodes broadcast at 8 p.m. The episodes in which Gossage is featured will be on during the next few weeks. VALPARAISO The general election race for Porter County sheriff features two familiar names in local law enforcement. Republican Jeff Balon is facing off against Democrat David Reynolds. Balon, 53, who is a 30-year veteran of the Valparaiso Police Department and current chief, said he grew up on a farm in rural Valparaiso and attended the Duneland school system. He has never held elected office and said his goal as sheriff "will be to address issues within the sheriffs department that will improve the internal issues that often times plague a police department, and I will develop external programs (many of which I currently do as the chief of police) that will build public trust, transparency, save taxpayers money, and build strong relationships with schools, business and citizens." "I have been a police officer within Porter County more than 30 years, beginning in 1992," Balon said. "During that time, I have watched the county change in many ways. Most of these changes are for the better; yet, some are not." Reynolds, 44, a lifelong Porter County resident, current resident of Valparaiso and son of current Sheriff Dave Reynolds, is a former Porter County police officer and former supervisory special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He said he has never held elected office. "I am running for sheriff because I have unmatched knowledge, experience, and vision to keep this a community of law and order," he said. "I have dedicated my professional life to keeping the people of this county and region safe." "Porter County has grown and changed a great deal in my lifetime," he said. "I am uniquely qualified to identify and address the present-day challenges that this county faces." When asked about qualifications for the job as sheriff, Balon said he has a bachelors degree in public safety management from Calumet College of Saint Joseph and a certificate of completion from Northwestern Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command. "I have spent over 30 years in local law enforcement, so I know what is needed locally to make a difference in Porter County," he said. "I spent over a decade assigned to the patrol division, leading men and women in uniform," Balon said. "I spent over a decade in the investigations division, lead major investigations ranging from homicides to hostage negotiations (and everything in between), and I have spent the last 7 years as a police administrator, most currently as the chief of police since 2017." "The unique and transferable skills that I have obtained as the chief of police is what qualifies me most to the next sheriff of Porter County." Reynolds said, "I have unparalleled educational and work experience that makes me the most qualified person for the job. I am the only candidate with undergraduate and masters degrees in criminal justice and law enforcement." "My masters program was particularly invaluable, as I was able to spend months analyzing real-world issues faced by law enforcement and the public alike," he said. "That included a deep dive into Porter Countys finances and the sheriffs office budget." "I am similarly the only candidate with local, state, and federal work experience that I will bring to my role as sheriff," Reynolds said. "In my more than twenty years of law enforcement experience, I have helped to hire and train hundreds of officers and agents who have served to protect this region. I have been responsible for investigations that have led to the arrests and successful prosecution of numerous criminals ranging from burglary to drug trafficking to murder. I have managed multi-million dollar budgets devoted to crime fighting." "This experience is detailed on my website at reynolds4sheriff.com," he said. When it comes to goals as sheriff, Balon said that as chief of police, he has "developed long-term strategies that focus on recruitment, hiring, training and retaining the most qualified people to become outstanding police officers in Porter County." "I have the experience and hands-on knowledge of building successful multi-million-dollar budgets that are fiscally conservative; yet identify the long-term projected needs of our community, now and for the next generation of law enforcement," he said. "I have blueprinted long-term strategies that put people and programs in place to address the mental health and substance dependency issues that are within every community in Porter County." "In addition to all of this, I have been able to put crime reducing programs in place that have kept crime rates low, even though the population of Valparaiso has grown," Balon said. "Valparaiso has been ranked near the top among safest cities in the state of Indiana (midsize). This proves that the programs that I have managed are successful." Reynolds said his priorities as sheriff will be school safety, drug awareness and community outreach. "There is nothing more important than keeping our children safe," he said. He plans to prioritize the current One County One Protocol initiative, evaluate the need to create a full-time position to oversee the department's school safety program, work collaboratively with school administrations on safety and institute a "See Something, Hear Something, Say Something" campaign directed at students. On drug awareness, Reynolds said he "will develop a heroin overdose dashboard that will provide real-time information to the public. The program will assist in drawing attention to the growing issue." "The drug problem is complicated," he said. "My expertise in drug investigations and experience gained leading federal drug task forces will help the sheriffs office target and punish wholesale quantity drug dealers, and reduce the volume of drugs coming into the county." On community outreach, Reynolds plans to implement a data-driven initiative that monitors crime and promote the interactions the sheriffs office has with the public through monthly public meetings. Griffith police were on scene to investigate Saturday morning Detective Jim Sibley said two hunters found the remains around 7 a.m. Saturday morning. GRIFFITH Human remains were found in a wooded area Saturday morning in Griffith, Detective Jim Sibley of the Griffith Police Department said Saturday. According to Lake County Coroner David J. Pastrick, the decedent has been dead for six months or longer. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, a hunter was in the woods around 7 a.m. near Cline Avenue and River Road when he discovered what appeared to be bone protruding from a piece of clothing in a marsh area while searching for a downed duck. A 911 call was immediately made, and Indiana conservation officers as well as officers from the Griffith police and Lake County Sheriffs Department responded to the scene. The Lake County coroner was on the scene and is in possession of the remains but hasn't yet made an identification, Sibley said. The coroner said a forensic pathologist will examine the remains Monday. The investigation is still active and has been passed along to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. CROWN POINT There was Captain America, Wonder Woman, the Wicked Witch and even a large green dinosaur. And those were just the adults. Youngsters got an early start on the hobgoblin season Saturday at the Trunk or Treat at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Momentum Church and Daycare of Crown Point presented the pre-Halloween event. Monica Adamo of Cedar Lake was among the estimated 30 distributors of candy. Dressed as a medieval woman, she brought a stuffed dragon. A member of the Society of Creative Anachronism, Adamo enjoys Halloween because you can pretend to be whatever you want to be. It allows you to be a kid and have an imagination again. Caitlyn Guthrie, representing Promise Dance Academy in Crown Point, came dressed as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," with two companions dressed as the Wicked Witch and Toto. I love scaring all the kids, Guthrie said, dressing up and having fun. Sticking with movies, Madison, 14, and Joshua Ricketts, 16, of Crown Point, handed out candy dressed as Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. They brought miniature C-3PO and Yoda. A freshman at Crown Point High School, Madison enjoys the holiday, just the fun of making kids happy, making their day. The ninth-grader said she still goes trick-or-treating, just the spirit of it, having fun. Alice Miniuk, a church member from Crown Point, was a lion tamer, complete with a caged stuffed lion. She enjoys the excitement of dressing up and seeing the kids' eyes light up. Theyre so excited. Abigail McDowell, children's ministry director for Momentum, said Trunk or Treat was a combined effort of church ministries and local businesses. The more, the merrier, we thought, she said. The midday program also featured food vendors, bounce houses, photos with superhero characters and magic shows. We love to reach out to the community, McDowell said. Its a chance to do more than the usual trick-or-treating. Church member Betty Sidwell said it was a great event, fun with the kids and nice weather. Momentum has been doing Trunk or Treat for a number of years, McDowell said. During the pandemic, the church sponsored Trunk or Trail, with treats available around the city. Pavilions at the fairgrounds provided space for seating, dining and checking out sweet treats. Maigan Kornas, of St. John, and friend Ashley Pappas, of Crown Point, brought five children. We love getting dressed up, decorating the house and making Halloween cookies and snacks, Kornas said. We like putting on the makeup and going out. Kornas children said they enjoy wearing clown masks and scaring daddy. Pappas added, I enjoy dressing up. We love to get scared. Recently moving to this area, Railly Voorhies, of Lowell, brought son Avery, 2, to their first Trunk or Treat. I like spending time with my siblings, going trick-or-treating, the mother said. Voorhies also came with her five siblings. Sister Isabelle Voorhies, 16, of Delphi, noted, I enjoy seeing the families and working on crafts. Among those handing out candy was Miss Teen Indiana Latina Citlaly Almaraz, 17, of Hobart. The River Forest High School senior said she enjoys seeing all the people happy and passing out candy. Dan and Manuela Miley, of Cedar Lake, came with their three children, ages 2 to 7. Dan was dressed as Stormy the Care Bear, while Manuela was a cat. This reminds you of when you were a kid, going trick-or-treating with the family, Dan said. Manuela comes from Brazil, where Day of the Dead is observed. It is a religious observance that includes visits to loved ones graves. I like Halloween better, she said. Suzanne Rukan, of Crown Point, also brought multiple children. I love this family-friendly event, Rukan said. Its a great opportunity to support the community, and theres tons of candy for kids. Just too many Stans. So declared a sizable Englishman in the dining room of the National Liberal Club in London about three decades ago, in the wake of the dramatic disintegration of the Soviet Union. His voice was rather loud, reflecting the frustration of trying to keep in mind a complicated new geography. A variety of members and guests were having dinner, convivial and engaged in their own conversations. Nonetheless, this writer, dining alone on a business trip, took sympathetic note of the remark. A lot of complexity, in other words, did indeed emerge in Central Asia, thanks to President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union undertaking dramatic reforms that fatally weakened the already-crumbling structures of that enormous nation. The Soviet Union comprised a number of Soviet Republics in addition to Russia, the largest. They included what is now Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, along with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine. All these entities are now independent nations. That is indeed a lot of Stans, especially when you add neighboring states such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. They represent an analytic as well as practical policy challenge even for the most skillful businessperson, diplomat, military professional, politician or anyone else charged with coping with that enormous complex organizational and political as well as physical landscape. President Vladimir Putin of Russia is now trying hard to harness this constellation of countries into a working coalition that will bolster his badly weakened position. On Oct. 14, he made a major policy speech in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, to the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The 28 members include Russia and some of the former Soviet states and also China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, South Korea, Turkey, Vietnam and others. Putin warned in his speech that the Ukraine War represents an effort by the United States and other Western nations to expand influence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Rationalizing Russias invasion as self-defense is a lie. During the same two-day visit to Astana, Putin participated in the first Central Asia Summit. This meeting, organized by Russia, also included the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Additionally, Putin held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Both nations now communicate regularly with Iran, including occasional summits. President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan proposed the CICA initiative in the fall of 1992. He served as head of that country from independence in 1991 until forced to resign in 2019 amid allegations of corruption and public protests, a sign of the times in Central Asia and elsewhere. Nazarbayev remains a powerful figure even while out of office. Of particular note is the continuing fitful armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, fueled by traditional ethnic hostilities. A ceasefire established in 1994 broke down in 2020, resulting in brief but full-scale war. Renewed armistice is tenuous. On Oct. 12, President Emmanuel Macron of France accused Putin of provoking armed clashes in order to destabilize the region. Putins meddling is spurred in part by Russias weak, deteriorating economy. The Great Game refers to the long-term competition between Great Britain and Imperial Russia for influence in Central Asia in the 19th century. The fellow in the National Liberal Club echoed the challenges involved. American foreign policy should emulate Britains traditional approach. We need disciplined, focused leadership not seen since President George H.W. Bush. Cockroaches are the quintessential New Yorkers. Theyve been in the city a long time since the early 17th century, experts speculate and its often said theyll be the last to leave, outliving us after the bomb drops or the waters rise. Roaches know the town inside out: the streets, the subways and, Im sorry to say, the apartments. Nearly everyone dislikes them, but they command respect. Theyre strivers and survivors, eking out an existence in the big bad metropolis while eluding the forces that seek to squash them. This may help to explain the popularity of a recent video that has racked up more than 1.5 million views on Instagram. The eight-second clip shows a cockroach on a New York sidewalk, maneuvering a cigarette butt roughly the size of its own body into a small opening in a manhole cover. Its an amusing spectacle that echoes the Pizza Rat video from 2015, in which a rodent was seen dragging a cheese slice down some subway steps. It is also recognizable a struggle familiar to anyone who has watched a neighbor lug an armchair into a tenement building or spied a fellow New Yorker, down on his luck, scavenging a half-finished cigarette from the pavement. The clip appeared on What Is New York, one of several popular Instagram feeds that specialize in a kind of urban verite: photos and videos documenting the weirder, seamier side of city living. There are posts that capture people in bizarre costumes (and states of undress), posts that show commuters on wacky jury-rigged vehicles, posts that record deviant recreational pursuits along with the blase reactions of passers-by. In one video, a man casually drags a coffin across Andrews Avenue in the Bronx. In another, the camera pans over a pothole that someone has filled to the brim with uneaten bagels. There are accounts that showcase the homemade signs New Yorkers post on lampposts and in building lobbies (CLEAN UP YOUR VOMIT!) and feeds dedicated to the stoical cats that roost among the candy bars and rolling papers in the citys bodegas. Rick McGuire, who runs What Is New York and its sister account Subway Creatures, receives hundreds of submissions each week, gathered by New Yorkers on the prowl for sight gags. Often the videos have a setup-punchline rhythm, opening with establishing shots, then zooming in to catch the telling details. An elderly man in a parking lot lights a joint with a magnifying glass. A guy on a rooftop shaves his chest with an electric razor. An N.Y.P.D. traffic officer races to catch up with a shirtless civilian who has gone joyriding in his police car. Ah, the flesh. For the last four weeks, it has been everywhere in fashionland: side-boob, under-boob, butt cheek, butt cleft, belly button, nipples, hip bones, upper ribs, the whole sweep of the back from skull through spine a veritable bounty of body parts, unclad, cut out and otherwise on view for all to see on runways in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Barely covered by straps and wisps of lace, flying free beneath scrims of mesh and shredded denim; the deconstructed memory of undergarments gone rogue, coming this spring to a sidewalk near you. When garments began to disappear a year ago, there was a lot of theorizing about post-pandemic freedom and how the spate of public nakedness was simply an expression of pent-up desire for social contact and the breeze on our skin. It seems increasingly clear, however, that this kind of physical reveal the let-it-all-hang-out, uncontained, sheer corporeality of it all is the rawest expression of a new conversation taking place around dress and the body. There were 333 percent more low-waist skirts and 78 percent more low-waist pants on the spring 2023 runways than there were during the same season a year ago (which was itself heralded as the barest in recent memory), with more than 15 percent more visible lingerie and more than 10 percent more transparent clothing, according to Alexandra Van Houtte, the founder of Tagwalk, a search engine for fashion. Even in an industry that has long fetishized provocation, where undressing is part of the historical cycle of all dressing, those are striking numbers. Ms. Hochul, for her part, is facing a stronger-than-expected challenge from Representative Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor, as she runs for her first full term. Two recent polls showed Ms. Hochuls lead over Mr. Zeldin shrinking. Ms. Hochul provided a new slogan for the subway plan: Cops, Cameras and Care. She said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state-run transit agency, had already installed more than 200 cameras on subway trains following her announcement last month that officials would install two security cameras on every car. She said that the state would make a significant investment from a state public emergency fund to pay for the overtime shifts. The governor also said the state would set up two new units at psychiatric centers, including 50 inpatient beds, to help those with serious mental illnesses. And she said that the M.T.A. police, a separate force, would be deployed into subway stations at four major commuter railroad hubs, including Penn Station and Grand Central Station. The head of the citys major police union immediately criticized the subway safety plan and said that it was unsustainable to keep asking police officers to work more overtime shifts, especially when many officers had left the department. The increased workload is crushing the cops who remain, Patrick J. Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement. The answer is not to squeeze them for more forced OT. Mr. Lynch called instead for wage increases and better working conditions to retain officers. He said the idea of omnipresence was an illusion. Mr. Adams endorsed Ms. Hochul for governor, and they have established a better working relationship than their predecessors, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who constantly fought in public. But Mr. Adams has pushed Ms. Hochul to make changes to bail reform to make it easier to keep people in jail, providing a talking point for Mr. Zeldin. The inner workings of the Chinese Communist Party are often hard to decipher, but the core organizational structure has not changed much in recent years. On Saturday, the roughly 2,300 delegates who attended the past weeks twice-a-decade party congress elected around 200 full members to the Central Committee. It is the partys top leadership body and pulls from a cross-section of its luminaries, including military officers, provincial officials and ministers. The Central Committee has convened a meeting on Sunday to select about 25 officials who will comprise the Politburo, its executive policymaking body. (The precise number has varied in the past.) The selection is often done through back-room dealings. Historically, the group has been almost exclusively male, consisting of figures like party secretaries of major cities and directors of significant government offices. From there, the group is further narrowed to the Politburo Standing Committee, the inner circle of power in Chinese politics. The committees members are responsible for the day-to-day running of the country. When Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, a rapidly rising young Lithuanian conductor, announced last year that she would step down from her post as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras music director, her statement had the euphemistic wording of a breakup. This is a deeply personal decision, she said at the time, reflecting my desire to step away from the organizational and administrative responsibilities of being a music director at this particular moment in my life and focusing more on my purely musical activities. But she was being honest: An outlier in classical music, at 36 she would rather dedicate time to her own interests and her growing family than be tied to an orchestra. When I met her in January, as she was preparing a new production of Janaceks The Cunning Little Vixen in Munich as part of a year dedicated to various iterations of that opera, she said lightheartedly, Im not sure the big orchestras will be interested in having me if I say Ill do only Vixen for the whole season. I would fake back injuries. I would fake migraine headaches. I had eight doctors going at the same time, Perry said. I would wake up and have to get 55 Vicodin that day, and figure out how to do it. When youre a drug addict, its all math. I go to this place, and I need to take three. And then I go to this place, and Im going to take five because Im going to be there longer. Its exhausting but you have to do it or you get very, very sick. I wasnt doing it to feel high or to feel good. I certainly wasnt a partyer; I just wanted to sit on my couch, take five Vicodin and watch a movie. That was heaven for me. It no longer is. Perry said he had been clean for 18 months, which means that he was newly drug- and alcohol-free when the Friends reunion aired in May 2021. Ive probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober, he estimated. Most addicts dont have Perrys resources. But they have what he called the gift of anonymity, while his bleakest moments have been photographed, chronicled and occasionally mocked. For the record, Perry isnt a huge fan of secrecy as it pertains to Alcoholics Anonymous, where he sponsors three members. He explained: It suggests that theres a stigma and that we have to hide. This is not a popular opinion, by the way. Perrys demeanor brightened when we talked about pickleball, his latest obsession. He built a court at the house hes moving into in the Palisades. He plays with friends and hired pros. He said, I thought it would be a good idea, to pump myself up, to play pickleball before this interview, but basically Im about to fall asleep in your lap. So what inspired him to write a book? After his extended stay in a Los Angeles hospital, Perry started tapping out his life story on the Notes app on his phone. When he hit 110 pages, he showed them to his manager, who told him to keep going. He worked at his dining room table for about two hours a day, no more: It was hard to face all this stuff. Hundreds of Republicans running for national and statewide offices have questioned or spread misinformation about the 2020 election, in some cases outright denying President Bidens victory. To understand how thoroughly these views have seeped into American politics, my colleagues Karen Yourish and Danielle Ivory combed through statements from more than 550 Republican candidates. I spoke with them about what they found. Ashley: Why do many Republicans continue to question the 2020 election? Danielle: There are candidates who seem to genuinely believe what theyre saying, and some who probably feel like they have to talk about it. Donald Trump and many of the partys core supporters have made questioning 2020 a litmus test for Republican candidates. Some Republicans have learned that they cant drop this issue because theres pressure from Trump or the people around him. One example is Tim Michels, a candidate for governor in Wisconsin. He said he would not prioritize decertification of the 2020 election, which is not legally possible. Then there was an uproar from Trumps camp. So Michels started promoting 2000 Mules, a documentary that purports to show election fraud but is based on an erroneous premise. You put the candidates into different categories: those who openly said the election was stolen and those who questioned the election in other ways. Why distinguish between them? For more than two years, shuttered schools and offices, social distancing and masks granted Americans a reprieve from flu and most other respiratory infections. This winter is likely to be different. With few to no restrictions in place and travel and socializing back in full swing, an expected winter rise in Covid cases appears poised to collide with a resurgent influenza season, causing a twindemic or even a tripledemic, with a third pathogen, respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., in the mix. Cases of flu have begun to tick up earlier than usual, and are expected to soar over the coming weeks. Children infected with R.S.V. (which has similar symptoms to flu and Covid), rhinoviruses and enteroviruses are already straining pediatric hospitals in several states. Were seeing everything come back with a vengeance, said Dr. Alpana Waghmare, an infectious diseases expert at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and a physician at Seattle Childrens Hospital. If you find that land, you move on to step two: Get the entitlements (local approval) and permits. That, too, takes a year or so, if all goes well. But often all does not go well. The neighbors fight you, and frequently they sue you. In Venice home of the legendary boardwalk the Venice Dell Community project is trying to turn a parking lot owned by the city into a 140-unit building for homeless residents, low-income artists and families, all of it designed by a star architect. The development is being fought and even sued by a collection of local homeowners who charge, among other things, that Venice desperately needs this parcel to address our chronic parking shortage, that the new housing would be an eyesore completely divorced from sound architectural principles and that it is being developed with no environmental review in a designated tsunami zone and FEMA Special Flood Hazard Zone. (When do Angelenos want affordable housing? Now! Where do they want it? Not here!) Surviving the gantlet of local opposition often means agreeing to a range of concessions that send costs ballooning. To try to neutralize local attacks, developers hire pricey architects, redo plans repeatedly, make all kinds of aesthetic and architectural concessions or additions, hire extra lawyers and auditors, and on and on. Even if a project does survive all this, it does so at a higher per-unit cost, which then, of course, becomes one more data point that gets wielded in opposition to the next project. This is a place where Carusos anger at Los Angeless slow pace and high cost of development collided, in our interview, with his sympathy toward (or his need to win votes from) angry homeowners. Caruso is a developer known for classy megaprojects like the mall at The Grove and Palisades Village, and he leaned heavily on the lessons of those efforts. Theres always community concerns, he told me. You always take enough time to listen to the community, take in their comments, and find common ground. Ive gotten every one of my projects proposed around the L.A. area approved, and approved quickly. When I suggested to him that communities may have a different response to housing the homeless than hosting upscale movie theaters and chain stores, he didnt buy it. When you go into neighborhoods like Venice, what I hear is theyre very supportive of having affordable housing, of having housing for the homeless in the area. They just want the project designed and operated in a way reflective of their neighborhood. I dont think developers or the city should be arguing with that. Its the right thing to do. Listening to residents, he went on, means recognizing that scale matters. Consistency with the community matters. Architecture matters. And all that may be true. But as everyone who builds affordable housing told me, once you agree to everything that local homeowners want in those domains, you end up with small, expensive projects. Caruso wants to build more homes, more cheaply. Hes very excited about low-cost, prefabricated projects. He also wants to listen more to local homeowners and honor their preferences more fully in these projects. Theres a tension between these two visions that he has not resolved. The Biden administration unveiled its student loan forgiveness application online a week ago. Twitter lit up with joyful posts about debt relief, as well as about the surprisingly easy process. Incredible. Took about 120 seconds. Super easy and painless. I feel so hopeful! Twenty-two million people submitted applications during the first week the website was open, eight million of them over the first weekend, a startling contrast to the six people (not six million, nor 6,000 just six) who successfully negotiated the Obamacare website on the day of its launch in 2013. As professors of public policy, we have shared our research on how administrative burdens make vital public services harder to access with the Biden administration, and we spoke with Department of Education officials about how many people might participate in the program (though we played no role in helping design this process or the application itself). Even so, it was astonishing for us to see just how simple it is to apply for debt relief. Other aspects of the situation are less simple. Student loan forgiveness is subject to intense political disagreement and multiple lawsuits. On Friday, a federal appeals court issued a temporary stay that halted the potential discharge of debt. But borrowers can still submit applications and the Biden administration immediately made it clear that it would like them to do so. The order does not reverse the trial courts dismissal of the case or suggest that the case has merit, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said. Setting aside the conflict over policy, the streamlined application shows what is possible when government prioritizes the public in the delivery of public services. The form can be completed in just a couple of minutes. It works on both a computer and a smartphone, and it is available in Spanish and English. Its three simple pages: a welcome page, a form and a confirmation page on which applicants attest that they are eligible. Beneficiaries do not have to create an account with a password, a seemingly small step that can actually discourage people from starting. Applicants need five pieces of information: name, Social Security number, date of birth, phone number and email address. Thats it. Each week, our survey of recent residential sales in New York City and the surrounding region focuses on homes that sold around a certain price point, allowing you to compare single-family homes, condos and co-ops in different locales. The list price is the asking price when the property came on the market with the most recent broker. The time on the market is measured from the most recent listing to the closing date of the sale. New Jersey | 3 bedrooms, 1 baths $400,000 In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, a voter analytics firm called PredictWise came up with a novel approach to help Democratic campaigns target persuadable Republicans: Covid concern scores. To create the scores, the company first analyzed an immense data set showing the cellphone locations of tens of millions of Americans during the initial lockdown months of the pandemic. Then it ranked people based on their travel patterns. Republicans whose phone locations showed that they left home a lot received high Covid-19 decree violation scores, while those who mainly stayed home received low scores, according to a PredictWise report. In follow-up surveys of some voters, researchers found that stay-at-home Republicans were almost as concerned about the pandemic as Democrats. The firm said it had used the data to help Democrats in several swing states target more than 350,000 Covid-concerned Republicans with Covid-related campaign ads. In Arizona, PredictWise reported, the scores helped Democrats open up just over 40,000 persuasion targets for Mark Kelly, who was running for Senate. (Senator Kellys office did not respond to emails and calls requesting comment.) It is an established fact of human development that most of the people who grew up to be cool and original were nerds for a while, way back when. Case in point: the enchanting Jill Sobule, best known for her 1995 hit song I Kissed a Girl, and currently starring in the winsome and defiant autobiographical musical F*ck7thGrade. Seventh grade being, as she tells it, the year when it all fell apart when she no longer fit in with the other girls at her school in Colorado, and they werent shy about telling her so. They thought I was weird because I had a Batman utility belt and a camera that turned into a 007 gun, she says, and your heart kind of breaks even as you smile, because she must have been darling, right? Then, with an air of baffled wonder: I was the only one who wanted to be a spy. She also dreamed of being a rock star, and longed for the girl she had a secret crush on to reciprocate. But it was the early 1970s, and Sobule didnt fit the template of sugar and spice and everything nice. The girls who had been her friends rejected her. One of them lobbed a homophobic slur her way. I am the low-cost, high-volume producer in the public interest legal space, Mr. Blum said in an interview. No bricks, no mortar, no employees. I pay myself $48,000 a year for this mishegoss, he said, using the Yiddish word for craziness. Public information about the sources of the money used to finance the lawsuits filed by Students for Fair Admissions is limited, and Mr. Blum would describe the groups donors only in general terms. Most of our funding has come from a dozen high-net-worth individuals and probably a dozen conservative foundations, he said. We have received over 5,000 individual contributions, from $5 to sometimes up to $1,000. There are some foundations that have disclosed that they have supported these lawsuits publicly. The bulk of them Im not going to disclose. Mr. Blum confirmed reports in tax filings that his group had received $1.5 million in donations from Donors Trust, $500,000 from Searle Freedom Trust and $250,000 from the Sarah Scaife Foundation. All are supporters of conservative or libertarian causes. U.N.C.s own litigation expenses have exceeded $24 million as of July, according to a response to a public records request from the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a nonprofit group that says it seeks to broaden the diversity of ideas taught at universities. No state-appropriated or tuition dollars are being used, U.N.C. told the center. Asked for clarification by The New York Times, the university issued a cryptic statement: While all institutions receive state appropriations and tuition categorized as general funds, they also rely on other funding sources to support operations, including grants, contracts, donor funds and auxiliary enterprises. Legal experts said the universities legal fees were both substantial and unsurprising. Lets be real: They are really large numbers, Professor Baker said. But in an era when lawyers at top law firms are billing over $1,000 an hour without even blinking, it doesnt take a lot to get to those kinds of numbers in a hard-fought case. GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba A military judge has canceled pretrial hearings in the Sept. 11 case at Guantanamo Bay while prosecutors await a response from the Biden administration on a proposed plea deal that would avert a death-penalty trial for the five defendants. The judge, Col. Matthew N. McCall, postponed the next hearings until at least Jan. 16 while policymakers decide whether to agree to conditions from the defendants concerning their post-conviction confinement. His order, dated Oct. 13, quoted prosecutors as saying they did not expect a response until perhaps next year. Colonel McCall ordered the prosecutors to update him on the issue every two weeks starting on Dec. 16. The judge did not describe the issues that are being discussed. But people with knowledge of the negotiations have said the defense is seeking a pledge from the government that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is accused of masterminding the attacks, and the others will not be held in solitary confinement. The men, who were secretly held for three and four years in C.I.A. black site prisons, have also asked the government to establish a civilian torture treatment program for them. Mr. Xi made clear that he was deeply involved in choosing the new cohort of officials. A top criterion for selection was loyalty to Mr. Xi, said an official account of the selection process that was published over the weekend. Rising officials, it said, must stay in lock step with him in thinking, politics and action. But investing so much power in Mr. Xi is a profound gamble. History is replete with examples of autocrats blinded by hubris and overreach after they surrounded themselves with subordinates afraid to report bad news. Mr. Xis decade in power has already produced examples of overstepping or disastrous foot-dragging, notably in early 2020 when local authorities initially tried to conceal evidence that Covid, then little understood, was infectious. Some scholars argue that such risks will grow now that he has cleared the Politburo of potential mavericks. That kind of pressure on people is really going to result in poor implementation of policy, at a minimum, said Susan Shirk, a former deputy assistant secretary of state during the Clinton administration and author of a new book, Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise. People wont dare tell him the actual downsides and costs of his policies and the problems theyre creating, she said. Everyone is going to be competing among themselves to show how loyal they are, and theyll end up overdoing it. Even Chinas censorship apparatus seemed to betray some sensitivity about the publics response to Mr. Xis power. State accounts on social media turned off their comment sections or showed only upbeat reactions to the news of his new term. A few dissenting views briefly evaded the censors, some using veiled language to lament Mr. Xis omnipresence, others asking why Hu Chunhua, once seen as a potential successor to Premier Li Keqiang, had been shunted off the leadership team. The rise and fall of Liz Truss, Britains six-week prime minister, embodies a seismic and long-mounting change in British politics, though its cause and consequences may not always be obvious. Ms. Truss was only the fourth British leader to win the job through a particularly American practice newly common in her country: a party primary. As in most parliamentary democracies, British parties, for most of their history, chose their leaders, and therefore the prime minister, through a poll of party officials. But in recent elections, Britain has shifted that power to party bases, which now select party leaders in elections somewhat like those held in the United States for party nominations. Russian-installed officials urged all residents in the southern city of Kherson to leave immediately on Saturday as Ukrainian troops continued to advance, a sign of Moscows shaky hold on the strategic city. The pro-Moscow regional administration strongly urged civilians to use boats to cross the Dnipro River and move farther into Russian-held territory because of the increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks. Last week, the occupation authorities in Kherson said they were launching an operation to evacuate thousands of civilians to the rivers east bank. Kyiv has described the relocation effort as a propaganda show designed to scare civilians with claims that Ukraine would shell the city. Kherson, which sits on the west bank of the river, was captured by Russia early in the eight-month-long war. It is a major industrial port city, the capital of one of the four regions Russia has illegally annexed and the only major city west of the Dnipro that Moscow holds. Ukraines Infrastructure Ministry again blamed Russia for deliberately slowing grain exports to stymie the U.N.-brokered deal that resumed Ukrainian agricultural exports by sea over the summer, adding fuel to a brewing battle over whether the deal will be extended. Ukraines three open ports are operating at less than a third of their normal capacity because of Russian interference, the ministry said on Sunday in a statement on Facebook. The Kremlin has not responded to Ukraines allegations. The deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, has been on shaky ground. Signed in July, it ended a five-month Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports and freed millions of tons of agricultural products for a 120-day period, which will end next month. Ukraine says it wants the deal extended, but last week Russia threatened to refuse to renew the deal if Moscows demands over its food and fertilizer exports are not met. In September, Sergey V. Lavrov, Russias foreign minister, criticized the deal for not increasing Russian exports as promised, saying that the West was not removing the logistic sanctions to open up markets to its grain and fertilizer, according to Reuters. A Russian fighter jet smashed into a home in the Siberian city of Irkutsk during a test flight on Sunday, killing the two pilots, Russian state media reported. It was the second crash of a Russian warplane in a residential area within a week. The plane, an Su-30, set off a fire, but there were no civilian casualties and the blaze has been extinguished, Russias state-run news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials. The crash, and one on Monday that left 14 people dead, have come as Russias military is under major pressure in its war in Ukraine, facing battlefield setbacks and growing criticism from war supporters who say the countrys defense ministry has bungled the fight. The Russian Investigative Committee, the countrys main investigation agency, sent forensic specialists to the scene in Irkutsk to investigate, the RIA-Novosti state news agency said. In an emailed statement, the marina said that even though Turkey has not adopted sanctions, because it recognizes international concerns, the Solaris has been kept outside the marinas boundaries. As for the vessels associated with Imperial Yachts, the marina said that it did not know, as the summer is quite a busy time and that it didnt have a system in place to check whether an individual yacht might fall under international sanctions. In August, the Eclipse, one of the yachts linked to Mr. Abramovich, was anchored in the middle of the bay off Gocek, a three-and-a-half-hour drive down the coast from Yalkavak. On an early morning in August, Omer Krpat, 56, was fishing on the shore in Gocek, sitting under a willow tree overlooking the yachts. The bells arent jingling, he said, pointing to the bells attached to his rods to alert him when the fish bite. He showed his bucket with one lone fish inside, explaining that the fish avoid the shore because of pollution and noise from the boats. Port Azure, the Gocek marina hosting the Flying Fox, was built over the port of a state-owned paper factory where Mr. Krpat worked for 13 years as a security guard until it was privatized in 2001. He used to go there to swim, fish and have picnics every weekend with other factory workers and their families. It was sparkly clean, he said. We caught the biggest fish there. He tried to go into Port Azure last year but was chased away. Were banned, he said. Soon they wont even allow us to look inside. Its heartbreaking. LONDON Boris Johnson pulled out of the race to succeed Liz Truss as Britains prime minister on Sunday evening, ending a quixotic bid to reclaim a job he lost three months ago amid a cascade of scandals, and leaving his rival, Rishi Sunak, in a commanding position to be the countrys next leader. The result of the contest will not be known until Monday afternoon at the earliest, and there is still room for further twists. Mr. Johnson did not endorse Mr. Sunak, and another ambitious candidate, Penny Mordaunt, remains in the hunt. But Mr. Johnsons withdrawal removes much of the suspense from a race that was shaping up as an epic battle between the former prime minister and his onetime chancellor. Mr. Johnson said he believed he had a path to victory, even though the BBC estimated he had lined up the public support of only 57 Conservative lawmakers. It was well short of the threshold of 100 required to be on the ballot, though he claimed he had 102 votes. Whatever the case, he said in a statement, I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. Ukraine shot down the first such drone in the countrys east on Sept. 13 and has since downed at least 237, the Ukrainian military said in a statement last week. We are trying to quickly adapt to the new reality, Mr. Sak said. Exploding drones are a rapidly emerging class of weapons that are proliferating around the world and likely to become a staple of modern armed conflicts, military analysts say. That is a point that Ukrainian officials have been making in seeking air defense assistance from their allies. If Ukraine can learn to shoot the drones down with its three-pronged effort, allied countries militaries could reap the benefits of this hard-won experience, Mr. Sak said. There have been notable successes. One Ukrainian MiG pilot won folk hero status in Ukraine this month for shooting down five Iranian Shahed-136 drones over the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, only to be forced to eject after crashing into the debris of the last one. The pilot, Karaya who identified himself by only his nickname, according to military policy told the local news media afterward, Within a short period of time, we are adapting to this kind of weapon and are starting to destroy it successfully. After colliding with the airborne debris, he said, Karaya steered his MiG away from Vinnytsia and ejected. The jet crashed into houses in an outlying area, but injured nobody on the ground. Karaya later visited the site to apologize. I visited the scene, said I was sorry for the discomfort I caused the residents and thanked them for their steel nerves, he wrote on Instagram, saying he showed up in his tattered uniform, missing epaulets. He joked that it was a violation of military protocol. Lost them while leaving the office, he wrote. While fighter jets have been effective against Iranian drones, said Yurii Ignat, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, the approach is costly because of its use of air-to-air missiles. Its frustrating that we must hit these drones with expensive missiles, he said. What else can we do? This is the reality now. Before Russias arsenal included the Iranian-made drones, beginning in August, Ukraine had an edge in drone warfare. ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine With winter about to set in, Russia and Ukraine are locked in heavy exchanges of fire across the front line in increasingly urgent attempts to make gains big or small while they still can. Attacks flared in the Sumy region in the north, where rockets and mortars hit at least six settlements on Saturday, half a year after Russian forces withdrew from the area. And in Russian-occupied areas of the south, Ukrainian forces struck targets, among them a hotel used by Russian officials and local collaborators. It was loud again in Enerhodar, the towns mayor, Dmytro Orlov, who is in exile, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app alongside a photo of a burning building. Both sides in the south have been striking deep behind each others lines, but in recent days, the battlefield positions have not appeared to move much. In other parts of the country, Russian cruise missiles and drones struck across Ukrainian territory, as Moscows campaign to cripple Ukraines energy supplies continued. Hurricane Roslyn brought damaging winds and storm surge to west-central Mexico on Sunday and killed at least three people before being downgraded to a tropical storm and breaking up inland, officials said. The storm dissipated Sunday night over east-central Mexico after bringing heavy rains and flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center said. There were reports of damage in the state of Nayarit, where the storm made landfall early Sunday. Nearly 100,000 people had lost power across the country, and residents of some affected communities faced road blockages from fallen trees or mud, as the authorities worked to make necessary repairs and survey any further damages. Jorge Benito Rodriguez Martinez, secretary of security in Nayarit, confirmed the death of a 39-year-old woman, Ana Pimentel Moreno, from the Rosamorada municipality. She was killed when her house collapsed. It looks like JavaScript is either disabled or turned off. Please enable JavaScript to correctly view this web site. Parece que JavaScript esta desactivado o apagado. Por favor, activar JavaScript para ver este sitio de web. Afigura-se o JavaScript esta desativado ou desligado. Por favor ative o JavaScript para visualizar este site. Il semble que JavaScript est dasactive. S'il vous plait, activer JavaScript pour visualiser ce site. Offaly students Enda Callaghan and Shauna Slattery were awarded Naughton Foundation Scholarships worth 20,000 each at a ceremony in the Trinity Business School in Dublin recently. The award was presented by founding patrons of the Naughton Foundation, Dr. Martin Naughton, and his wife Carmel, who were joined by Mr. Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to award winning students with their accolades and cheques. Supporting academic and innovative excellence in Irish students, the Naughton Foundation Scholarship Awards are an investment in the future of Ireland's reputation as a country with outstanding graduates promoting the study of engineering, science, and technology at third level. County Offaly had two Naughton Scholars awarded on the day, Enda Callaghan, a former student of Colaiste Naomh Cormac has accepted a place at University of Limerick studying Engineering and Shauna Slattery, formerly of Sacred Heart School has accepted a place studying Physics at Dublin City University. Since its establishment in 2008, scholarships worth over 6 million have been awarded to over 350 students. The scheme started in three counties and has continued to expand annually to become a nationwide scheme in 2016. There is one guaranteed scholarship (20,000) for each participating county, with some counties awarded more than one scholarship and each scholarship is worth 5,000 per annum for each year of a students three- or four-year undergraduate degree. Enda and Shauna both join 37 exceptional Irish students who were awarded third level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science, technology, and maths. Both prize winners former secondary schools Colaiste Naomh Cormac and Sacred Heart School were awarded a prize of 1000 each towards their schools science facilities, for their support of these students. More than 250 schools have also benefited from this prize to date with some schools receiving it on more than one occasion. Speaking about the growth and development of the programme over the past fourteen years, Dr. Martin Naughton has said: We started supporting students in their science and engineering studies in Louth, Meath, and Monaghan in 2008 to give back to our local area. We never imagined what a wonderful community of connected young people the Naughton Scholarship programme would become. Our Alumni are an incredible group working in the best Universities, research institutes and businesses across the world. Each year we hear back from them on the value of this network to them and the connections it has given them across disciplines and Ireland. They are a wonderful group of young people that are all giving back to society in their own way that we are very proud to be connected with. Brits should ditch their social media support for Ukraine if they are unwilling to face blackouts this winter, warned Lord Adair Turner. History has been made in China after it was confirmed that President Xi Jinping will remain in power - breaking with a decades-long precedent that limits the terms of Chinese leaders. Thousands of Canadians are calling on the federal government to lift a recent ban on imports of rescue dogs from countries with a "high risk" of canine rabies but a representative of a veterinary association says the move was necessary to protect public health. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak was front-runner Sunday in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister, as he garnered the public support of over 100 Tory lawmakers to forge ahead of his two main rivals ousted former prime minister Boris Johnson and ex-cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt. Irelands premier has called on the DUP to honour the mandate of the people of Northern Ireland by contributing to the restoration of the Stormont institutions as the election deadline looms. Boris Johnson returned to Britain from holiday on Saturday to consider an audacious bid for a second term as prime minister in a race that could pit him Miss Earth Colombia 2022 Andrea Aguilera Arroyave has been officially crowned on Friday, October 21 during the Women Economic Forum at Centro de eventos Valle del Pacifico in Cali. Miss Earth Colombia 2022 Andrea Aguilera Arroyave has been officially crowned on Friday, October 21 during the Women Economic Forum at Centro de eventos Valle del Pacifico in Cali. The social communicator and journalist, 25, was appointed last month as her country's representative in the upcoming Miss Earth 2022 pageant in the Philippines. Joining the event and the coronation ceremony was reigning Miss Earth Destiny Wagner, who arrived fresh from her trip to Miami, Florida for the Latinx Travel Summit 2022. Here they are together with the Miss Earth Colombia 2023 contestants: Photos: Miss Earth Colombia Photo: (Photo : Mark Thompson/Getty Images) Honda is giving away more than $2 million in financial support to 25 organizations across the United States, with teen driver safety being the main focus of these grants. They support a wide array of initiatives, aiming at teen drivers in the areas of training, resources, and education that supplement or go beyond mandated state driver's programs or traditional driver's training courses. With nearly a third of annual traffic fatalities in the country involving drivers under 25, Honda invited various organizations during the National Teen Driver Safety Week in October 2021 to propose ideas that will help improve teen driver safety. Honda ultimately selected 25 organizations working to advance safety awareness and driver education in their communities. The funding from the Japanese carmaker will support them. New grant applications are being accepted by the auto giant through October 31 this year for funding in 2023. Honda is committed to advancing teen driver safety in the U.S. The teen driver safety initiative builds on the company's longstanding "Safety for Everyone" approach, a commitment by Honda to advance safety for everyone sharing the road. The carmaker has also added information regarding teen safety to its consumer website's safety education section. Yvette Hunsicker, who is American Honda Motor Co., Inc.'s vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Inclusion & Diversity, said that the company is pleased to support organizations that are actively working at the national level and in their local communities to advance education and safety awareness among teen drivers. She added that together, they hope to identify the most effective ways to reach and positively influence young drivers. Read Also: Parents Worry After Florida Schools Ask Female Student-Athletes About Their Menstrual History Who are the 2022 Honda Teen Traffic Safety Grant Awardees? The Honda Teen Traffic Safety Grant Awardees for the year 2022 are Advancement through Opportunity & Knowledge, Inc. - Los Angeles, California; Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation - Swedesboro, New Jersey; Clemson University Foundation - Clemson, S.C.; Coastal Georgia Center for Driver Safety - Savannah, Georgia; Croom Foundation - Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Daybreak, Inc. - Dayton, Ohio; DCCCA, Inc. - Ames, Iowa; Edheads - Hilliard, Ohio; Financial Beginnings California - Portland, Oregon; Grady Memorial Hospital - Atlanta; Heart of Unlimited Boundaries, Inc. - West Liberty, Ohio; John R Elliott Foundation - Somers Point, New Jersey; Littleton Public Schools Driver Education - Littleton, Colorado; Maria Tiberi Foundation - Dublin, Ohio; Miami-Dade County Public Schools - Miami; Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center - Zanesville, Ohio; National Safety Council - Itasca, Illinois; Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation - Columbus, Ohio; Put On The B.R.A.K.E.S., Inc. - Concord, North Carolina; Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD, Inc.) - Washington, D.C.; Safe Kids Worldwide - Washington, D.C.; SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. - Altadena, California; ThinkFirst Foundation - Naperville, Illinois; University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Educational Foundation - Birmingham, Alabama; and West Athens Westmont Community Resource Corp. - Manhattan Beach, California. Honda is working to improve safety for everyone sharing the road based on its vision for a collision-free society by the year 2050. The automaker operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash-test facilities in Japan and Ohio, according to Automotive World. Related Article: Atlanta Dad Shares Emotional Message on Mental Health After Daughter's Tragic Suicide Photo: (Photo : Fujikama) Dandruff appears to be a common scalp condition that usually causes flaky skin and an itchy scalp, according to Kids Health. This typically occurs when massive dead skin cells build up on the scalp. It is also a mild form of seborrheic dermatitis, and its cause is unknown. It is a type of eczema that can evolve where the skin is oily and hairy. Moreover, there are factors that can worsen dandruff - stress, cold and dry weather, and allergies to certain hair and scalp products. Nevertheless, dandruff is not contagious but is very common in kids, teenagers, and adults. Usually, dandruff starts once children reach puberty, as this is generally the age when the oil glands become more active. Dandruff is more likely to affect boys and men. This condition usually starts between the ages of 10 and 20 and affects more than 40 percent of individuals over 30. Understanding the causes of dandruff in kids will help parents with effective preventive measures. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests parents gently exfoliate the babies' scalp as it will help lessen and shed the scalp of excess skin. AAP told parents to use a soft bristle while bathing the toddler. Read Also: How Too Much Amniotic Fluid Is Linked to an Increased Risk of Stillbirth What are the possible causes of dandruff? Anyone can have dandruff, as many teens and adults live with it. The hormone levels are normally high, particularly during the teen years, which causes more oil production, and this could be the main reason why such a condition begins around puberty. Healthcare providers diagnose dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis only based on symptoms such as an itchy scalp and flakes on the shoulders, along with some exams. Dr. Amy McMichael, chair of the department of dermatology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told the outlet that over-shampooing puts an individual at risk of getting dandruff. Dr. Alicia Zalka, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., told WebMD that food with high sugar and processed foods lead to insulin spikes, eventually stimulating hormone surges that can typically trigger the output of oil. Thus, the general restriction of any fatty and fried foods, refined sugar, processed food, and gluten may reduce flaking. Treatments and home remedies Regular cleansing with a gentle shampoo to lessen oil and skin cell buildup helps, but if this does not work, try using a medicated dandruff shampoo, as some kids can tolerate consuming a medicated shampoo two to three times a week with shampooing daily on other days if needed. Dr. Alan J. Bauman, a hair-restoration doctor in Boca Raton, added that sweets and yeast-containing foods such as bread and beverages like beer and wine could trigger fungal growth. Parents over bathe babies, which usually leads to skin problems; in most cases, it can build up on their scalps. Sadly, there is no cure for dandruff; however, it can be controlled, thus, reserving a permanent space in the shower for specialized treatment. A study entitled Treatment of Dandruff With 5 percent Tea Tree Oil Shampoo determined it might be an effective treatment against dandruff, per Healthline. Related Article: TikTok Mom Cites the Health Benefits of Not Bathing Her Newborn Baby for One Month Photo: (Photo : WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images) A mom and her son were recently rushed to a hospital in Massachusetts with severe liver damage after consuming mushrooms that they had foraged for dinner. They were given a compassionate use drug for treatment, according to Boston 25 News. UMass Memorial Medical Center issued a news release, saying that Kam Look and her son Kai Chen were outside a few weeks ago gathering mushrooms that looked similar to ones that they had been able to safely forage back in Malaysia. As they both ate their meal, they suddenly became ill. They decided to transport themselves to nearby Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for treatment. Medical officials immediately recognized that the pair, who hails from Amhurst, needed a higher level of intervention. They decided to transfer both patients to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Mom and son had severe liver damage following mushroom poisoning The mom and son were both said to be suffering from severe, life-threatening liver damage with a death rate that is estimated to be between 30 and 50 percent. A toxicology expert, who identified the mushroom poisoning, knew that the patients had no time to waste. According to the hospital, the expert had an investigational new drug that required special approval flown in from the city of Philadelphia. Fellow toxicology experts from around the United States then consulted with dozens of caregivers from UMass Memorial on how they can save the mother and son, according to CBS News. These desperate measures helped Kai improve slowly from his condition and he was able to be discharged from the hospital a few days later. The same can't be said of Kam, though, with medical officials saying that she needed more dramatic intervention because of the mushroom poisoning. She was placed on the transplant list in hopes that a donated liver could save her life due to the severity of the damage to her organ. Read Also: Fired San Antonio Cop Posts Bond After Being Charged in Shooting of Teen Both Kam and Kai survive the health scare Fortunately for Kam, she received the liver within a few days and a high-stakes surgery was performed on her. The mother spent several days intubated in the ICU following the transplant with specially trained transplant caregivers carefully monitoring her, according to Telegram & Gazette. They used a complex array of medications to keep the mom stable. Kam responded to the treatment and slowly recovered. She was moved to an acute care floor, and eventually to a rehabilitation facility. After a long wait, Kam is now set to return home. The clinical team as well as Kam and Kai are slated to gather at the hospital on Thursday, October 20, to share to others a major message of caution about mushrooms. According to UMass health officials, mushroom poisoning is part of a concerning trend that involves a subculture of foragers. They scour the internet to find and identify mushrooms not only for eating but also for a psychedelic experience. Related Article: COVID Vaccines for Children Updated as Omicron Booster Shots Cleared for Kids as Young as 5 Photo: (Photo : Rachel Woolf/Getty Images) A Michigan family of four has not been seen or heard for days after the dad called 911 and exhibited paranoid behavior, cops said. Michigan State Police and Fremont police said that family members had not heard from Anthony and Suzette Cirigliano or their teen sons Brandon and Noah since Sunday, October 16, and their phones had been turned off. According to Police Chief Tim Rodwell, investigators don't have any evidence of foul play in connection with their disappearance. He told WOOD of Grand Rapids, however, that everyone who knows the Cirigliano family was shocked by their disappearance. Cops describe the family's disappearance as abnormal They all describe this disappearance as extremely abnormal behavior from Tony and Suzette. Rodwell said that an elderly relative who has dementia was found on Monday, October 17, walking in the neighborhood. The Ciriglianos were taking care of that relative before they vanished. Other family members are now taking care of her, according to NBC News. Rodwell said in the interview that they don't see any signs of violence, and they don't see any signs of foul play right now. He added that there are no signs of a struggle inside the home. State police said that the two sons who disappeared both have autism. According to state police assisting in the case, Anthony Cirigliano exhibited paranoid behavior on Sunday, October 16. Rodwell said he called 911 early on Sunday, and when police officers arrived at his home, the dad was talking about information or issues regarding the September 11th attacks. The officers made sure at the time that everyone was safe and OK. Rodwell said they spent about an hour with Anthony and talked to his wife, Suzette. He said that was a very abnormal thing to say and make a police report of. Read Also: Parents Worry After Florida Schools Ask Female Student-Athletes About Their Menstrual History Family seen in gas station security video before vanishing The officers told Anthony and Suzette before they left to call the police if they had any other issues, and the cops would be there to help. They ask anyone who sees the Cirigliano family to contact the police department. Rodwell also asks that the parents let the family members know they are safe. According to state police, the missing family may be in a silver 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan with a Michigan registration of DJL1982. Fremont is a town located about 35 miles north of Grand Rapids. It has a population of around 4,500. Rodwell told the station that the Cirigliano family had lived there for four years now. They lived in the Jasper County area of South Carolina before their move to Fremont. According to the U.S. Sun, one of two sons who disappeared along with his entire family was seen in a gas station security video trying to use a phone before they vanished. Related Article: COVID Vaccines for Children Updated as Omicron Booster Shots Cleared for Kids as Young as 5 Photo: (Photo : Pexel/Furdi De Rivera) The third-largest Asian American subgroup in the United States is Filipinos. Filipino-American young people also face challenges and struggles faced by all kids in the U.S. These include an increase in suicidal behavior, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. However, a study entitled "Filipino help-seeking for mental health problems and associated barriers and facilitators: a systematic review" revealed that people of Filipino heritage in the U.S. are less likely to seek mental health help than the general population. The study further identified the reasons behind the slighter need for help. Filipinos overseas seek lesser assistance because of their "immigration status, lack of health insurance, language difficulty, experience of discrimination and lack of acculturation to host culture." Moreover, their "sense of resilience and self-reliance" allows them not to seek help unless it is the last resort or when the challenges become serious. Other prominent factors include "perception of distress, the influence of social support, financial capacity and previous positive experience in formal help." Filipino Family Health Initiative The Filipino community in Southern California is determined to improve their young people's mental health. This has been a priority for over a decade. And in that long yet satisfying journey, the community was able to create the Filipino Family Health Initiative founded by Dr. Joye Javier, Filipino-American Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Southern California. The initiative offers parenting workshops, where a group of health and mental health providers teaches Filipino parents to create and build a more intimate and stronger parent-child relationship, especially in their kids' school-age period. The team would encourage these Filipino parents to utilize positive parenting strategies like allowing their kids to open up to them and talk, all the while highlighting the unique strengths of "Filipino upbringing." The initiative has received positive feedback from parents who have attended the workshops. Parents report a significant decrease in parenting stress and child behavior challenges. Further, their kids are said to have lesser symptoms of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and they have observed increased use of affirmation and praise with their kids. Read Also: Children of Maya Millete to Remain with Larry Millete's Parents, Judge Rules Celebrate your heritage Here are the three main points of the Filipino Family Health Initiative workshops, which can be great tips for all parents worldwide, regardless of race and ethnicity. 1. Encourage the kids to talk about their feelings. An investigation by JAMA Pediatrics rings loud and clear, stating that kids who can talk openly about their feelings to their family are more likely to feel that their family and parents stand by them during their difficult moments. This is said to be an example of a positive childhood experience that can lead to healthier adult relationships and fewer mental health problems in the future. Filipino families don't often talk about their feelings, like many other cultures. So how can they start? Parents can begin by not invalidating children's feelings and ensuring their emotions are real and worthy of respect. 2. Teach the kids about their unique culture. Many Filipino young people living in America were raised not to celebrate their history and culture due to racism, discrimination, and colonial mentality. Thus, they miss what makes Filipino culture beautiful and set apart. Parents should remember that children, or even adults, with less cultural pride, can be at risk of having insufficient self-esteem and poorer mental health. Parents can take their children to community traditions and activities that highlight their heritage and foster pride in their culture. 3. Celebrate the strengths of one's culture. Filipinos are set apart for their cultural value called "Bayanihan" -willingness to help other people without asking anything in return and for their hospitality. And these characteristics have been challenged yet highlighted at the peak of the pandemic, with many Filipinos working as healthcare workers in the U.S. Parents should not miss opportunities to point out and celebrate the strengths of one's culture and, in the process, model these strengths to their children. Let the children have something to be proud of to lessen the risk of shame and the feeling of being different, leading to mental health struggles. Promote a sense of identity and self-worth in the kids, and they will take that as a tool to be healthy individuals in their journey. Related Article: 'Sesame Street' Makes History By Adding New Asian American Muppet Photo: (Photo : Parentingupstream from Pixabay ) According to a government report released on Wednesday, October 19, COVID-19 drove a dramatic spike in the number of women who died from childbirth or pregnancy complications in the United States last year. This crisis has disproportionately claimed Hispanic and Black women as victims. The report outlined worrying trends nationwide for pregnant moms and their newborn babies. The report found that pregnancy-related deaths have increased nearly 80 percent since 2018, with COVID being a factor in a quarter of the 1,178 deaths reported last year. The percentage of preterm and low birth weight infants rose last year after holding steady for years. In addition, more pregnant or postpartum women are reporting depression symptoms. Maternal death rate in the U.S. higher than in other developed nations Karen Tabb Dina, who works as a maternal health researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told NBC News that they were already in the middle of a crisis with maternal mortality in the U.S. She said this shows that COVID has exacerbated that crisis to rates that they, as a country, are not able to handle. U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan group that authored the report, analyzed pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. after Congress mandated them to review maternal health outcomes in the 2020 coronavirus relief bill. The maternal death rate in the United States is higher than in many other developed nations and has been increasing in the years leading up to the pandemic. COVID has only worsened conditions for pregnant women here in the country. Women who contract the coronavirus while they are pregnant face elevated health risks. To make matters worse for expecting moms, staffing shortages in clinics and hospitals and COVID-19 restrictions created more hurdles for them to get in-person healthcare. Stress brought upon by the COVID pandemic has also intensified expecting moms' depression, which is a common condition during pregnancy. Dina said that mental health issues likely contributed to the rise in pregnancy-related deaths. Read Also: Long Waiting Lists and High Costs Hinder Many Children's Access to Mental Health Care Maternal death rate grim for Black and Hispanic women She added that many women who experience anxiety and depression during or after pregnancy struggle to get the care they need. Dina noted that mental health is the most significant complication in pregnancy that they do not understand. Carolyn Yocom, director of the Government Accountability Office, noted that the biggest spike in deaths happened from July through December last year. She explained that the COVID-19 delta variant infected millions of Americans during that time. The maternal death rate is bleak for Black women, with pregnancy-related deaths for every 100,000 births climbing from 44 in 2019 to 68.9 last year, according to Axios. White women had maternal death rates of 26.1 last year, a jump from 17.9 recorded in 2019. Maternal death rates among Hispanics had declined, but they spiked again during the COVID pandemic. It climbed from 12.6 per 100,000 in 2019 to 27.5 in 2021. Related Article: Mother and Daughter Team Up To Tackle Lack Of Affordable Housing For Senior Citizens in Nashville President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) Dr Joseph Obeng has indicated that there is a powerful association behind black market operations in Ghana. He explained that these operators mostly receive up to date forex information that sometimes the regulated operators do not even have. Who is giving them this information? He asked on the New Day show with Roland Walker on TV3 Friday October 21. He added there is a cartel which is being built by black market, it is dangerous. Who is giving them the rate, it is a cartel. People are shying away from the main stream banks and and doing businesses with the Black markets. The Bank of Ghana (BoG), together with the Ghana Police Service, on Tuesday 20th September 2022, conducted a special operation on foreign exchange (forex) parallel market operators (otherwise known as black market operators) at identified hot spots within Business District (Rawlings Park, Tudu, Cowlane, Circle, Kimbu, Timber Market and Lava) and throughout the country. In all about 76 perpetrators were apprehended by the police for prosecution. The special operation will continue nationwide. The purpose of the operation was to clamp down on individuals and entities engaging in the business of buying and selling foreign exchange without a licence from Bank of Ghana in violation of Ghanas foreign exchange laws and regulations. Speaking to Journalists after exercise, the Head of the Foreign Exchange Bureau Examinations Office, at the Bank of Ghana, Adjoa Konadu Torto, indicated that the exercise will continue in other parts of the country in the coming days. She maintained that members of the public who patronise the activities of Black Market operators are equally guilty before the law. The over 76 perpetrators were apprehended by the police for prosecution. The special operation will continue nationwide. The purpose of the operation was to clamp down on individuals and entities engaging in the business of buying and selling foreign exchange without a licence from Bank of Ghana in violation of Ghanas foreign Exchange Laws and regulations, she explained. She cautioned the general public to desist from engaging in illegal foreign exchange business without a licence. The general public must always trade with the Bank of Ghana licensed foreign exchange (forex) bureaux. Accordingly, the Anti-Money Laundering ACT, 2020 (Act 1044) as amended instructs all bureau customers to insist on their electronic receipts by providing the acceptable valid ID, the Ghana Card, to cover the buying and selling of all foreign currencies, she added. Source: 3news 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 Sierra Leone is to drop its current voting system and return to proportional representation, the president has decreed. But the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party is considering mounting a legal challenge, according to representative Sidi Yahya Tunis, who called the president's decision "ill-advised". In 1996, when multiparty democracy was reintroduced and with the civil war raging at the time, the country conducted its parliamentary elections under a proportional representation system. MPs got elected based on the percentage of the popular vote their parties received nationwide - as long as they received at least more than 5%. In 2002, Sierra Leone introduced single-member constituencies with MPs elected on a -first-past-the-post basis. Making the announcement on Friday, top electoral commissioner Mohamed Konneh said the decision to go back to the earlier PR system followed a presidential directive in accordance with the countrys constitution. He said because the countrys constituency boundaries had expired and could not be re-drawn within the constitutionally stated period ahead of the next election the boundary delimitation exercise which had commenced is halted with immediate effect. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Malawi's government has vowed to act after the discovery of a mass grave where the bodies of 25 immigrants thought to be Ethiopians were found. The bodies were exhumed in a Mzimba district forest after young boys reportedly detected a foul smell. The next day four more bodies were found 5 km (3 miles) from the grave. "It is a sorry state," Homeland Security Minister Jean Sendeza told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme."It is a pathetic situation," she said. "As a government we are really condemning this kind of activity. It's not right, it's not good". She stressed that the police was investigating and that those involved would be caught. A post-mortem will be undertaken to establish the causes of death. A group of 72 suspected migrants from Ethiopia were arrested after police were tipped off about their presence in another government forest reserve. Ten Malawians were also arrested on suspicion of being part of a syndicate involved in trafficking the Ethiopians. They have not yet appeared in court. Civil society organisations in Malawi are also calling on authorities to conduct a swift and thorough forensic investigation. The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiative (CDEDI) have separately said the discovery of the dead bodies showed there was a rapidly escalating illegal migration and human trafficking crisis in the country which needed immediate and decisive action. CDEDI head Sylvester Namiwa told the BBC all Malawians were disheartened by the news and the least authorities could do is let professional bodies conduct thorough investigations and ensure perpetrators of human trafficking were brought to justice. His call was echoed by CHRR head Micheal Kaiyatsa who demanded "justice for the victims". Malawi is grappling with the problem of human trafficking in which organised syndicates traffic men, women and children from East African countries including Ethiopia and Somalia. From Malawi they are further trafficked to South Africa, Europe and the United States. Syndicates are thought to involve influential Malawians. In 2020, the Malawi High Court sentenced former Home Affairs Minister Uladi Mussa and an immigration officer to five years imprisonment for helping non-Malawians obtain Malawi passports. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video United Arab Emirates Immigration authorities have imposed a visa ban on Nigerians and are now rejecting visa applications. This was conveyed in a notice issued to UAE's trade partners in Nigeria including travel agencies on Friday October 21. No reason was given for the visa ban, but the United Arab Emirates Immigration authorities said all applications are on-hold until issues between the UAE government and the Nigerian government are resolved. It read; All Dubai applications submitted are now rejected. It is general for Nigerians and approvals are on hold at the moment. Kindly advise your clients to resubmit C2=A0 applications when the issue is resolved between both governments. Punch reported that a source at travel agency, Wakanow confirmed the development. The source said; It is true, it was issued yesterday. The Dubai immigration did not state when the ban would be lifted but for now, everything is on hold. A customer representative from Air Peace, however said the airline is still flying to Dubai with those who already have a valid visa. The representative added that if any changes were to occur as regards flight for Nigerians, it would be duly communicated. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Seventh-day Adventist Church has designated the fourth Saturday in October as Creation Sabbath. Saturday, October 22, 2022 was marked as the Creation Sabbath, a special time to remember and affirm the belief that the world and everything in it belong to God and that God expects human beings, placed on earth as rulers, to exercise benevolent, and selfless stewardship of the earth. In a press statement, the church said, "As we mark this day, therefore, the Adventist Church in Ghana condemns in no uncertain terms the blatant disregard, abuse and over-exploitation of our natural resources in the name of small scale mining (Galamsey)." "We support the recent call by religious leaders for a ban on small-scale mining (Galamsey), and demand that the perpetrators of this crime work to reclaim the lands, water bodies and forest reserves that have been destroyed by their activities. We are also of the firm belief that there are laws in this country, and until they are enforced it will be difficult for perpetrators to stop this destructive act." Source: graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Ghanaian woman has been murdered in a shooting incident at the Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The unfortunate incident happened at about 11 am on Saturday, October 22, 2022. The victim; a Ghanaian employee of the hospital and one other colleague were killed by the shooter who was subsequently confronted by a Methodist Health System police officer. According to a report by international media outlet; ABC news, the hospital confirming the incident in a statement said a Methodist Health System police officer "confronted the suspect, and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him. The suspect was detained, stabilized, and taken to another local hospital." A source close to the family of the Ghanaian woman told Ghanaweb that the victim identified as Jacqueline Ama Pokuaa, is daughter of one Colonel David Ansah Boakye (Rtd) who resides in Ghana. According to the source, father of the deceased is an ex-official of the Ghana Armed Forces and a Church Elder at the Garrison Seventh-day Adventist church at Burma Camp in Accra. Methodist Health System police, Dallas police, and Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to the shooting inside the hospital at the time of the incident at 11 am. The suspect was reportedly on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active ankle monitor at the time of the shooting, police further said. The suspect is currently facing capital murder charges. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Supreme Court nominee, Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, has told the Appointments Committee of Parliament that he is no longer a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He said he resigned from the party on September 16, 2020, and, therefore, gave the assurance that if approved as a justice of the apex court, he would discharge his mandate devoid of any political interference. Answering a question by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bodi, Sampson Ahi, who wanted to know what his position would be if a case involving the NPP and the NDC was brought before him as a justice of the Supreme Court, the nominee gave an assurance that he would remain a neutral arbiter in all cases involving the NPP and the NDC. Questions The nominee responded to various questions from the 25-member committee, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu. The questions pertained to interference by the Supreme Court in the mandate of the legislature; whether the Standing Orders of Parliament were in conflict with the Constitution; his views on whether the Deputy Speaker formed part of quorum in decision-making in Parliament; his views on the integrity of the Judiciary; the death penalty and compliance with the asset declaration law. Per the curriculum vitae of the nominee, while he was in private practice as a lawyer, he was politically active, particularly between 2009 and 2016, having served as a constituency chairman and parliamentary candidate of the NPP in the Ho West and the Ho Central constituencies. Neutral arbiter Justice Gaewu said while there were no provisions in the Constitution that barred a justice of the High Court from being a member of a political party, the manner in which the Judiciary was created required one to be a neutral arbiter. He said there was no way a justice of the court could belong to a political party. Agreeing that the Constitution itself was a political document and that every decision a judge made contained some amount of politics that could be private, he, however, said judges were barred from being partisan. Supreme Court rulings His views were sought on the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that gave the notion in certain circles that the Judiciary was interfering in the mandate of the Legislature. Responding, Justice Gaewu said he did not necessarily share the view that the apex court was interfering in the mandate of the Legislature. Experience When he was quizzed if he had the experience to assume the highest office of a justice of the Supreme Court, given that he had been a justice of the High Court for just two years following his appointment in September 2020, Justice Gaewu said: I have the required and requisite experience to sit as a justice of the Supreme Court. The qualification is 15 years at the bar, but I have 22 years qualification and I am not the first person to have ever been appointed. There are people who are appointed straight from the bar without any judicial or bench experience; I have been on the bench and I already have the necessary experience to sit there, he said. Judicial independence On what must be done to insulate the Judiciary from political influence, the nominee said the Constitution provided for the administrative, judicial and financial independence of the Judiciary. He, however, said while the two first independent elements were guaranteed I cannot speak on financial independence of the Judiciary. On the question whether he did comply with the law on asset declaration when he was appointed a justice of the High Court, Mr Justice Gaewu said I did. Justice Asiedu vetted Earlier, another nominee, Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu, had suggested that rather than worsening the current overcrowding situation in the prisons, suspects should be engaged in community service, especially in their communities. To him, that would help decongest the prisons and also serve as a deterrent to suspects who might be uncomfortable being seen by members of their own communities doing such exercise. Answering questions asked by the committee, Justice Asiedu, who is currently a justice of the Court of Appeal, said as part of measures to free the prisons, suspects who commit minor crimes could even be allowed to visit home during weekends to exercise their conjugal rights. Law School admission Commenting on the admission system to the Ghana School of Law, the nominee said lack of infrastructure was the cause of the restrictive admission process. When the chairman of the committee suggested to the nominee that physical infrastructure could not be a barrier to study the programme because it should be possible to access education without physically being present, Justice Asiedu said the programme was such that one could not simply stay at home, read and come and write the examinations but would need physical training to prepare students to perform. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 15:25 | Vatican City, Oct. 23. From the balcony of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father expressed his greetings to the members of the Peruvian community, who dressed in purple robes flocked to St. Peter's Square to celebrate the feast of the Lord of Miracles. About Lord of Miracles Known as the Christ of Pachacamilla, Lord of Miracles constitutes Peru's most heavily attended religious festivity and is celebrated yearly in October 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) LIT/RMB A group of Peruvian faithful, who carried a litter that bore a copy of the painting of the Lord of Miracles to St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sunday, October 23, received greetings from Pope Francis Published: 10/23/2022 We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form When youre little, its hard to imagine the invisible world. Things like wind, sound and heat from the sun are nearly magical concepts for small children. Similarly, think about a TV remote and how it emits an invisible signal to turn the TV on from a distance. This invisible world exists all around us, and the use of invisible light has become seamlessly integrated into our day-to-day lives. Since William Herschels discovery of invisible light, scientists have been attempting to harness its power for new technologies. From thermal imaging to security system detectors, infrared light has been utilized in ways that were once impossible. Auburn fostered great developments on this topic through Theodore W. Case and his laboratory. At the Case Research Laboratory, located behind the Cayuga Museum of History & Art, Case and his employees began working on photoelectric research in 1916. Case and his associates were particularly interested in how minerals interact with sunlight to create energy. This work led to the invention of a cell, also known as a lightbulb, called the thalofide cell. Whats unique about this discovery? Essentially, they created a lightbulb that was sensitive to the infrared spectrum of light, which is invisible to the human eye. At the time there were very few inventions of a similar nature, and much of the work regarding invisible light was still theoretical. The lab went on to utilize the thalofide cell in work on several inventions, and it also became their first commercial product. In 1917, when the U.S. entered into World War I, many scientists put aside their daily operations to focus on producing equipment for the military. Case and his cohort began working with the U.S. Navy on a signaling system that could not be intercepted by enemy U-boats. What they came up with was an infrared system that could send and receive signals that were unable to be intercepted visually. This system was tested in Auburn by placing the sending unit on top of the mansion at 203 Genesee St. and the receiving unit on a neighboring mansion. The sending unit group would send a message that was then transmitted through a Morse code receiver, and the receiving unit group would translate it. They also did field tests for the Navy from ship to shore and ship to ship at much greater distances, up to a few miles. Weather conditions were the biggest problem for the system as it did not work well, or at all, in fog or heavy rain due to the path of light being obstructed. World War I ended in 1918, which slowed the work on the signaling system, and by 1920 all work on the project came to a halt. Due to the secret nature of working on military technology Case was not able to patent the system during the war, perhaps losing himself a place in history as a pioneer in the world of infrared inventions. Interestingly, we know Case employed a large number of women during this time because he had his employees sign secrecy agreements about their work with the Navy. Despite the secrecy, Case received a letter of appreciation from Franklin D. Roosevelt, which acknowledged the importance of the labs work and thanked them for their wartime contribution. In the early 1920s Case and his lab continued developing the thalofide cell and it became the catalyst needed to create successful sound-on-film technology. The illusive world of invisible light and many of its applications were revealed in Auburn over 100 years ago. Day 2 of the 50,000 EPT London Super High Roller at PokerStars European Poker Tour London has come to an end and Spains Juan Pardo is the commanding chip leader. The final six players will return on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. for the Day 3 finale of this prestigious high-stakes event. The Super High Roller drew a total of 39 entries to generate a prize pool of 1,891,890, from which the winner will take home 652,700. The returning six players are all guaranteed at least 132,430. Pardo bagged 5,500,000, which is more than triple his nearest competitor, Philip Sternheimer, with 1,615,000. Daniel Dvoress finished in the third spot as the only other player with over 1,000,000 chips. Bruno Volkmann, Ben Heath, and Henrik Hecklen round out the final six players. EPT London 50,000 Super High Roller Final Table Chip Counts Rank Name Country Chip Count Day 3 Big Blinds 1 Juan Pardo Spain 5,500,000 138 2 Philip Sternheimer England 1,615,000 40 3 Daniel Dvoress Canada 1,005,000 25 4 Bruno Volkmann Brazil 665,000 17 5 Ben Heath England 585,000 15 6 Henrik Hecklen Denmark 525,000 13 Day 2 Action Day 1 sent 16 players and their bags to Day 2 where nine more players jumped in before registration ended at the beginning of the first level. PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton was one of Saturdays early casualties when he went for a double with jacks. Grafton hit the rail when Orpen Kisacikoglu flopped an ace to win with Big Slick. Sam Grafton The tournament was down to two tables after three hours and Kisacikoglu led the way with the midday chip lead. Kisacikoglu was joined by Sam Greenwood, Christoph Vogelsang, and Pardo at the top of the leaderboard throughout the middle of the day. Tom-Aksel Bedell was also a factor throughout the day, and he found himself in several clashes with Andras Nemeth. Nemeth was finally eliminated when he got it in with pocket tens and ran into Bedells jacks. Bedell exited just outside the top ten when Sternheimer spiked a straight on the river to beat his two pair. Tom-Aksel Bedell Kisacikoglus midday dominance gave way to the comeback of Heath, who knocked him out with a pair of sixes on his way up the leaderboard as the night drew on. After a series of doubles, Sternheimer sat in second place with 1,600,000 chips behind Pardos 2,000,000 as the top ten players jockeyed for a spot at the final table. Pablo Brito Silva was next out in 10th place when he couldnt get past Sternheimers ace-king, and the final nine players broke down into an unofficial final table. It wasnt long before Adrian Mateos was out in ninth after his pocket tens fell short of Pardos pocket queens. The hand brought Pardo over 3,000,000 and he stepped up the aggression over the evenings final two levels. Out in seventh was Vogelsang, who had an up-and-down day after sharing the top of the leaderboard at one point. Vogelsang surrendered a double to the pocket jacks of Heath and Greenwood finished the job when his ace-queen held off Vogelsangs ace-jack. Play slowed down considerably on the bubble and Pardo kept up the pressure on the short stacks with preflop raises. The big hand of the night came Greenwood called Pardos 1,000,000 bet on the river, only to see Pardo turn over a set of sevens to take the big pot and leave the Canadian bracelet winner with just a few big blinds. The night came to an end a few hands later when Greenwood couldnt find a double with his suited jack-eight. Sundays Finale Play continues with just under 50 minutes remaining in Level 17 and blinds at 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 big blind ante. The final six players will return at 12:30 p.m. local time and action will continue until a winner is declared. EPT London 50,000 Super High Roller Final Payouts Place Prize 1 652,700 2 425,680 3 293,240 4 217,570 5 170,270 6 132,430 Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team on Sunday for live updates from the final table of the 50,000 EPT London Super High Roller at the Hilton Park Lane. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print In the name of all that is holy, thankfully, the odds are still against Trump running for president in 2024, according to the people closest to him and Trump whisperers like Michael Cohen and Mary Trump. One has nightmares considering the cabinet he would put together, Kash Patel as Sec. of Defense, Steve Bannon as Secretary of State (Or something equally ridiculous), and perhaps Marjorie Taylor Greene as the Vice President. One would hope that would be enough to keep Trump out of the White House altogether. There are reports that hes considering Greene From Salon: A New York Times reporter confirmed rumors that Donald Trump is considering Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) as his running mate, should he launch a 2024 presidential campaign. Robert Draper confirmed that Trump has been actively discussing Greene as his No. 2 since February, and while the former president has probably discussed other candidates, as well, the Georgia Republican brings something to the table that could push her over the top. She has been unflaggingly loyal to Trump throughout, Draper said. What is Trump concerned about most of all in a VP after the Mike Pence experience? Loyalty. Granted, if Trump is president, its extremely difficult to think of a step-down, and yet if anyone could do it, its the full Qanon queen herself. Unflaggingly loyal, and that is all that matters, which says everything anyone would need to know about Donald Trump. We all know he would be a terrible president anyway, but hes an out-of-shape, late 70s (at the time) year-old man, And Marjorie Taylor Greene is every bit as mentally unstable as Trump but perhaps doesnt have the experience on the business scene, dealing with powerbrokers (we are reaching here for why she would be less qualified). Moreover, Marjorie Taylor Greene has even less compunction about tossing her casual; racism and very formal anti-Semitism around, and if there is someone in the country more loyal to Russia than Trump, it would be Majorie Taylor Greene. The list of reasons that Marjorie Taylor Greene isnt qualified to be president is just slightly longer than Trumps. But it ultimately goes back to loyalty. Trump learned a lesson in his first term. He will never hire a person ever again with any ability to say No. That makes Trump that much more dangerous. Thankfully, though its still quite possible that hell run, the smart money is on him announcing hes running, sweeping in massive amounts of cash, and then developing a health reason to sit it out unless he absolutely needs to win to save him from prison. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print It is not unusual for campaigns to overlook security costs for $9,500, maybe $15,000. Obama even left a bill unpaid in Newport Beach, California, for $35,000. Often the bills get lost in the shuffle of hundreds of such bills; sometimes, there is a dispute over who agreed to pay what. The failure to pay $500,000 is in a significantly different class obviously and yet that is exactly what Trump did in El Paso shortly after the Walmart mass shooting leaving 22 dead. It is hard to think of much worse. El Paso is a mid-sized city. One would guess that $500,000 is a significant chunk of their budget. It is not a significant chunk of Trumps budget. He has over $100,000,000 on hand. Tonight, Trump returns to the state of the original crime (used loosely), Texas, to appear at a fairgrounds near Corpus Christi. According to the Houston Chronicle: Shortly after the Walmart mass shooting that left 22 dead in El Paso, Trump scheduled a large political rally in the city to coincide with an event hosted by then-presidential candidate Beto ORourke, the report states before noting, But while ORourke paid back the city for the security it provided, Trump didnt pay his tab. As said, after a mass shooting. Could there be a worse circumstance where one skips out on the bill? The city had enough overtime and extra expenses associated with the period as it is. The billionaire former president, whose political war chest boasts well over $100,000,000, owes the city $569,204 for transportation, security and a 21-percent late fee. In 2020, the city hired a law firm to try to collect, the city spokeswoman said, but so far $0 has been collected. A collection firm. Like an unpaid doctors bill. Get in line for the lawsuit. Trumps office did not respond to a request for comment for this story, and has avoided responding to questions about the money he owes for three and a half years. It is relatively safe to say that Trumps going to continue to ignore the bill. Time for the collection agency to suit, get a Texas judgment, take it with full faith and credit, apply it to Trump Tower and foreclose on the thing. Own it and sell it to recoup the costs. Sell it to a consortium of buyers organized by Barack Obama. Change the name to President Barack Obama International Trade and Culture Headquarters. If only it were that easy. It is not impossible but it isnt easy. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Donald Trump is planning on getting involved and legally challenging the results of the Pennsylvania Senate race if Democrat John Fetterman wins. Rolling Stone reported: Trump has been briefed on plans in multiple states and critical races including in Georgia. But Pennsylvania has grabbed his interest most keenly, including in the Senate contest between Democrat John Fetterman and the Trump-endorsed GOP contender Mehmet Oz. If the Republican does not win by a wide enough margin to trigger a speedy concession from Fetterman or if the vote tally is close on or after Election Night in November Trump and other Republicans are already preparing to wage a legal and activist crusade against the election integrity of Democratic strongholds such as the Philly area. Dr. Oz is leading in exactly zero polls in Pennsylvania. While the race has tightened a bit from Fettermans double-digit summer lead, there is nothing to suggest that Oz is going to win. Due to Pennsylvania Republican-controlled legislature refusing to allow mail-in ballots to be opened and tabulated before the polls close, the red mirage is likely in Pennsylvania, where it will look like Oz is doing well on election night only to be overtaken by Lt. Gov. Fetterman once the mail-in ballots are counted. Trump is using Ozs campaign as a dress rehearsal for his 2024 run. Trump is focused on Pennsylvania even though Josh Shapiro is likely to be elected governor and he will appoint a Democratic Secretary of State. Donald Trump doesnt care about Dr. Oz or if Oz wins. Trump is using Oz to lay the groundwork for his 2024 challenge when he likely loses Pennsylvania again. Early turnout is surging again in Pennsylvania, which means millions of likely Democratic votes wont be counted until after the polls close on election day. Trump is trying to help himself by causing chaos in the Pennsylvania Senate race, and the best way to keep Trump out of the Keystone State is for John Fetterman to win by an indisputable margin. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print You cannot throw a corporation in jail, obviously. But. just as obviously, one can hold the corporation criminally liable for breaking laws concerning taxes, valuations, fraud, obstruction of justice, and plenty more. Tomorrow, the criminal Trump for the Trump organization begins. Ironically, progressives have always envisioned Trump marching off in an orange suit. Perhaps, instead, he dies a death of a thousand cuts. From The Washington Post: Trump Organization, former president Donald Trumps namesake company, is set to go on trial Monday for alleged tax crimes the result of a lengthy investigation into the company and its executives related to fraud and other potentially illegal business practices. Trump is not charged personally and the portion of the investigation for which he still could face criminal charges is not yet concluded by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigators. Bragg has promised to announce the results of the remaining parts of the Trump probe when it is finalized, but to date, the only charges filed have been against the Trump Organization, its subsidiary Trump Payroll Corporation and its longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. Given that Michael Cohen said that nothing happened in the Trump Organization without crossing Trumps desk and that CFO Allen Weisselberg was criminally charged and cut a deal, one gets the sense (but cannot prove) that the Manhattan D.A. did not want to unleash the explosion that would happen if Trump were personally indicted and instead went after the business that feeds the empire. One cannot throw a company in jail, but one can fine it into oblivion or even give it the death penalty, dissolution. Again, there is no proof. It is possible. Veteran prosecutors quit in protest. There was a lot of evidence. Speaking of the impending trial. Trump probably isnt enjoying life much these days. Oh, sure, he enjoyed his rally last night, sucking up the adoration of the crowd. But he endured what had to be an extremely uncomfortable deposition last week in his rape-defamation case. His companys criminal trial begins this week. The Durham investigation amounted to nothing, failing to find the promised deep state plot that would prove the FBI made up the Russia Russia Russia thing for Hillary. The House Select Committee is wrapping up its work. Democrats are doing better than expected in mid-term polling. Then there is the Eastman criminal exception regarding emails. The FBI believes he has more files and wants a coordinated look through Mar-a-Lago. Oh, and some of the files Trump had pertained to Iranian missiles and Chinese defense capability. Not good times at all. AURORA Children danced happily with women dressed as witches Saturday afternoon - no spells required. Members of the theatrical group Witchy Women of the Finger Lakes busted out choreographed dance moves set largely to German music at the United Ministry of Aurora church during a performance, with young attendees occasionally getting in on the fun. The women, decked out in all manner of costumery and accessories, were at the front of the church for a fundraiser to benefit Community Action Programs Cayuga/Seneca's domestic violence program. The event was hosted by the church and the Aurora Free Library. Before the performance began, a parade was kicked off at the Aurora Post Office. One of the witchy women raised her broom toward the sky and said "Come with us!" as the group began walking to the church, with children in Halloween costumes and others following. The appearance of each witch varied, as some of the woman had different hats while one wore a headband with snakes sticking out. Sisters Annie Hulme, 5, and Josie Hulme, 3, did some steps with the group. After the performances, Fran Rothel, the witchy women's "flight instructor," or leader, said the women are a performing dance group and not a coven, adding that the group is meant to empower women and raise money for victims of domestic violence. She talked about why the group wanted to get involved in the fundraiser. "There's children involved. When we come to these events, we want to incorporate the kids in our dance the best we can," Rothel said. Debbie Koch, the witchy women's event coordinator, and Rothel noted that the group practices every week and they perform at events beyond the fall season. The Rev. Barb Blom, of the church, and Sandy Groth, the library's director, expressed happiness over their organizations sponsoring the event, and praised Tracy Leffingwell, who coordinated the event. Groth said a witch-related event for "this time of year" seemed appropriate, adding that it's for a good cause. Blom and Groth said the church and the library have partnered with other entities to hold different events in Aurora, including events related to holidays such as Christmas and St. Patrick's Day. "We're a little more rural than Auburn. To have things in the community, I think it benefits the community," Groth said. Blom said while the fundraiser is a fun event, it also has the purpose of generating money related to domestic violence prevention and raising awareness of the issue. "As a a church, we feel it's important to reach out beyond the church walls, into the community, build relations," she said. With a black witch hat on, Aurora Thurston approached Rothel, Koch and some of the other witchy women to say "Thank you for coming here!" The ladies greeted Aurora, 8, by jubilantly thanking her for being a part of the event. Referencing Aurora's red fair, Fran touched the red hair she had on, saying with a laugh to the girl, "We have matching hair, (except) yours is real." Aurora's mother, Leanna Nares, noted she lives in Union Springs but she doesn't believe there is much to do in the village and some of the surrounding areas. Nares, who was also with Aurora and Don Ridgeway and son Elliot Ridgeway at the event, talked about what she believes the appeal of the event is, noting all four of them have been out to different witchy women events before. "Halloween, the kids get to dress up and they feel like they can come be goofy and have fun," Nares said. SRS and Politics Reporter I cover the Savannah River Site and politics. I previously covered government and politics for the Morning News in Florence. I am graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and the University of Charleston (W.Va.). Retailers are getting weary of repeated labor problems at West Coast ports, and the protracted contract negotiations there is triggering a cargo move to the Port of Charleston and other East Coast locations, executives said at last week's S.C. International Trade Conference. "Every customer we have has talked to us in the past 18 months about opening one or more different gateways beyond the West Coast to hedge their bets," said John Rae, vice president of operations for Yusen Logistics, a global company that provides warehousing, transportation and other services to hundreds of customers. Rae said the specter of West Coast union workers walking off the job has customers looking to Charleston, Savannah and Norfolk, Va., as cargo offloading hubs, but he isn't sure it's for the long haul. "I do feel that there's a lot of short-term pressure on their shoulders," he said. "Every one of my contacts wants to make sure that his boss isn't yelling at him for not being prepared. So, in the short-term I would expect to see a lot of new gateways opening up over several years. But as some of these things" labor strife, supply chain congestion "correct themselves, there's going to be an opportunity to scale back, and they're going to find it hard to feed all these gateways that they've created." A Journal of Commerce report shows Asian imports have soared at East Coast ports during the first nine months of this year, "the clearest sign yet that retailers have shifted discretionary cargo away from the West Coast in a bid to avoid potential disruptions linked to the contract talks," the trade publication said. That sentiment was repeated by the Federal Reserve in last week's Beige Book report on regional economic conditions. According to the fed's Richmond, Va.-based Fifth District, which includes South Carolina, "ports indicated that demand was strong this period due to ship diversions related to continued labor negotiations at West Coast ports." Imports from Asia to the East Coast were up 11.8 percent during the nine-month period compared to last year, while West Coast figures fell by 1.7 percent. East Coast ports now account for 35.1 percent of all Asian imports, up from 32.8 percent last year. "Shipper uncertainty about labor disruptions is a major factor," the Journal of Commerce reported. The contract between shipping lines and unions representing 22,000 dockworkers expired on July 1 and talks, now in their fourth month, have stalled amid threats of work stoppages. For Alan Mctaggart, group logistics director for power tool maker Techtronic Industries, or TTI, West Coast labor strife is a bugaboo that never seems to go away. For example, tense contract negotiations in 2014 snarled cargo shipments for months. And in 2002 a lockout cost port operators about $19.4 billion. Labor strife always seems to be hiding around the corner. "That West Coast monster has been there a long time," Mctaggart said, adding that TTI has switched some cargo to Charleston and Norfolk "and it's worked well." Even so, ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach will always play a key role in retail shipments because they provide the shortest navigation route from Asia. "We'll start looking at the West Coast again because our corporate organizations will put us under stress to get shorter transit times, even with the massive productivity improvements on the East Coast," Mctaggart said. The back and forth is of interest at the Port of Charleston, which has in recent years has been targeting shippers of consumer goods like Walmart to balance out a cargo base once dominated by industrial products. Online home goods retailer Wayfair is looking for new entry points for its overseas-made merchandise, "but being e-commerce we really need to be where the population concentration is," said Jack Echeverria, the company's senior manager for global logistics. "You're seeing a lot of growth on the East Coast," he said, pointing to the Port of New York-New Jersey and Charleston as potential cargo hubs. "We're going to go where the population goes." Echeverria said some shippers are getting tired of dealing with West Coast labor trouble every four or five years. "It's insanity," he said. "And it's the same issues. When is it going to be solved?" COLUMBIA Dominion Energy is seeking to move quickly with plans to transfer two Lake Murray islands to the state of South Carolina for parks, outraging neighbors worried about increased traffic and lack of communication. Dominion told its regulator, Federal Energy Regulation Commission, on Oct. 17 that it plans transfer Pine Island and Bundrick Island by early December. However, FERC could require Dominion to submit a formal application, which would push the transfer of the land until mid-January and also raises the possibility of regulators rejecting the power company's request. If FERC requires Dominion to file an application, the utility has requested expediting the regulator's review so the transfer could take place sooner. FERC, which has oversight of Lake Murray because it is a hydroelectric reservoir, has not responded to Dominion. "We are following FERCs standard procedures and rules by providing advance notice of the companys intention to transfer property to the State of South Carolina," said Rhonda OBanion, a Dominion spokeswoman. Throughout the process, neighbors of the Lake Murray properties have complained about road congestion surrounding the parks. Pine Island was used a retreat for Dominion employees, while Bundrick Island is not accessible by car but is a popular resting stop for boaters. Rick Levitan, whose property sits adjacent to Pine Island, said Dominion's attempt to speed up the FERC review process is the latest in an infuriating string of moves by the company to cut opportunities for the lake-side community to voice its concerns. The faster approval process could limit public commenting time. "Nobody's listening to us," Levitan said. "There's lots of issues, but we're willing to work with them. We're just looking for somebody to be reasonable." In August 2021, Dominion agreed to transfer three properties to the state, including the islands, to help pay costs from a failed nuclear power plant expansion in Fairfield County. Dominion took control of S.C. Electric & Gas in 2019 in the wake of the nuclear reactor fiasco. Dominion's request for a speedy transfer could help the utility avoid red tape in transferring the islands to the state. FERC could require Dominion to file an application with the commission before it transfers the land. The license transfer process typically takes between 90 and 120 days, according to FERC's website, which would set Dominion back in its plan several months. A speedier approval also would limit the amount of interest the company must pay to the state from its nuclear settlement agreement, Dominion said in its letter to FERC. Dominion's efforts to speed up the process frustrated residents of the Pine Island community. Members of the Pine Island community have written numerous letters and emails to Dominion, FERC, S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and Gov. Henry McMaster, and held two meetings with state parks officials to share their concerns. Despite neighbors' concerns, 20 organizations, most of them from the Columbia area, are supporting the transfer, according the Dominion letter to regulators. Among the supporters including tourism promoter Lake Murray Country, advocacy group Lake Murray Association and Riverbanks Zoo. "The tax debt has to be paid, right?" said Debi Lafayette, president of the Lake Murray Association. "And we just thought it would be in the better interest of all people that use the lake to have that property go to the (state department of) Parks and Recreation." Critics of the transfer wish they had the opportunity to present their case to the organizations that have supported Dominion. "If they had heard both sides of the story, maybe they would maybe they would say, 'We have no problem agreeing to the state park, but we agree with the community about having certain criteria,'" Levitan said. Lafayette, however, said Lake Murray Association was aware of the community's concerns when deciding to support Dominion. "I saw numerous letters go in (to FERC) from the people, especially around Pine Island, and, in my heart, I feel for them, you know," Lafayette said, "but what it really came down to was that Dominion has the right to sell this, and we would rather see it go to the public at large, rather than just a few homeowners." Dominion said that the decision to allow further public comment on the transfer is up to FERC. Back when the world was simpler, every candidate in every fall campaign pretty much sang the same ol song. Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, Here I am, Stuck in the middle with you. Yes, that classic from Stealers Wheel was basically and inadvertently the blueprint for almost everyones general election campaign strategy, Republican and Democrat alike. Theyd all suggest that they were really moderate at heart, just like you, in an attempt to woo independent voters in the vast middle. In parlance, persuadables. Problem is, nowadays its almost impossible to persuade anyone about anything in politics. And the candidates for South Carolinas 1st Congressional District obviously understand that. At their debate on Wednesday, Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and her opponent, Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews, spent most of the hour preaching to their own choirs while occasionally making subtle overtures to the other side that they hoped wouldnt rile up their own likely voters. Other than learning that they share a desire to see legal weed in South Carolina, it wasn't extremely illuminating or helpful. In fact, it could get confusing ... so weve dusted off Mad Magazines old decoder machine to interpret what they said into what they really meant. What Andrews said about abortion: As a physician, I understand that abortion is health care. And I know that women in South Carolina will not be safe if we have an extreme abortion ban, like my opponent supports. My position is the mainstream position supported by all of the mainstream medical organizations. I support abortion access up until the point of fetal viability, which is typically defined as 24 weeks in South Carolina, we define it a little bit earlier, and thats OK. What she meant: Did I mention how mainstream my views are? And did I mention that 70% of Americans support abortion rights? Help me, obi-gyn, youre our only hope to win this race. What Mace said about abortion: Ive actually talked to Sen. Graham about his (federal abortion ban) bill and some of the issues, the heartburn that I have over the details in that particular piece of legislation. But I have not ever voted or sponsored a bill that would ban abortion without exceptions. Thats just simply not the case at all, and I would not. What she meant: Sorry, Im not exactly Katie Arrington. But who else are you Republicans gonna vote for? What Andrews said about the cost of expanding health care: My opponent and her party have said, on the record, that if they take power in November they will slash funding to Social Security and Medicare. What she meant: Hey seniors, is fighting an endless culture war really worth more than your monthly check? What Mace said about voting for Donald Trump in 2024: Im going to support the Republican nominee in 2024, but first weve got to get through 2022. I do hope, and Ive said this repeatedly, that I hope the Republicans have a wide range of candidates . I hope that we have a woman on the ticket. What she meant: I really hope Democratic voters notice and Republicans don't that I never actually said the name Donald Trump. What Andrews said about voting for Joe Biden in 2024: I think that my opponent would be really happy if we spent a lot of time tonight talking about Joe Biden or talking about Nancy Pelosi. What she meant: I think that my opponent would be really happy if we spent a lot of time tonight talking about Joe Biden or talking about Nancy Pelosi. What Mace said about gun control: Just in Chicago in the last week, there were 50 shootings where there is gun control, the heaviest gun control there is in the country. Its not working. What she meant: Invoking "Chicago" should make up some of the ground with right-wingers and Fox viewers that I lost on my abortion and pot answers. What Andrews said about gender-affirming care: I do not support gender-affirming surgeries on minors, and I never have, and these surgeries have never been done in the Lowcountry. What she meant: I cannot believe, with everything going on in the country, the GOPs only national strategy for this election is bullying transgender children. I had no idea politics was this depraved. What Mace said about gender-affirming care: Sex-change surgery on a minor child is child abuse. What she meant: Ballgame. Two weeks of no-excuse-needed early voting kicks off Oct. 24 at more than 100 locations statewide, giving South Carolinians more options than ever for casting a ballot with hopefully little to no wait. It's South Carolina's first general election under a Statehouse law signed by Gov. Henry McMaster in May which directed each county to open up to seven early voting sites for 12 days through the Saturday before Election Day. All locations must open to voters from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in all 46 counties from the coast to the mountains. The exception is Oct. 30, as the law forbids Sunday voting. Early voters can choose whatever site is most convenient for them within the county where they're registered, whether that's close to home, work or shopping. They aren't limited by their home address. "Early voting is a big deal for South Carolina," state Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said. "It gives a lot more access, more options for busy people to go vote. That's the biggest benefit." It also should reduce stress on poll workers and give them more time to fix problems as they arise, which in turn also benefits voters, he said. "Whatever line you've had before will be better," Whitmire said. The 111 early voting sites statewide represent a 35 percent increase from the total that opened before the June primaries, when election officers had less than three weeks to put the new rules into practice. Nineteen of South Carolina's rural counties are still offering a single location, usually at their main election office. Some of the most-populous counties are providing several additional options. For example, Lexington went from one to five. Charleston County, which also offered a single site in June, is among three counties opening the maximum seven. Early voting sites in the Lowcountry All early voting sites are open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, starting Oct. 24. The following lists the locations in the tri-county area: Berkeley County County Voter Registration and Elections Office: 1003 U.S. Highway 52, Moncks Corner Hanahan Library: 1216 Old Murray Court, Hanahan St. Stephen Library: 113 Ravenell Drive, St. Stephen Charleston County Baxter-Patrick James Island Library: 1858 S. Grimball Road, Charleston Hollywood/St. Paul's Library: 5130 S.C. 165, Hollywood John's Island Regional Library: 3531 Maybank Highway, Johns Island Main Downtown Library: 68 Calhoun St., Charleston Mount Pleasant Seacoast Church: 750 Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant North Charleston Convention Center: 5000 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston West Ashley Seacoast Church: 2049 Savannah Highway, Charleston Dorchester County Rollins Edwards Community Center: 301 N. Hickory St., Summerville St. George Civic Center: 303 Ridge St., St. George Wescott Park: 9006 Dorchester Road, North Charleston Source: S.C. Election Commission Greenville and Horry counties are the other two with seven. Voting sites for every county can be found on the S.C. Election Commission website at scvotes.gov/voters/early-voting. By law, each county election office must also post local locations on its own website. Voting absentee by mail is also underway. Those who qualify include people who are 65 and older, have physical disabilities, or work a job that doesn't allow them to vote in person during the two-week early voting window. Applications must be in by Oct. 28. People returning a mailed ballot in person must show identification. Charleston County, which has opened satellite offices since 2016 under prior law that required an excuse for voting early, has planned since January to open seven once the legislation passed. But when the final version didn't allow for mobile sites as intended, the county reverted to one, but only for the primaries, said Isaac Cramer, director of the Charleston County Board of Elections. Local sites for this election include four libraries and two churches spread out from Hollywood to Mount Pleasant, with the largest site being the North Charleston Convention Center. That was a popular spot for voters in November 2020, Cramer said. Amid the pandemic, legislators passed a temporary law allowing no-excuse-needed in-person absentee voting for that election only. One problem was that access varied widely across the state. Even so, it marked the first time that more South Carolinians voted early than on Election Day. Two years later under the new law requiring options with standardized hours, Charleston County has added sites on James Island, Johns Island and Hollywood. "We wanted to expand to areas with population growth and rural areas so people across the county would have shorter distances to travel," Cramer said. The more than 150 additional workers hired specifically for early voting began weeklong training sessions Oct. 17. They're prepared for busy, 12-hour days. They'll stay on through Election Day at $15 an hour, which becomes $22.50 hourly for required overtime, he said. In the Upstate, Greenville and Spartanburg counties each hired dozens of additional poll workers for early voting. Staffing concerns are partly why Spartanburg went with three offerings for its first election with multiple sites, said its elections director, Adam Hammons. Since turnout is generally lower for midterm elections than in presidential contests, "starting with three early voting centers that are fully staffed and ready for voters was our decision," he said. It's among 10 counties opening three locations. Others include nearby Pickens County, Dorchester County in the Lowcountry, and York County south of Charlotte, as well as rural Barnwell and Hampton counties along the Georgia line. Georgetown and Beaufort counties are each operating four sites. Georgetown officials didn't see a reason to open the max, said elections director Aphra McCrea. There was an obvious need for a location in the Waccamaw Neck, a peninsula east of the Waccamaw River that is where most voters live. The county office made sense as it's already equipped to handle early voting. The other two were put in locations convenient for rural residents, McCrea said. Lexington and Richland are the only counties offering five locations. Richland County has had more shakeups at its long-troubled election agency in the last few months, to include the resignation of its director. But interim director Terry Graham, who also submitted a resignation letter before agreeing to stay through the elections, insisted the county is prepared for the election and early voting. County officials considered expanding to six but decided it lacked sufficient workers and money for an additional site, he said. "Money always is a deciding factor. If we could do more, we would do more," he said. "We didnt want to spread ourselves too thin by adding more people and more locations." Spencer Donovan contributed from Greenville. Leah Hincks contributed from Columbia. Mike Woodel contributed from Georgetown. Nicole Ziege contributed from Myrtle Beach. This Thursday, the Orpheum Theater is hosting the 6th Annual Arizona Womens Film Festival for the community of Flagstaff as a way of celebrating and elevating stories about women and the gender non-conforming, non-binary, genderqueer and transgender communities. The work of these filmmakers is so important because it offers audiences a lens that recognizes the intersectionality and interconnectedness of the human experience and the natural world around us. Some of the films that are showing at the festival this year are Revelucien about a drag performance artist and painter who took their performances to the street during the COVID lockdowns, Voices of the Grand Canyon which studies the connection that five different Indigenous tribes have to the Grand Canyon and the experimental dance film OMEN which, earlier this year, was written up in the New York Times after it showed at the Lincoln Center. Its a special film that foregrounds the mission of the Arizona Womens Film Festival with elegance and strength and is, in many ways, the perfect story for an event like this. In his write-up in the New York Times, author Brian Seibert stated that the cinematic product of OMEN, transcends the mundane through its setting: the Grand Canyon, and that, the grandeur calls for a theater-sized screen. This resounding acclaim for OMEN is proven by its many laurels including Best Experimental Film at the Berlin International Art Film Festival, Best Dance Film at the Experimental, Dance and Music Festival and Official Selection at the Dance on Camera Festival, the Jacksonville Dance Film Festival and most recently, the 6th Annual Arizona Womens Film Festival. Myra Popejoy and Abby Chan, two of the stars in OMEN, expressed how humbling this experience has been for them, but they both acknowledge the challenging yet rewarding path that led their team to where they are now. They began brainstorming ideas for this new project in the Spring of 2021, and despite the steady rollout of vaccines, a live performance was not an option. As a result, Dark Sky Aerial decided to break from tradition and commit their next piece of performance art to film. With a piece as gracefully intricate as OMEN, one expects to hear that every single step was planned out, from the choreography to the camera movements, when in reality, this creation was, for the most part, improvised. We had multiple in person rehearsals where we worked on what we call ground movement, which is just like dancing on the ground, Chan explained, and then looked at what story lines and movement threads we wanted to create and hopefully put them on this 800-900 ft wall. In the end, the team only had a day and a half to shoot, but through this unorthodox method of communal improvisation, the dancers were able to create something wholly unique and impossible to replicate. This novelty is, in many ways, why its become so successful. The stark contrast between the towering cliffs of the Grand Canyon and the dancers bouncing, as Seibert wrote, off its surface like astronauts on the moon, is a potent antidote to the banality that inevitably seeps into everyday life, but its their graceful handling of the films themes that make OMEN what it is. The story is intended to be not just about perseverance through COVID, Popejoy said, but about looking at our lives individually and realizing that every person goes through really difficult things in life, and the concept of not being alone in that and being able to look at the things that are thrown our way that may be terrible and that we have to find a way to process and find a community that can help support that process. In the film, the performers sidestep along the face of the cliff, inextricable from the shadows at their feet. This dark companion is connected to each and every one of them as they leap away and fall back. Near the end, the main character, played by Popejoy, is hoisted up and away from the wall by her fellow dancers, creating an indelible image of the power of community and perseverance. At the moment, the team at Dark Sky Aerial remains unsure of what the future holds, but for now, theyre taking the time to be grateful. Popejoy said, It just feels so great to be a part of it, and I think for us, the creation of it was this incredible experience. I think all of us missed that, and we craved that feeling of being on the wall, being together and creating it. Its really beautiful to be able to share this again on the national and international level, Chan continued, and really to see how it speaks to people of all walks of life and people of all ages and hear the experiences that they have had after watching the film its beautiful knowing that art speaks. It doesnt have boundaries and it doesnt have a language. If you would like to learn more about OMEN and Dark Sky Aerial, visit their website at www.darkskyaerial.com, but if you would like to see the film, head to the 6th Annual Arizona Womens Film Festival for a night filled with drama, beauty and companionship. If you go: When: Thursday, October 27. Doors: 6:30 p.m. | Show: 7 p.m. Where: Orpheum Theater at 15 W Aspen Ave Cost: $10 GA | $8 Student (a portion of all sales will go to Victim Witness Services for Northern Arizona.) Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has written an autobiography titled Bibi: My Story. The Jerusalem Post highlights Netanyahus tense relationship with Barack Obama: In their first meeting in the White House in 2009, US President Barack Obama threatened Netanyahu, the latter alleged. You know, people often read me wrong, but I come from Chicago, Obama said as the meeting was about to end. I know how to deal with tough rivals. Then Netanyahu said that Obama did something else that deeply shocked me because it was so opposed to his restrained character. The message was clear and it was meant to strike fear in me. Netanyahu doesnt say what Obama did, but a recently published biography of the former Prime Minister has this account: [I]n a recently published biography of the prime minister called Cracking the Netanyahu Code, journalist Mazal Mualem said that Obama gestured as though he was slitting someones throat while saying he knows how to deal with Netanyahu. I take that with a grain of salt. More, again from Netanyahus autobiography: After Obama became president, Netanyahu wrote that he felt the tension between them was beyond the usual pressure from US presidents over the Palestinian issue, but was rather something much deeper, ideologically and personally. Netanyahu also expressed frustration at being unable to swing the Obama administration to his side when it came to stopping the Iranian nuclear program. Former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel tied Americas ability to stop Irans advancements in the nuclear area to our advances on the Palestinian track, the former prime minister lamented. The equation he made was clear as day: the US had no possibility to advance in stopping Iran without getting something in return for the Palestinians. The linked Post article talks at length about Netanyahus speech to Congress, which the Obama administration bitterly opposed. The autobiography apparently goes easy on Joe Biden, whom Netanyahu portrays as something of an ally in the generally hostile Obama administration. The Post comments: Netanyahu, who hopes to return to the Prime Ministers Office after the November 1 election, was very careful not to criticize US President Joe Biden, and portrayed him as a friend of Israel. Compared with Barack Obama, that might be true. People in the industry refer to your email list as your owned audience, but it turns out you might not own it after all. The companies that run the major email systems tend to be on the left. My own organization moved away from MailChimp on account of apparent political bias that obstructed our ability to send emails, without restriction, to tens of thousands of email subscribers. Now, the Republican National Committee is suing Google, alleging that Gmail is discriminating against Republicans during a crucial fundraising season: The Republican National Committee is suing Google for its allegedly biased diversion of emails into recipients spam folders and says it has the receipts to prove it. The lawsuit, filed Friday in a California federal court, claims that the partys email analytics programs have documented a 10-month pattern of email suppression toward the end of each month, historically when the RNCs fundraising is most successful, the suit complains. *** Since December, GOP emails to Gmail users who had opted into receiving them reached their in-boxes at a rate of 90% or better on most days of each month, the RNC alleged. But repeatedly, for two or more days toward the end of each month, nearly 100% of the partys emails were marked as spam, automatically routing them to an email folder that few users check. Google denies any bias in its email algorithm. But then, there is this: Researchers at North Carolina State University who studied email patterns ahead of the 2020 presidential election found that Googles Gmail algorithm labeled GOP fundraising e-mails as spam at a rate 820% higher than Democratic Party messages, sparking a formal Republican complaint to the Federal Election Commission. I dont know whether the RNCs complaint is well-founded or not, but, given everything we have learned about Big Tech, I wouldnt be surprised if it is. What I will say for certain is that the companies that control email traffic are an often-overlooked, but extremely important, sector of Big Tech. PART FOUR I want to make beautiful food but at the end of the day Im a cook, not a painter, so I want to focus on eating, says Joseph Wickham of Tinderbox Kitchen. The only thing that matters and the only thing that should have ever mattered, is flavor. Wickham is the Chef de Cuisine of Tinderbox Kitchen, a fine dining restaurant located on San Francisco Street in Downtown Flagstaff. Tinderbox serves New American Fare, fusing culinary techniques ranging from American traditional to Italian to French and more. The restaurant almost defies categorization with seasonal menus that have recently included an Asian inspired carrot and ginger pasta dish, a filet mignon with a house-made demi sauce and a daily rotation of eclectic and freshly made sorbets. The kitchen prides itself on making everything from scratch. Wickham attended the Scottsdale Culinary Institute after high school, where he learned many techniques but felt that his time spent in the kitchen really grounded him. Im very much attracted to the idea of an unmasterful art. The idea of constant evolution is something that appeals to me. Going into culinary school, I didnt know anything about fine dining or fancy foods. There I learned a lot of techniques and terms. Those first few years [after] were really hard, Wickham said. Seven years after leaving the institute, Wickham had landed his first real chef job in Sedona. From there, he worked in many different kitchens and refined his knowledge of fine dining. I learned I was not a good cook in the real world, Wickham said. I wanted to feel like a chef, not only on paper but also in my mind. I was a person with a shiny culinary degree that wasnt worth shit. It was about whether I was going to make it. I kept my nose down and learned. During his first few years, Wickham discovered he had underestimated the difficulties working in kitchens presents. He felt the physical and mental tolls of the demanding job. The heat was real, and he soon became accustomed to the challenge that the different kitchen environments provided, sustained by the camaraderie he felt with those around him. Early in his career in one particular kitchen run by Ivan Flowers in Phoenix, Wickham learned quickly to produce creative and quality food. The kitchen ran two tasting menus where the second menu consisted of a seven course menu entirely unique and entirely made up on the spot by everyone in the kitchen once the ticket was printed. The entire process kept him up at night. Every Tasting Two was different. It was a skill set and a creative insanity that I didnt even know existed nor was I prepared for, Wickham said. Every single person in that kitchen cooked miles above where I ever thought I could be. I felt blessed to have been able to overcome that experience and create food that was at a level where I could stand in the same kitchen as those chefs. While fine dining has the ability to celebrate elaborate plating, techniques, and more expensive ingredients, for Wickham one quality is admired above the rest. Flavor is the most important thing, Wickham said. I am so hopelessly devoted to that idea. It is the only thing that matters. You take it home with you, it reminds you of your moms cooking. Its the reason why comfort foods are called comfort foods. Its my primary motivation for what I do or what the kitchen does. Flavor is an act of the heart. A popular dish in Wickhams family, called Potatoes and Onions, helped him realize that regardless of the food used or simplicity or the display, flavor hovered above over any other aspect of the meal. The family dish uses a white potato and white onion covered in butter and is then cooked in a cast iron skillet. With three simple ingredients, the dish has become a memorable staple in Wickhams life and especially among his team of chefs. Im very fortunate to be able to put into practice the ideals that I think are most important in the kitchen, especially with my team, Wickham said. I want to be able to create an environment where the people that come can participate in something greater than themselves and become something greater than they were before just by the people surrounding them. Being able to use food as a platform to make lives better or open doors that would have been closed. Just like Ivan did for me as a young chef. The Tinderbox Kitchen team of chefs each has an opportunity to have their voices heard through the menu. He hopes this next iteration of the menu will showcase their growths and strengths as a team. Wickham says, Hearing a positive response on dishes that have nothing to do with me is more gratifying than anything I could ever cook. People who are coming see me in a chef coat but little do they know that it was this person or that person who might just be a college student or our dishwasher. Thats beautiful to me. I feel very lucky. Wickham leads with his heart, and encourages others to do the same. He draws on the camaraderie and admiration of the crew he has and the food that has stuck with him. He hopes that others enjoying the food will also feel the love and hard work behind every dish. For those hoping to find themselves in the kitchen, he hopes they will listen to their hearts. There is no discouragement, only encouragement. The reality of it is, if you really want to take this path, it doesnt matter which path you start with. You can go to culinary school to start or not. If your heart is truly in it, youll end up at the place you really want to be at, says Wickham. You can find Wickham most days at Tinderbox Kitchen, which is open all week long from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Womens representation in Nigerias parliament is among the lowest in the world but could get worse based on the new list of candidates for the next parliament. At present, only 7.3 per cent (8 of 109) of Nigerias senators are women while only 3.6 per cent (13 of 360) of the members of the House of Representatives are women. Despite the low representation in the current parliament, the percentage of female candidates in the elections that produced the current lawmakers is higher than what obtains in the list for next years parliamentary elections. In 2019, 12.3 per cent of the senatorial candidates were women; three percentage points higher than the nine per cent for next years election. Also, in 2019, 11.9 per cent of the House of Representatives candidates were women; the figure is also nine per cent for the 2023 election. The 2023 List The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently released the final list of candidates for the 2023 polls. The list has only 374 women among the 4,223 candidates running for the 469 seats in the National Assembly: 109 in the Senate and 360 in the House of Representatives. As has been the tradition since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, the list highlights the poor representation of women in politics in Africas most populous country and one of the worlds largest democracies. In fact, one of the 18 registered political parties, the African Action Congress (AAC), which has long-time activist and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, as its presidential candidate, has no female candidate for any federal legislative seat. But the partys National Publicity Secretary, Olufemi Adeyeye, attributed this to a prolonged leadership crisis that almost stopped the party from taking part in the forthcoming polls. The 17 other political parties have only 92 female senatorial candidates, representing nine per cent of all the 1,101 senatorial candidates; and 282 for the House of Representatives, also representing nine per cent of the total 3,122 candidates all the parties are presenting for the 360 seats in the House. No party has a female candidate for federal legislative seats in five of the 36 states of the federation Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto, Yobe and Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Situation growing worse Compared with the statistics of the parliamentary elections of 2015 and 2019, female representation in the 2023 polls is the worst, despite increased agitation in the last three years for gender balance and more active female participation in politics. According to a report by a civil society organisation, YIAGA Africa, titled; No Country Without Women, women held 12.3 per cent of the tickets for Senate seats in 2019, a decline from the 17 per cent in the 2015 elections. For the House of Representatives, womens candidacy was at 11.6 per cent in 2019, which was a decline from 15 per cent in the 2015 elections, and for State Assembly, the candidacy of women was at 12.7 per cent in 2019, revealing a decline from 14 per cent in 2015, the YIAGA Africas Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, wrote in an article under the title: Women: Balancing Representation through Constitutional Reforms. Ms Mbamalu warned that Nigeria is heading to an almost all-male legislative house if legislative measures are not taken to guarantee womens representation in elective offices. How political parties stand The countrys largest political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are not showing leadership to the other parties in gender parity; based on the number of female candidates they presented. Only six per cent of the APCs National Assembly candidates are women while that of the PDP is five per cent. For the senatorial election, the National Rescue Movement (NRM) has the highest number of female candidates with 10 while the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) with 44 candidates produces the highest number of female candidates for House of Representatives seats. The Accord (A) party has eight female candidates for the Senate and 15 for the lower chamber; Action Alliance (AA) has two for Senate and 16 for the green chamber while Action Democratic Party (ADP) has five each for both chambers. Action Peoples Party (APP) also has eight female candidates for both chambers, ADC has nine for Senate and 44 for the lower chamber, while the ruling APC has five for the Senate and 22 for the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has two female candidates for the Senate and 16 for the lower chamber while the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has four for the Senate and 23 for the House of Representatives. Booth Party (BP) has only one female senatorial candidate but six for the House of Representatives; Labour Party (LP) has four for the Senate and 12 for the lower chamber; NRM has 10 for the Senate and 11 for the lower chamber, while the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) has eight and 26 female candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives respectively. The PDP has five female candidates for the Senate and 19 for the green chamber while the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has one female senatorial candidate and 11 for the House of Representatives. Also, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has nine female candidates for the Senate and 28 for the House of Representatives while the Young Progressive Party (YPP) has five each for the two chambers and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has six female senatorial candidates and 14 for the House of Representatives. Female representation by states Like the political parties, female representation by candidacy for the 2023 national elections also varies from one state to another. Out of the 36 states and Abuja, six (Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto, Yobe, Taraba and Abuja) have no female candidates for the National Assembly elections. Akwa-Ibom in the South-south region and Gombe in the North-east have the highest number of female candidates for senatorial seats with nine and seven respectively. The two are followed by Anambra and Benue with six female candidates each, while Rivers and Lagos states also have five female candidates each for the upper legislative chamber. Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Ebonyi and Plateau states have one each for senatorial elections. Meanwhile, for the House of Representatives, while Lagos has 26 female candidates, Jigawa has none. The other top states in this category are Imo (19), Rivers (18), Anambra (14), Osun (13), Akwa Ibom and Delta states, with 12 each. Benue, Cross River and Gombe have 11 each. The FCT and Oyo State also have 10 female candidates each across various political parties. However, Kogi, Nasarawa, Zamfara and Yobe have one female candidate each for the lower chamber while the remaining states including Edo, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe, have less than 10 female candidates across the political parties. Nigerias poor gender equality index rating Various reports on the gender equality index have consistently ranked Nigeria extremely low both globally and in Africa. Many have attributed this situation to what they described as a common patriarchal practice across the countrys societies. This inherent culture, they said, has impeded various efforts, including deliberate government policies to right the wrong. For instance, a recent report by the Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI), a non-governmental organisation, revealed that womens political participation in Nigeria falls below the world and African continental standards. The data showed that Nigeria ranked 181 of 193 countries on the Gender Equality Index, for countries with low women representation in governance. The report links the situation to reasons such as poor resource allocation in the economic and social sectors, frequent conflicts, forced displacements and inadequate inclusion of women and girls perspectives in policy-making decisions. Advocates react Reactions have continued to trail what many gender advocates described as a surprising downward trend in gender balance attainment within the nations political space. They said only deliberate efforts such as a law mandating 35 per cent female representation in the parliament can change the narrative. A bill for such a law was rejected by the current parliament. Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, womens rights activist, Funmi Falana, said women already won a case in court that says womens representation in all appointments should be 35 per cent. So based on that we have forwarded our petition to President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider his appointed officials and put in more women, she said. Mrs Falana said the petition was written immediately after INEC released the list of candidates for the forthcoming elections. She called on women to show more interest in politics. They should not sit behind. They should rise and take their proper position in their society. Gone are the days when we believe that the place of the woman is in the kitchen. The place of the women has since moved from the kitchen. A woman can become the president of the country or become the governor of a state, she said. Also speaking, a gender advocate and former Communications Coordinator at Actionaid Nigeria, Lola Ayanda, said the low representation of women in the candidates list simply reflects the Nigeria we live in and how inclusive and gender-sensitive our political structures are. She said Nigerian women have the numbers and competence but that the missing links seem to be utilising the power we wield to influence the outcome we envision. Ms Ayanda, founder of Girl Pro Nigeria, a gender advocacy group, listed four recommendations towards increasing female representation in national assemblies and other political seats in Nigeria. She said, Due to the patriarchal nature of our society, it is evident that womens inclusion in governance and politics will not be actualised without institutionalising and enforcing policies and practices to make it happen. Nigerian women deserve a gender-sensitive constitution that guarantees special seats at the national assembly and affirmative actions for women in political parties and appointive positions. Regarding womens inclusion in governance, Nigeria can take a cue from Rwanda, Tanzania, Botswana, and Senegal, to mention a few. And more than ever, women supporting women is gradually gaining ground, and we should sustain the momentum. As women, we have the numbers: we should throw our weight behind the few women who made a list. Women in power should also hold their offices and spaces in honour of the millions of Nigerian women. A win for one is a win for all. She also recommended generational relationships among women through mentorship. She said Nigerian women should not wait till election season to genuinely commit to making a real impact at the grassroots. 35 per cent representation In April, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Nigerian government to enforce the National Gender Policy following a suit filed by some women groups for improved gender inclusion in public appointments. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, said President Muhammadu Buhari will ensure the implementation of the court judgement reserving 35 per cent of appointments in the public offices for women. Gender Bill In December 2021, a bill called the gender bill sponsored by the senator representing Ekiti South, Biodun Olujimi, was stepped down for the third time since March 2016 after some senators raised concerns over possible infringement on Islamic morals. The bill seeks to guarantee the rights of women to equal opportunities in employment, equal rights to inheritance for both male and female children; equal rights for women in marriage and divorce, and equal access to education, property or land ownership and inheritance. It also seeks to protect the rights of widows; guarantee appropriate measures against gender discrimination in political and public life and prohibit violence against women. The bill was rejected by lawmakers who argued that the Nigerian Constitution was clear on the rights of citizens, including women. Meanwhile, in March, the National Assembly submitted an amended 1999 Constitution but rejected all five gender bills during the voting on the amendment. A coalition of 229 women groups in a statement condemned the rejection, describing the development as sad. The co-convener of Womanifesto, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, lamented that lawmakers voted to deny women the ability to take indigeneship in their husbands state after five years of being together and also rejected 35 per cent appointed positions for women. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, will commence the tour of states most affected by flood. Atiku, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on Saturday said he will be starting the tour in Bayelsa State. According to the statement, the tours to states ravaged by flooding become incumbent in view of the trauma that the incidents have caused its victims. Consequently, the tours will provide the presidential candidate the opportunity to have an on-sight impact assessment of these flooding incidents and give him a veritable window to input those ecological concerns in his policy documents. The candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, also visited Bayelsa State on Sunday to sympathise with the victims of the disaster. Meanwhile, Atiku also expressed sadness over the recurring attacks by suspected herders in Benue State. In a separate statement by Mr Ibe, the former vice president said that sustained clashes between farmers and herders have led to the loss of lives including those of police officers in Gbeji village, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. Atiku said, When our people are well integrated into communities where they live, work, pay their taxes and raise their children then theyd be obligated to reciprocate the love and acceptance. He admonished Nigerians to shun ethnic profiling and hateful rhetoric. He noted that accidents of birth should not be a reason for clashes. We should see our fellow citizens as fellow Nigerians. Where we were born and our mode of worship is a geographical situation that we have no control over. What we have in common is far greater than our differences, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The British monarch, King Charles III, on Friday joined other world leaders to sympathise with President Muhammadu Buhari over the recent floods ravaging parts of Nigeria. In his message to the Nigerian president, the monarch said he wanted the Nigerian leader to know how deeply saddened he was to hear of the many people who have lost their loved ones and whose lives have been so dreadfully affected as a consequence of the devastating floods across Nigeria. Nigeria is experiencing its worst floods in a decade with over 600 lives lost and properties worth billions destroyed. The recent floods have displaced more than a million people from their homes. Some of the most affected states include Kogi, Anambra, Rivers, Benue, Yobe, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River. our most heartfelt sympathy is with all those who have suffered so much, and our thoughts are with those working to support the recovery efforts, the British monarch said. I know that the United Kingdom stands in solidarity with Nigeria as you recover from these truly terrible events. The UN and the US have also sympathised with Nigeria and offered their support. 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. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa has blamed the failure of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other federal institutions in the country on the ineptitude of the ruling All Progressives Congress-led federal government. NDDC was established in 2000 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo (then PDP member) with a mandate to fast-track the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, was the vice president to Mr Obasanjo. Mr Okowa, governor of Delta State, one of the states within the Niger Delta region, while speaking at the PDP presidential campaign in Benin, Edo State, on Saturday, said the NDDC failed because the APC government was ignorance of its mandate. The NDDC was doing well but in the last seven years, we have not seen the hands of NDDC in our states because those who came in, the APC government dont know the purpose for which the NDDC was established. He said: A lot of institutions that were established before the APC government came on board have not been put into effective use because the APC-led federal government dont know how the institutions came about. Only Atiku understands states issues Mr Okowa told the party supporters that it was only the PDP presidential candidate that understands the challenges of the states that the states need money and more power. He urged the people of the region to cast their ballot for Mr Atiku because NDDC was established when the presidential candidate was the Nigerian vice president. Mr Atiku would revive the economy and create jobs if voted into power in next years election, he said. The PDP government knows how to run the economy in such a manner that it will be good for all the youths and the women and all Nigerians. Unfortunately, in the last seven and half years, our economy has been marred by hunger; it has been poverty and poverty and our people are unhappy and dying. One other good thing is that Atiku is the only man that understands the issues of the states. He has promised us that he is going to devolve more power and more resources to every state government and to the local governments. This is what we need to develop our states. He is the only presidential candidate who is sincere to this and he has been talking about it, Mr Okowa said. He said as someone from the region who is on the ballot as Mr Atikus running mate, he would work together to deliver a new Nigeria for our people. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print In its first reaction to the killing of protesters by Chadian security forces, the Nigerian government failed to condemn the fatal crackdown but instead said it was concerned by the incident. Instead of outright condemnation, the Nigerian Presidents Special Envoy to the Lake Chad Basin Countries, Babagana Kingibe, said Nigeria is concerned about the violent clashes resulting in multiple loss of lives. At least 50 people were killed in the protest which human rights organisations said was violently repressed by security forces. The Chadian Prime Minister, Saleh Kebzabo, who gave the death toll at a news conference, said the government was still compiling casualties from what he described as an armed insurrection. But human rights groups said that unarmed civilians were massacred as security forces brutally cracked down on demonstrations in the capital, NDjamena, and several other cities. In his statement, Mr Kingibe extended condolences to the families of the bereaved and the Government and people of Chad and referred to the events as avoidable and deplorable. Nigeria, like neighbour Chad, has a history of brutal crackdowns on protesters. In 2020, protesters marching against police brutality in different Nigerian states were shot at leaving a yet-to-be-confirmed number killed and others injured. READ ALSO: Mr Kingibe encouraged the government and the people to build on all the efforts and achievements made during the first phase of the transition promised by the military in the country. Mahamat Deby, Chads military ruler, promised an 18-month transition to elections after he led a coup in April 2021. But on 1 October, he announced the transition would be pushed back by two years, which led to protests. Following the death of Mr Debys father, Idris Deby, who ruled Chad for decades, the Chadian military announced the dissolution of the parliament and the suspension of the constitution. It also announced Mahamat Debys installation as president, a move condemned by the opposition in the country. Nigeria at the time did not condemn the coup, rather President Muhammadu Buhari hosted the younger Deby in Abuja promising to assist Chad to stabilize and return to constitutional order. The military rulers walk back on his promise comes 11 days after the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1106th meeting held on 19 September 2022 reaffirmed its call for the authorities to respect the 18 months period for the completion of the transition. The destiny, peace and prosperity of the peoples and member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission are inextricably linked, Mr Kingibe noted in his statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES. as the Special Envoy, I wish to reassure of our continued support to Chad in their quest for a peaceful transition to constitutional order through free, fair and credible elections, Mr Kingibe said. African Union Commission Chair Moussa Mahamat had in a tweet condemned the repression of demonstrations that led to deaths in Chad. Similarly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres through his spokesperson said he was concerned about the protest and the lives lost. He called on authorities to ensure the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly for all Chadians. He also called for all parties to refrain from excessive use of force and violence. 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. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print It is morally wrong for Nigerian students whose education was disrupted by the war in Ukraine to look to continue in Russia, a Ukrainian official has said. The Ukraine Special Envoy for Africa and the Middle East, Maksym Subhk, stated this while visiting Nigeria. In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, he urged Nigerian students not to go to Russia to continue their study because Russia was behind the interruption of their study. It is both morally wrong and it is a matter of moral values, I should say, he added. Thousands of Nigerian students studying in Ukraine have had their studies interrupted due to the invasion of the country by Russia. Hundreds of people have been killed and millions displaced since the war started in February. Mr Subkh said there have been offers from Russia to students affected by the Ukraine war. He urged the students to reject such officers. READ ALSO: He said the affected students had become patriots of both Nigeria and Ukraine as they understand what is behind the aggression. He said Ukraine is trying to offer alternatives for students to be able to continue their studies, including in neighbouring countries it has bilateral ties with. Additionally, part of his visit to Nigeria was to get Nigerian authorities to accept the online studying and certificates received from that form of learning. We would urge the Government of Nigeria to recognise online studying as a kind of programme which is accredited by the Government of Ukraine, Mr Subkh said. He said the online programmes would allow the students to complete their studies which they already commenced physically before the war. The full interview will be published by PREMIUM TIMES soon. 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. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print From Oct. 7-16 Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival (FlagShakes) presented its fall production of "The Comedy of Errors" to the Flagstaff community. The production ultimately culminated in afternoons of laughter and standing ovations. Though you may think you know Shakespeares timeless "The Comedy of Errors", FlagShakes was still able to put their own Western spin on it. The storyline and scripts remained true to Shakespeares original intentions, however the actors were adorned in Western themed costumes, surrounded by a set with a Western look and most, if not all, of the actors took on a twangy accent to boot. Throughout the show, the actors entered from behind the audience; this production method allowed the audience to feel much more involved in the production. As the scenes transitioned, there was always an actor playing the acoustic guitar, comfortably bridging the transitions. Despite the constant character confusion that permeates the entirety of this play, the overall understanding of the audience remains clear; this clarity, that is only applicable to the audience, creates an entertaining atmosphere for attendees to simply enjoy the lively chaos ensuing in front of them. The servant twins of the play both named Dromio were easily the most spirited and vibrant characters in the production. Their performances resulted in some of the loudest laughter the crowd could muster. Even though the servant twins stood out from the rest, all of the actors involved in the production partook in a sort of over-acting type of performance. Their movements and dialogues were done with such excessive extravagance that it added even more humor to the comedy. An increasing level of madness and confusion ultimately characterizes this production. However, it was performed in a way that remains exceptionally comedic to audience members of all ages. FlagShakes rendition of The Comedy of Errors truly erred on the side of laughter this fall. The production company also invites community members to join them in their final production of the year, Gift of the Magi when it hits the stage in December. Capture memorable moments from the festival of lights with OPPO's Reno8 Pro 5G Designed to be a Portrait Expert, the Reno8 Pro 5G redefines the realms of imaging capabilities with an advanced camera system powered by MariSilicon X Users can experience crystal clear nights in vivid colours with 4K Ultra Night Video DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bask in the festive spirit and capture joyful moments with loved ones this Diwali with OPPO's newly launched Reno8 Pro 5G, preserving vibrant colours and details in each frame that look true to life ensuring those special memories last a lifetime. Made so memories can be captured seamlessly ensuring more time enjoying festive celebrations, OPPO's Reno8 Pro 5G brings ultra-clear portrait photos and videos to all-new heights, powered by OPPO's first self-developed imaging NPU, MariSilicon X, and the Dual Sony Flagship Sensors. OPPO Diwali Festival With most Diwali celebrations beginning after the sun goes down surrounded by twinkling lights, OPPO's Reno8 Pro 5G makes capturing moments so much easier through revolutionary night imaging capabilities. With 4K Ultra Night Video, users can capture ultra-clear portrait videos at night, while 4K Ultra HDR Video optimizes portrait videos taken in the presence of strong backlight. Both features can significantly improve image quality and colour expression in pictures, avoiding over-exposure in bright areas while retaining the maximum amount of detail in dark areas allowing users to capture the streets lit with diyas and magnificent firework displays illuminating the evening sky. For users looking to go the extra mile and add movie-quality effects to their photos and videos, the Reno8 Pro 5G also offers features like Portrait Mode, Hyperlapse, and 960fps AI Slow-motion. With OPPO's incredible self-developed 80W SUPERVOOC TM flash charge, users never have to worry about missing a moment of festive celebrations and are able to record high-quality footage all night long as the Reno8 Pro 5G offers a full charge in only 31 minutes. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global technology brand since 2004, dedicated to providing products that seamlessly combines art and innovative technology. OPPO is on a mission to building a multiple-access smart device ecosystem for the era of intelligent connectivity. The smartphone devices have simply been a gateway for OPPO to deliver a diverse portfolio of smart and frontier technologies in hardware, software and system. In 2019, OPPO launched a $7 Billion US Dollar three-year investment plan in R&D to develop core technologies furthering design through technology. OPPO is firmly pursuing the creation of the best technology products and technological artistry for global users. Based on the brand elements of leading, young and beautiful, OPPO dedicates to the mission of letting the extraordinary users enjoy the beauty of technology. For the last 10 years, OPPO has focused on manufacturing smartphones with camera capabilities that are second to none. OPPO launched the first mobile phone, the Smile Phone, in 2008, which marked the launch of the brand's epic journey in exploring and pioneering extraordinary technology. Over the years, OPPO has built a tradition of being number one, which became a reality through inventing the world's first rotating camera smartphone way back in 2013, launching the world's then thinnest smartphone in 2014, being the first to introduce 5X Zoom 'Periscope' camera technology and developing the first 5G commercial smartphone in Europe. Today, OPPO was ranked as the number four smartphone brand globally. OPPO brings the aesthetics of technology of global consumers through the ColorOS system Experience, and Internet service like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO's business covers 60 countries operated by more than 40,000 dedicated employees, with over six research institutes and five R&D centers across the world, from San Francisco to Shenzhen. OPPO also opened an International Design Centre headquartered in London, driving cutting edge technology that will shape the future not only for smartphones but for intelligent connectivity. About OPPO MEA OPPO started its journey in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in 2015 after setting up its regional office in Egypt. Following the immense success of the brand's sales centre in Cairo in the first year, OPPO accelerated its expansion plan across the MEA region and inaugurated its country operations in the UAE in 2019. Now OPPO is physically present in more than 14 markets across the region, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the Levant. To empower its presence in the region in line with its product localisation strategy, OPPO further invested in MENA and set up its very own factory in Algeria in 2017, thus, becoming the first Chinese brand to build a manufacturing premises in North Africa. Based on insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO has evolved the progress of product localisation, taking into consideration several perspectives towards each market, including product localisation, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localisation, to better communicate with local young customers; and talent localisation, to understand local consumers further and provide an optimum customer service. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X Series and the introduction of the OPPO Reno Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region. A forward-thinking international technology company, OPPO strives to be a sustainable company that contributes to a better world and have enacted positive change in every way possible through activating local community initiatives and humanitarian, charity campaigns. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1926688/OPPO_Diwali_Festival.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1451542/OPPO_Logo.jpg SOURCE OPPO Leaders of Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Holding the Official Governance Meeting in Dallas, Texas Say the Changes Signal the Start of a New Era for LULAC WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) board of directors issued a statement on its decision to terminate the remainder of its contract with LULAC Chief Executive Officer Sindy Benavides. LULAC will now launch a nationwide search to select a new CEO for America's largest and oldest Latino civil rights group, founded in 1929. The board then voted to authorize the national president and his designees to oversee all matters related to LULAC operations and activities. "LULAC today is making it very clear that our organization is moving forward as we have for 93 years, with new leadership and a bold agenda," said LULAC National President and Chair Domingo Garcia. "We are proud to announce that today, Gloria Leal, a Texas attorney, has been appointed to hold the position of LULAC General Counsel, the first woman to do so in our more than nine decades of existence. In another first, we appointed Analuisa Tapia, the heroine of the Vanessa Guillen movement for justice, LULAC's first national Sergeant-at-Arms. Additionally, Sara Walker from Chicago LULAC was named special national advisor to the president." About LULAC The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation's largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC's programs, services, and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting the critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/ For more information, contact David Cruz 818 689-9991 [email protected] SOURCE LULAC More than 600 Coastwatchers served in Australia, New Guinea and the Pacific Islands during World War II. They included RAAF, AIF, RAN, one WRAN (Womens Australian Naval Officer) ... .The Coastwatchers: Operation Ferdinand and the Fight for the South Pacific, by Eric A. Feldt She was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1891. She married in 1919 and moved with her husband to the island of Vanikoro in the Solomon Islands in 1928. Her husband managed a timber operation, and she worked in the office helping her husband with administrative tasks. They had two sons. The boys spent the school year in Sydney. In 1940, with start of the war in Europe, the man who operated the company radio on the island volunteered for the Royal Australian Air Force. Before leaving, he trained Ruth on how to use the radio to broadcast thrice-daily weather reports that were vital to shipping and aircraft in the area. He promised her that his replacement would be sent to the island in a few weeks. His replacement never came. In 1941, the Japanese entered the war. The Australian government advised all citizens to return home ahead of the Japanese advances in the region. Her husband was determined to stay on Vanikoro and take care of the timber companys assets. Ruth stayed with her husband. Meanwhile, the dispersed network of Coastwatchers, code name Ferdinand (after the childrens story by Munro Leaf), was under constant threat of discovery and disruption. Most Coastwatchers, including Ruth, were civilians. If caught they would be treated as spies. Efforts were made to assign commissions to the Coastwatchers in the hope that the rules of the Geneva Convention might provide some protection if any were captured. Ruth received an honorary commission as a third officer in the Womens Royal Australian Navy Service (WRANS). Her uniform was delivered by parachute. Thirty-eight Coastwatchers died during the war. Their radios had a range of 400 miles for voice, 600 miles for Morse code. Consequently, much of the intelligence gathered about enemy ship traffic and aircraft had to be relayed among Coastwatchers to reach headquarters. The equipment was bulky, heavy and required the help of indigenous allies to hide. Ruth and her husband hid their radio equipment in the jungle in the mountains above the timber camp. The car battery that powered the gear had to be recharged using a gas-powered generator back at the timber camp. Ruths weather reports included information about enemy activity. Her reports were invaluable to the Allies during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. So highly regarded were her contributions that Admiral Halsey paid a visit to Vanikoro to personally thank her. In her oral history in the digital archive of the National Museum of the Pacific War, she recalled, We appreciated that special occasion. She was 54 years old when the war ended. She died in 1990, at the age of 99, the only female Coastwatcher of the war. BEIJING, Oct. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the guidance of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China will build on its achievements and keep up the momentum towards its Second Centenary Goal of building a "great modern socialist country" that is "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful." The CPC vowed to lead the Chinese people in achieving the goal and advancing the course of the great rejuvenation of the nation, as the week-long congress concluded on Saturday in Beijing. China's modernization under CPC leadership The central task of the CPC is leading the Chinese people to realize the Second Centenary Goal through "a Chinese path to modernization," according to the report delivered at the opening session of the congress. Chinese modernization is the socialist modernization pursued under the leadership of the CPC, said the report. At the closing session presided over by Xi Jinping, the 20th CPC Central Committee and the 20th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) were elected. A resolution endorsing the report of the 19th CPC Central Committee and a resolution on the work report of the 19th CPC CCDI were also adopted. The 20th CPC National Congress also passed a resolution on an amendment to the CPC Constitution. It was stressed at the closing session that the CPC has a pivotal role in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. The congress agreed to add to the Party Constitution statements on the Party being the highest force for political leadership and on upholding and strengthening the overall leadership of the Party. China's modernization carries global significance China's visions and experience on state governance summed up at the congress could offer inspirations for other parts of the world. When illustrating the features of China's modernization, Xi noted in his report to the congress that the country's modernization benefits a large population. It features common prosperity, coordinated material and cultural-ethical progress, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development. Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature and of peaceful development, he stressed, adding that it offers humanity "a new choice" for achieving modernization. In its two-step strategic plan, the CPC aims to basically realize socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035 and build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful from 2035 through the middle of this century. According to the adopted resolution on the report of the 19th CPC Central Committee, China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a community with a shared future for mankind. China adheres to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in pursuing friendship and cooperation with other countries, said the resolution. "It is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up." https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-10-22/China-s-modernization-injects-confidence-into-world-s-prosperity-1ele08KavF6/index.html SOURCE CGTN Egyptian COP27 Presidency team meets representatives of previous COP Presidencies to discuss ultimate objectives of COP27 Presidency team meets representatives of previous COP Presidencies to discuss ultimate objectives of Current geopolitical issues identified as one of the challenges to address Previous COP Presidents and their representatives joined workshop to offer insights CAIRO, Oct. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the Egyptian COP27 Presidency Team and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have held an all-day consultation ahead of the convening. Egyptian COP27 Presidency team meets representatives of previous COP Presidencies to discuss ultimate objectives of COP27 Facilitated by the Centre for Multilateral Negotiations (CEMUNE), the workshop discussed how COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh will engage with, and advance, the many climate and economic challenges that are currently underway. Along with the UNFCCC and COP27 Presidency members, also present offering their expertise were 14 speakers including COP20 President Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, COP26 Lead Negotiator Archie Young, Tomasz Chruszczow (former High Level Climate Champion for COP24), Dr Hakima El Haite (former High Level Climate Champion for COP22), and Kaveh Guilanpour (Former Co-lead Negotiator on Climate Change for the EU). Group sessions discussed how best to ensure that global political leadership can further guide the process and identified the risk of existing and evolving challenges impacting on COP27, more so than at previous editions. With the current situation in Ukraine, high energy prices, and predicted economic recession, attendees acknowledged possible factors that could affect the long- and near-term ambitions that the world agreed upon under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Eliminating roadblocks to productive dialogue and eventual agreement were central points discussed. The COP27 Presidency Team and other attendees worked to put in place the right framework to facilitate global consensus focused on the implementation of existing commitments, and how best to enhance that ambition. COP President Designate H.E. Sameh Shoukry said, "The role of the COP Presidency is to align and converge multiple views, and facilitate transparent, inclusive, and fruitful discussion, while consistently advocating for more progress, ambition and solidarity." "Sound substantive and organizational preparation is essential to ensure that COP27 results in the most positive outcome possible. This workshop gathered several experts and resource persons with extensive experience in climate action and climate conferences, and allowed for useful sharing of best practices and lessons learned," added Wael Aboulmagd, COP27 Special Representative. COP27 will take place from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1927356/COP27.jpg For more information, please contact Ambassador Amr Essam: [email protected] +20 (0) 2 23588326 www.cop27.eg Twitter: @COP27P "Act Now" video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0k-EXPLmm4 SOURCE COP27 SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Oct. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Love Boat.promises something for everyoneproved true today as the cast members from the original scripted show "The Love Boat" met with the hosts of CBS's romantic adventure dating show "The Real Love Boat," Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell, and The Real Love Boat Crew. "Rebecca and I grew up watching the original 'Love Boat' and our show is inspired by that beloved series so to meet the original cast was just a wonderful experience," said Jerry O'Connell, host of "The Real Love Boat." The Original Cast of The Love Boat meets The Real Love Boat hosts and crew onboard Discovery Princess at the Port of Los Angeles. Princess Cruises Celebrations Ambassador Jill Whelan (Vicki Stubing), is joined by fellow "Love Boat" cast members Cynthia Lauren Tewes (Julie McCoy), Bernie Kopell (Doc), Fred Grandy (Gopher) and Ted Lange (Isaac) were onboard as they departed for a specially-themed "Love Boat" cruise leaving from the Port of Los Angeles on a seven-day roundtrip Mexican Riviera cruise onboard Discovery Princess. The original ensemble cast will celebrate their friend and everyone's favorite cruise ship Captain Stubing with a tribute to Actor Gavin MacLeod. Together they will also share their favorite memories from the show and participate in various guest activities, including a renewal of vows for guests. "The Real Love Boat," hosted by Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell, is set on a luxury Princess Cruises ship and they are joined by the ship's crew members Captain Paolo Arrigo, Ezra Freeman (Bartender) and Matt Mitcham (Cruise Director) bringing singles together to cruise the Mediterranean while looking for love. With over 40 combined years working in the industry, Arrigo, Freeman and Mitcham bring their real-world expertise to help the Singles find love in this adventure of a lifetime. Destination dates, challenges and surprise new singles are testing the couples' compatibility and chemistry. Like the beloved original scripted series set aboard a Princess cruise ship, the indispensable crew members play pivotal roles in the matchmaking and navigation of the romantic (and sometimes turbulent) waters ahead. "The Real Love Boat" airs on the CBS Television Network 9/8c and is available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. About Princess Cruises One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is the world's leading international premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 15 modern cruise ships, carrying millions of guests each year to 330 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for Itineraries." In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by the Medallion device, the vacation industry's most advanced wearable device, provided free to each guest sailing on a MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation offers the fastest way to an effortless personalized vacation, giving guests more time to do the things they love most. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK). SOURCE Princess Cruises BEIJING, Oct. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In a report delivered to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on October 16, Xi Jinping expounded on the missions and tasks of the CPC on the new journey of the new era. The tasks were specified to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. The country's modernization has deep implications for how China presents itself to the world and how the world perceives China, observers said. This is the sixth installment of the Global Times' special coverage of the special event. Expounding on the "great socialist modern country" as "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful", Xi noted at the opening session on Sunday the need to better tell China's stories, make China's voice heard, and present a China that is credible, appealing, and respectable. "We will strengthen our international communication capabilities, make our communication more effective, and strive to strengthen China's voice in international affairs so it is commensurate with our composite national strength and international status," he said. How will China realize its socialist modernization and present an image that is commensurate with this idea? Observers said the country's international image and appeal are ultimately defined not only by the course of its progress, but also by its means of development and how it engages with and what it brings to the global community. Decoding China's vision of a socialist modern country, we should know that the idea is deeply rooted in the country's rich culture and traditional philosophies, while organically combines universal values and China's own development experience. The soft power of a country ultimately lies in its moral appeal, which comes from what it has promised and achieved both at home and internationally, experts said, holding the belief that China's sound internal governance and strategic credibility in foreign policy will enhance Chinese appeal and ensure that the ideal image is presented. Prosperous and strong In 2012, China had already surpassed Japan to become the world's second largest economy only behind the US, but nearly 100 million Chinese still lived in poverty. Ten years later, China has successfully shaken off "poverty" and realized the long-cherished dream of xiaokang, moderate prosperity in all respects. Different people will have different answers on what constitute the "icons of China," but skyscrapers in Beijing and Shanghai, intertwined highways and high-speed railways, e-commerce and convenient mobile payment, will frequently feature in those answers, painting the picture of an economic miracle. China also has a greater ambition of high-quality development, with objectives including boosting China's strength in manufacturing, product quality, aerospace, transportation, cyberspace, and digital development, advancing rural revitalization across the board and promoting high-standard opening-up. Smart factories facilitated by 5G, lunar and Mars probes and space stations, electric vehicles and pilotless automobiles and booming eco-tourism in villages are becoming new name cards for China. Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, told the Global Times that the progress made in material modernization has greatly boosted Chinese people's confidence in and capability of presenting a real and multidimensional China. China's rising economic strength is also making its image more visible and meaningful to the world. In October 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked China for its role in shaping and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, as evidenced by its strong commitment and significant progress in eradicating poverty in all forms and dimensions. China's achievements provide valuable lessons in poverty alleviation that are being shared with other countries through South-South Cooperation, Guterres said. As China vows to promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in its future opening-up, the initiative, first put forward by Xi in 2013 and inspired by exchanges between ancient civilizations, also epitomizes the way that China's development benefits the world, experts said, citing Chinese-constructed CBD project in the capital of Egypt, and the new stadium in Cambodia. They predicted that the BRI, along with other China-proposed development initiatives, will continue to play an integral part in shaping the international perception of China. Democratic In the political realm, China's image has long been smeared as "authoritarian" and "undemocratic." It was only recently that China started to elaborate on and explain to the world its concept and practices of democracy - the whole-process people's democracy - a term Xi brought up in 2019 during his visit to a civic center in Shanghai where legislation was being discussed at the local community level. Whole-process people's democracy is a combination of electoral democracy and consultative democracy, and is applied through a combination of elections, consultations, decision-making, management and oversight, according to a white paper issued in December 2021 on the concept. Xi said at the opening session of the 20th CPC National Congress that whole-process people's democracy is the defining feature of socialist democracy; it is democracy in its broadest, most genuine, and most effective form. "We will improve the system of institutions through which the people run the country," said Xi. "This country is its people; the people are the country," Xi noted. The people-centered ideal that the CPC embraces has its roots in traditional Chinese culture and the governance philosophy of Confucianism, while its connotation and relevant practices are suited to contemporary China, analysts said. Zheng Yongnian, a noted Chinese political scientist, said democracy is sustainable when it is compatible with a country's economic, social and cultural reality. Democracy lasts longer when it is born from inside rather than imposed by outside forces. As for the future, Xi said China will also encourage the people's orderly participation in political affairs and guarantee their ability to engage in democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight in accordance with the law. "We will inspire the people's motivation, initiative, and creativity, so as to consolidate and develop a lively, stable, and united political atmosphere," he said. Not only do Chinese people have stronger confidence in their democracy and political path, as a poll in 2021 suggested, but more and more people around the world are also starting to realize and daring to speak out the simple truth that democracy is not like Coca-Cola, tasting the same everywhere in the world. Culturally advanced "To build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must develop a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and be more confident in our culture," Xi said in the report. No one can deny the richness of Chinese culture, said Zhang Yiwu from Peking University, but the issue is how we present it and whether the message gets delivered. Zhang pointed out a notable trend of Chinese people taking greater initiative in defending their traditional culture and showing greater confidence in revitalizing their own culture through interpretations in pace with the times. Besides the continuing debates over the foreign "high fashion" taste of Chinese models with slanted eyes, one latest example could be the protest against Dior's suspected copying of a classic design in traditional Chinese attire known as mamian, or "horse face" skirt. Dior described the mid-length skirt as "a hallmark Dior silhouette" but Hanfu lovers found in it many details similar to mamian, which was most popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Traditional design can be used in modern clothes and many Hanfu stores have been selling mamian-inspired skirts for years as a way to present traditional Chinese fashion in a modern way. Chen Ziqi, 28, who joined the protest at a Dior store in Sydney, told the Global Times that the Dior controversy involves cultural appropriation, but also taught us that we need to keep the richness of traditional culture alive today and effectively convey it to the world. "It is the mission of our time, of our generation." TV dramas and novels have also been playing an important role in bringing innovation to the delivery of Chinese culture worldwide. Chinese costume dramas have always been popular in East and Southeast Asia and in recent years, fantasy and realistic genres are also becoming better-received, Zhang said. In 2022, the time-loop suspense Reset and anti-drug trafficking series Being A Hero became hits in the costume-drama dominated overseas markets. A revamped version of a Chinese street dance variety show has become a hit in Vietnam, marking a step forward for China's own TV IPs. Industry observers stressed that in addition to cultural appeal, popularity is being facilitated by Chinese video platforms' overseas exploration and an open mind for cultural exchanges in society. A similar pattern can be seen in online literature. Qu Chang, a veteran translator who previously translated into Chinese the hit book series A Song of Ice and Fire, told the Global Times in an earlier interview that the development of Chinese online literature is leading the world, as China now has a mature mechanism for publishing online literature. "Many overseas readers are curious about the culture of China such as Taoism, martial arts and e-sports," he added. This has prompted a wave of translations of Chinese works. These practices are all going in the direction pointed out at the key Party Congress: rallying public support, fostering a new generation of young people, developing Chinese culture, and better presenting China to the world. Analysts noted that the BRI is often mistakenly seen as only being about infrastructure. However, under the BRI, Chinese culture is holding exchanges with other cultures through film festivals, cultural co-productions and many other formats. Enhancing archaeological cooperation with BRI countries was also written into China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). Harmonious and beautiful At the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi called for the pursuit of green development and the promotion of harmony between humanity and nature. Respecting, adapting to, and protecting nature is essential for building China into a modern socialist country in all respects, he said, calling for the Beautiful China Initiative to be advanced. For a long period of time, China's development was trapped in a cycle of "pollution first, treatment after," and the economic miracle was marred by the environmental costs it incurred. But with the belief of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," China's pursuit for green development, as well as its commitment to global carbon reduction goals, is being recognized. Zou Yi, a Beijing resident, may have a bigger say than others on the capital city's air pollution control, as he has documented through pictures the Beijing CBD's skies everyday for 10 years. Looking through thousands of photos of Beijing's skies, the pictures were generally gray, gloomy, and foggy in 2013, but gradually, they transitioned to a clearer blue, and were sometimes crystal clear. Since 2018, city-, county-, township-, and provincial-level river and lake chiefs have inspected rivers and lakes an average of 7 million times per year to eliminate dark water bodies. Cross-provincial mechanisms have been established and joint inspections and law enforcement carried out, forming a strong synergy in river and lake management and protection. The ideal of human-nature harmony was well demonstrated in a famous journey made by a wandering herd of wild Asian elephants in the Southwest China province of Yunnan, which drew global attention. The journey reflected and also further boosted public awareness of ecological protection, accelerating more elephant protection measures, including habitat restoration and studies on the species. The results are promising - elephants in Yunnan are seeing a baby boom, protectors said. China also put in place a 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River starting in 2020 to tackle pollution and biodiversity decline problems of this "mother river." In the past decade, China raised its proportion of clean energy to 16.6 percent of all energy consumption, became a major pillar in adding green to the world, and actively participated in global cooperation to deal with climate change. Summarizing its past experience, China will develop a holistic and systematic approach to the conservation and improvement of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts. China will prioritize ecological protection, conserve resources and use them efficiently, and pursue green and low-carbon development, Xi said. Image of modernization The Chinese pursuit of modernization, in the eyes of domestic and global observers, has deep roots in its culture. The xiaokang goal, the idea that "people are masters of the country," the concept of harmony, all came from ancient classics and were interpreted and adapted to suit modern times. Noted British scholar Martin Jacques mentioned the Chinese concept of tianxia, or "all under heaven," which is integral to the history of Chinese civilization, in a previous interview with the Global Times. In the era of globalization and climate change, a concept of the world, rather than just the nation-state, is essential. That is why the Chinese proposition for a "shared destiny for mankind" is fundamental to a new way of thinking about the world and democracy, Jacques said. Some analysts also believe that China's development vision reflects the traditional neisheng waiwang thought adopted by Confucianism. The concept, which literally translates as "internal saint, external king", holds that a country should improve its domestic governance to realize leadership among others. Yan Xuetong, a renowned expert on international relations at Tsinghua University, believes the core of a country's soft power is its moral appeal. In an interview in 2021 with Princeton University Press China, he said the morality or moral actions of a government are reflected in being responsible for people's interests, winning their trust and safeguarding international order, as well as having strategic credibility. The continuous improvement of people's well-being in China, Chinese people's satisfaction with their government's performance being at over 90 percent for consecutive years and the pledges to build a modern socialist country in all respects, are all part of China's pursuit of internal morality, analysts said. In the interview, Yan pointed out that whether a country is moral or not does not come from what the country says, but from others' evaluation of its actions. Therefore, soft power should come from a country's success and role model effect, rather than the values it boasts about or the uniqueness of its culture. At the same time, it is noted that "the CPC does not exert its model on other parties or countries, or point fingers at the affairs of political parties from other countries," Shen Beili, vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, reiterated at a Thursday press briefing on the sidelines of the 20th CPC National Congress. Each country must figure out its own path that is suited to its conditions. Expounding on Chinese modernization is about making pledges to the Chinese people, and the unfolding of Chinese modernization could serve as inspiration and reference for other countries on their exploratory paths, analysts said. Diversity is the nature of the world, and development is not about using one system or civilization to replace another. That is why China upholds the belief in dialogue between civilizations and a world with differences, Zhang Yiwu said. By exploring, studying and deepening understanding of Chinese civilization, the Chinese nation is overcoming challenges as it has done throughout history, and is reforming itself to adapt to the times, he said. An image of a "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful China" is emerging from the modernization of Chinese civilization. SOURCE Global Times BEIJING, Oct. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The week-long 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) successfully concluded on Saturday in Beijing, and it noted that the establishment of Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has set the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on "an irreversible historical course." The establishment of both Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era represents a major political achievement for the Party in the new era and a decisive factor in the historic successes and changes in the cause of the Party and the country, the Congress noted. It required all Party members to acquire a deep understanding of the decisive significance of this major achievement, more conscientiously uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and closely follow the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core in thinking, political stance, and action, the Congress stressed. Chinese analysts stated that the resolutions passed at the Congress show that the Party is fully prepared for its new journey and has greater and more contemporary visions and thoughts on governance, development, key missions and the world order. The CPC congress has realized its goals of unifying thinking, fortifying confidence, charting the course, and boosting morale, Xi told 2,338 delegates and specially invited delegates present at the closing session of the weeklong congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Saturday. "This has been a congress of holding our banner high, pooling our strength, and promoting solidarity and dedication." Milestone with historic significance "We believe that all the decisions and plans set out at the congress and all its outcomes will play a significant role in guiding and underpinning our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects, advance national rejuvenation on all fronts, and secure new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics," Xi said at the closing session. "The report of the 19th CPC Central Committee adopted at the Congress is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Party and the people. It is a political declaration and a program of action for the Party to bring together the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and lead them in securing new success for socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is a guiding Marxist document," said the passed resolution on the report. According to the passed resolution on the Party Constitution amendment, "The Congress unanimously agrees that the new developments in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era since the Party's 19th National Congress should be incorporated into the Party Constitution, so as to better reflect the major contributions made by the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to advancing the Party's theoretical, practical, and institutional innovations." The Congress noted that, at the ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Xi Jinping solemnly announced on behalf of the Party and the people that we have realized the First Centenary Goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and that we are now marching in confident strides toward the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects. The Party Constitution is revised to reflect this, the resolution said. Zhang Shuhua, director of the Institute of Political Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Saturday that the latest resolutions have comprehensively reflected and established all political, theoretical and ideological achievements that the CPC has actualized since the 18th CPC National Congress in the past decade. Zhang Xixian, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing, told the Global Times on Saturday that the resolution on the Party Constitution amendment is "a starting point for the CPC to set sail for the Second Centenary Goal and to strengthen Party building. It is a foundational milestone that involves the development requirements, patterns, direction and destiny of the Party in its journey toward the goal which is scheduled to be realized in the middle of this century." According to the passed resolution on the Party Constitution amendment, the Congress agreed to incorporate statements into the Party Constitution including "the Party's original aspiration and founding mission and its major achievements and historical experience over the past century" and "Basic socialist economic systems, including the system under which public ownership is the mainstay and diverse forms of ownership develop together, the system under which distribution according to work is the mainstay while multiple forms of distribution exist alongside it, and the socialist market economy, are important pillars of socialism with Chinese characteristics." The Congress also agreed to add to the Party Constitution statements such as "carrying forward our fighting spirit and building up our fighting ability" and "gradually realizing the goal of common prosperity for all," as well as "following the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics; developing a broader, fuller, and more robust whole-process people's democracy." Analysts said these all reflect that the CPC is advancing with the times as all of these statements that will be added into the Party Constitution actually reflect the learnings, experiences and understandings that the Party has accumulated from the governance and overcoming challenges in the past 10 years, and also accurately mirror the key demands of the Chinese people, and the key missions that the Party seeks to accomplish in the future. For instance, emphasizing "carrying forward our fighting spirit" in the resolution shows a clear attitude in regard to the challenges the Party has faced in the past five years, and will face in the future, said Yang Xuedong, a professor of political science at Tsinghua University. "When facing a more complicated situation, we need to carry out more arduous fight as we aim to achieve ambitious goals such as the building of a modern socialist country in all respects and realization of national rejuvenation," Yang told the Global Times on Saturday. The Congress also agreed to include the statements into the Party Constitution like "enhancing political loyalty in the military, strengthening the military through reform, science and technology, and personnel training, and running the military in accordance with the law; elevating the people's armed forces to world-class standards; fully, faithfully, and resolutely implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems; resolutely opposing and deterring separatists seeking "Taiwan independence." "These revisions reaffirm the Party's commitment to building a strong military with Chinese characteristics, making sustained and steady progress with the One Country, Two Systems policy, advancing national reunification, promoting the building of a human community with a shared future, and leading the tide of human progress," said the resolution. Global vision The CPC not only has eyes on China's development and destiny, but also has a greater vision to contribute its efforts to making a better world for the whole of humanity. According to the passed resolution, the Congress agreed to include in the Party Constitution statements on "holding dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom; and advancing the building of an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity." These revisions reaffirm the Party's commitment to building a strong military with Chinese characteristics, making sustained and steady progress with the One Country, Two Systems policy, advancing national reunification, promoting the building of a human community with a shared future, and leading the tide of human progress, said the resolution. Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that this showed that the CPC is not only guided by its original aspiration and the mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, but also "having a greater idea to seek advancement for the human race and seek 'Great Harmony' ('Datong' in Chinese, an ideal society without war and inequality in the Chinese culture) for the world," because with greater power comes greater responsibility. China is entering or has already entered the center of the international arena, so the CPC needs to have a greater idea on a higher level to include rather than exclude various values shared by different countries around the world and to build a human community with a shared future together, said experts. SOURCE Global Times Tehran, Oct 23 : Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said his country has received a message from US expressing American "hastiness to reach the nuclear deal with Iran". "Three days ago, we received a message from the US, and told them that the (International Atomic Energy) Agency (IAEA)'s accusations against Iran's nuclear programme should be resolved before any agreement," Abdollahian said in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, official IRNA news agency reported. Asked about US officials' comments about the nuclear negotiations being off the US agenda, he said "Americans are contradictory in their words and behaviour, as they are in a hurry to reach the agreement in their (recent) message", Xinhua news agency reported. "While the US continues to exchange messages with Iran, they are seeking to exert political and psychological pressure (on Iran) and want to gain concessions in the negotiations," he said. "We do not give any concessions to the American side, and we move within the framework of logic and the framework of an agreement that respects the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but at the same time we never leave the negotiating table," he stressed. Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, Washington quit the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. No breakthrough was achieved after the latest round of Vienna talks held in early August. Kanpur, Oct 23 : In a shocking incident, a newly married bride decamped with cash and jewellery, besides other items from the house of her husband, a day after the wedding. Later, she called up her husband on his mobile phone, and asked him not to contact her anymore. "I do not love you and do not call me now," she said curtly and snapped the phone, police said. The man has now given a complaint to the police and the matter is being investigated. The incident took place on October 4 but came to light on Saturday evening when the complaint was lodged at the Bilhaur police station of Kanpur district. According to the police, Arvind, a resident of Jadepur village, stated in his complaint that two men of Taktauli village demanded Rs 70,000 from him for "fixing his marriage". Then they took him to Gaya in Bihar and got his marriage fixed with a girl named Ruchi. On September 30, after taking the money, both the men took him to a hotel and showed the girl's photo. On the next day on October 1, the marriage was solemnised at a temple in Gaya. After the wedding, he came to the village along with his wife. "On October 4, when he woke up, his wife was missing from the house along with cash worth Rs 30,000 kept in a box and the jewellery and clothes offered to her at the wedding," he stated in his complaint. Station House Officer Jagdish Pandey said that the matter in being investigated and the accused woman and the men would be arrested soon. New Delhi, Oct 23 : The increased number of foreign (Pakistani) terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir has added to the challenges of Indian security agencies, which revealed that the said terrorists are working to prepare hybrid terrorists in the Valley. The recent targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and non-Kashmiri people is a big example of this. According to sources in the security forces, there has been a considerable increase in the number of foreign terrorists in comparison to local terrorists in J&K in the past few months. As per the sources, a total of 137 terrorists are currently active in the Valley. These include 54 local terrorists and 83 foreign terrorists of Pakistani origin. In the last few years, the number of foreign terrorists among the active ones has increased, due to which the security forces have to prepare a lot to deal with them, said an official. Terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) have assigned foreign terrorists with the task of preparing hybrid terrorists, the sources said. Hybrid terrorists aided by the foreign terroristsAccording to sources, terrorist organisations based out of Pakistan are now working on a new strategy wherein hybrid terrorists are being prepared in J&K with the help of terrorists hailing from Pakistan. Fresh recruitment of local terrorists has reduced significantly due to the promptness of the security forces. Unable to recruit locally active terrorists, foreign terrorists present in the Valley are helping more and more hybrid terrorists for criminal activities. These include local youth who used to help active terrorists as sleeper cells. Now they directly carrying out the terrorist activities. Targeted killings are also carried out by these hybrid terrorists. Identification of hybrid terrorists - a big challengeHybrid terrorists are different as they are local youth who live like ordinary people. They carry out a terrorist activity, and go back to living a commoner's life, which is why it becomes difficult for the security forces to identify and nab them. The authorities have no records of them. Foreign terrorists are helping them and are making them carry out terrorist acts. Intelligence and security agencies have also received inputs that arms and other aid are also being provided to them by Pakistani terrorists present in the Valley. Recruitment of local terrorists decreases, 168 killed in encountersThere has been a decrease in the recruitment of local terrorists in the Valley. According to the data, more than 65 youth have been recruited in different terrorist organisations this year, as compared to 142 last year. According to sources in the security agencies, till October this year, a total of 168 terrorists have been killed in encounters with the security forces. These include 47 foreign terrorists and 121 local terrorists. Seven terrorists have been killed by the security forces so far in October. Security agencies making a tough strategyAccording to the sources, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the J&K Police are working to gather information about the local youth, especially those who have suddenly disappeared. The search operations and blockades have also been increased in the Valley. A close watch is being kept on the movement of local youth and the security agencies are constantly engaged in making strategies to get the foreign terrorists out of their hiding places. Kuldiep Singh, former Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), had recently said that the challenges in J&K have increased in many ways since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in August last year. The increasing number of foreign terrorists has increased the concerns of the security agencies. Even after this, the security forces and the J&K Police are constantly trying to thwart every terrorist activity. Kolkata, Oct 23 : As the West Bengal State Election Commission has blown the bugle for the three-tier panchayat polls in West Bengal in March next year, political circles feel that the rural civic body polls would be under totally different circumstances compared to the previous three occasions in 2008, 2013 and 2018. In 2008, the rural civic body polls were conducted when the ruling Left Front was under tremendous pressure because of the twin movement by the opposition Trinamool Congress against land acquisition at Singur in Hooghly district and Nandigram in East Midnapore district. Although the Left Front government managed to retain the majority of the seats in the three tiers of panchayat namely Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat, it was evident in different pockets of the state that the strong red fort in rural West Bengal had started developing severe cracks. Those cracks widened significantly in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and ultimately in 2011 those cracks led to the collapse of the Left Front regime which had ruled the state at a stretch for 34 years since 1977. The 2013 West Bengal panchayat elections were the first rural civic body polls in the state with the Trinamool Congress in power and the principal opposition Left Front totally clueless about how to resurrect their collapsing organization network. As expected, the Trinamool Congress swept the polls with the Left Front hardly being able to highlight any plausible issue against the ruling party. The 2018 three-tier panchayat polls witnessed the continuation of the Trinamool Congress's absolute supremacy in capturing the majority of the three-tiers of the rural civic body. However, the results in 2018 were different since the BJP for the first time emerged as the principal opposition to the Trinamool Congress, pushing the Left Front and the Congress to the third and fourth position respectively. Political analysts believe that there were three common factors in the panchayat polls in 2008, 2013 and 2018. The first was that all these three polls were marred by violence with a number of deaths. The second factor was that all these three polls witnessed a major rise in the Trinamool Congress's vote share which reached a peak in 2018. The third factor was the steep decline in the Left Front vote share in rural Bengal, by virtue of which it had ruled the state from 1977 to 2011. Political observers feel that in 2013 and 2018 in the two rural civic body polls conducted with the Trinamool Congress in power, the opposition was mostly clueless about the issues to be raised against the ruling party barring the regular corruption related issues in the day-to-day functioning of the three tiers of the panchayat system. The Trinamool Congress won the major percentage of seats. However, political observers feel that this time there are several strong issues which the opposition would like to highlight in the panchayat polls. Ironically most of these issues are not related to the rural civic bodies. The first issue will be of corruption and the arrests of heavyweight leaders and ministers. "This is an issue which has really pushed the ruling Trinamool Congress on the backfoot with pictures and videos of huge cash recovery pertaining to the teacher's recruitment scam being splashed all over. The Trinamool Congress leaders are in a defensive mode as the party had to distance itself from the former West Bengal education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general, Partha Chatterjee, who was stripped of all his ministerial and party portfolios. Now it is to be seen how aggressive the ruling party will be in countering this campaign in the rural civic body polls," said political analyst Arundhati Mukherjee. Secondly, this will be the first time that the Trinamool Congress will be contesting the polls with one of their principal election strategists, Anubrata Mondal, behind the bars because of his alleged involvement in the cattle smuggling scam. Observers feel that despite being just the party's Birbhum district president, Mondal had always been playing a key role in finalising the strategies for his party in the Birbhum-adjacent Trinamool Congress stronghold districts. "So surely his absence will be a major setback for the rural level activists of the Trinamool Congress not just in Birbhum but also in the districts adjacent to Birbhum," Mukherjee said. But all are worried that 2023 will witness a repetition of the bloodbath of 2008, 2013 and 2018. While the State Election Commission has hinted that it is in favour of conducting the polls with the state police forces in charge of the security, the opposition parties have already started demanding the deployment of the central armed forces. On the wall at Rainbows End in downtown Flagstaff, above a row of felt hats and between sweater ensembles, are 13 diverse pieces of art. At first glance, they might not seem connected. A black cat is photographed against a bold-red field. Over the dressing room is a pastel painting of a barn quilt block, interrupted by the silhouette of a raven on a square canvas. Rays of light peak out from behind a mountains peak in a pencil drawing -- made graphic by black sharpie on a white background. Behind a stack of sweaters is a piece of pottery, and above the register, an orange person with a mushroom cap head sits surrounded by tiny white flowers. What binds the pieces together is their purpose not for the viewers, but for the artists. Rainbows End is showing work created by Flagstaff mental health professionals. Counselors and social service providers, who in tending to the mental and emotional needs of others, need ways to cope with pressure themselves. The show is the brainchild of Sirene-Rose Lipschutz, the Crisis Clinical Manager at Terros Health. Shes got two kids, is currently studying for her PhD and is in charge of two crisis response centers in Flagstaff. I couldnt do it without going home at night and painting or sculpting, Lipschutz said. For me personally, I do a lot of art, incessantly to make myself feel better. I dabble in all kinds of things and just get on these kicks of things that make me feel really good. Ninety-nine percent of what I do isnt topically related to mental health or anything specific. I paint flowers and I make little mythical creatures out of clay. Things that are fun and light. I use a lot of color. The art show celebrates the coping strategies of people who often work behind closed doors, or in the background of a world rendered more severe and challenging by COVID-19. In COVID youre in a persistent state of flux. A state of not knowing. That is not sustainable for the human brain," she explained. "Weve had to just keep going in this state. Some people have the tools they need and the coping skills to get through that, but even some of the most resilient, grittiest folks have crumbled, at least at times. We all have hit bottom at least temporarily during COVID. So much research has come out of the pandemic about burnout. Lipschutz started to notice that Terros was being asked more and more often to provide support for mental health professionals during the pandemic combating burnout. Suddenly Im at a session with my own therapist and I felt the need to ask how she was doing. Its not super common to be able to ask your therapist that and have them answer, Im struggling, she said. She also explained that the authenticity it takes for a counselor or therapist to talk about their own struggles is vital. Self-care and art practices are key to maintaining some of that authenticity. If I want to show up as myself, I need to take care of myself. I believe that mental health work needs authenticity and it needs the individuals who are doing the work to be themselves, said Deidre Hayes, a licensed professional counselor at Flagstaff Counseling Center. If I dont have balance, I will fall apart. Self-care is essential. Hayes has always gravitated toward jobs through which she could support others, from career work at the Guidance Center and Child and Family Support Services, to an earlier job working as a caregiver for children with disabilities. In those roles, Hayes has come face to face with trauma and had to cope with hearing about and supporting people through their darkest hours on a daily basis. I had a breakdown at one point because I wasnt taking care of myself. I crumbled to the floor and was like, 'Nothing is working!' Hayes said. "Its an everyday thing to say, What am I doing today thats going to feed my soul, release the tension in my body, give my brain a rest? Now, she paints. She sculpts. Most often, Hayes writes poetry. Whatever the medium, she says art has become a way for her to add variety and relaxation to her life. For me with COVID sometimes it was just the lack of novelty, for at least two years of our lives. It wasnt that my clients stuff was too big for me, or that my stuff was too big for me, it was just I heard it for eight hours a day and then I felt it for 24 hours a day, Hayes said. Sometimes when were in burnout, its because were experiencing something similar and its just too overwhelming and we dont have anything different to turn to. Art can be that thing. A different type of meditation, a different type of exercise. Any novelty to the brain. I think art is one of the easiest ways to do that because there are so many mediums. Hayes has found art to offer enough benefits in her personal life, that shes introduced it to her professional practice. I have tattoo pens, so when people are kind of out of it [in a counseling session] Im like, Hey, do you want to write on yourself and we can do therapy that way, or do you want to color? I use it in my practice. I use it in my personal life, and its a way to get away from that redundancy, Hayes said. Despite arts role in her life Hayes never considered herself an artist. Until now. Now, technically, Ive shown my art, she said. I dont think Ive ever called myself an artist, but I feel like I can now! Its maybe like a new piece of my identity. For Lipschutz, celebrating mental health workers as artists and makers was one of the key points of the show. A lot of the focus is on our client, and it should be, said Lipschutz, who also explained that art often finds its way onto "safety plans" Terros builds with clients to help them get through a crisis. We need to be focused on our clients, but the way to do that is to take care of ourselves. Thats the point here, honoring our caregivers, honoring the people who are trying to hold us up, while also having to hold themselves up. In assembling pieces, she reached out to her network and distributed fliers to colleagues across multiple organizations and facilities. She was surprised to discover how many people, like herself and Hayes, used creativity to cope and heal from second-hand trauma. We have representation from juvenile detention, and Ive worked with her before and shes an incredible artist. She has a pottery piece. I found out that people Ive been working with for years or seeing and meeting are using art, Lipschutz said. Even one of Terros interns from Northern Arizona University's masters in Social Work Program turned out to be an artist. Kersti Taha has responded to calls with the CARE unit and Terros mobile response team. Sometimes, shell ride her bike or go for a hike to decompress after helping a client through a crisis. Other times, shell put in headphones and grab a pencil. Something about it is just so healing for me and calming. Seriously, when I put my headphones in and I draw I dont think about anything. I dont think about the calls Ive been on, or school, or anything in my life. I just create and its a very therapeutic experience for me, Taha said. During Octobers First Friday Art Walk when the show opened, a passerby would ask if Tahas drawing was for sale. Her piece, the one with the mountain crowned by radiating light in pencil and sharpie, has also become a point of pride. I just think its really cool. One of the really fun things on First Friday was getting texts from people whose art is up asking, What time is First Friday? Just knowing that theyre proud that their pieces are here; wanting to come and bring their friends," Lipschutz said. "I just want it to be visible. A lot of what we do is behind closed doors and the focus is not on caregivers as much. I just wanted to bring visibility to the folks in the community who are really holding the community up -- through this little glimpse into their minds and into their worlds." Another element of that visibility is awareness. Hayes said, I think its just a really ingenious way to advocate for mental health. Because people think of therapy or mental health as like, This is how I feel, right? To be able to advocate for mental health in a way thats like, Yeah, I painted tonight. Its really relatable. The mental health caregiver art show hosted by Terros and Rainbows End will be up for the rest of October. Jaipur, Oct 23 : "Kitne Aadmi The?" This iconic dialogue from Bollywood blockbuster 'Sholay' is still remembered and used many times in different perspectives. In Rajasthan, this dialogue is doing the rounds after around 91 MLAs submitted their resignations. However, there is no confirmation or statement if the 91 MLAs really submitted their resignations to the Speaker since he has kept quiet. Congress workers as well as the Opposition are surprised at Speaker CP Joshi's silence. While a few Congress leaders stated that Joshi is facing a 'Catch 22' situation, others said that his silence speaks volumes and raises many questions. If he accepts these resignations, then the Congress crisis in Rajasthan will intensify and if he rejects the resignations, there might be pressure from the Sachin Pilot lobby for a leadership change, said Congress veterans. As Mallikarjun Kharge has become the new national president of the Congress, all eyes are now on the high command regarding the ongoing political upheaval in Rajasthan. It is expected that a decision will now be taken by the leadership on the Rajasthan crisis. But constitutionally, the political crisis in Rajasthan hinges on the decision of Assembly Speaker CP Joshi. As Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot have voiced different claims, Joshi now has an important role to play. This is the reason why Gehlot has been continuously putting the ball in Joshi's court on the matter of the resignations. On Thursday also, Gehlot told the media that we are not in the picture regarding the resignations. This is the job of the Speaker and he will decide according to the procedure. Joshi's silence on the whole matter is now raising eyebrows and triggering speculation. Observers find this behaviour of Joshi baffling as even after a month from September 25 when the drama unfolded in Jaipur as the high command called a CLP meeting, Joshi has not yet clarified his stand on the resignations. He is neither saying how many resignations he has received nor what is being done with the resignations. Meanwhile, the BJP in Rajasthan recently submitted a memorandum to Joshi asking him who is running the government if 91 MLAs have resigned. There is a state of confusion over the running of the government when 91 MLAs have resigned, it said, adding that the Speaker should accept the resignations as per Rajasthan assembly rule 173 (2) which says that if a member gives his/her resignation to the Speaker personally and informs that the resignation is voluntary and genuine, the Speaker may accept the resignation. Our question is who is running the government in Rajasthan when 91 MLAs have resigned, said BJP state president Poonia, adding "If we think to decide on a majority, then not even 20 MLAs are running the government in the state, as out of a majority of 102, 90-91 MLAs resigned and the government is reduced to a minority," he added. The people of Rajasthan want to know about the failure of the constitutional machinery in the state, now the Speaker has to decide. The state government is being seen as a minority and seems divided, he added. Gandhinagar, Oct 23 : With the Gujarat Assembly elections due and the Election Commission likely to announce the poll dates anytime, state leaders are busy preparing strategies even as the local leaders have launched campaigns demanding the nomination of local candidates. Leaders and workers of the BJP and the Congress are campaigning to build pressure on the party's state and national leadership for this. In Saurashtra, on the Botad and Talala seats, workers and caste leaders are demanding local candidates. In North Gujarat, Congress and BJP workers are demanding local candidates in Radhanpur, Chanasma, Siddhpur, and Mehsana constituencies. Popatbhai Avaiya is the BJP's general secretary in Botad district, and a Kadva Patidar leader. Talking to IANS, he said "Not only Patidars even the Koli community leaders are against imported candidates, for the simple reason that they are not residing in the constituency, they are like visiting faculty of the constituency, never addressing people's issues. In the long term such candidates can create anti-incumbency against the party at the local level. If a person is renominated by the party for several terms, even the party cadre gets discouraged, because others are not getting a chance." He said he is going to request the BJP leadership, that like the party constitution says a person can be party president for a maximum of two terms, in the same way there should be a rule for maximum terms for the elected representatives. In North Gujarat, turncoat OBC leader Alpesh Thakor is facing a big challenge within the BJP. Two former MLAs, Lavingji Solanki and Nagji Thakor, have launched a campaign, "Local candidate will win, imported will be defeated, local will contest and will win election,". Alpesh Thakor is trying hard to convince the local Thakor leaders to extend support to him, but Lavingji and Nagji are adamant. In Patan district Thakor, Aahir and other caste youths met on Friday and have demanded that the BJP should nominate Mangaji Thakor, a local leader. Their grouse is also that outsiders are not effectively serving the interests of the constituency. It is not only the BJP that is affected, the Congress too is facing the same problem. Congress leaders from Mehsana constituency and Tharad are demanding local candidates. Mehsana District Congress Committee president Rajitsinh Thakor told IANS that local leaders are accessible to voters and citizens, whereas outside candidates are only available when they visit the constituency. Though there is a demand for local candidates, yet party leaders are confident that whatever decision is taken by the high command will be respected. Popat Avaiya is the first to say that he will toe the party line. In Radhanpur, there is a demand for local candidates but Patan district BJP chief Dasrathji Thakor is confident that all will be well once the party announces the candidates. Lavingji and Nagjibhai too will campaign for the party candidate. New Delhi, Oct 23 : One of the most effective ways of treating cancer today is 'chemotherapy'. However, chemotherapy attacks cancerous cells as well as other normal cells in the body due to which the condition of a cancer patient worsens for a few days. Indian researchers have now discovered a technique whose therapy will only attack cancerous cells and not harm the rest of the body's cells. The micro-RNA developed by researchers from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) specifically kills cervical cancer cells. The currently available treatments for cervical cancer are chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but it also has an effect on non-cancerous cells, which is quite harmful and toxic. The findings of the study could pave the way for the development of micro-RNA therapy that is not harmful for the treatment of cervical cancer in the future. This micro-RNA has been discovered by a team of researchers from BHU led by Samarendra Kumar Singh, Assistant Professor, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Science, BHU. During the study, Singh and his Ph. D student Garima Singh demonstrated that a human micro-RNA, miR-34a, kills the viral E6 gene, which in turn shuts down an oncogenic cell cycle factor, and kills only cervical cancer cells. This discovery is of utmost importance in the context of developing a safe and specific therapy in the management of cervical cancer. During the study, the researchers found that no ill-effects were seen on normal or non-cancerous cells. Upon completion, this study could be important towards developing specific treatment therapies for cervical cancer. The study findings have been published in BMC Cancer, one of the most prestigious journals in the field of cancer. This is the first study to show that miR-34a suppresses cancer cells by regulating the cell cycle. High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is a factor in 99 per cent of cervical cancer cases by weakening the host cell's multiple tumor suppressors and checkpoint factors. The viral protein also stabilises several oncogenic factors, including an essential cell cycle regulator Cdt2/ DTL which in turn promotes cell transformation and proliferation. Samarendra Singh said, "Micro-RNAs have emerged as an important regulator of the cell cycle and various other cellular processes. Adverse changes in micro-RNAs have been linked to the development of many cancers and other diseases, but little is still known about the mechanism by which they control these cellular events." He added, "We have reported that the discovered micro-RNA destabilises certain proteins and plays a role in inhibiting the growth of infected cervical cancer cells, resulting in cell proliferation, invasion and migration of HPV-positive cervical cancer cells and helps to control it." Singh's laboratory conducts research in the field of cancer, especially cervical and gastrointestinal cancers. To execute their studies, they use a variety of molecular biology, biochemistry and structural biology tools and seek to investigate why and how cell cycle behaviour is misregulated in cancer cells. His laboratory had earlier made an important discovery towards cancer diagnosis by evaluating the amount of tumor DNA in the serum of cervical cancer patients which was published in Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics (JCRT), a prestigious journal in the field of cancer. The opposition in the BJP regime, unnerved by the rapid rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a leader of global eminence, has tried to run down his government by alleging that it is giving a fillip to Hinduism and taking the country towards 'majoritarianism'. It has tried to build a narrative that the present government is not practising secularism, is putting Muslim minority in jeopardy and only harping on the primacy of nationalism for gaining political advantage. The word secularism was not used by the makers of the Constitution obviously because the concept was built into the Indian democracy through the adoption of 'one man one vote' without distinction of caste, creed and gender, express declaration of equality of opportunity and equal protection of law for all and a clear stipulation that in matters of state, religion will have no place. The first ruling party of India, however, used the slogan of secularism to claim the loyalty of the Muslim minority and now that it is in opposition, it has stepped up its criticism of the BJP as a 'Hindu' party. This is all done with a political calculation that in the face of a highly-divided majority community - splintered on account of caste and region - the support of the minority of nearly a fifth of the population is a match-winner. The desperation of the opposition to garner this support has only increased with the return of Prime Minister Modi to power in 2019. In the process, some weird arguments deprecating Hinduism have surfaced -- like contending that India is not a 'nation', that 'Vaishnavites' and 'Shaivites' are two mutually exclusive faiths as depicted in a recent movie on the Chola empire, or that the Hindu identity was an innovation of the British colonial rule. The opposition is following a political strategy of stretching the 'diversity' of India - a country where Hindus happen to represent the majority - to a point where it is even denying that India is a 'nation'. Has it abandoned the pride in the sense of nationalism - not Hindu nationalism - that India as a free country would impart to all its citizens? BJP justifiably gets the credit for promoting nationalism as no other party seemed to be competing with it on that count. For political reasons, many in the opposition even agreed with the stand of the communal-minded elite and Ulema guiding the minority that saluting the national flag or singing the national anthem should be made optional. As regards the divide between Vaishnavites and Shaivites, it is true that there was a big contest among them for superiority, particularly in the 18th century, but it was a rival claim of two sects of the same belief system that legitimised multiplicity of Gods. In the classical episode of 'Samudra Manthan' - which is acknowledged as a marker of the perpetual battle between the good and the bad - it is Shiva who protects humanity by taking care of the eternal 'poison' while Vishnu in the image of Mohini gets the divine 'nectar' to the forces of the good. Hinduism never enforced any rigidity of observance and never called for 'conversion' of people who followed different approaches to religion. The agnostic anti-North Dravid sentiment of Ramaswamy Naicker's time is not all that relevant to today's politics of the South and any Shaivite credentials of Chola dynasty cannot yield any political dividend to any party in the present. The cultural unity of Hinduism cannot be weakened by subverting the cause of nationalism out of political motives. In a democratic set up, it should not be necessary to run down the majority community for winning over the minority votes. Finally, the tenuous argument that Hindu identity in India was a gift of the British colonial rulers, has no historical validity - it exemplifies political naivety that could only be attributed to an imported narrative of pseudo-intellectuals and the willingness of some political circles of the opposition to humour the Muslim minority in any way possible. There is a grain of truth in this only to the extent that the British did base their strategy of governance on the fact of Hindu- Muslim divide in the Indian subcontinent. It is a part of history that in the first half of the 19th century, a Jehad was launched in India against the British - the latter called it the 'Wahhabi revolt' - led by Ulema who resented the encroachment of the British on 'Muslim land' and who held that the political decline of Islam was caused by the deviation of Muslim rulers from the fundamentals of religion. The British took a long time in suppressing the Wahhabi movement, some elements of which later merged with the Mutiny of 1857 that historians adjudge as the 'First War of Independence'. This war was fought in the name of the Muslim Emperor and the British taking cognisance of this took to the strategy of relegating Muslims down in the matrix of loyalty and looking up to the Hindus for support. When Octavian Hume founded Indian National Congress in 1885 to spread the values of democracy and liberalism among Indians, he was targeting the Hindus primarily. By the turn of the century, however, Congress became a platform for fostering a national movement for freedom, driving the British colonial power to change the strategy once again and revert to placating Muslims as the other community. It is known that the Nawab of Dacca launched the Muslim League in 1906 with the blessings of the British - the rest is history as far as the religion-based Partition becoming coterminous with the Independence of India was concerned. The British making a distinction between Hindus and Muslims did not detract from the deep background of Hinduism in undivided India. The anti-Modi political forces deriding the civilisational past of Hindus are in a way cutting the nose to spite the face. The minority politics now being played with vengeance is a clear threat to India's internal security as many civil society groups in the country are in league with anti-India lobbies abroad funded by the adversaries, to campaign against the Modi government for its alleged authoritarianism, anti-Muslim bias and connivance with violations of human rights. An average Muslim in India is - like other citizens - engaged in handling livelihood issues and fending for the family, but the leaders of the minority community have traditionally run its separatist politics and perpetuated the communal divide by promoting religious exclusivism and rejecting other belief systems. They continue to block the community's assimilation into the tolerant composite culture of the nation which certainly existed from before the advent of Islam. Religious freedom is basically about freedom of worship, but these leaders, including the Ulema, insist on Islam encompassing every aspect of life, including social, political and even economic. They are using this to reject even the non-discriminatory arrangements made by a democratic regime in the spheres of management of educational institutions, work place discipline and requisites of law and order. A citizen of a democratic state lives in three dimensions - personal, social and political. Religion defines the relationship of a person with his or her God and falls in the personal domain. The social dimension determines the quality of interaction of an individual with other citizens - culture as a product of religion is supposed to make for a smooth relationship between different groups in the country. The political sphere is concerned with equal rights given to citizens to elect the rulers who would handle the affairs of the nation on behalf of the people. Voters may belong to different religions, but the political umbrella of governance at the national apex is the same for all of them. Projection of religion into politics is what communalism is and it can never do any good to the party practising that - it can particularly harm the interests of a religious minority. So long as Muslims of India have the same voting right as is available to other communities, they have a fundamental equality with all citizens, and so long as they have the same opportunities and protection of law in our system of governance, they have no reason to fear injustice as a 'community'. The leadership of the Muslim minority must unequivocally reject terrorist violence attributed to faith-based motivation and individually as well as collectively declare that invoking Jehad for solving any political issues has no place in today's world. What is extremely disquieting now is the Pak ISI's ongoing attempts to spread radicalisation in India using social media surreptitiously for the purpose of creating sleeper cells of terrorists and 'lone wolves' in Kashmir and elsewhere. It has been pushing communal militancy in the direction of faith-based terrorism as is revealed by the NIA's nationwide drive against the Popular Front of India (PFI) that finally resulted in the imposition of a ban on the organisation. Significantly, this was a repeat of the action once taken against the pro-Pak SIMI by way of a ban in 2006 after it was found to have created Indian Mujahideen, a body responsible for acts of terrorism. All political forces in India would do well to abstain from supporting politics of violence, call out Pakistan for meddling with our domestic scene and keep nationalism above differences in public life. A nation needs security and development - in that order - and being vocal only about economic issues and maintaining deliberate silence on threats to internal security like cross-border terrorism does not add to the credibility of the opposition. (The writer is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau. The views expressed are personal) Bhopal, Oct 23 : The Congress has come up with a new political strategy to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Assembly elections to be held in Madhya Pradesh next year. While the Congress is keen to teach a lesson to those MLAs who toppled its government in the state by defecting to the BJP, the grand old party's political chances will rest solely on state Congress president and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The Congress came to power in Madhya Pradesh in 2018 after a decade-and-a-half but its own MLAs toppled the government after 22 Congress MLAs along with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party, taking the total number of Congress MLAs quitting the party to 29. Kamal Nath has promised to defeat those MLAs who defected from the Congress and toppled its government in 2019. The Congress has increased deployment of its party workers in those constituencies won by the defected MLAs. Recently, the state Congress president visited the Malhara Assembly constituency in Chhatarpur district and slammed the BJP-led state government. The current BJP MLA from the same constituency is Pradyuman Singh Lodhi. Lodhi had quit the Congress in 2020 and joined the BJP. In 2003, Uma Bharti was also elected as an MLA from the same constituency. Congress sources say that Kamal Nath's primary emphasis is on those Assembly constituencies where the sitting MLAs quit the Congress, joined the BJP and won the Assembly elections. Kamal Nath has started the poll campaigning from Malhara constituency and in the coming days he will visit those areas whose MLAs quit the Congress and joined the BJP. 'Ek Nath, Kamal Nath' is the slogan. The Congress is preparing to fight the upcoming Assembly elections unitedly. Nath is making all efforts to unite the Congress leaders. However, the presence of many prominent Congress leaders is not visible on the ground. Nath is the only visible Congress leader ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Political analysts believe that there will be a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP in the Assembly elections. The party organisation of both the political parties will play a major role in this election. While the BJP is continuously campaigning at the booth level, the Congress will also have to strengthen its presence there. The BJP has a long list of poll campaigners while Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are the only prominent Congress leaders. In such a situation, whichever party is successful in deploying its party workers and prepares an effective strategy will ultimately win the 2023 Assembly elections. Panaji, Oct 23 : Goa's Archives and Archaeology department (AAD) has taken efforts to transliterate the historical literature available in Portuguese and Modi script to know the clear picture of the coastal state before liberation. Sources from the AAD informed that there are around 8,000 documents in Modi script out of which 2,500 are transliterated and more 2,500 will be outsourced. "We have floated a tender to transliterate more than 2,500 documents of Modi script to Devanagari script. After this is awarded, we will have to transliterate the remaining 3,000 documents," an officer on the condition of anonymity said. According to him, around 2500 documents were transliterated from 2018 to 2020. Now again the process has started. Apart from Portuguese and Modi script, there exists literature also from the Persian and Arabic languages in AAD. "The quantity of Persian and Arabic literature is very less compared to the Modi script, however we will get it done," he said. According to Goa's Minister for Archives and Archaeology Subhash Phaldessai, there is a need to research and study on historical literature, which will give a clear picture of how Goa was during pre-liberation. He said that if this literature is transliterated then many things could be cleared about the state. "Thus culture and tradition, who attacked Goa, who were the original people living in Goa, with whom they pleaded and did correspondence (to get liberation), these things can be known," he said. "If we take review of this then this literature may be in many languages, including Portuguese and Modi (script) can be transliterated," he said. He said that transliteration will put a light on how changes took place in Modi script, as years passed. "We will try to make transliterations of the Modi script and other languages. Presently work is going on, but in the next two years we will speed up and translate all the documents, so the clear picture of Goa will emerge, which will be framed and passed on," he said. "This is a very important information of Goa that we can publish and research can take place. There are many Goa-related documents. These documents are very old and they need to be conserved and preserved and new editions published. They can be brought into the public domain by way of translation. This is very much needed," Phaldessai said. Phaldessai said that once the transliteration is done it will help the student community and also those who want to do research in such areas. The government has also decided to design a robust software with multiple level securities to protect this literature and other property documents of the pre-liberation era. This would also help to curb the misuse and manipulation of old property documents. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing land scams in Goa had earlier arrested staff of the Archives Department, for their alleged involvement in transferring of documents. Referring to the incident, Phaldessai had said that multiple level security is required for these documents, so they are not misused. "Those who really need these documents with purpose, they should get it instantly. Those eligible and entitled can be given a hard copy also. Such kind of robust software will be designed and the digitisation process of old documents will be immediately started. We will soon go for digitisation of these documents." He said that the department has done deep study of all the aspects, before starting the digitisation process. "These documents are very delicate to handle. The process is very long and hence it would take at least five years to complete digitisation." Phaldessai said that around 4 to 6 crore pages, ledger folios and volumes need to be converted into English. "They need to be preserved in electronic form because we see many land scams have taken place in the past. Digitisation should take place, so in future manipulation will not take place, as it happened in the past. Huge lands were grabbed by manipulation in documents," he said. "If these (old documents) were digitised earlier, these scams would not have taken place. Manipulation should not take place." He said that though it is a very difficult task, the department will work on it. Chandigarh, Oct 23 : Diwali is a festival of lights and most of them look forward to the Diwali festivities. It is important to follow safe and eco-sensitive Diwali practices and enjoy this festival of happiness. The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) advised a few do's and don'ts for burn injuries that one may encounter during the festival season. They are: Avoid wearing synthetic and loose clothes while lighting diyas, candles or crackers. Always stand at an arms distance while lighting crackers and diyas. Bursting crackers causes both air and noise pollution. Celebrate Diwali in a manner that does not cause inconvenience or harm to others. Preferably use only green crackers and that too within time limits prescribed by the civic authorities. Remember to discard the crackers in a bucket of sand or water to prevent injury to the feet. Preferably wear shoes while bursting crackers. Never pick-up firecrackers which have failed to explode, this can cause severe hand injuries. In case of minor burns pour ample amounts of water over the burnt area till the burning sensation completely stops. Never apply agents like toothpaste or blue ink over the burnt area. Remove any constricting material like rings or bangles immediately, as swelling sets in later making their removal difficult. In case of clothes catching fire, stop, drop and roll. To elaborate, stop wherever you are without running, which can further flare up the fire. Drop or lie down wherever you are, to avoid fire extending to your face. Roll over the ground to limit the oxygen supply. In most cases, this will control the fire. We can also use a thick rug to cut off the air, thus extinguishing the fire. It is a good practice to keep a bucket full of water or a fire extinguisher in the vicinity during lighting the candles and bursting the crackers. In case of any eye injury, do not rub the eye but wash the eye with clean water and consult the eye specialist. Advance Eye Centre Emergency is opened 24X7 to deal Diwali-related injuries. Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 -- Syndicated from IANS New Delhi, Oct 23 : Diwali, known as "the festival of lights" is celebrated with grandeur all over India. However, there are regional differences in the celebrations and rituals. In north India, this festival arrives at Dussehra. On Diwali night, which is regarded as lucky, people also gamble in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab. Sikhs do not traditionally celebrate Diwali in Punjab, but they participate in the festivities and light their homes with candles and diyas. On Diwali night, the gurdwaras are also illuminated. Houses are adorned with candles, lights, diyas, bandhanwars, and rangolis in Delhi, UP, and other nearby areas. At night, Laxmi Puja is performed. There is a custom in some homes where a silver coin is placed in a milk tumbler before being sprinkled throughout the house. The celebrations include activities like gift-exchanging, house cleaning, gambling, redecorating, painting, and decorating the home. In Eastern India, the required rituals continue to be the lighting of lamps, candles, and diyas as well as crackers. Laxmi Puja is observed in West Bengal six days after Durga Puja. Kali Puja is observed on Diwali. On the eve of Diwali, Goddess Kali is worshipped late into the night. Kali Puja pandals can be found everywhere. Other customs stay the same. The celebration also includes the creation of rangoli patterns. The night of Diwali is also known as Pitripurush, the night of the ancestors, and diyas are lit on tall poles to help the departed on their journey to heaven. This custom is still practised in rural Bengal today. Some of the traditional Diwali dishes across Indian states: Anarsa (Maharashtra): Anarsa is a dessert made of rice flour and jaggery and is enjoyed as Diwali snacks. Image Source: IANS News Babroo (Himachal Pradesh): It's an irresistible treat from the land of Gods and is made of all-purpose flour, sugar and yeast. It might look like gulgule, but has a different taste and can stand out very easily. Narikol Laru (Assam): It's a popular dessert of Assam and is otherwise known as coconut laddoo. It is prepared using shredded coconut, green cardamom powder, ghee and sugar. Chhodo Shaak (West Bengal): As compared to the tradition of making sweets on the occasion of Diwali across India, West Bengal prepares a savoury dish called Chhodo Shaak, which is actually made using 14-green leafy veggies. Gavvalu (Andhra Pradesh): It's a sweet dish made of all-purpose flour, ghee, jaggery and water. The dough is made and then shaped just like gnocchi pasta, and then dipped into sugar syrup. Mawa Kachori (Rajasthan): This exotic delicacy of Jodhpur (Rajasthan) is a scrumptious treat that has a sweet crust and a filling of mawa/khoya and mixed dry fruits. This kachori is dipped in a sugar syrup and will give you a mind-blowing experience. Khaja (Bihar): The name of this dish literally means to just grab and munch on it. It's also made of a dough of all-purpose flour, which has several layers in it and then deep fried. It is further soaked in sugar syrup and is enjoyed on Diwali. Image Source: IANS News Diwali is a four-day celebration in Maharashtra. The first day, Vasubaras, is honoured by having a cow and calf Aarti performed. This represents the affection a mother has for her child. The following day is Dhanteras, also known as Dhanatrayodashi, which is observed similarly to other cultures. The third day, Narakchaturdashi, is when people visit temples and take scented oil baths early in the morning. Following this, the Maharashtrians indulge in a special Diwali meal that includes scrumptious desserts like "karanji" and "ladoo" as well as spicy foods like "chakli" and "sev." Faral is the name of this festival. Lakshmi Puja is performed on the fourth day of Diwali, which is the main festival day. Goddess Lakshmi, wealth-enhancing objects like money, and jewellery are worshipped. Image Source: IANS News The Tamil month of aipasi, also known as "naraka chaturdasi" thithi, is when Diwali is observed. The amavasai day comes before this one. Naraka Chaturdashi is the main day of the Diwali celebrations in south India. The oven is cleaned the day before the main day and then lime is spread all over it. On the water-filled oven, which is used for the oil bath on the main day, religious symbols are drawn. Homeowners clean their buildings and adorn them with kolam patterns, which are comparable to rangolis in North India. The celebrations include lighting firecrackers and donning new clothing. For use on Diwali, a plate is kept with crackers and brand-new clothing. Diwali or Naraka Chaturdashi celebrations start with an oil bath before dawn on the morning of the holiday. After that, candy is consumed and fresh clothing is put on. People take an oil bath on the first day, which is Ashwija Krishna Chaturdashi. It is believed that after killing Narakasura, Lord Krishna took the oil bath to wash the blood stains off his body. On the third day of Diwali, known as Bali Padyami, women decorate their homes with vibrant rangolis and construct forts out of cow dung. On this day, people commemorate various King Bali-related tales. These are the two main Diwali days in Karnataka. (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 -- Syndicated from IANS New Delhi, Oct 23 : Controversies surrounding the use of Hindi refuse to end, especially given the increased push given to the official language by the government. Developments in the last couple of days have made it clear that Hindi is in the prime focus of the government. There are many recent instances where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have advocated the use and importance of Indian languages. PM Modi on Wednesday said that English is just a medium of communication, not a benchmark of being intellectual. While speaking at the Gujarat government's Mission Schools of Excellence initiative in Gandhinagar, the PM pointed out that earlier English was considered the benchmark of being intellectual despite being only a medium of communication. He said that the new National Education Policy is an attempt to bring the country out of the slave mentality and refine talent and innovation. "See, what was the situation in the country? Knowledge of the English language was taken as a measure of intelligence, whereas language is just a medium of communication." The PM said that language had become such a barrier for so many decades that the country could not get the benefit of the wealth of talent in the villages and in poor families. "So many talented children could not become doctors and engineers because they did not get the opportunity to study in the language they understood. Now this situation is being changed. Now students have started getting the option of studying science, technology, medicine, etc in Indian languages too," he said. The PM said that even a poor mother, who cannot educate her child in an English school, can dream of making him or her a doctor and a child can become a doctor in his mother tongue. "We are working in that direction so that even a person from a poor family can become a doctor. Efforts are underway to make courses in several Indian languages as well as in Gujarati language," he said while talking about the government's plan to promote Indian languages. Before this, Home Minister Amit Shah on October 16 launched the first MBBS course in Hindi in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and said today medical education is commencing in Hindi and soon engineering studies will also begin in Hindi. The translation of engineering books has commenced in eight languages across the country, and soon students will be able to pursue technical and medical education in their mother tongue. Earlier, sources claimed that the Committee of Parliament on Official Language in its 11th volume of the report presented to President Droupadi Murmu last month stated that English should be the medium of instruction only where it is absolutely necessary and gradually English should be replaced with Hindi in those institutions. "Use of Hindi as medium of instruction and other activities should be Hindi in all technical and non-technical institutions in the country and use of English should be made optional," the committee has recommended. The committee noted that Hindi can't be a common language unless the medium of instruction is Hindi in universities, higher educational institutions including technical or medical institutes, claimed sources. While there are many reports about opposition voices in the southern states, particularly in Telangana and Tamil Nadu, the committee's deputy chairman, BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab said that these responses are baseless. "I cannot give my views and feedback on behalf of the committee. These things are baseless...Tamil Nadu is exempted under the Official Language Act. There the rules cannot apply. It is not that they do not know this, yet they are raising this issue. "As for Kerala, Hindi is not being imposed on any state. In the Act which was in force since 1976, both Hindi and English have been languages. It has only been said from our side that the use of Hindi should be increased by the Central Government which are institutions in the category (A). The terminology given by some media is misleading and wrong." While the reports say that all states and Union territories are divided in three groups (regions) on the basis of progressive usage of Hindi, the BJD leader said, "We have not made this arrangement. It has been in existence since 1976, when Indira Gandhi was in government. Since that time this system has been going on. No changes have been made to this." When India heaved a sigh of Independence in 1947, all was not quite hunky-dory. And neither is now, 75 years hence. The knowledge of a common language is often a bonding factor between culturally distinct communities, but in the years that just preceded Independence, anti-Hindi agitation had significantly taken roots, and in the years that followed the historic hand-over of power, the concern over imposition of Hindi language resurfaced-not withstanding who wielded political power and authority. This was the time when English was the official language, as the colonial masters prevailed. With bludgeoning calls for Independence in the early 20th century, there was concerted effort to consolidate various linguistic groups against the British government, and Hindustani -a mixture of Hindi and Urdu- was promoted as the common language. In 1918, Gandhi went on to establish the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (Institution for the Propagation of Hindi in South India). In 1925, the Indian National Congress switched to English from Hindustani to conduct its proceedings but continued to support Hindustani -- to the extent that stalwarts like Gandhi and Nehru were inclined to propagate Hindustani in non-Hindi speaking regions as well. Periyar, the towering Tamil leader, however, was displeased with this proposition and saw it as a method to put Tamils below the North Indians. Purushottam Das Tandon emerged, among other reasons, for his efforts to achieve the Official Language of India status for Hindi. However, notwithstanding the instance on Hindustani as the national language, he insisted on the use of Devnagari script over the Urdu script and also refrained from words that were of Persian/Arabic origin. His controversial bent got him branded as a political reactionary by Nehru. That his ideas irked Dravidian leaders was no surprise. Colonial India saw a series of protests over the three-year long agitation against imposition of Hindi in 1937-40 in what was then the Madras Presidency, and which is largely the southern state of Tamil Nadu now. This movement was launched in opposition to the introduction of compulsory teaching of Hindi language in schools in the said region by the first Indian National Congress government led by C. Rajagopalachari. In the wake of the agitations, a crackdown by the government ensued. Two protestors died, and 1,198 (including women and children) were arrested of whom 1,179 were convicted. The British Governor of Madras then withdrew the mandatory Hindi education in 1940, after the Congress government resigned in 1939. Constituent Assembly debates in favour of Hindi were led by R.V Dhulekar predominantly. He said that people who did not know Hindi did not deserve to live in India. Despite other members not being in favour, Hindi was adopted as the Official Language of the Union on September 14, 1949. However, as a compromise, it was decided that English would also remain the official language for 15 years. The concentrated dominance of Hindi Eventually, it was President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who assured that English would stay in India, thereby mitigating to a great extent the aversion to dominance of Hindi, especially in the Madras region. Schedule VIII of the Constitution recognises 22 Indian languages officially. Further, India has more than 100 non-scheduled languages, each of which is spoken by at least 10,000 people. There happens to be 1,800 mother tongues, besides 700 different languages, and numerous other recognised and unrecognised dialects. As per the 2011 census, just about 44 per cent Indians speak Hindi as their mother tongue; the rest speak in 120 other languages. Earlier in September, Union Home Minister Amit Shah suggested that the states communicate in Hindi instead of English, while also stressing that Hindi should not be an alternative to local languages. He is quoted to have officially said at the meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee: "When citizens of states who speak other languages communicate with each other, it should be in the language of India." This gesture appears to be not only in the direction of establishing cultural hegemony of Hindi over non-Hindi states, but also thereby launch an assault on the decentralised nature of the Indian system, a stark reminder of the reasons of protests that followed in the years after Independence. On October 10, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin went vehemently vocal over the imposition of Hindi in IITs, IIMs, and Kendriya Vidyalayas, as in the report of the Official Language Committee recently presented to the President. The committee has recommended that English be replaced with Hindi as medium of instruction in all Central universities including IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, and Kendriya Vidyalayas, the most prominent Central government chain of schools. The fact that one language is chosen from 22 to dominate the discourse and procedures is naturally not a welcome proposition by those that do not belong to the Hindi identity. It also amounts to the violation of the Constitutional provision of equal rights of all Indians. Disregard to India's lingual diversity is yet another effect of such a proposition. Stalin recently expressed through a tweet that "If implemented, the vast non-Hindi speaking population will be made second-class citizens in their own land. Imposing Hindi is against the integrity of India. The BJP govt would do well to learn lessons from the Anti-Hindi agitations in the past. #StopHindiImposition." As recent as in 2018, Stalin had warned of '1965-like' protests in the state if the Centre kept imposing Hindi, bringing back the scenes of the anti-Hindi mobilisations from over five decades ago. The landmark year of 1965 1965 is a year etched prominently in Indian history for the Dravidian Movement that broke out after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru presented the Official Languages Bill, 1963. In January 1965, riots started in Madurai and reached Madras in no time. DMK, the political inheritor of the Dravidian Movement, launched a campaign against this decision. Although English wasn't any less alien to the natives of the southern state, the resistance was against the push for just one official language to prevail and dominate. The scene was such that on January 25, 1965, senior DMK leaders were taken into preventive custody, about 50,000 college students marched to the seat of the government at Fort St George to petition the Chief Minister of the then Madras State, to withdraw Hindi from school curriculum. When two Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu proposed to resign, the Central government under the new Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, announced that Hindi will not be imposed, and that English will remain as the official language. In February 1965, the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution in favour of the three-language formula in schools, and sought the amendment of the Official Languages Act, 1963, to accommodate the concerns of the non-Hindi speaking populations. The Official Languages Act of 1963 made way for the creation of the Committee in 1976. About 30 Parliamentarians got together to evaluate the development in Hindi language used for official purposes and came up with a report. The period between 1961 and 2011 saw a dramatic rise of 30.39 per cent (13.34 crore) Hindi speakers. The (lack of) acceptance of Hindi in states The Congress government in Tamil Nadu was toppled in 1967 due to dispute over imposing Hindi, and DMK rose to power. Similar discourse occasionally came up in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala. Southern states of Kerala and Karnataka have gone a step ahead in institutionalising English education and making schools English-medium. States such as those in the northeast have hardly any natural connect with Hindi; not only do they not recognise Hindi as an official language, it is not included in their three-language formula either. As matters stand at present, the rise of the BJP since 2014 has brought with it a preference for a Hindi India, triggering counter-narratives in Southern states in particular. Irrespective of the political party that is helming the affairs of the nation, the push for Hindi to dominate has appeared less like an inclusive step; and especially given the opposition from non-Hindi states, fresh ways to unite the nation and bind its diverse people need to be devised -- if that is the intent. Uniting India or Indians by way of language or any other, to begin with, need not point at a threat to any group's identity. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 : Congress leader and MLA Eldose Kunnapallil, who is under the scanner over an allegation by a woman that she was sexually abused by the legislator for the past several years, has now come out in support of those CPI-M leaders against whom sexual allegations have surfaced. Eldose, who got an anticipatory bail in the sexual allegation, told the mediapersons on Sunday said that the allegations raised by the Gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh that senior CPI-M leaders had spoken to her with sexual intentions were incorrect. The Congress leader said that such an allegation levelled against senior CPI-M leaders, former Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Issac, former Electricity minister Kadakmpally Surendran, and former Speaker Sreeramakrishnan should be taken up only after proper verification and cross-checking of facts. He also said that it was for the CPI-M to decide whether any action should be taken against the party leaders following allegations from Swapna. The Congress MLA has been placed under suspension from the primary membership of the party by the state Congress president K. Sudhakaran citing that the explanation given by Eldose Kunnapallil was not satisfactory. The MLA has been suspended for six months from the primary membership of the party. The young Congress leader is a second-term legislator from Perumbavoor constituency in Ernakulam district and has wrested the seat from the CPI-M leader Saju Paul who was representing the seat. Eldose is popular in the constituency and has previously been the Ernakulam district panchayat president. The senior Congress leaders have taken the position that if Eldose was found guilty, then the party would take serious disciplinary action against him. The state Congress was also embarrassed after Eldose went into hiding soon after the allegation against him surfaced and police registered the FIR. He resurfaced only after eight days when his anticipatory bail petition was granted. New Delhi, Oct 23 : Rakul Preet Singh, who was in the Capital to promote 'Thank God' with co-star Sidharth Malhotra, said that this movie is special for her because she's going to wear a uniform for her character. "This time I will play a cop but it is not an out-and-out cop-based film. If it was, then I would require a different kind of training," Rakul Preet said. "So this time, it was limited to just the body language, just holding the revolvers, and of course, the first time I've worn a cop uniform, and I would love to explore that side. In fact, I am not getting one right now but would love to do such roles more." Furthermore, she praised the director of the film Indra Kumar and said: "When I was listening to the narration I was laughing. Indu ji has a very different way of narration. I think what you need for a comedy is great writing. You need a visionary, you need a director, who can execute that writing. I think we were not so stressed." "Because Indra ji has been making films like this I really feel that he understands the pulse of the audience. So as an actor, you surrender to the director and you know that he knows his timing." On talking about her future projects, she said: "There is 'Chhatriwali' that is completed, and then there is a thriller and a rom-com that I have shot for." As Rakul wraps up the conversation she said what she is going to miss about the capital: "Golgappa, there in Mumbai we get Pani Puri but the taste is not like what we get in Delhi. So, I really miss it, always." Directed by Indra Kumar, 'Thank God' features Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra, and Rakul Preet Singh. It is all set to release on October 25. The film is based on a flawed person who aspires to rise from the lower middle class to the upper middle class and after an accident, he meets Chitragupta, who decides that a game will decide whether he deserves heaven or hell. Itanagar/Agartala, Oct 23 : While spats between governors and state governments take place often in the other states in India, the northeastern states earlier witnessed such constitutional and administrative tussles between the constitutional head of state and the elected state government. Arunachal Pradesh's then Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa's decision to advance the Assembly session triggered political unrest in the border state and culminated in the imposition of President's rule on January 26, 2016, followed by the intervention of the Supreme Court. Besides Rajkhowa, the then Tripura governor Romesh Bhandari, a former diplomat, courted controversy over the alleged phone tapping of then Left Front Chief Minister Dasaratha Deb (1993-1998). When Bhandari, also a former governor of Goa and Uttar Pradesh, reportedly made comments about the administrative style of Deb, a father figure of the Communist movement in Tripura, it triggered a serious political controversy in the northeastern state. Also, three-term Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who led the Congress government in Assam from 2001 to 2016, demanded the removal of then Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya, saying he "does not know how to maintain his dignity" as the constitutional head. Gogoi's demand came after Acharya's reported statement that "Hindustan is only for Hindus" and his subsequent remark that Indian Muslims are "free to go to Pakistan". Several former ministers of the Gogoi led ministry and Congress leaders both at the Centre and the state demanded the removal of Acharya. Former government interlocutor and then Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi, who is now holding the gubernatorial post in Tamil Nadu, made a series of comments about the law and order situation in Nagaland and these irked Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and the ministers, forcing the government to issue statements on the law and order situation. A huge controversy over Governor Rajkhowa's decision to advance the Arunachal Pradesh assembly session from January 14, 2016 to December 16, 2015, had triggered political unrest in the sensitive border state. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in July 2016 quashed the governor's order and paved the way for the return of the Congress-led government headed by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki. Rajkhowa's action to override the authority of Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia and advancement of the Assembly session was seen as a move to topple the Congress government and to favour Kalikho Pul's Arunachal People's Party supported by the BJP to form the government with the defection of the Congress MLAs. The Arunachal controversy started on December 9, 2015 when some rebel Congress MLAs approached the Governor seeking to impeach the Speaker, complaining that Rebia was trying to get them disqualified from the Assembly. Responding to the dissident Congress MLAs' request, Rajkhowa agreed and called for an emergency session on December 16, 2015 to take up the impeachment motion against the Speaker. In the special session attended by 20 rebel Congress MLAs, 11 BJP MLAs and two Independents at a community hall, the impeachment motion was passed and Pul was 'elected' as the Leader of the House. The same day, the Speaker disqualified 14 Congress MLAs. The Gauhati High Court stayed the disqualification of the Congress MLAs and the Speaker's plea was turned down. The Congress protested the Governor's action, but the Narendra Modi government at the Centre imposed President's rule in the state invoking Article 356. The Supreme Court's intervention came after the Speaker and then Chief Minister Nabam Tuki approached the top court against the Governor's action and promulgation of President's rule respectively. Then President Pranab Mukherjee following the recommendations of the Union Home Ministry had sacked Rajkhowa in September 2016, after he refused to quit even after being nudged by the Centre and adverse observations made by the Supreme Court. Rajkhowa, a 1968 batch IAS officer, had retired as Chief Secretary of Assam before being appointed as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh on May 12, 2015 and he was the first gubernatorial appointee of the Narendra Modi government. Political commentator Apurba Kumar Dey said that the governors always acted as agents of the central government. "The governors' decisions and public comments in most cases went against the governance of the ruling parties resulting in ugly situations in many cases. Sometimes the governors are in the right position and sometimes the state governments took steps on political considerations. "Considering these old issues the role of governors must be reviewed and transparent and specific guidelines must be outlined for a healthy and positive democratic environment," Dey told IANS. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) New Delhi, Oct 23 : Misuse of Governor's office is not new in India, as it has been used by various governments to suit their own political requirements. The textbook case is that of Uttar Pradesh, where the court intervened and restored the Kalyan Singh government in 1998 after it fell short of majority following the withdrawal of support by Loktantrik Congress and other MLAs. Then UP Governor Romesh Bhandari immediately dismissed the government and installed Loktantrik Congress' Jagdambika Pal as the new Chief Minister. Pal was forced to resign three days later after the court restored Kalyan Singh as the Chief Minister. In 2005, Bihar Governor Buta Singh had recommended dissolution of the Bihar Assembly, overruling JD(U) and BJP claiming majority with the support of 115 MLAs in the 243-member House. In the same year, Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi had allowed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Shibhu Soren to form the new government, though the NDA had claimed the support of 41 MLAs in the 80-member Assembly. The matter reached the apex court which ordered a floor test wherein JMM could not prove its majority and Arjun Munda of the BJP was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state. The role of the Governor came under spotlight since 1959 and in the first instance, the E.M.S. Namboodiripad-led government in Kerala was dismissed by Governor B.R. Rao after the bills on cap on landownership and the other on education proposed by the left government led to massive agitation in the state. In 1967, then Governor of West Bengal, Dharma Vira, had dismissed the government of Ajoy Mukherjee and appointed P.C. Ghosh as the new Chief Minister and the government was formed with Congress' support. Another example is that of Haryana Governor G.D. Tapase, who overlooked the Lok Dal and CM candidate Devi Lal and sworn-in Congress' Bhajan Lal as the Chief Minister in 1982. In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao had gone to the US in 1984 for a heart surgery when his finance minister N. Bhaskara Rao broke the party and staked claim as CM. He was administered oath by Governor Ram Lal. Karnataka Governor P. Venkatasubbaiah in 1988 did not allow Chief Minister S.R. Bommai to prove his majority in the Assembly despite the Supreme Court ruling that majority could only be decided on floor of the House. In 1996, Gujarat Chief Minister Suresh Mehta of the BJP faced rebellion by a group led by Shankar Singh Vaghela and 40 other MLAs. Governor Krishna Pal Singh recommended President's Rule in the state even after the BJP claimed its has proved majority. Article 1 of the Constitution of India provides that India that is Bharat shall be a union of States. It means that India shall be an un-divisible and united entity formed by several States and in order to achieve the same, we have adopted the model of Quasi Federalism where Union or Central Government has been given more powers compared to States as enumerated in the Lists provided in Seventh Schedule. Further, Article 153 provides that there shall be a Governor for each State and Article 154 mandates that the executive power shall vest in the Governor and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution. This Governor is appointed by the President as per the aid and advice of the Central Government in terms of Article 155 of the Constitution. In the initial years of our republic, there was no conflict between the Governors and the Elected Chief Ministers as the same political party was ruling in Centre as well as in States and except one of two examples such as dismissal of the EMS Namboodiripad in 1959, the relation between the Centre and States were Smooth. These relations started to worsen from 1967 onwards and today a situation has arisen where the Office of the Governor is being seen with suspicion by the leaders of Opposition Parties and Governors are being treated as agents of the Central Government. In Shamsher Singh & Anr. vs State of Punjab [1975] 1 S.C.R. 814, the Supreme Court discussed the role of the Governor and held that Under the Cabinet system of Government as embodied in our Constitution the Governor is the constitutional or formal head of the State and be exercises all his powers and functions conferred on him by or under the Constitution on the aid and advice of his Council of Ministers save in spheres where the Governor is required by or under the Constitution to exercise his functions in his discretion. The executive power is generally described as the residue which does not fall within legislative or judicial power. Under the Government of India Act, 1935, the Governor in provinces were responsible to the British Government via the Viceroy and Secretary of State for India, and they exercised almost un-trammelled control. As the framers of our Constitution had a very unpleasant experience with the office of the Governor, they extensively debated the role of Governor in the Constituent Assembly. Biswanath Das, on June 2, 1949, along with some other members raised their apprehensions in the Constituent Assembly as under: "What has been the experience in the provinces since Congressmen came into power in Independent India? How has the Governor functioned? It is common knowledge, and it has been repeated by responsible members of this House that the Governor was nothing but a cipher. "If that be the case, how is it then that this Governor, this nominated Governor, nominated by the President and the Central Government and the Ministers elected by the State Unions and the Provinces will be able to co-operate?" Other members such as Jawaharlal Nehru, K.M. Munshi and P.S. Deshmukh, however, contended that Governor should be the nominated head of the State with sufficient powers to discharge his constitutional duties and is to essentially act as a link between provincial Government and the Government of India and he will be able to effectively discharge his functions only if he has the authority to ask the State Cabinet to reconsider certain things and also to keep himself informed from day to day as to what orders have been issued and what sort of administration is being carried out. On May 31, 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru expressed the apprehension that an elected Governor may fuel separatist provincial tendencies and will also be a financial burden and the only way to stop this is to ensure that the Governor to be nominated is a detached figure who can rise above party politics. Mahatma Gandhi, writing in his newspaper 'Harijan', while advocating decentralisation of power also supported the idea that the Governors should have enough power in order to enable them to influence government policy for the better and to see things in proper perspective and thus prevent mistakes by their cabinets while acting in a detached manner. The actions of the Governors must be seen in this historical background where the Governors are not supposed to act as mere figureheads but are treated as the conscience keepers of the Government and are expected to ensure that the state machinery functions properly in a just, reasonable and fair manner. At the same time, in order to ensure the true spirit of cooperative federalism, it is also necessary that the office of Governor should be used for political purposes. In this background, when some Governor asks the State machinery to work impartially to stop political violence or calls for an impartial investigation into corruption cases, it is his constitutional duty to do so and the Governor cannot be criticised as overreaching or obstructing the functioning of the State government. The Supreme Court in the Rameshwar Prasad & Ors vs Union of India & Ors (2006) 2 SCC 1 noted that a Governor has been assigned the role of a Constitutional sentinel and a vital link between the Union and the State. A Governor has also been described as a useful player in the channel of communication between the Union and the State in matters of mutual interest and responsibility. His oath of office binds him to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law, and also to devote himself to the service and the well being of the people of the State concerned. When the function /role of the Governor is seen in this light, it becomes imperative for him not be a silent bystander but to actively guide the elected government of the State to strictly follow the established constitutional norms of governance or in the famous words of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, "to follow the Rajdharma". Noted Constitutional expert Granville Austin wrote that in the rapidly-moving world of the mid-twentieth century, a new India had to be built almost overnight. How was the leadership for this task to be provided? What type of executive would be stable, strong, effective, and quick, yet withal, democratic? To answer these questions, the Constituent Assembly chose a slightly modified version of the British cabinet system wherein they tried to ensure cooperative federalism is followed and implemented in letter and spirit by our Constitutional authorities. As long as these principles are strictly adhered to, all the wheels of democracy will move smoothly and hopefully, we won't need to govern the Governors. (The author is an Advocate-on-Record in the Supreme Court of India. The views expressed are personal) The position of a Governor in India was a derivative of the colonial Government of India Act, 1935, which was considered by Indians then to be a thorn to the democratic revolution engulfing the Indian subcontinent. Dr B.R. Ambedkar, while justifying the retention of the post of the Governor, sought to base it on the federal and democratic regimes of Australia and Canada. In the Constituent Assembly he was strongly confronted on the discretionary powers of the Governor and that it would lead to an autocratic regime in the provinces or states and that it would override the democratic ethos of government therein. But then our fathers were also confronted with the problem of uniting the nation and as a corollary to that, ensuring a visible and viable presence of the Centre in the States. The Shamsher Singh Case Our constitutional fathers had envisaged a scheme of checks and balances while framing the Grundnorm of our Nation. Article 164 (1) of the Constitution states that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, and the Ministers shall hold office during the "pleasure" of the Governor. "Pleasure" is to have not a personal connotation but must bear semblance in the constitutional sense. This was laid down in the landmark judgment of Shamsher Singh, where the majority bench opined that whenever the Constitution requires the satisfaction of the President or the Governor for the exercise by the President or the Governor of any power or function, the satisfaction required by the Constitution is not the personal satisfaction of the President or the Governor, but the satisfaction of the President or Governor in the constitutional sense in the Cabinet system of government that is satisfaction of his Council of Ministers on whose aid and advice the President or the Governor generally exercises his powers and functions. Thus, concurring, the constitutional bench held unanimously that therefore, appointments and removals of persons are made by the President and the Governor as Constitutional head of the Executive on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. Justices V.R. Krishna Iyer and P.N. Bhagwati, while concurring with the larger judgment, stated that the "President, like the King, has not merely been constitutionally romanticized but actually vested with a pervasive and persuasive role. While he plays such a role, he is not rival centre of power in any sense and must abide by and act on the advice tendered by his Ministers except in a narrow territory which is sometimes slippery." Whose Privilege, Whose Pleasure? Then the question that we must amuse ourself with is, in the politics of governance, the corridors are but often slippery, and democracy being a majoritarian rule, the majoritarian regime of any, has often tried and navigated, both successfully and unsuccessfully this slippery turf. Therefore, as the recent episode of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan's tweet that he was empowered to "invite action including withdrawal of pleasure" against ministers, in so far as appointment of elected representatives of people to lead the government may be termed as over reach of his powers, maybe less, but it still has to be tested on the pedestal of constitutional courts of our country. And with our constitutional courts constantly upholding the prerogative of our legislature as being the repository of our people's authority, and intention, the question of an appointed office questioning the appointment of democratically elected mandate goes is a slingshot aimed at the roots of our Constitution. Crucial to understanding the debate is also the fact that the Governor's powers are linked intrinsically to the Election Commission of India. A person once having been duly elected can of course become disqualified from remaining as a member of a House of Legislature. Article 192, as substituted by the 42nd and 44th Amendment, which lays down that if any such question arises, it will be decided by the Governor and the order or decision of the Governor shall be final. The only rider to this follows in the next clause of the same article which state that 'before giving any decision on any such decision, the Governor shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall act according to such opinion. The way I therefore see it, is the Governor's 'pleasure' is subject to Election Commission's opinion and is not absolute or by the other vice, offered to the Governor -- 'discretionary'. Again recently, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in Subhash Desai verus Principal Secretary, Governor of Maharashtra And Others (2022) has referred the question of discretion and power of the Governor to invite a person to form the Government, and whether the same is amenable to judicial review. The ambivalence of 'pleasure' and 'discretion' given to a Governor's office is therefore, to be examined through legal lens because it is these edicts which draw the contours of the office of the Governor. More so, in the popular context of democracy being a Government by the people, of the people and for the people. (The author of this opinion piece is an Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court of India. The views expressed are personal) Kolkata, Oct 23 : While announcing the name of erstwhile West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as the NDA candidate for the post of Vice-President, BJPs national president JP Nadda described him as the "Peoples Governor. The Opposition in the country, especially West Bengals ruling party Trinamool Congress between whom and the governor spats were a common feature during the last few years, claimed that the phrase "Peoples Governor" signified the definition of the post of governor for the BJP. The opposition parties, with the Trinamool Congress being the most vocal, described the phrase as a latent confession by Nadda that an ideal governor is one who not only acts as the Union government's representative in a state but is also a clandestine political delegate of the country's ruling party in a state. They also claimed that Dhankhar's elevation to the chair of the Vice-President will encourage governors in other non-BJP ruled states to pick up quarrels with the state government, expecting similar elevations. However, the Trinamool Congress's scathing criticism of the role of Dhankhar lost much of its sheen after the party leadership decided to abstain from the election of the Vice-President instead of throwing their weight behind UPA candidate Margaret Alva. The entire focus of the political debate shifted from the West Bengal government-Dhankhar tussle to the Congress and Left Front's argument that abstaining from the poll affirmed the clandestine understanding between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. IANS takes a look at the history of the state government- governor tussle in West Bengal with special focus on Dhankhar's tenure. Dhankhar's tenure as the West Bengal governor from July 20, 2019 to July 17, 2022 was marked by his frequent public confrontations with the state government especially chief minister Mamata Banerjee and assembly speaker Biman Bandopadhyay. What especially irked the state government and the ruling Trinamool Congress were his frequent Twitter messages and media statements hurling accusations at the state government. His media conferences within the premises of the assembly, firing salvos against the state government, equally irked speaker Biman Bandopadhyay. Dhankhar frequently started holding back files and sending them back to the assembly secretariat with additional queries. While the Opposition accused him of behaving more like the leader of the opposition in the state, Dhankhar said that the state government was insulting him. The tussle intensified when in January this year, Mamata Banerjee announced that she had blocked the governor on her Twitter handle because he was mentioning her in his Twitter messages and abusing her administration. After Dhankhar became Vice-President, several Trinamool Congress leaders said that this was a reward for harassing the state government. However, the CPI(M) and the Congress questioned that if such was the dislike of the Trinamool Congress for Dhankhar, why did the party abstain from voting against him in the Vice- Presidential poll. Previously, during the Left Front regime too there were examples of state government-governor tussle though it never reached such a stage as happened in the case of Dhankhar and the Trinamool Congress. There was a minor West Bengal government-governor spat in April 2023, a little less than two years after the Trinamool Congress-led government assumed office, ending the 34-year Left Front rule in the state. At that time, the then CPI(M) legislator and former state land & land reforms minister in the Left Front regime, Abdur Rezzak Mollah, was attacked and injured allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists. The then West Bengal governor and former National Security Advisor, MK Narayanan described the attack as most unfortunate and asked the police to act impartially in such issues. Despite the Trinamool Congress' alliance with the Congress, which was in power at the Centre then, panchayat minister Late Subrata Mukherjee described Narayanan's comment as typical from a Congress-appointed constitutional head talking like a politician. However, the tiff did not escalate because of the intervention of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who kept silent but censured Mukherjee and asked him to refrain from taking the spat further. During the seventh and last Left Front government from 2006 to 2011, there was another spat with the then governor and Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, Gopal Krishna Gandhi being in the limelight. After 14 people died in police firing on March 14, 2007 at Nandigram in East Midnapore district of the state, Gandhi, who had been time and again critical of the state government over law and order issues, made a statement that the firing incident had filled him with a sense of cold horror. Again, in November 2007, when a fresh round of violence broke out at Nandigram following clashes between the ruling and opposition supporters there, Gandhi issued another statement describing the clashes as the descending darkness before Diwali. Gandhi's statements irked the ruling CPI(M) leaders and some of them launched a scathing attack and advised him to quit the chair of the governor and join politics. However, that spat cooled down as the then West Bengal chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee maintained a stoic silence on this governor- ruling party tiff without taking sides. The first governor-government tiff in West Bengal was witnessed when governor Dharma Vira dismissed the United Front government led by chief minister Ajoy Mukherjee in 1967. The streets of Kolkata then witnessed several rallies against Dharma Vira by the CPI(M) which was an ally in the United Front government. According to political analyst Rajagopal Dhar Chakraborty, tussles between the governor as a representative of the Union government in a state and the ruling party in an opposition-ruled state is nothing new or very unnatural. "But never had it taken such a murky shape as it happened concerning the current state government and Jagdeep Dhankhar. The earlier spats did not take a murky shape like this one since both the governor and the executive head of state knew where to draw the line. But here it did not happen. This is because the Congress's earlier attempts to control the state's affairs through the governor have been taken a step forward by the BJP through making governors act as representatives of the ruling party at the Centre," he said. New Delhi, Oct 23 : No matter who is in power at the Centre, Opposition-ruled states have always raised questions on the role of the Governors. In Opposition-ruled states, from time to time, controversies surrounding Governors keep on surfacing. For instance, the relationship between the Governor and the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is known to everyone. Similar is the scenario in the national capital, where the AAP has continuously been raising questions on the role of the Lieutenant Governor. Now, in Punjab as well, the Governor is facing the ruling AAP's criticism. Talking about other states, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is also not happy with the role of the Governor on the issue of NEET. Considering the present scenario, the question that arises is if the BJP really harassing the state governments ruled by opposition parties through the governors. BJP rejects these allegations straight away, calling them "completely baseless". Speaking to IANS, BJP national spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP from Darjeeling, West Bengal, Raju Bisht said that the Governor of any state is the guardian of the Constitution and the citizens, and therefore the Governors have to act strictly as per the provision of the Constitution. The state governments involved in unconstitutional activities, corruption, and terrorising political opponents raise questions on the role of the Governor in their respective states, the BJP leader asserted. He further said that there are 28 states and 8 union territories in the country out of which 12 states have governments of non-BJP or non-NDA parties but only two political parties - Trinamool Congress and AAP - are in conflict with the Governor. Bisht said that Mamata Banerjee talks of 'federalism' but she never speaks of 'cooperative federalism' as the word 'cooperation' is not there in her dictionary. Accusing the Trinamool government of indulging in criminal activities, promoting cut money culture, corruption and violence, the BJP MP said that after all such attitude of the state government, how any Governor or the Central government can sit silently and ignore it. Citing that Governor holds a constitutional post, the BJP slammed the state governments that raise questions on Governors and accused them of violating the Constitution and constitutional conventions. The saffron party said that "these people are insulting democracy". Commenting on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's allegations against the Governor, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh has said that the AAP-led Punjab government "is insulting the democracy by insulting constitutional institutions". Chennai, Oct 23 : The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has always been at odds with the Raj Bhavan, which peaked after retired IPS officer R.N. Ravi assumed charge as the Governor of the southern state. The DMK suspects that the BJP government at the Centre is using the office of the Governor against the state government. In this context, senior CPI leader Mahendran recently said that the post of the Governor is meant for spying on the state governments on behalf of the Centre, and it should be abolished. In Tamil Nadu, DMK is in a political alliance with the CPI and the statement of Mahendran is viewed by many as backed by the DMK top brass. Political analyst and retired professor G. Padmanabhan told IANS, "The statement of the CPI leader made during a book release function was a well-thought remark which was a direct retort by the DMK to the Governor, riding on the back of the CPI. It has to be seen in the coming days whether the government will go for a patch up with the Governor or continue with its confrontationist approach." When Ravi assumed office as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, the DMK government was skeptical as he is considered close to the Prime Minister besides being a former Intelligence Bureau officer. The direct confrontation between the Governor and the state government began after Ravi returned the anti-NEET Bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The Governor in his rejection note had said that the anti-NEET Bill was against the interests of the students and cancelling NEET would affect the students from economically weaker sections. While rejecting the Bill in February, the Governor also quoted a Supreme Court judgement which said, "The issue was examined from a social justice angle, which said it (NEET) prevents economic exploitation of poor students and is furtherance of social justice." The Governor rejecting the Bill came as a bolt from the blue for the DMK government, which responded by boycotting the 'in-house' reception announced by the Governor at the Raj Bhavan in April to mark the Tamil New Year celebrations. Matters escalated further after Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudi openly boycotted a function of the Governor at Madurai Kamaraj University, stating that the Governor politicised the function by inviting Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries, L. Murugan, and allowed him a speech highlighting the BJP government. The DMK activists along with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Left party activists sprang a surprise when they blocked the Governor's vehicle and jumped in front it during his visit to Myladuthurai to attend a programme at the Dharmapuram Adheenam Mutt. In June, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had urged the Governor to give his assent to 21 Bills that were passed in the state Assembly. Interestingly, these include Bills that would curtail the power of the Governor. The Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022, the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, Chennai (Amendment) Bill 2022 and other Bills take away the power of the Governor to appoint Vice-Chancellors in state-run universities. Chandigarh, Oct 23 : An 'escalating tussle' between the constitutional head and the democratically elected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has turned murkier with the former reminding the government that he took an oath to protect the Constitution and will not allow violation of rules. Without mincing words, Governor Banwarilal Purohit reminded the Bhagwant Mann-led government that in the past one year he didn't utter one word against any person. Rather he has been praising the Chief Minister. The latest in a series of confrontations is Governor Banwarilal Purohit's directive to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to remove Satbir Singh Gosal from the post of Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Vice-Chancellor. In a letter to the Chief Minister, the Governor termed Gosal's appointment as "totally illegal", saying he was appointed by the state government "without following UGC norms and approval of the Chancellor". The Governor is the chancellor of the PAU, the country's premier agricultural university established in 1962. The previous "tussle" between the duo was over the appointment of cardiologist Gurpreet Wander as Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, with the Governor saying the government violated the rules by recommending only one name. Wander later withdrew his candidature as Vice Chancellor. Justifying his decision to ask the government to withdraw the appointment of Gosal as Vice-Chancellor of the PAU, Purohit on Friday told the media in a formal interaction at Raj Bhavan that as the Chancellor of the universities he is performing his duty. "Rather the government is interfering in his functioning. "I will perform my duty. I have taken an oath to protect the Constitution. The Chief Minister should realise this. In fact, I administered the oath of office to the Chief Minister. He should not forget that." A day earlier the Chief Minister in a letter accused the Governor of "constantly interfering" in the government's functioning. Missing no opportunity to take a dig at the AAP government, currently facing Opposition pressure to drop cabinet minister Fauja Singh Sarari on corruption charges, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said the government has played fraud with the constitutional head of the state as well as Punjabis by sending a letter to the Governor in English but releasing its forged and fabricated version in Punjabi on social media. SAD former minister Daljit Singh Cheema said the fraud had been perpetrated in the name of the Chief Minister along with his signature. "The Chief Minister should disclose whether he was party to this act and whether it had his acquiescence. If not then the Chief Minister should get an FIR registered in the case and institute a high-level probe into the entire matter. "Since the issue is also one of constitutional propriety, the SAD also urges the Governor to direct the Chief Minister to order an independent inquiry into the issue and ensure exemplary punishment for those guilty of forging documents as well as their dissemination." Cheema said the fact that neither the Chief Minister nor the AAP government had issued a clarification on the issue despite the matter being pointed out by the Governor himself indicated that the AAP was playing politics on the issue. The letter written by the Chief Minister to the Governor in Punjabi justifies the appointment of the PAU Vice-Chancellor. The signed letter, in circulation with the media, says the appointment of Gosal was done in accordance with the Punjab and Haryana Agricultural University Act of 1970. The Chief Minister said the appointment was the prerogative of the PAU board. Hence the Chief Minister or the Governor have no role. "For the past few months, you have been constantly interfering in the functioning of the government, which was elected with a huge mandate. People of Punjab are very upset because of this," the letter quoting Mann said. Raj Bhavan responded on October 20 by clarifying that "there is a letter in circulation in the media. This letter has not been received in Punjab Raj Bhavan till this moment". However, it says, the letter received is in English and the contents of both the letters are materially different. Raj Bhavan has sought a clarification from the Chief Minister as to which of his two letters is authentic and why the letter written in Punjabi has been circulated to the media before and without sending it to Punjab Raj Bhavan. A day after the Governor asked the government to remove Gosal, Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal defended the appointment and accused the Governor of interfering in the government's functioning. Dhaliwal told the media here that the order of the Governor challenging the appointment was 'illegal' and said the appointment was made following all norms. Accusing the Governor of acting at the behest of the BJP, he said the Governor is taking unconstitutional action and his letter sent to the government was actually drafted at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. The minister said the AAP government would not tolerate any interference in its work. Dhaliwal said the PAU comes under the Haryana and Punjab Agriculture University Act 1970 and it does not come under the University Grants Commission. He said before taking any action, the Governor should have read the university Act and if it is an 'illegal appointment' then he should clarify why the post of the Vice Chancellor has been vacant for one year. "The Governor is violating the dignity of his constitutional office. If he wants to do politics then there are elections in Gujarat and Himachal, he must contest elections there," Dhaliwal said. He added that the government appointed the two most deserving candidates for the post of two Vice Chancellors but both were objected to by the Governor, which clearly shows that he doesn't want the AAP to function for the development of Punjab and its people. Earlier, the 'rift' between the Governor and Chief Minister Mann was the former taking strong exception to the absence of the Chief Minister at the civic reception organised by him in honour of visiting President Droupadi Murmu. Reminding the Chief Minister of his constitutional obligations that have to be met on such occasions, the Governor, in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, had said publicly from the stage: "I had personally called him (Chief Minister) 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." Mann was also conspicuously absent at the Indian Air Force's 90th Air Show here on that day as he was on a political tour to poll-bound Gujarat along with AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Earlier, the government took exception to the Governor's decision to seek details of legislative business for the Assembly session beginning on September 27. "I want to ask the Governor to check the record of his office and tell the people how many governors have asked the government to provide information about the purpose of summoning an assembly session. Till today, no governor did it. Only he is doing so, because he is working at the behest of the BJP," Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had said. Responding to the purported 'war of words', the Governor in a missive to the Chief Minister had said, "Perhaps your opinion about me will definitely change after reading the provisions of Article 167 and 168 of the Constitution, which I'm quoting for your ready reference." Chief Minister Mann had clarified that the Governor or President's consent before any session of the legislature is a formality. "In 75 years, no President or Governor ever asked list of legislative business before calling a session. Legislative business is decided by BAC (Business Advisory Council) and speaker. Next Governor will ask for all speeches also to be approved by him. It's too much," Mann had tweeted. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 : 'Ethu Keralam aanu (This is Kerala) is the stock phrase that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan uses time and again, mostly when he wants to lash out either at the Centre or at his now bete noire - Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. Things were smooth for Vijayan from 2016, when he first took over as the new chief minister and things remained the same even when Arif Mohammed Khan - a surprise choice by the national BJP leadership - was appointed the Governor in 2019. A seasoned politician, 70-year-old Khan who has travelled across quite a few political parties, starting from age 26, in a short time had won the hearts of many a Keralite through his affable and friendly approach and had no airs of the highly decorative post of his. But Khan first raised eyebrows when two years back he threatened not to read out adverse remarks about the Narendra Modi government, but later he changed his stand. From then on, it was a different Khan one saw, especially when it came to issues with the Vijayan government. He was at odds over the position taken by the Vijayan government on the Citizenship Amendment Act and from then on it was a series of tussles with Khan, giving headaches to the state government. He soon got the tag of being the principal 'opposition party' replacing the Congress led UDF. Then came the issue of the reappointment of Kannur University vice-chancellor Gopinath Ravindran and after coming down heavily on it, Khan quietly inked the reappointment. He then blew hot over the appointment of Priya Varghese, wife of Vijayan's private secretary K.K. Ragesh, to a teaching job in the same university and he put his foot down. When the Kerala High Court took a similar stand, it gave Khan an edge in his tiff with the Vijayan government. In between he made a scathing attack on the way personal staff members were appointed and even though he promised to take strict action, so far nothing has happened. And things got more bitter when he refused to ink the controversial tweaking of the Lok Ayukta Ordinance, forcing Vijayan to call a special sitting of the legislature. Khan is presently sitting on the Bill. If these issues were not enough, recently Khan dismissed 15 nominated senate members of Kerala University after they, despite being warned to be present at a crucial senate meeting, did not turn up. Khan also warned the state ministers not to speak disparagingly about him and threatened that it could lead to the withdrawal of his 'pleasure', clearly implying that if they continue in the same manner such ministers might be booted out. Vijayan however maintained a stoic silence, but came down heavily early his week when he said the rights, responsibilities and duties of the Governor are clearly mentioned in the Constitution as are those of the ministers. Even B. R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of India's Constitution, has said the powers of the Governor are very narrow and the apex court has also clarified that the Governor should work according to the directions of the cabinet. "Everything is clearly written and when such a situation is there, can anyone say otherwise," added Vijayan. To a question on the way Khan dismissed 15 senate members of Kerala University, he said what he has done is not tenable under the law and moreover the common principle of extending natural justice was also not adhered to. But state Congress president K. Sudhakaran, the biggest opponent of Vijayan, said there are very valid points raised by Khan. "One needs to assess things which he has raised and all what he has raised just cannot be dismissed. There is merit in certain things that he has taken up with the state government," said Sudhakaran. State BJP president K. Surendran also did not lose any opportunity to take on Vijayan and also the Congress and pointed out that when it comes to attacking Khan, who was appointed by the Centre, these two political parties are hand in glove. The BJP will defend Khan, as he has done nothing wrong. Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 : A two-wheeler-borne man was kidnapped by a gang in two cars here. The incident happened late Saturday night. The kidnapped person was identified as Avelam Asharaf of Thamarassery. According to police, the kidnapping was due to a rivalry in the Middle East over some financial transactions. Ashraf is a businessman based out of Dubai. Police said a passerby had informed them of the kidnapping and that he had seen a group of people in two cars, blocking a two-wheeler and forcing him into a car. According to Thamarassery police, the man was taken to Mukkam road in Kozhikode district, and police are probing CCTV visuals and identifying the vehicles that were involved in the kidnap to reach the perpetrators of the crime. In several areas of the Malabar region in Kerala, smugglers resort to using carriers to bring in gold from Dubai and other Middle Eastern countries and in some cases, the carrier absconds with the gold leading to losses for the gang. This has led to bloody skirmishes with the gang who had sent the gold either forcibly kidnapping the carrier or his relative to get the gold back. There are also instances of other gangs who kidnap the carrier and relieve him of the gold. Hyderabad, Oct 23 : Hyderabad Police have busted another Hawala racket and seized Rs 63.50 lakh cash. Police on Sunday said five persons were arrested for running Hawala racket from the electrical godown of 'Ranuja Marketing' at Troop Bazar. Acting on credible information, the Commissioner's Task Force, Central Zone, arrested five persons, seized the cash, a two-wheeler, five mobile phones and a cash counting machine. Kanti Lal (39), owner of the godown, Kishore Singh (42), Pep Singh (47), Mohammed Abdul Fareed (38) and Sandeep Singh (31) were arrested. The raid was conducted when Hawala money was being collected and distributed. The accused were found in possession of unaccounted money. This is the latest in a series of Hawala rackets busted in the city during the last few days. Police have seized about Rs 10 crore cash in separate operations. The cash was seized during heightened vigil by the police in view of by-election to the Munugode Assembly seat in neighbouring Nalgonda district on November 3. On October 20, police had seized over Rs 1.10 crore cash from four persons. The cash was seized from a car during vehicle checking in the Shainayathgunj police station limits. Police arrested Kamlesh Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Rahul Agarwal and Ratan Singh. According to police, the main accused Kamlesh Kumar started running a hawala business with others as he was not getting enough profits in the plastic bag business. On October 10, unaccounted cash worth Rs 3.5 crore that was reportedly being transported to Munugode was seized. Six persons travelling in two cars with the cash were apprehended by the Commissioner's Task Force team. On October 7, police seized Rs 79.25 lakh and arrested four people, including two Uttar Pradesh natives, under suspicious circumstances during a vehicle checking drive in the limits of Chandrayangutta police station. Earlier on September 29, a Meerut-based scrap dealer was caught in Hyderabad with Rs 1.24 crore cash. He had told the police that he collected the cash on the instructions of his uncle and was to deliver it to four persons living in the city. Paris, Oct 23 : Members of the Indian diaspora in France and friends of India came together to demonstrate outside the Pakistan embassy here to demand for peace in Kashmir. The protest was organised on Saturday to mark the 75th year of the invasion of Kashmir by Pakistan in 1947. The protest demonstration was led by elected representatives of Indian origin from local governments of cities near the Paris region as well as members of various Indian diaspora associations. The elected representatives who spoke at the occasion were Selva Annamale , Municipal Councillor from the city of Montmagny and Freddy Patter , Municipal Councillor of the city of Aragny. Both called on Pakistan to stop exporting terror to Kashmir. Similarly, the demonstrators condemned Pakistan for its continued policy of disrupting peace in Kashmir and spreading Islamist radicalism in the region. They also displayed posters on the timeline of Pakistan's invasion of Kashmir, and its attempts to obstruct development activities in the Kashmir region. The speakers highlighted the fast-paced development activities undertaken in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Indian and French flags were flown on the occasion and the national anthem of both countries was sung. Chennai, Oct 23 : The makers of director K.S. Ravindra's (Bobby) upcoming film, tentatively referred to as 'Mega154' and featuring Megastar Chiranjeevi in the lead, have released a glimpse of the title teaser they are to release on Diwali. The glimpse released is meant to be a sparkle before the blast that the makers have planned for fans on the festival day. In the video clip released, megastar Chiranjeevi appears in a mass get-up wearing gold ornaments. Chiranjeevi is seen throwing a beedi after taking the last puff. Uniquely, it is shown in reverse order. "Get ready for the mass explosion," reads a statement in the video. Actor Ravi Teja will be essaying a significant role in this movie that features Shruti Haasan as the female lead opposite Chiranjeevi. Billed to be a mass-action entertainer laced with all the commercial ingredients, the film is being produced on a grand scale by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers. G.K. Mohan is the co-producer. Rockstar Devi Sri Prasad has scored the music for the movie that has cinematography by Arthur A. Wilson. Niranjan Devaramane is the editor and A.S. Prakash is the production designer. Sushmita Konidela is the costume designer. While the story and dialogues were written by Bobby himself, Kona Venkat and K. Chakravarthy Reddy have penned the screenplay. The writing department also includes Hari Mohana Krishna and Vineeth Potluri. The film is scheduled to hit screens for Sankranthi in 2023. Fatehpur : , Oct 23 (IANS) A goods train carrying an empty wagon from Kanpur station got derailed at Ramwan station near here on Sunday morning. Eight wagons of the train ran over each other and damaged the tracks, due to which train traffic on Delhi-Howrah route has been affected. The route of 12 trains including Vande Bharat has been diverted. The process of clearing the track and repairing the OHE has started. According to railway spokesman, eight wagons of the train piled on to one another. Twelve passenger trains, including Vande Bharat Express, have been affected due to the disruption of both the tracks. Railway engineers have expressed the possibility of resumption of traffic on the route by evening. Mumbai, Oct 23 : It's been more than a month since comedian-actor Raju Srivastav passed away. His wife Shikha shared an old video of the late comedian singing a Kishore Kumar song on her Instagram account. In the video, the late comedian can be seen sitting on a bed inside a room and singing Kishore Kumar's 'Yaadon Mein Wo Sapnon Mein Hai' from the 1977 film 'Swami'. His wife also penned an emotional note along with the video in the caption in which she spoke about missing him dearly after his death. Raju and Shikha got married on May 17, 1983. They have a son and a daughter - Aayushman and Antara. The couple had first met during his brother's wedding in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, in 1982. The comedian died on September 21 after battling for his life for 42 days. He was admitted to AIIMS after he suffered a heart attack in his gym while working out on August 10. Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 : The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) of Kerala has decided to conduct a protest march against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on November 15 for his alleged interference in the affairs of the universities of the state as the Chancellor. This was announced by the CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan and CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran jointly. Khan has cancelled the appointment of 15 senate members of the Kerala University, which was not taken lightly by the LDF. The CPI-M leaders, including the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came out strongly against the Governor. Arif Mohammed Khan has been involved in a series of confrontations against the Kerala government after an initial bonhomie with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The CPI-M leader said that the Governor has been misusing the post of Chancellor and said that Arif Mohammed Khan has been trying to disrupt the self-governance of the universities. M.V. Govindan also said that certain forces, who knew that they would not assume office in Kerala through electoral means, were trying to destroy the self-rule of universities. He said that the Sangh Parivar forces were trying to destroy the secular higher education in the universities of the state by this method. The CPI-M state secretary alleged that the Kerala Governor had openly said that he was an RSS sympathiser. The CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said that the agitation would be a mass uprising against the Kerala Governor, and this would have huge participation which would be historic. The agitation against the Governor will be conducted at all district headquarters across the state. The CPI-M leader, M.V. Govindan shied away from repeated questions regarding the allegations made by the gold smuggling case accused, Swapna Suresh against senior CPI-M leaders over making lewd comments against her. Swapna had alleged that senior CPI-M leaders and former ministers, Dr. Thomas Issac and Kadakampalli Surendran, had made sexual comments against her. She also alleged that former Kerala Assembly Speaker, P. Sreeramakrishnan had also tried sexual advances against her. When asked about this, Govindan said, "This is a deliberate move of the media to divert the LDF's proposed agitation against the state Governor. There is no need to immediately respond to all allegations." Mumbai, Oct 23 : After bailing out Bollywood with its successful theatrical run, the Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor-starrer adventure-mythological fantasy film 'Brahmastra Part One: Shiva', is heading to OTT. The film, written and directed by Ayan Mukerji, also stars veteran Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna Akkineni. Commenting on the development, Ranbir Kapoor, who is expecting his first child with Alia Bhatt, said: "'Brahmastra' has been a very special journey for me and especially Ayan's grand vision of creating India's original new cinematic universe has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience." The film will be releasing on OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Image Source: IANS News Ranbir added in his statement: "The phenomenal response from global audiences after the theatrical release has been truly overwhelming and with the release on Disney+ Hotstar, the biggest OTT platform in India, our aim is to bring it even closer to our audience across the country." Alia, his wife and co-star, said: "As an actor, I am honoured to be part of such a grand vision. It has been no less than a celebration worldwide, and we cannot wait to bring 'Brahmastra' closer to fans with the OTT release 'Brahmastra' is now yours." 'Brahmastra Part One: Shiva' will be available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar from November 4, 2022. -- Syndicated from IANS Bengaluru, Oct 23 : The UK Queen consort Camilla has arrived in Bengaluru health centre along with King Charles III, police sources said on Sunday. She travelled by the British Airways flight and landed at the Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Thursday. The authorities are tight-lipped about the visit as they have been instructed not to reveal any information about it. The sources state that the UK Queen consort is undergoing holistic therapies for about 10 days. She is presently staying at the Soukhya, Holistic Health and Wellness Centre located close to the Whitefield. Royal Protection Squad members of elite force of the Scotland Yard had escorted them from the airport to the health centre, the sources said. The sources at the Soukhya said that Dr Issac Mathai, the Chairman, is the personal holistic physician for the visiting dignitaries. She has been visiting the health centre since 2010. The Otto Bremer Trust has announced grants and program-related investments for its most recent grantmaking cycle. OBT is pleased to make critical investments in programs and organizations that are helping to meet a variety of challenges across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, said Daniel Reardon, co-CEO and trustee, OBT. The Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust based in St. Paul, Minn. Created in 1944 by Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting a better quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Since its founding, OBT has invested nearly $1 billion in people, places, and opportunities in its region. This cycle, OBT has awarded grants totaling $1.3 million to organizations in Montana. Below is a list of grants awarded to organizations in eastern Montana. Community Leadership & Development, Inc., Billings, MT, $250,000. To support a capital campaign to develop quality, safe, affordable housing for low-income and underserved individuals, working poor families, and older persons. Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT), Inc., Billings, MT, $60,000. For general operations to support people with disabilities to live independently through education, support, and opportunities. Roundup Memorial Hospital Association, Roundup, MT, $65,000. For the purchase of medical equipment critical for identification, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and fetal well-being. Southeast Montana Area Revitalization Team, Inc., Baker, MT, $10,000. For general operations to promote and encourage small business development, community planning, and affordable housing. Bengaluru, Oct 23 : Karnataka's Housing Minister V. Somanna stoked a controversy after visuals of him allegedly slapping a woman at a public function went viral on Sunday. The incident took place on Saturday evening at a land deeds distribution function in Gundlupet in Chamarajnagar district. Nearly 175 people, who were eligible for the title deeds under a land regularisation in the rural areas scheme, were to receive title deeds at the event. The woman, identified as Kempamma, later said that she was pleading with the minister to help her also get a plot title deed at the event. She denied that the minister slapped her. The minister, who is the district in-charge for Chamarajnagar, later claimed that he was trying to push the woman away in order to "stop her from falling at his feet". San Francisco, Oct 23 : Apple has started paying out $100 million cash reserve created as part of a class-action settlement to its App Store developers. The tech giant agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the US developers concerned with App Store policies, in August 2021. The company agreed to create the Apple Smart Developer Assistance Fund as part of the settlement, which would pay out cash to affected developers, reports AppleInsider. As per the report, several developers claim on Twitter that the company has begun distributing payments from the fund. Developers had until May 20 to request to become "Settlement Class Members" from a separate administrator. The developers stood to get paid from $250 to $30,000 if they met the requirements. All US based developers who sold paid apps or in-app purchases and subscriptions through the App Store between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021 were eligible for the fund. Additionally, they had to generate revenue from the US storefront in each of the years between 2015 and 2021 that they held a development account that was equal to or less than $1 million. Along with the fund, the settlement also brought about several changes to the App Store's policies, such as new pricing tiers, modifications to developer and consumer communication, and a commitment by the tech giant to maintain its 15 per cent reduced App Store commission for at least three years. London, Oct 23 : With Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the two main potential candidates in contest to become the UK's next Prime Minister, said to be locked in talks, speculation has been mounting over whether the pair could strike a deal to lay the foundations for a unified Conservative government, local media reported. Earlier reports began to emerge that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak held talks late into the night - fuelling speculation they could strike a deal, Sky News reported. Now Sky News understands that the talks between the pair did take place. Neither the former prime minister nor the ex-chancellor have officially declared themselves in the race to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister. And it is still unclear what was discussed during the talks last night. The country needs a "big player" like Boris Johnson who is a "great unifier and campaigner", Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton Harris has said. Speaking on whether the former prime minister had enough MPs backing him, he said that Johnson "definitely had enough numbers", Sky News reported. Heaton Harris went on to say that Johnson was a "great unifier" and a "great campaigner", adding: "He is someone who has a solid sense of what the country wants to hear and what needs to happen." Boris Johnson would be a "guaranteed disaster", Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker has said as he confirmed his support for Rishi Sunak, Sky News reported. Baker said while there was a "lot of love out there" for the former prime minister, now was not the time for his "style". He said: "I've been a big fan of Boris Johnson so many times, but this isn't the time for Boris' style. I'm afraid the trouble is because of the privileges vote, Boris would be a guaranteed disaster. New Delhi, Oct 23 : Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is expected to visit India next month, according to reports. The Saudi Crown Prince is likely to visit the country on November 14 while on his way to the G20 summit in Bali (Indonesia), reports quoting sources said. He is visiting India on Modi's invitation, they added. It would be a day-long visit. Earlier, Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman had visited India last week, which had coincided with the OPEC+ taking a decision to cut oil production. Kanpur : , Oct 23 (IANS) A 16-year-old girl ended her life by hanging after her mother scolded her for constantly chatting on her mobile phone. The girl, identified as Deeksha, was found hanging in a room at her residence in the Gangapur colony area. Station House Officer ( SHO) Yogesh Kumar Singh said the body has been sent for post-mortem and further action would be taken based on the post-mortem report. According to the family members, the girl returned home from school and started chatting on the mobile phone. Her mother scolded her and later in the night, when she went to her daughter's room, she found her hanging. The girl was rushed to the nearby hospital where she was declared brought dead. Bengaluru, Oct 23 : The UK Queen consort Camilla has arrived in Bengaluru health centre along with her friends, said police sources on Sunday. She travelled by the British Airways flight and landed at the Kempe Gowda International Airport of Bengaluru on Thursday. Earlier, the sources had said that she has arrived to Bengaluru with King Charles III. However, later, the sources said that she has come along with her friends. The authorities are tight-lipped about the visit as they were instructed not to reveal any information about her trip. The sources said that she is undergoing holistic therapies for about 10 days. She is presently staying at the Soukhya, Holistic Health and Wellness Centre located close to the Whitefield. Royal Protection Squad members of elite force of the Scotland Yard had escorted them from the Bengaluru International Airport to the health centre, the sources said. The sources at the Soukhya said that Dr Issac Mathai, the Chairman, is the personal holistic physician for the UK queen consort. She has been visiting the health centre since 2010. Guadalajara : , Oct 23 (IANS) No.3 seed Jessica Pegula moved into her second final of the year with a 7-6(3), 6-1 win over former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the Guadalajara Open Akron here on Saturday. Pegula will have to wait to find out who her final opponent will be. In the second semifinal, No.4 seed Maria Sakkari won an 83-minute first set 7-5 over Marie Bouzkova, but the rest of the match was rained out and postponed to 1:00 p.m. local time on Sunday. Pegula, who has qualified for both her singles and doubles debuts at the WTA Finals, is one win away from her first title of the year and her second career title (following 2019 Washington D.C.). Pegula notched her 40th match-win in WTA main draws this season with her 1-hour and 29-minute triumph over Azarenka. She becomes just the fourth player to hit 40 victories for the year, joining Iga Swiatek (62), Ons Jabeur (46) and Daria Kasatkina (40). Pegula's two 2022 finals have both come at the WTA 1000 level; she also reached the final in Madrid earlier this year, falling to Ons Jabeur. Pegula is the first American to reach two or more WTA 1000 finals in a single year since Sloane Stephens in 2018. "I think it's just capping off the end to a couple amazing years, really," Pegula said afterward. "I'm just super happy to be through to a final." In fact, U.S. No.1 Pegula has become an expert at WTA 1000 tournaments since the start of 2021. Pegula has won 38 matches at WTA 1000 events over the last two seasons, more than any other player, including World No.1 Iga Swiatek, who sits in second place with 36. To make it into the final, Pegula had to beat four Grand Slam champions in a row this week, with victories over Elena Rybakina, Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens preceding her win over two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka. "Vika (Victoria Azarenka) is always tough no matter what, especially on hard courts, especially in faster conditions," Pegula said. "I've lost to her the last couple of times, I knew it was going to be tough. I'm just glad, in a semifinal as well, that I was able to hold on to that first set. "I thought it was really important to not let her get any momentum or more confidence by winning an easy first set, so I'm definitely really happy with how I handled that situation. (Being) able to take that first set and start off strong in the second against someone as experienced as her is always going to give me a lot of confidence." Seoul, Oct 23 : The top diplomats of South Korea and Austria expressed hope for the expansion of cooperation between the two sides as they had talks here on Sunday. Speaking at the outset of the meeting with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, Foreign Minister Park Jin said his government would like to further strengthen the bilateral "strategic partnership" forged in 2021, Yonhap news agency reported. In that sense, Park said, Schallenberg's visit to Seoul is "very timely" as a "very important opportunity" for the development of the ties. He added that the two countries are close friends and partners for cooperation, marking the 130th anniversary this year of forging diplomatic relations. The Austrian minister pointed out the two nations have much in common in terms of open society and trade. Mumbai, Oct 23 : Veteran Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan recently shared that he was rushed to a hospital after he cut a vein on his left calf. The senior actor, whose recent release 'Goodbye' received a lot of positive response, took to his official blog to share the news with his fans and admirers. He shared that he had received stitches to control the bleeding. "A jutting piece of metal sliced my left calve and managed to cut the vein .. the vein when cut spurts out the 'red' uncontrollably .. but had the nerve to get the doc and so into an OT and the stitching up .. with the assistance of team of staff and docs in time (sic)," he wrote on his blog. He mentioned that the injury seems to be a inoperative. "The throb is the control factor on KBC and it must be stated that those three-four hours on each episode, does take care of the... Its a little inoperative, but the will to continue in the similar spirit of measurement and tribe and class in range does give a hope and we cope... Its quite fresh and with opinion and advice." For now, the medical experts have advised him to not strain or try walking, even on a treadmill. The Big B accepted the medical advice with a dash of resigned philosophy. He wrote: "At times the satisfaction of the extreme may bring the joys or the griefs of existence." Chennai, Oct 23 : Actress Shruti Haasan, who is now shooting for her international film, 'The Eye', in Athens and Corfu, has thanked the unit of the film for their sweet gesture of getting her crackers to ensure that she does not miss celebrating Deepavali. Taking to Instagram to post a picture of her bursting crackers, Shruti wrote, "Wishing you and yours light and prosperity! Tomorrow is the start of amazing things for all of us. "I thought I was away from my family on this special day and realised I found a lovely new film family in these beautiful people who took the time and effort to make Diwali so special! "I'm so so filled with gratitude and never take these amazing moments for granted... there is magic and light in all places and all you have to do is open your heart and mind. "Thank you to the amazing team of 'THE EYE' for this heart warming memory." Directed by Daphne Schmon and written by Emily Carlton, the film, backed by Fingerprint Content, is being co-produced by Agronauts productions, Greece's biggest and most established production house. Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 -- Syndicated from IANS The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 brought the United States and the Soviet Union closer to nuclear war than any other event throughout the Cold War. From Oct. 16 to Nov. 20, the world teetered on the brink of a catastrophic very hot war until leadership and luck prevailed. One year later, just weeks before his assassination, President John F. Kennedy, after a stop the previous day in Billings, visited Great Falls on Sept. 26, 1963. His goal was to honor his powerful Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield by visiting the senators boyhood home, and to pay tribute to his Crisis ace in the hole the Minuteman ICBMs spread in every direction around the stadium where he spoke. Kennedy delivered these powerful Cold War words to an overflow crowd of 20,000 that day: "Montana is a long way from Washington, and it is a long way from the Soviet Union, and it is 10,000 miles from Laos. But this particular State because it has, among other reasons, concentrated within its borders some of the most powerful nuclear missile systems in the world, must be conscious of every danger and must be conscious of how close Montana lives to the firing line which divides the Communist world. We are many thousands of miles from the Soviet Union, but this state, in a very real sense, is only 30 minutes away. The crisis Return now to October 1962, and the dangers of the Cuban Missile Crisis as it unfolded through a background of escalating tensions in the Cold War fueled by the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, followed six weeks later by the June 1961 summit in Vienna for Kennedy and Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, at which the latter concluded that Kennedy is very inexperienced, even immature a weak leader. Two months after the summit, the Soviets and East Germans erected the Berlin Wall in direct response to the presidents weakness in Vienna. Yet, Khrushchev misjudged the inexperienced president. Kennedy was a quick study and learned from his performance at Vienna, yet the Soviets did not know that. The United States was deploying Jupiter medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) to Italy and Turkey. In response, in July 1962, Khrushchev secretly agreed to Cubas request to place Soviet nuclear missiles on the island. Construction of missile launch facilities started that summer, just before midterm elections. During the campaign, in mid-October, a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft captured clear photographic evidence of Soviet SS-4 and SS-5 M/IRBM facilities in Cuba. Kennedy was briefed and, with his advisers, determined that they must be removed. The world was at a brink as the president weighed options ranging from military air strikes on down, before ordering a naval quarantine on October 22 to prevent further missiles from reaching Cuba. In a dramatic primetime televised address to the world that evening, Kennedy announced the discovery of Soviet offensive missiles and aircraft in Cuba: "It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union." The president declared that the U.S. would not permit Soviet offensive weapons to remain in Cuba, demanding that those weapons already there be dismantled and shipped back to the Soviet Union. He described his plan to halt the Soviet offensive buildup in Cuba, the commencement of a strict naval quarantine of all offensive military equipment en route to Cuba: All ships of any kind bound for Cuba, from whatever nation or port, will, if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back. This quarantine will be extended, if needed, to other types of cargo and carriers. In the aftermath of Kennedys dramatic red-line speech, Montanas military immediately responded with an unprecedented state of activity, according to 341st Strategic Missile Wing historian Troy A. Hallsell. Montana Gov. Tim Babcock activated the National Guard, since half the states counties did not have civil defense preparations. The Guard established a communication network, warning systems and a radiological program for forecasting and detecting radioactive fallout. Malmstroms fighter aircraft were dispersed to Billings Airport. Alpha flight comes on line Historian Hallsell described the environment at Malmstrom AFB, with everyone working at a frenetic pace to provide Kennedy with the first operational Minuteman missiles, an ace-in-the-hole: Typically, 16-hour days were normal, weekends included. The payoff was the Missile Squadrons and Wing reaching operational readiness well ahead of schedule. The unfolding events even took the (ICBM) construction crews by surprise. Quality Assurance contractor Jack Gannon heard about the crisis while driving to Lewistown from Eddies Corner. Upon arrival he told his co-workers they Better get them wrapped up, were going to be using them in about 20 minutes. Following Kennedys address, SAC Commander Gen . Thomas Power instructed Col. Burton C. Andrus Jr., the 341 SMW commander, to determine if the wing could posture all 10 Minuteman ICBMs in its Alpha flight and find a way to launch them. Engineers designed the weapon system to require launch commands from two different Launch Control Centers the problem was that 341 SMW only had one constructed ... Col. Andrus had to kluge the system. His Airmen did so by introducing the critical part of a second launch control unit into the circuitry in Alphas LCC so that a double crew could turn four keys simultaneously and thus launch the birds. SACs first Minuteman went on alert at 3:07 p.m. on 27 October, 1962. . . Five days later all of Alpha Flight was on alert. Neared a flashpoint It is not easy today to fathom the day-to-day tension on both sides as this potentially catastrophic Crisis unfolded. An episode occurred on Oct. 27, just after the U.S. naval quarantine was implemented and the situation was nearing a boiling point. That near fateful day an incident aboard a Soviet submarine stands as likely the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Beale acquired a submarine on sonar and dropped practice depth charges on the nuclear-armed Soviet Foxtrot class submarine B-59, operating near the quarantine line around Cuba. B-59 was one of four Foxtrots hastily deployed to Cuban waters and out of radio contact with Moscow for days knowing that war was near and wondering if it had already begun. The charges were nonlethal warning shots intended to force B-59 to the surface, but the submarines captain, Valentin Savitsky, mistook them for live explosives. Adding more fuel to the fire, a second U.S. Navy destroyer began dropping unauthorized hand grenades with blasting sounds like sledgehammers. Convinced that he was engaged in the opening round of war, the B-59 captain angrily ordered his men to arm his submarines single nuclear-tipped torpedo and prepare to attack. The misunderstanding could have resulted in disaster if not for a Soviet naval contingency measure that required all three of the submarines senior officers to sign off before a nuclear launch. The Soviet captain ordered it, but Capt. Vasily Arkhipov, not part of B-59s crew but chief of staff of the submarine brigade and who, as luck would have it, was on board B-59. Arkhipov refused to give his consent. After calming the captain down, Arkhipov coolly convinced his fellow officers to bring B-59 to the surface and request new orders from Moscow. The submarine eventually returned to Russia without incident, but it was more than 40 years later, after the end of the Cold War, before a full account of Arkhipovs lifesaving decision finally came to light. As former Secretary of State Dean Acheson wrote, In foreign affairs brains, preparation, judgment, and power are of utmost importance, but luck is essential. Arkhipovs presence on board B-59 was indeed luck. Leadership prevails the crisis ends During the course of several days of tense negotiations, Kennedy and Khrushchev dramatically reached an agreement. Publicly, the Soviet Union would remove its offensive missiles and aircraft from Cuba, in exchange for U.S. declaration not to invade Cuba. Secretly, the United States agreed also to dismantle its Jupiter MRBMs in Turkey. With the Soviet withdrawal from Cuba, the naval quarantine formally ended on Nov. 20. Through the course of the crisis, Khrushchev learned that Kennedy was a formidable leader, and both men were shocked at how close they had come to a nuclear exchange. A direct MoscowWashington hotline was established to facilitate rapid communications. The two leaders initiated a dialogue leading to a series of agreements to reduce U.S.-Soviet tensions. By Dec. 11, the 341st SMW had its second ICBM flight on alert, and by July 1963, all 150 Minutemen at Malmstrom were operational. The Minutemans success during and after the Cuban crisis led Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to authorize a force of 1,000 Minuteman ICBMs. Note: For more about the Cuban Missile Crisis and Montanans in the Cold War, see historian Ken Robisons book "Cold War Montana." Chennai, Oct 23 : Senior CPI-M leader and former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac on Sunday dismissed as "baseless" the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh. Speaking to reporters, he said that the allegation was the "handiwork of the BJP" and Swapna Suresh was like "a foster daughter of the BJP". Swapna Suresh has, in her recently-released autobiography, "Chathiyde Padmavyuham" claimed that three senior CPI-M leaders - Issac, Kadakmpally Surendran and P. Sreeramakrishnan had made lewd comments against her and even invited her to hotel rooms, and their residences. Issac said that he was in no way connected to the case, adding that a minister inviting a woman to a tourist resort like Munnar, as alleged by her, was totally unfounded. Asked whether he would move the court regarding the allegation, he said that it was for the party to decide on a future course of legal action. The senior CPI-M leader, who was keeping a studied silence after the autobiography of Swapna Suresh had come out, was forced to respond as there was a volley of questions during the press conference of CPI-M state Secretary, M.V.Govindan. The CPI-M had tried to ignore the matter but with the issue getting the attention of the media, Issac had to make his stand. Meanwhile, former Electricity and Tourism Minister Surendran, who was also accused of harassment by Swapna Suresh, told media persons that he was not in any way involved in the matter. Former Speaker Sreeramakrishnan, accused by Swapna Suresh of having invited her to his residence, is yet to respond. Amritsar, Oct 23 : Four persons, including two shooters, were arrested for murdering a shopkeeper in Punjab's Tarn Taran earlier this month, police said on Sunday. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav informed on Sunday that the arrested persons were close associates of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa and Europe-based terrorist Satpal Singh alias Satta, who, in turn, are close associates of Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). Those arrested have been identified as shooters Gurkirat Singh alias Ghugi of village Sheron in Tarn Taran and Ajmeet Singh of Naushera Pannuan in the district too. Harmanjot and Akashdeep Singh, both residents of Batala, were arrested for providing weapons and other logistic support to the shooters. Police had also recovered four pistols, two of 9mm and two .30 bore, from their possession, he added. Gurjant Singh was shot dead at his shop by two assailants at his shop on October 11. Amritsar Police Commissioner Arun Pal Singh said that following reliable inputs, Tarn Taran police, the Amritsar Police Commissionerate, and the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) arrested all four accused in a joint operation. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested persons were hatching a conspiracy to commit another targeted killing in the area of Amritsar at the behest of Landa and Rinda. London, Oct 23 : After releasing plans to scale EV and battery production in the US, BMW has announced it would also be adding a new battery assembly line and new cell varnishing lines at its plant in Germany's Leipzig. The luxury automaker says the batteries will be used for its fully electric Mini Countryman crossover, reports the auto-tech website Electrek. Earlier, a report said that BMW was moving production of its electric Mini models from the UK to Germany and China to streamline production. Now, the luxury automaker is announcing adding additional battery capacity ahead of several highly anticipated Mini EV launches. The 100 per cent electric version of the Mini Countryman is expected to debut in 2023, and will also be produced at the Leipzig plant. In addition, the Mini Aceman is expected to launch in 2024, the brand's first all-electric MINI crossover sport activity vehicle (SAV). Meanwhile, the company recently said it will invest $1.7 billion to build electric vehicles (EVs) in the US. The investment includes $1 billion to prepare for producing electric vehicles at the company's existing US manufacturing facility in South Carolina and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly facility near Woodruff there. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Hyderabad, Oct 23 : The Congress on Sunday issued show cause notice to its Telangana MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy for his recent utterances. Congress General Secretary Tariq Anwar issued the notice to the MP from Bhongir a day after video clip went viral in which he is heard predicting that the Congress will lose the by-election to the Munugode Assembly seat. Venkat Reddy, who is the star campaigner of the Congress, went on to predict that his brother and BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy will win the November 3 bypoll. The party leadership has asked the MP why no action should be taken against him under the party constitution for indiscipline. He has been asked to submit a reply within 10 days. His statements caused huge embarrassment to the Congress a day before the entry of party leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in the state. Hours after the Yatra entered Telangana and Rahul Gandhi left for New Delhi for three-day break, the central leadership issued the notice. A video of Venkat Reddy's interaction with some people went viral on social media on Saturday even as the party leaders were engaged in hectic campaigning in Munugode. Earlier, an audio clip of Venkat Reddy went viral in which he is heard urging local Congress leaders to support his brother. Venkat Reddy's brother Rajagopal Reddy had resigned as MLA and also quit the Congress to join the BJP, which fielded him as its candidate in the by-election. There have been speculations in recent weeks that Venkat Reddy will also follow his brother and switch loyalties to the BJP. The audio and video of the MP have surfaced days after he made it clear that he will not campaign in Munugode where Congress has fielded Palvai Sravanthi as its candidate. Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 : In an unprecedented move, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has asked all nine Vice Chancellors of state varsities to resign from their respective posts. Noting the action was following the Supreme Court ordering the resignation of the Kerala Technical University's Vice Chancellor, he directed the Vice Chancellors of the Calicut, Sanskrit, KTU, CUSAT, Fisheries, Malayalam, MG, Kannur, and Medical University to put in their papers before 11.30 am on Monday. The Governor's office said that five of the Vice Chancellors were asked to go as they were selected without panel names during the selection of Vice Chancellor and thus "selected politically". The remaining four was selected through a process wherein eminent subject experts were not present in the selection committee, it added. Reacting to the order, CPI-M state Secretary M.V. Govindan told media persons in Alappuzha that the party and the government would oppose the Governor's move which was anti-constitutional. He said that the BJP and the RSS, which are not able to come to power directly, are trying backroom manoeuvrings to take hold of power in the state. "This is a mad decision by the Governor and we will take all the recourses including legal options against this," Govindan said. Sources in the government told IANS that the state Higher Education Department is holding a meeting to decide on the future course of action. Officials in the department said that the government is likely to direct the Vice Chancellors not to respond to the Governor's directive. Muslim League leader and former state Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer told media persons that the decision of the Governor was wrong. He said that the Governor does not have such discretionary powers. CPI-M Politburo member M.A. Baby, who is also a former state Education Minister, told media persons that the Kerala Governor was functioning like a Central government employee. Beijing, Oct 23 : China's leader Xi Jinping has moved into a historic third term in power, as he revealed a new leadership team stacked with loyalists, the media reported. On Sunday the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) unveiled its Politburo Standing Committee, with Xi re-elected as general secretary, the BBC reported. Observers say the line-up, handpicked by Xi, shows he prizes loyalty over expertise and experience, BBC reported. No other party leader besides CCP founder Mao Zedong has ever served a third term. On Sunday, a day after the congress closed, Xi strode onto a stage in Beijing's Great Hall of the People trailed by the six other men of the Politburo Standing Committee. The group sits at the very top of the CCP and is the Chinese equivalent of the presidential cabinet. Apart from two men -- anti-corruption chief Zhao Leji and political theorist Wang Huning -- the rest are new to the team. Premier Li Keqiang, the country's number two leader, was not seen -- he is among four men who have retired from the committee, BBC reported. Significant reshuffles of the standing committee after a term are common. But observers have noted that by getting rid of Li Keqiang and others, Xi has ensured he is now surrounded by a group where nobody with a different perspective to him has been included. "He felt no need to assign a spot to an alternative faction, which shows his priority is projecting dominance over magnanimity, when he is facing international pushback," said Wen-ti Sung, a lecturer at the Australian National University. Observers say the line-up shows that loyalty to Xi trumps ability and experience, flying in the face of the Communist Party's credo that it is a meritocracy. But many believe that Li Qiang -- who walked out right behind Xi during the highly-choreographed ceremony - will become Premier and therefore the one to manage China's economy, BBC reported. Li Qiang is currently the party secretary of Shanghai and oversaw the city's controversial lockdown where tens of millions experienced significant food shortages. Some believe that by making him premier, this sends a signal that Xi does not prioritise economic activity. "This promotion alone is significant for us to reconsider the power structure of China under Xi's third term," said Professor Yang Zhang of the American University, pointing out that Li Qiang is the first official to be promoted without any working experience in central government. Another standing committee appointment that has raised eyebrows is Cai Qi, the mayor of Beijing. He was seen to have performed well when the capital successfully hosted the Winter Olympics earlier this year during the pandemic. But he also attracted controversy when he launched a plan in 2017 to reduce Beijing's population that ultimately forced out many low-income earners from the city, BBC reported. "Cai was not even among the Communist Party's top 370 leaders before the last party congress. Now he is the fifth most powerful person in China," said Neil Thomas, senior China analyst of the Eurasia Group. Patna, Oct 23 : Five persons, including four minor girls, were drowned and six others went missing in separate accidents in rivers in Bihar's Aurangabad and Patna districts on Sunday, police said. In Aurangabad, four minors girls went for a bath at Kushmara Ghat in Hamid Nagar village under Uphara police station. However, they did not realise the depth of the river and started drowning. Shankar Thakur of the same village jumped into the river to rescue them but also disappeared. The deceased were identified as Manisha Kumari, 16, Kajal Kumari, 15, Nidhi Kumari, 14 and Choti Kumari, 12. "When we heard of the incident, a rescue operation was launched and recovered the dead bodies of two victims. The operation is currently on," said Manoj Kumar Tiwari, SHO of Uphara police station. In another incident, a motor boat carrying 21 persons capsized in the Ganga river in Patna's Digha area on Sunday morning, after colliding with a pillar of the JP Setu. The SDRF team, present at Digha Ghat, immediately launched the rescue operation with the help of local divers and managed to save 15 persons after throwing life jackets and tubes. However, six persons are still missing. Taluqan : , Oct 23 (IANS) The body of a tribal elder Hajji Saifullah, who was allegedly killed by the IS group in the northern Takhar province was found on Sunday, provincial police spokesman Abdul Mubin Safi said. Safi added that three militants affiliated with the IS group, who were involved in the abduction of Saifullah, had already been killed by security forces. Saifullah's body was found on Sunday and has been handed over to his family for burial, the official said. Saifullah, according to locals, was a strong supporter of the Taliban-run caretaker administration, Xinhua news agency reported. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takors said on his Twitter account that security forces stormed a hideout of IS operatives and killed three insurgents, including a commander named Farooq, in Dasht-e-Qala district of Takhar province. Afghan forces have increased their crackdown on the rival IS outfit as six operatives of the armed group were killed in Kabul early Saturday while five more had been killed in the northern Kunduz province several days ago. Moscow, Oct 23 : Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu has shared concerns with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu of a possible provocation by Ukraine with the use of a "dirty bomb", media reports said. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, Shoigu and Lecornu spoke by phone on Sunday, discussing "the situation in Ukraine, which is consistently veering towards further uncontrolled escalation", RT reported. Shoigu, in an apparent reference to previous media reports, voiced concerns about a "possible Ukrainian provocation" which could involve the use of a "dirty bomb", it said. Earlier on Sunday, RIA Novosti cited "sources in different countries including Ukraine" as saying that Kiev is preparing to detonate "a dirty bomb or a low-yield nuclear weapon" on its own territory. According to the Russian news agency, the goal would be to accuse Moscow of using weapons of mass destruction in a ploy to "launch a powerful anti-Russia campaign". The report claimed that two Ukrainian institutions have already been tasked with manufacturing a "dirty bomb", with the work now at "the final stages". Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's administration is reportedly engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with British officials in a bid to secure the transfer of nuclear arms components to Kiev, RT reported. A so-called dirty bomb uses a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material. While it could not rival a nuclear warhead in terms of power, such a device could disperse a radiation cloud within several kilometres of the explosion. The talks between Shoigu and Lecornu come days after the Russian Defence minister had a rare telephone conversation with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin. While the details of the talks are scarce, the sides are said to have discussed "issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine". Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Toronto, Oct 23 : With the Canadian Municipal elections falling on October 24 -- the same day as Diwali -- Indian-origin community, including councillor candidates, are raising concerns over the two events overlapping. There is no nationwide public holiday on Diwali in Canada but it is one of the most-awaited festivals celebrated by the large swathe of Indian diaspora present in the North American country. About 500,000 people celebrate the festival of lights in Canada, mostly Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. "A lot of people who would typically vote after work also would be participating in Diwali celebrations, which tend to be in the evening," Ryan Singh, chair of the Indo-Caribbean Canadian Association, told CTV News Toronto. "So people will probably prioritize being with their families and loved ones, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic rather than voting," Singh added. Elections for municipal government are held every four years on the fourth Monday of October, which falls on October 24 this time. These polls usually elect a mayor and city council and sometimes also a school board. "Brampton city must take a step to consider the main festivals and events of its diverse population," Vijay Mair, a candidate from Brampton, told Omni TV. "It is very problematic that the elections are taking place on the Diwali day, especially the municipal election that has always seen a low voter turnout," Gurpratap Singh Toor, councillor candidate from Brampton, said. This is not the first time that an election day has coincided with a festival. In 2019, the federal election fell on October 21, during the Jewish holiday, Shemini Atzeret. Mair, however, told people to vote in huge numbers as "Diwali comes every year but elections happen once in four years". "Since most of the Diwali celebrations happen in the evening into the night, I don't think it will be as disruptive as to cause low voter turnout," Param Singh, an Ottawa mayoral candidate, told Capital Current. Diwali celebrations kicked off in Canada with the revealing of a Diwali-themed stamp earlier this month. The stamp design highlighted two traditions central to the celebration of Diwali: fireworks displays and the lighting of diyas. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrated Diwali with elementary school students by making small clay diyas. Apart from a Diwali party cruise, the Indo-Canada Arts Council is hosting musical symphony fireworks at Harbourfront in Toronto, which began on October 22. Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 -- Syndicated from IANS Montana used to elect boring Democrats. Guys like Mansfield, Tester, Bullock and Schweitzer might be considered statesmen, but theyre not particularly interesting. However, Montana is electing Republicans these days. Many are carpetbaggers, but these guys step up and display some real Montana gusto. Our governor Greg Gianforte is a prime example. Hes from California but takes no guff. When confronted by a reporter asking questions he didnt like, he grabbed the guy by the neck and body slammed him. Congressman Matt Rosendales from Maryland, but when questioned by unemployed Butte workers, he dashed off several profanities, told them all to get a job and then flipped them off. That showed some Montana pluck. AG, Austen Knudsen showed some Montana zeal by dismissing local charges against individuals and businesses caught violating COVID laws. He then sent Highway Patrol officers to threaten and intimidate hospital physicians who wouldnt prescribe Invermectin to a COVID patient. Republicans in the Montana Legislature last year all showed their Montana mettle by snubbing Democratic demands to mask up. After all, its only the Kung Flu. State Auditor Troy Downing, a Californian, showed his gusto by thumbing his nose at our Montana hunting laws. Even our head of Public Schools, Elsie Arntzen, demonstrated some Montana style when she blew right by a school bus stopped and unloading kids. Keep electing Republicans folks, they show us how real Montana politicians can perform. Leo Barsanti Billings New Delhi, Oct 23 : Delhi Police has arrested 29 people including 7 women for gambling at a hotel here, an official said on Sunday. Police said that they have also recovered Rs 58.57 lakh and 10 sets of playing cards. According to DCP Ghanshyam Bansal, keeping in mind the instances of gambling on the occasion of Diwali, like every year, all the SHOs and operational teams were instructed to identify and take strict action on such activities. "A source informed that large-scale gambling is a regular affair in Hotel City West End on Club Road Punjabi Bagh. The source was further asked by the police to watch the activities being carried out at the said hotel," the police officer said. "On October 22, specific inputs were received that a large number of people were assembling at the hotel for indulging in gambling at the Banquet Hall on the first floor," the DCP said. "Acting on the inputs, a raid was conducted and 29 people, including some women were found gambling with cards on different tables. When they saw the raiding party, everyone threw the cards and stood up. They all were apprehended," said the DCP. Subsequently, the police registered an FIR under Sections 3 and 4 of the gambling act, and all 29 people were arrested. "On questioning, it was revealed that the hotel manager used to charge an entry fee of Rs 2,500 for allowing their hotel premises for gambling activities and serving food and snacks," said the official . Further legal action is being taken against the management and staff for converting the hotel into a gambling den. The CCTV footage of the hotel of the last few days is also being analysed, the official added. Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 Agartala/Aizawl/Silchar, Oct 23 : Six of the eight northeastern states on Sunday sounded a maximum alert and asked all the concerned districts, disaster management authorities and agencies to remain maximum alert with all precautionary measures to deal with the heavy to very heavy rainfall predicted in view of the cyclone 'Sitrang' on Monday to Wednesday. The state governments have asked the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) authority to deploy additional troops in the probable areas, where heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur in view of the cyclone 'Sitrang' on Monday to Wednesday. Maximum rainfall has been predicted up to 200 mm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said that light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over south Assam, East Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura expected to occur from Monday to Wednesday. "Extremely heavy rainfall over Tripura and Mizoram is likely to occur till October 26 (Wednesday)," the IMD said in a statement. Three southern Assam districts -- Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, all 11 districts of Mizoram, all 8 eight districts of Tripura and most of the 16 districts of Nagaland have taken a series of measures to deal with the possible cyclonic situations. The IMD statement said that the deep depression over east central Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of 20 kmph during past six hours, and lay centered on Sunday morning over west central and adjoining east central Bay of Bengal and about 640 km northwest of Port Blair, 670 km south of Sagar Island and 820 km south-southwest of Barisal (Bangladesh). It is very likely to move northwestwards during next 12 hours and intensify into a cyclonic storm over central Bay of Bengal. Thereafter, it would re-curve and move north-northeast wards and cross Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island and Sandwip, close to Barisal on October 25 early morning. In Agartala, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha reviewed the situation with all departments, Army and Central para-military forces seeking their active support. Tripura Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury while briefing the media said that the state government cancelled the leaves of all officials for the next one week and schools and educational institutions would be closed for three days from October 24. The Tripura government has taken 30 point steps and actions. These include, regulations of movement of vehicles across the state on October 25 and 26, opening of adequate number of relief with adequate quantities of relief materials, preparing adequate number of Quick Reaction Teams and regular assessment of the situation. Mandera, Oct 24 : Kenyan police said that they have intensified security operations across Mandera town in the northeast region to pursue al-Shabab militants who raided two mosques and lectured those in attendance in a daring incident before leaving. Northeastern police commander George Seda said the group which was armed with AK47 rifles went to Elram A and B mosques during the morning prayer session on Saturday and took over for a while as they preached to those present, Xinhua news agency reported. Seda said the first group of about five armed with rifles went to Elram A mosque and told the attendants that they are at war with non-Muslims and hence should join their course. He said another group went to Elram B mosque at the same time and lectured the attendants telling them to join the fight. Seda confirmed that no one was injured in the drama and that two gunmen stood at the entrances of the facilities as the rest preached therein. "We have deployed more police officers in the area to pursue the militants who escaped towards the border with Somalia," Seda said. Such incidents are common in the area. But the regional police commander said the militants attacked a police camp in Elram using rocket-propelled grenades and rifles as they were leaving. Witnesses said the militants first targeted a communication mast in the camp to disrupt police response and communication in the area before they could inflict harm on the locals. However, the police present fired back in exchange repulsing the group of about 20 men. This is the latest such incident to happen in the area. Two weeks ago, the group targeted a school in Mandera east near the Kenya-Somalia border targeting non-local teachers. Al-Shabab terrorists have been attacking places in the region, especially in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties in northeastern Kenya after breaching security zones, leaving dozens of civilians and security officials dead and wounded. Dar Es Salaam, Oct 24 : Tanzanian authorities have mobilised more than 600 firefighters to put out a fire on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, an official said. Nurdin Babu, the Kilimanjaro regional commissioner, told Xinhua news agency in a telephone interview that the firefighters have been drawn from the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force, the Tanzania National Parks, police, scouts, members of the militia and the private sector. The fire broke out on Friday night at about 4,000 meters altitude on the south side of the mountain and was quickly spread by strong winds, said Babu. "We are hoping that the fire will be contained by tonight by the 600-plus strong team of firefighters," he said, adding that the cause of the fire and the damaged caused were yet to be established. He said initially there were plans to request the Tanzania People's Defense Forces (TPDF) to help in fighting the fire but the plans were dropped after reports indicated that there was good progress in putting out the fire. On Saturday afternoon, Babu said he flew over the mountain with a team of experts for aerial survey to assess damage caused by the fire but the mission was cut short due to heavy smoke and bad weather. "We made another attempt on Saturday night and managed to see affected areas," he said, adding that there were no reported casualties. In October 2020, a fire broke out on the mountain and destroyed 95.5 square km of vegetation and 12 huts, two toilets and solar equipment used by tourists climbing the mountain. Mount Kilimanjaro, with its snow-capped peak with about 5,895 meters above sea level, is one of Tanzania's leading tourist destinations. Roughly 50,000 trekkers from across the world attempt to reach the summit of the mountain annually. Since we brought LemonadeLXP to market, weve strived to help credit unions maximize the ROI on their technology investments. So its pretty cool to have our platform validated by VentureTech. John Findlay LemonadeLXP, the digital growth platform for financial institutions and fintechs, has been selected to pitch at VentureTech, the premier fintech showcase event for the entire credit union industry. The company is one of ten fintechs to be selected from a pool of 50 companies to present at VentureTechs Fintech Showcase in Frisco, Texas this November. Gotta admit, were pretty excited about this one!, said John Findlay, CEO of LemonadeLXP. Since we brought LemonadeLXP to market in 2019, weve strived to help credit unions maximize the ROI on their technology investments. So its pretty cool to have our platform validated by VentureTech. Now our challenge is to delight the audience with our pitch! LemonadeLXPs credit union clients use the platform to turn frontline staff into digital banking experts who can promote and support their digital capabilities to members. Many of those credit unions also use LemonadeLXPs Digital Academy to quickly launch a branded, searchable repository of technology walkthroughs to support staff in the flow of work, and members on demand. About VentureTech VentureTech is the premier fintech showcase event for the entire credit union industry in one place; credit unions, CUSOs, credit union leagues, system partners, fintech, and investment groups. In its fifth year, the event will be held November 7-9, 2022 in Frisco, TX. Over 50 fintechs were considered for an opportunity to pitch at VentureTech 2022, and 16 companies were chosen for a coveted spot to pitch by a selection committee consisting of industry experts. To be eligible to pitch, the fintech must offer transformative technology that will impact credit unions and credit union members, demonstrate product-market fit, and growth potential must be clear and well supported. VentureTech 2022 will also feature 10 early stage incubator/accelerator fintechs as well as an exhibit hall with additional fintech sponsors. For more information, please visit http://www.myventuretech.com. About LemonadeLXP LemonadeLXP is a digital growth platform that helps FIs and fintechs quickly create effective training and support tools to grow their digital banking business and maximize the ROI on their technology investments. Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP If you would like to know more about the Wax Center Partners Holdco LLC lawsuit, please call (800) 568-8020 today to speak to an experienced California employment attorney. The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Wax Center Partners Holdco LLC violated the California Labor Code. The Wax Center Partners Holdco LLC, class action lawsuit, Case No. 22CV018596, is currently pending in the Alameda Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here. According to the lawsuit filed, Wax Center Partners Holdco LLC allegedly failed to fully relieve Plaintiff and other California Class Members for their legally required thirty (30) minute meal breaks. Employees were also allegedly required, from time to time, to work in excess of four (4) hours without being provided the legally required ten (10) minute rest periods. The California Supreme Court defines off-duty rest periods as time during which an employee is relieved from all work related duties and free from employer control. Additionally, Defendant allegedly failed to provide employees with complete and accurate wage statements which showed, among other things, the correct gross and net wages earned. California Labor Code 226 provides that every employer shall furnish each of his or her employees with an accurate itemized wage statement in writing showing, among other things, gross wages earned and all applicable hourly rates in effect during the pay period and the corresponding amount of time worked at each hourly rate. If you would like to know more about the Wax Center Partners Holdco LLC lawsuit, please call (800) 568-8020 today to speak to an experienced California employment attorney. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** "If you're thinking of opening a coffee shop in Maine or any other state, call our coffee shop startup consulting team at 1-888-800-9224." - Greg Ubert, Founder and President, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea Want to learn how to open a coffee shop in Maine? Get tips on starting a profitable business in The Pine Tree State from the coffee shop startup experts at Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea. Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year has taught over 300 entrepreneurs in 30 states how to open a coffee shop. Now, the companys 7 Steps coffee shop startup consulting team has added to its series of state-level coffee shop startup guides with, How to Start a Coffee Shop in Maine. Maine is a terrific place to start a coffee shop! said Crimson Cup Founder and President Greg Ubert. In fact, Maine ranks seventh among the states in the number of coffee shops per capita, with fewer than one coffee shop for every 3,522 residents. That leaves a lot of Mainers without a local coffee shop. The program is based on Uberts book, Seven Steps to Success: A Common-sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee, which he wrote to help customers develop profitable businesses by mastering all aspects of successful coffee shop operations. We help entrepreneurs with little or no coffee experience become owners of thriving coffee shops serving their local communities, he said. From choosing a terrific location and writing a strong coffee shop business plan to buying and laying out equipment, hiring and training staff and more, our team is here to guide you. To hear about the book in Uberts own words, download a free recorded introduction on Soundcloud. Besides the Maine guide, Crimson Cup recently published guides on How to Start a Coffee Shop in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Virginia, Missouri, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Jersey, Iowa and Alabama. The roaster will continue to post a state-level guide each week until all 50 states are covered. Although the fundamentals of coffee shop operation remain the same from state to state, the economic opportunities, business formation and licensing requirements vary widely, Ubert said. Were excited to share information and resources to help entrepreneurs expedite their startup journey. He invited anyone who is thinking of opening a coffee shop in any state to call Crimson Cup for guidance. If you run into any roadblocks or just want to discuss your vision with a coffee expert, you can reach our startup team by calling 1-888-800-9224. About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year. Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities. Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into coffee shop startup costs. Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram. Batman has undergone many tonal transformations throughout his almost century-long career. When Bill Finger and that other guy created the caped crusader, he was a strange creature of the night. The early issues of Batman are remarkably violent for their era, but by the time the superhero boom of the 40s and 50s rolled around, DC scaled by Batman's grit significantly. Similar to Superman's trajectory, which transitioned the man of steel from being a champion of the oppressed to a square-jawed boy scout that fights giant monkeys, Batman became a campy character in comics and multimedia. By the late 80s, Batman had already begun a successful transition back to his original persona in the comics. While on the big screen, Tim Burton helped the character reach his full maturity with the first Batman film. At the time, Burton's Batman was viewed as a dark departure from the traditional depiction. However, Burton feels that his Batman films feel like a "light-hearted romp" compared to the subsequent films featuring the character. Warner Bros. released the first photo from the sequel "Magic Mike's Last Dance" on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT The film opens Feb. 10 in theaters for Valentine's Day weekend. The photo shows Salma Hayek Pinault touching Channing Tatum's stomach. Tatum returns as Mike Lane and captions identify Hayek's character as Maxandra Mendoza. Tatum shared the photo on Twitter. He wrote, "All good things begin in Miami." and promoted the Magic Mike Live tour. "Magic Mike" came out in 2012. Its sequel, "Magic Mike XXL" came out in 2015. The films star Tatum as a male stripper. Co-stars from previous films like Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey are not listed in the credits for "Last Dance." Steven Soderbergh returns to direct "Magic Mike's Last Dance." Gregory Jacobs directed "XXL" and Reid Carolin wrote all three films. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "Last Dance" was first announced as an HBO Max exclusive in November. After the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, CEO David Zaslav expressed interest in focusing more on theatrical releases than streaming originals. 43North has come a long way since the Buffalo-based startup accelerator was created in 2014 to attract and cultivate high-growth companies in the region. 43North names five $1 million startup contest winners Five companies, including one from Rochester, won $1 million investments Thursday night from 43North, the Buffalo-based startup accelerator. Otrafy, Agape Wellness, Phood, AMPAworks and MOD Tech Labs were selected from the eight finalists. A product of the Buffalo Billion a $1 billion investment by New York State in the Western New York economy to create jobs and spur new economic activity 43North pumps $5 million annually into the local economy by investing in up-and-coming companies. "We knew there was a burgeoning community of entrepreneurs who dreamed of future success, but needed help to make it a reality," Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said. Nothing illustrates that growth more than the five companies crowned winners of the 2022 43North startup competition Thursday night at Shea's Performing Arts Center: Otrafy, MOD Tech Labs, Agape Wellness, AMPAworks and Phood. "We were thinking about who has the greatest chance of success right now," 43North judge Taryn Laeben said of the winning companies. "From a sector and vision perspective, they're all trying to solve very different problems," Laeben said. "The common theme is they're all incredible founders and have a lot of potential to really change things for the better." Each company will receive a $1 million investment from 43North in exchange for moving their company to Buffalo for a year. 43North gets 5% equity in the companies and provides the startups a slew of support services, such as free office space at Seneca One tower, help with hiring, networking, mentoring and fundraising assistance. This is the first year 43North has given out five $1 million prizes in an effort to attract companies that will have the greatest impact as possible on Buffalo. That was a big focus of the judging process, 43North President Colleen Heidinger said. 43North will give 5 startups $1M. Here's how the change could further its mission The latest changes don't alter the size of 43North's prize pool. It just narrows it to fewer recipients. Here's how the recent change could impact some key components of 43North's mission. Judges were looking for the companies that are not just going to survive in Buffalo, but thrive. The companies that will build relationships in Buffalo, create jobs and choose to stay for the long term. "In the early days, this was a business idea competition," Heidinger said of 43North's origins. "We are now well beyond that. It's teams up to 10, not just one or two co-founders, and they see Buffalo as an organic place to come and grow their business." The five winners have already raised significant funds, many have gone through other reputable accelerator programs and they all will be ready to hire as soon as they get to Western New York. And they already have big plans for Buffalo. Alex Porter, CEO of MOD Tech Labs, is most excited to get embedded in Western New York's burgeoning film industry. Her company uses machine learning to create 3D content for industries such as film, TV and video game production. The Austin, Texas, company recently worked on a project with NBC Universal that would have taken six months using traditional 3D conversion methods. With MOD, it took three weeks, Porter said. Her software is 20 times more efficient and 3,000 times faster, she told the judges Thursday night. "Buffalo is a fantastic opportunity because there are massive New York film incentives, nearly $500 million, that are bringing the films to Buffalo and the infrastructure is being built here," Porter said. "That is going to be the boon to bring feature films here. We want to be their tech advantage and help them get the edge on that market and create that opportunity." Agape Wellness founder Khadesha Okwudili took to the Shea's stage Thursday night wearing a red sweatshirt with a black buffalo surrounded by a heart in the center. She built her relationship wellness company in neighboring Rochester. Continuing to grow Agape in upstate New York is an opportunity to show people "that startups can be started outside of Silicon Valley," Okwudili said. Through its smartphone app, Agape sends out daily questions for couples to answer to help them have important conversations and grow closer. The app has 150,000 daily active users and the company is making around $160,000 in monthly revenue, Okwudili said. In Buffalo, Okwudili and her team will work on expanding the app so it can be used by platonic family and friends and in the workplace. To do that, she needs to build a top-notch tech team. "When you're building a tech company, especially a consumer tech company, the engineers are really important and we know we can get a lot of amazing talent from this area," Okwudili said. Phood founder Alex Parmley plans to hire more than half a dozen employees when he moves his company from New York City to Buffalo next year. "We believe we can make a billion dollar company by starting here in Buffalo," Parmley said. Phood is a platform that lets college students use their dining dollars on meal delivery services, groceries and at local restaurants. Its two biggest partners are DoorDash, which offers students who use Phood free delivery, and Discover, the digital banking company that supplies debit cards for students. The startup has 51,000 student users at colleges including the University of Toronto, Ohio State University and the University of Texas at Austin. Students spend $5.3 million monthly on the platform. Once in Buffalo, Parmley and his team will work on getting the entire SUNY system to offer Phood to students. AMPAworks already found a local manufacturer to make its small cameras that automatically count inventory at medical facilities. "We're just so excited to have a relationship with someone we can talk to, someone we can see every day," co-founder Bianca Gonzalez said of working with a local manufacturer, as opposed to one overseas. Twenty facilities across the country are already using AMPAworks' technology. The company has an annual recurring revenue of $340,000 and grows about 17% monthly. Those numbers will surely grow in Buffalo, as AMPAworks has already had conversations with several local hospitals who are excited to use the technology to track their inventory, Gonzalez said. Coming from California, Gonzalez said she has never seen this much excitement around startups elsewhere. "We're just so glad that the people here have been very accepting of new businesses and growth in their city," she said. Otrafy uses artificial intelligence to automate supply chain compliance and data management, primarily for food and beverage manufacturers. Nhat Nguyen, co-founder and CEO of the Chicago company, said Otrafy hopes to create 15 jobs in Buffalo by 2024 in areas like product development, marketing and customer success. Nguyen predicts Otrafy could have more than 93,000 manufacturers on its platform by the end of 2023. Many of those could be from Western New York, as the Otrafy team plans to branch out beyond food and beverage manufacturers. Local companies will be able to help Otrafy adapt its technology to different sectors. "We're going to be doing all of our research and development for local partners so before we go to market globally and offer our services to tens of thousands of clients, we're testing them with the local companies here in Buffalo and creating the trends," Otrafy co-founder and COO Lucas Cunha said. Halloween is a time to embrace all that is disgusting, from bloody slasher films to haunted houses full of fake guts and gore. But the attraction to stuff that grosses us out goes beyond this annual holiday. Flip through TV channels and youll come across adventurous eating programs, in which hosts and contestants are served all manner of stomach-clenching foods; reality shows that take a deep dive into the work of pimple-popping dermatologists; and gross-out comedies that deploy tasteless humor think vomiting and urination to make viewers laugh. You can see this in other forms of media, as well. In romance novels, for example, you can find portrayals of consensual sibling incest that are designed to titillate the reader. And, most extreme of all, there are internet shock sites that host real footage of death and dismemberment for those who want to seek it out. It isnt just a recent media phenomenon, either. Early modern England has a similar culture of disgust, which Ive written about in a forthcoming book. Why are so many people drawn to things that should, by all rights, compel them to turn away in horror? Modern science has an answer, and it has everything to do with how the emotion of disgust fundamentally works. What is disgust? Disgust is fundamentally an emotion of avoidance: It signals that something might be harmful to your body, and encourages you to avoid it. Scientists believe that disgust originally concerned food; Charles Darwin noted how readily this feeling is excited by anything unusual in the appearance, odour, or nature of our food. According to this theory, it slowly evolved to guard over all sorts of things that might put you in contact with dangerous pathogens, whether via disease, animals, bodily injury, corpses or sex. Whats more, disgust seems to have evolved further to regulate things that are symbolically harmful: violations of morals, cultural rules and cherished values. This is why some people might say theyre disgusted by an act of racism. Because of these regulatory functions, disgust is often known as the gatekeeper emotion, the exclusionary emotion or the body and soul emotion. The allure of disgust How, then, do we account for the fact that disgusting things can sometimes captivate us? Psychological research suggests that disgusting stimuli both capture and retain your attention more effectively than emotionally neutral stimuli do. According to media scholars Bridget Rubenking and Annie Lang, this likely happens because, from an evolutionary perspective, it seems that an attentional bias toward disgust no matter how aversive would better equip humans to avoid harmful substances. So although disgust can be an unpleasant feeling, the emotion has evolved to simultaneously seize peoples attention. But disgusting things dont just capture your attention; you can even enjoy them. Psychologist Nina Strohminger suggests that the pleasurable features of disgust may be an instance of what has been called benign masochism the human tendency to seek out seemingly negative experiences for the purposes of enjoying constrained risks, such as riding a roller coaster or eating extremely spicy foods. According to Strohminger, it seems possible that any negative feeling has the potential to be enjoyable when it is stripped of the belief that what is happening is actually bad, leaving behind physiological arousal that is, in itself, exhilarating or interesting. So not only are you predisposed to be captivated by disgusting things, theres also a psychological mechanism that enables you, in the right circumstances, to enjoy them. Shakespearean disgust Celebrating and profiting off this attraction isnt a product of the digital age. It was even happening in Shakespeares time. The playwrights notorious tragedy Titus Andronicus contains as much gore as todays slasher movies. According to one estimate, the play stages 14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3, depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity, and 1 of cannibalism an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines. When exploring the problematic appeal of this plays violence, literary critic Cynthia Marshall asks, Why would an audience, any audience, enjoy Tituss reiteration of violence against the human body? The answer, I believe, owes to the alluring nature of disgust that psychologists have documented. In early modern England, in fact, there was a cottage industry of disgust. Large crowds viewed public executions, and the corpses of criminals were left hanged by chains for the public to gawk at. In open anatomy theaters, curious onlookers could watch doctors perform autopsies. In their shops, apothecaries displayed dismembered human body parts, before eventually mixing them into medicines a practice scholars today call medicinal cannibalism. And it is not simply that Elizabethans were desensitized, possessed of a different threshold for disgust. Contemporaries expressed their revulsion, even as they found themselves drawn to them. After seeing a charred body hanging in a merchants warehouse, the diarist Samuel Pepys noted that it pleased me much, though an ill sight. Then, as now, disgusting things captivate our attention and can even give us enjoyment and the horrors of a play like Titus Andronicus reflect the fact that Elizabethans lived in a culture that encouraged people to gaze upon disgusting objects, even as they felt the urge to turn away. Shakespeares audience, I think, embraced the repulsive pleasure, just as modern audiences do when viewing the latest film in the Halloween franchise. The human emotion that shields you from harm equally allows you to take a perverse pleasure in the very things from which you need to be protected. ___ Bradley J. Irish does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. ___ The Chinese Communist Party wrapped up its 20th National Congress at the weekend, granting an unprecedented third five-year term to CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. Xi, 69, is set to have his term as state president renewed by the rubber-stamp National Peoples Congress in March. RFA asked experts on key aspects of China for their impressions of the congress and expectations of Chinese policies as Xi enters his third term after already a decade at the helm of the world's most populous nation. China-U.S. relations and foreign policy Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and author of The Costs of Conversation: Obstacles to Peace Talks in Wartime: The bottom line is, the next five years is undoubtedly going to be more rocky for U.S.-China relations and for other countries with security concerns in the region. The issue is not that Xi Jinping really has nailed down the third term. It wasn't the case that his position was so precarious that he couldn't be aggressive before. However, it was unlikely that he was going to take moves to start some sort of conflagration that would extend into the party Congress. So the party Congress did serve as a restraint in so far as it was useful to wait until afterwards to take any more aggressive actions against Taiwan, for example. But the reason it didn't happen previously is largely based on China's military capabilities. Xi Jinping has been relatively clear since he took power in 2013, where his goals were in terms of promoting territorial integrity, is trying to define that and resolving a lot of these territorial issues, enhancing their position in Asia to regain their standing as a great power. The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and a dominant position in Asia of which it had previously been decided not only by Xi, but by strategists, analysts and pundits ever since. [Former President Barack] Obama mentioned in his State of the Union that he wouldn't accept the United States as number two. It had already been decided that there was going to be conflict with the United States if China wanted to be number one in Asia. And so Xi Jinping has been on a trajectory, China has been on a trajectory that's been relatively consistent, that includes an improvement in military capabilities and thus a heavier reliance on those capabilities to achieve their goals over time. So with the frequency and intensity of competition and conflict, the general trend is that it increases over time. Denny Roy, Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Hawaii and author of Return of the Dragon: Rising China and Regional Security: At least two messages from the CCPs 20th Party Congress bode ill for China-U.S. relations. The first is that a shift in the international balance of power creates an opportunity for China to push for increased global influence and standing. This is a continuation of a reassessment reached late in the Hu Jintao era, and which Xi Jinping has both embraced and acted upon. There is no hint of regret about Chinese policies that caused alarm and increased security cooperation among several countries both inside and outside the region, no recognition that Chinese hubris has damaged Chinas international reputation within the economically developed world, and no sense that damage control is necessary due to adverse international reaction to what has happened in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Instead, Beijing seems primed to continue to oppose important aspects of international law, to resist the U.S.-sponsored liberal order, and to extoll PRC-style fascism as superior to democracy. This orientation portends continued if not increasing friction with the United States on multiple fronts, both strategic and ideological. Secondly, while the Congress expressed optimism about Chinas present course, it evinced increased pessimism about Chinas external environment, especially what Chinese leaders call growing hostility from the United States. Not long ago, PRC leaders perceived a period of strategic opportunity within which China could grow with minimal foreign opposition. Increasingly, however, PRC elites seem to believe that alleged U.S. containment of China will intensify now that the power gap between the two countries has narrowed and China has become a serious threat to U.S. hegemony. PRC efforts to undercut U.S. strategic influence, especially in Chinas near abroad, will continue. Beijing will try to draw South Korea out of the U.S. orbit, and may wish to do the same with Japan and Australia, although in those cases it may be too late. Beijing will continue to try to establish a Chinese sphere of influence in the East and South China Seas, while laying the groundwork for possible new spheres of influence in the Pacific Islands, Africa and Central Asia. Human rights William Nee, Research and Advocacy Coordinator at China Human Rights Defenders: To some extent, the 20th Party Congress will not see any dramatic break from what is happening thus far--and that's exactly the problem. China is experiencing a human rights crisis: human rights defenders are systematically surveilled, persecuted, and tortured in prison. There are crimes against humanity underway in the Uyghur region, with millions of people being subjected to arbitrary detention, forced labor, or intrusive surveillance. The cultural rights of Tibetans are not respected. And now, Xi Jinping's Zero-COVID policy is wreaking havoc on China's economy, and particularly the wellbeing of disadvantaged groups, like migrant workers and the elderly. But there have been no signs whatsoever that the Communist Party is ready to course correct. Instead, after the 20th Party Congress, we will see a new batch of promotions, with these Communist Party cadres more indebted to Xi Jinping's patronage for their positions of power. In other words, Xi Jinping will have created an incentive structure in which these sycophantic yes men will only repeat the thoughts of the idiosyncratic leader to prove their loyalty. This makes it even more unlikely that Xi or the Communist Party will even see the necessity of a human rights course correction after the 20th Party Congress, let alone be bold enough to enact changes. Uyghurs Sean Roberts, associate professor of international affairs and anthropology at George Washington University and author of The War on the Uyghurs: Chinas Campaign against Xinjiang Muslims: It's clear that the present policy in the Uyghur region that has been so devastating for Uyghurs is something that Xi Jinping was very much involved in formulating. And in that context, it's hard to see that his continued rule is likely to be positive for Uyghurs. I have long suggested that in order to resolve this problem its going require a major reckoning and a mea culpa to the Uyghur people about what has happened. And I cannot see any way that that would happen. With Xi Jinping still as leader because he can't really blame this policy on anyone else. It's been well documented that he has been part of pushing the policies and he has continually defended them in his speeches and in his addresses to the international community. So I don't see his continued rule being a positive thing for the Uyghurs in China. Tibet Nyiwoe, Researcher at the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy: During Xis second term since 2016, the policies of Sinicization and forced cultural assimilation have been at their most aggressive comparatively. In recent years, Tibetan writers and people influential in academics and culture, and younger generations in Tibet, have been arrested and imprisoned under the allegation of being national security threats. China-India relations Kalpit A. Mankikar, China researcher with the Strategic Studies program at Observer Research Foundation, an independent global think tank based in Delhi, India: There is kind of a dissonance that we see. So on one hand, I know talking about peace publicly and globally. On the other hand, you have Xi Jinping internally talking about a rich nation, strong army. You also have a certain kind of a mobilization of people in China, because there is a certain level of militarism that Xi Jinping is trying to instill in society. Now, given these ramifications, I think one has to be very vigilant because look at it: It is the weaponization of history, the weaponization of the historical narrative that Russia is using to justify its war in Ukraine. And when China says that it is not expansionist, it is implicit in this argument that it is only trying to take back what belongs to it. Kanwan Sibal, retired career diplomat, former Indian Foreign Secretary: If you look at the tenor of his speech in terms of where he wants to take China in his ambitions, there is no stepping back from the policies that he has pursued so far and which has led to many issues both within and outside China. So if hes going to be very tough with regard to his views and thinking, which we already know, and within the power structure, there is no opposition now to what he intends to do and what his policies are, then this will automatically, automatically get reflected in his dealings with the outside world, and which would include India. One might have actually reasoned that part of the reason why Xi Jinping was following hostile policies towards India, or unfriendly policies towards India, was because he had to show his muscle in order to consolidate power within the system, and that there might have been voices within the system which advocated a more open approach, a relatively more open approach, and with India in terms of ensuring that the relationship doesn't go downhill completely. But now that he has acquired full power, he's going to challenge the United States. And if he's going to challenge the United States, automatically he will challenge India. Economic reform Dexter Roberts, senior fellow in the Atlantic Council's Asia Security Initiative and author of The Myth of Chinese Capitalism: The Worker, the Factory, and the Future of the World: The content of Xs speech is indicative of this attitude that the economy comes second. There's this new attitude that other things are more important. I think Xi Jinping not only does not care as much about economic growth, I also think, frankly, that he really doesn't understand the economy. He doesn't really understand basic economic principles--unlike who clearly does, but is certainly on his way to retirement. I call Xis approach to the economy, Xi Jinping's politics in command economy, and what we've seen over the particularly over the last couple of years is almost a disregard for a healthy economy. Instead. Xi Jinping very much puts his ideology above that. And we see areas that arguably really needed attention and definitely needed attention, like dealing with leverage in the property sector and in the economy that perhaps wasn't managed that well because it dramatically slowed the real estate sector, which is responsible for about a third of GDP. And then we've seen in other areas, where it just seemed it wasn't something that anyone thought or could see as a priority, for example, he cracked down on private education and basically wiped out this flourishing industry that was providing tens of thousands of jobs for smart, young Chinese people to teach English or teach math or teach Chinese or whatever. And he basically wiped it out with a little concern for the economic consequences. One of the primary challenges is soaring youth unemployment -- around 20 percent, something which China hasn't seen in a very, very long time. Well, wiping out that sort of private tutoring and education sector was a direct blow to youth employment. Cracking down in a very heavy-handed fashion on the larger tech sector and some of China's wealthiest tech entrepreneurs-- people like Jack Ma and others also--without question contributed to growing youth unemployment. So I think Xi Jinping, if you look at his record over the last, decade, the priority has been, as it is in sort of all aspects of life, to have tighter Communist Party control over the economy and over the private sector. This is not new. In 2016, he commanded entrepreneurs to love the Communist Party. And from then on hes said that repeatedly, and he's pushed to put Communist Party cells into private companies and then more recently, basically threatened some of the richest private entrepreneurs in China that they needed to line up and put large amounts of their money into some of his signature policies, like common prosperity, for example. Additional reporting by RFA Tibetan and Uyghur. SOFIA -- Far-right Bulgarian politician Kostadin Kostadinov has had enough of everybody using his nickname. Widely known as Kostya Kopeikin, which translates as Kostya Kopeks, the nickname is used to mock Kostadinov, implying that he is willing to serve Russian interests for a pittance. But now Kostadinov, the head of the far-right Revival party, is hitting back, seemingly trying to stop people from using the epithet by registering it as a trademark -- and even by claiming that Kostya Kopeikin is a character from 19th century Russian author Nikolai Gogol's novel, Dead Souls. In parliament and in the streets, people have been calling the right-wing firebrand Kostya Kopeikin for years. In favor of leaving the EU and NATO and strongly supportive of Russia, Bulgaria's Revival party is on the up, coming in fourth place in October 2 elections and entering parliament with 10.2 percent of the vote. On October 8, a lawyer, Diana Popova-Ganeva from the Sofia Bar Association, wrote in a Facebook post that Revival party deputies had registered Kostya Kopeikin as a trademark, information that was subsequently confirmed by other Bulgarian publications. The application was submitted to the Patent Office a few weeks after a combative scene in parliament on June 1, when a deputy from the pro-reform We Continue The Change party, Iskren Mitev, addressed Kostadinov as "Mr. Kopeikin." Kostadinov demanded an apology and slammed Mitev for using offensive terms and "spreading slander." In her Facebook post, lawyer Popova-Ganeva said that Kostadinov probably thought that, by owning the trademark, he could prohibit people from using it and then sue them if they continued to do so. However, trademark registrations, according to the lawyer, do not actually confer such rights. No Stranger To Controversy The exact origins are unclear but the Kostya Kopeikin nickname goes back to Kostadinov's early political career in Varna, a Bulgarian resort city on the Black Sea coast, where he was member and later deputy chairman of the right-wing IMRO -- Bulgarian National Movement party. The outspoken politician is no stranger to controversy. In November 2021, he promised labor camps and prison for everyone "who is not with us." He has said that "one day all the Russophobic scumbags" will answer in court for their crimes against Bulgaria and has accused many politicians of being in the pay of foreign powers. He also doesn't seem to like journalists very much. Despite receiving the most air-time of all politicians in the recent elections, he is often scathing about members of the press and his party has announced an "annual prize for pimp journalism." Three days after the most recent elections, the Revival leader tried to kick some reporters out of a press conference because he said they were making him feel uncomfortable. While a relatively small party, Revival's views are a toxic mix of populism, Russophilia, and anti-Western conspiracies, which has proved to be an appealing combination after the coronavirus pandemic and now amid the war in Ukraine. Revival has been gaining ground in recent years, buoyed by Kostadinov's boisterous media presence, and boosting its parliamentary presence in the recent elections. After the news broke that the name Kostya Kopeikin had been registered as a trademark, representatives of the Revival party scrambled to gain control of the narrative. Kostadinov accused the "illiterate psycho-right fringes" of having misinterpreted the decision to register the trademark. Party secretary Deyan Nikolov said that they were creating the Kostya Kopeikin Foundation. "Our focus will be on support for gifted children in the field of literature and the arts. The funding of the foundation will come both from donations," Nikolov told the BBC, and from monies won in defamation cases, the implication being that such cases are common and winnable. Then Kostadinov expanded on an earlier claim that the nickname was based on a character from Gogol's incisive social satire, Dead Souls. In the novel's first part, the main narrative makes a detour into a seemingly unrelated story, with the near-novella length The Tale of Captain Kopeikin. 'Russian Robin Hood' In the novel, Kopeikin was a captain in the imperial Russian Army. After suffering severe injuries during the war against Napoleon in 1812, he was left disabled and without a livelihood. After appealing to various Russian officials for assistance -- and getting roundly rejected and told to wait in the village for a final answer -- Kopeikin had enough. He upped and left and went to live in the forest. While he was there, he fell in with a band of robbers, a group that Gogol implied in the text he went on to lead. There was no such ambiguity in Kostadinov's telling of the story. It was not, as it is often interpreted, a tragic tale of a disabled man futilely appealing to corrupt officialdom for mercy. Instead, in Kostadinov's version, Kopeikin was a Russian Robin Hood, a brave captain who rallied a gang to "rob money from the rich" in order to give to the poor. To his critics, the Bulgarian politician said that he suspected they had not read the novel, nor even heard of Gogol's name. He said this section of society is "known for its severe and multilayered functional illiteracy." There was also another problem with Kostadinov's literary comparison. There is actually no Kostya Kopeikin in Gogol's novel, as Kostadinov had claimed. There is only Captain Kopeikin, a character without a forename. Gogol aside, others were baffled as to what Kostadinov might want to do with the trademarked name. "Registration of a trademark implies some form of commercial activity, most often related to the production or supply of certain types of goods or services," Georgi Kalinov, a lawyer and trademark representative working with Bulgaria's Patent Office, told RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service. According to the law, the Kostya Kopeikin trademark would allow its owners to produce and sell bathing suits, wigs, ostrich feathers, plastic wrap, and also circus performances. Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what Ive been following during the past week and what Im watching for in the days ahead. The Big Issue Authorities in Tehran have accused Iran's foreign enemies of stoking unrest in the country with the goal of inciting a civil war. Officials made the accusations following what they called terrorist attacks that took place on November 16 in Izeh, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, and in the central city of Isfahan, where they said gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on security forces and civilians, killing seven in Izeh and two in Isfahan. The incidents followed an October 26 attack at the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz that left 13 dead. The Shiraz attack was claimed by the extremist group Islamic State (IS). Speaking on November 18, Mohsen Rezai, Iran's vice president for economic affairs, blamed Tehran's enemies for the bitter incidents and claimed that theyre trying to create a civil war in the country. "Iran cannot be turned into another Syria or Lebanon by carrying out violent acts similar to the ones in Shah Cheragh, Isfahan, and Izeh," he said. A day earlier, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abollahian accused Israel and Western countries of plotting a "civil war" and the disintegration of the Islamic republic. Security services, [Israel], and Western politicians who have made plans for a civil war and the destruction and disintegration of Iran must know that that Iran is not Libya or Sudan, Amir-Abdollahian said on Twitter, while failing to provide any evidence to back his claim. Why It Matters: The warnings come amid nine weeks of antiestablishment protests in Iran triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the morality police in Tehran. Iran has blamed foreign countries and intelligence services of orchestrating the unrest, which has turned into the most significant challenge to the clerical establishment in the past four decades. Ali Alfoneh, an Iran analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told RFE/RL that the Islamic republic has only itself to blame for the situation it faces, but lacking the courage to look into the mirror and admit their own mistakes, regime officials cowardly blame the foreign powers. Others said Tehran could use the attacks as an excuse for a harsher crackdown on the protests. We don't have a good sense of what happened in Izeh and Isfahan -- was it a terrorist group, or potentially the regime itself?" said Henry Rome, an Iran expert at the Washington Institute. "Either way, the government will probably use the attacks to send the message that the protests are undermining national security and opening the door for Western-backed terrorism," Rome added. Whats Next: Statements by Iranian officials who have vowed a crushing response to those behind the "terrorist" attacks could provide clues about the countrys next steps. Authorities have said that the perpetrators of the attacks and their leaders who are allegedly based outside the country would be "introduced to the people." Stories You Might Have Missed Activists say Iran has intensified its crackdown in the Kurdistan region in an attempt to spread fear among protesters and quell the nationwide antiestablishment protests that have rocked the country for the past two months. At least 47 children have been killed amid Irans ongoing crackdown on the protests that were sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. Among them is 9-year-old Kian Pirfalak who was killed on November 16 in the southwestern city of Izeh amid the antiestablishment protests. State media claimed that the boy was killed in a "terrorist attack." But his mother says he was shot dead by Iranian security forces. His tragic death led to an outpouring of grief and anger. Protesters in Iran set fire to the ancestral home of the Islamic republic's late founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in the central Iranian city of Khomein, according to amateur videos posted online. Images of Khomeini have also been torched in past weeks amid the ongoing unrest. What We're Watching Iran said on November 22 that it had begun producing uranium enriched to 60 percent at its Fordo underground facility. The announcement was part of Iran's response to the UN nuclear watchdog's adoption last week of a resolution accusing Tehran of noncooperation. Tehran condemned the resolution as politically motivated while vowing retaliation. "We had said that Iran would seriously react to any resolution and political pressure...that is why Iran has started enriching uranium to 60 percent purity as of Monday [November 21] at the Fordo site," the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, was quoted as saying by state media. Why It Matters: Enrichment at 60 percent is one step away from the 90 percent level required for nuclear weapons. Iran had already been enriching to 60 percent purity at other facilities. The 2015 nuclear deal -- which has been on life support following the U.S. withdrawal from the international agreement in May 2018 -- had limited Irans nuclear enrichment activities to 3.7 percent for civilian purposes. Tehrans latest escalation is likely to lead to more concerns about the countrys nuclear activities from other countries that were party to the stalled nuclear deal and are working to revive it. The EU trio of Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement that Irans increased enrichment carries significant proliferation-related risks [and] has no credible civilian justification. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. Until next time, Golnaz Esfandiari If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday. KYIV -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared that Ukraine cannot be broken as he cited his countrys fight against the Russian invasion and marked the anniversary of the famine regarded by Ukrainians to be a deliberate act perpetrated by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. 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, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. "Ukrainians went through very terrible things...Once they wanted to destroy us with hunger -- now, with darkness and cold," Zelenskiy said on November 26 in a video message. "We cannot be broken," he declared. The prime ministers of EU and NATO members Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland were in Kyiv to mark the day and to attend a summit hosted by Zelenskiy to press the Grain From Ukraine initiative designed to get crucial supplies to world markets. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron were among those speaking through video addresses. Zelenskiys remarks came amid widespread cuts in power and water supplies in his country after weeks of Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and as temperatures plunge with the beginning of winter. Zelenskiy and other leaders commemorated the victims of the Holodomor famine, which took place in 1932-33 as Stalin's police forced peasants in Ukraine to join collective farms by requisitioning their grain and other foodstuffs. Historians say the failure to properly harvest crops in Ukraine in 1932 under Soviet mismanagement was the main cause of the famine. It is estimated that up to 9 million people died as a result of executions, deportation, and starvation during the Stalin-era campaign. Many Ukrainians consider the famine an act of genocide aimed at wiping out Ukrainian farmers. Along with Ukraine, at least 16 other countries have officially recognized the Holodomor as genocide. In October 2018, the U.S. Senate adopted a nonbinding resolution recognizing that Stalin and those around him committed genocide against the Ukrainians in 1932-33. German lawmakers are preparing to recognize the Holodomor as genocide, according to a draft text seen by the AFP news agency of a joint resolution from Germany's ruling coalition and opposition. Moscow has long denied any systematic effort to target Ukrainians, arguing that a poor harvest at the time wiped out many in other parts of the Soviet Union. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that he "honored the memory of the Holodomor victims" at a memorial in the Ukrainian capital. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, on his first visit to Kyiv since the Russian invasion, said on Twitter that "after the heavy bombing of recent days, we stand with the people of Ukraine. More than ever before." "With the cold winter months ahead, Belgium is releasing new humanitarian and military aid," he added. Zelenskiy told the grain summit that Kyiv is one of the guarantors of world food security and will fulfill its duties despite the Russian invasion, citing the new Grain From Ukraine initiative. He pressed world leaders to support the initiative aimed at feeding about 5 million people in poor countries, particularly Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Congo, Kenya, and Nigeria. Speaking through video statements to the summit, Scholz and Macron unveiled new financial packages designed to aid Ukrainian grain exports, which have been hit hard by the war, causing food shortages in many of the worlds poorer nations. "The most vulnerable countries must not pay the price of a war they did not want," Macron said. Zelenskiy said the Black Sea Grain Initiative -- brokered by Turkey and the UN and agreed to by Russia and Ukraine -- is not operating at full capacity, blaming what he called Moscow's efforts to delay the movement of ships, leaving many vessels trapped at Ukrainian ports. The deal took effect in August, aimed at unblocking grain shipments to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil, and other food to those countries, and Russia was the world's top exporter of fertilizer before it launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February. Many in the West have accused Russia of weaponizing the shipment of crucial food-related supplies to world markets. Moscow denies the accusations. Meanwhile, throughout Ukraine, millions of people are still without heat or electricity after the recent devastating Russian air strikes on infrastructure sites. Authorities on November 26 were gradually restoring power in many cities -- helped by the reconnection to the grid of the nations four nuclear plants. Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces was reported in the east and south of the country, as Kyivs troops continue their counteroffensive, which has recaptured thousands of kilometers of territory seized by Russia early in the war. In the recently liberated southern city of Kherson and its environs, authorities said at least 32 people have been killed by Russian shelling since pro-Kremlin forces withdrew two weeks ago and moved to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River. "Daily Russian shelling is destroying the city and killing peaceful local residents. In all, Russia has killed 32 civilians in the Kherson region since the de-occupation," Ihor Klymenko, chief of the National Police of Ukraine, said on Facebook. "Many people are evacuating to seek refuge in calmer regions of the country. But many residents remain in their homes, and we need to provide them with the maximum possible security," he added. With reporting by AFP and AP Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said he has little hope of a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine until we see the clear defeat of Russia. 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, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. We have seen that negotiations and peace agreements with Russia simply do not work, Rinkevics said. Russia has no need for them. If Russia feels it is losing Ukraine and that the regime of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is losing the confidence of global public opinion and of Russian public opinion, then I think they will sit down at the negotiating table. The international community should support negotiations if Moscow and Kyiv agree to pursue them, Rinkevics told Current Time in an exclusive interview. But at the same time, if an agreement is signed that is a half measure and does not include some sort of strict control over its implementation, then I no longer have any illusions the Russian Federation would abide by it, he added. In recent weeks, following a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region that left Russian forces reeling and prompted the Kremlin to implement a military mobilization, Russia has launched a wave of missile and drone attacks targeting Ukraines civilian population and infrastructure, particularly its electrical grid. I think Russias tactics have changed from direct military confrontation to a tactic that we know and remember from the time of fascist Germany, he said. I mean, in principle, the genocide of the Ukrainian people. And, by the way, I think that also does not facilitate any diplomatic efforts. Rinkevics, 49, has served as his countrys top diplomat since 2011. Tough Asylum Policy Rinkevics also defended his countrys tough policy against granting refuge to Russians fleeing mobilization, saying that opposition to mobilization is not the same as opposition to the war. There is a big difference, he said. Before September 21 when the partial mobilization was announced, these people most of them -- were supporting Putins actions and did not speak out against them, Rinkevics told Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. He said his governments monitoring of social-media posts from Russians currently in Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan shows that many of the emigres continue to support the war and to parrot the Kremlins unfounded claims that the Kyiv government is controlled by Nazis and that Russia had to intervene to prevent a supposedly imminent attack by Ukraine and NATO. I think we need to tell them clearly that, if you are against the war, against mobilization, if you think that what is being done now is unacceptable, then you must come out against the Russian government, Rinkevics said. And I am not convinced by arguments that things are so oppressive there that no one can take to the streets. Tens of thousands of Russians are leaving now, according to our figures, and the question must be asked -- why should we accept them? he added. This is also a matter of our own security. We cant be sure who is coming to us. Latvias policy, Rinkevics said, is to shelter those Russians who genuinely face persecution in Russia, including over their opposition to the war. If an individual is clear about what country [the Ukrainian Black Sea region of] Crimea belongs to, about what is happening now in Ukraine, about their opinions of the Russian government, then that is one thing, he said. But if an individual is just running away from mobilization or is living here and spreading the propaganda of the Putin regime, then that is something else entirely. Rinkevics said the massive military invasion by Russia on February 24 was significantly different even from Moscows aggression against Ukraine beginning in early 2014. Since the February invasion, this is not the war of just one person, Rinkevics said. It is an undertaking that has been endorsed by Russian society. Even the Russian Orthodox Church has approved it. In this case, if you want to live in Europe, you have to make a choice. RFE/RL feature writer Robert Coalson contributed to this report. Tajik authorities have launched sweeping crackdowns in 2022, targeting anyone who criticizes the government or challenges the state narrative of events in the Central Asian country. Scores of people -- journalists, bloggers, activists, lawyers, many influential residents of Tajikistans eastern Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast, and others -- have been rushed through the court system and into prison cells in recent weeks, often after being convicted in closed-door trials. It is possibly the worst wave of repression in Tajikistan since the days of the 1992-97 civil war. A presenter on Russian state-controlled RT media has been suspended after he said Ukrainian children who saw Russians as occupiers under the Soviet Union should have been drowned. "For now, I'm stopping our collaboration as neither I nor the rest of the RT team can afford to even think that any of us are capable of sharing such a view," the broadcasters editor in chief, Margarita Simonyan, tweeted late on October 23 in announcing the suspension of presenter Anton Krasovsky. 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, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. In a show broadcast last week, RT presenter Anton Krasovsky said children who criticized Russia should have been "thrown straight into a river with a strong current." Krasovsky -- a pro-war commentator who has been sanctioned by the European Union -- was responding to an account by Russian science fiction author Sergei Lukyanenko about how, when he first visited Ukraine in the 1980s, children told him they would live better lives were it not for Moscow occupying their country. "They should have been drowned in the Tysyna (River)," Krasovsky said in response. "Just drown those children, drown them." Alternatively, he said, "they could be shoved into huts and burned. In a short segment of the interview, which was shared on social media, Krasovsky also laughed at reports that Russian soldiers had raped elderly Ukrainian women during the invasion. "Anton Krasovsky's statement is wild and disgusting.... It is hard to believe that Krasovsky sincerely believed that children should be drowned," Simonyan added. Krasovsky's comment also sparked outrage in Ukraine and the West, feeding allegations that Russia is intent on eradicating Ukrainians on the whole. "Governments which have still not banned RT must watch this excerpt," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet that linked to a clip of the interview. "Aggressive genocide incitement (we will put this person on trial for it), which has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Ban RT worldwide," Kuleba said. "This is what you side with if you allow RT to operate in your countries." Early on October 24, Krasovsky apologized for the comments, saying he was "embarrassed" by them. WATCH: Anton Krasovsky's soaring career as a Russian television journalist came to an abrupt end in 2013, when he announced live on air that he was gay. Now barred from Russian screens, Krasovsky has nonetheless chosen to stay in Russia -- a society he says is doomed to ruin. (Originally published in 2015) Krasovsky gained some Western recognition when he announced live on Russian TV in 2013 that he was gay to protest against Kremlin-backed legislation imposing harsh fines and jail terms for the distribution of homosexual "propaganda" to minors. Krasovskys public announcement brought his soaring career as a Russian television journalist to a temporary end as he was barred from state media. He returned as a presenter for the Russian state-controlled broadcaster in 2020. In stark contrast to his comments regarding Ukrainians last week, in 2013 -- when a 22-year-old man from the southern Russian town of Volgograd was brutally murdered by neighbors for being gay -- Krasovsky penned an opinion piece in The Guardian criticizing the Kremlin for targeting a select group of people. How did it come about that today in Russia a good gay person is a dead gay person?. As far as the [Russian] deputies are concerned I am scum by the fact of my birth, and it was criminal negligence not to have made a note of that in my birth certificate. What seemed like a bad dream only a couple of years ago has now become reality. And it is terrifying to imagine what could happen tomorrow, he wrote. With reporting by Reuters An educational panel in Buffalo Saturday brought together judges, lawyers and other community leaders from across the state to explore the roots of racism and gun violence through a legal lens. Judges and other legal and criminal justice experts weighed in on the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down New York's longstanding law requiring a permit, and justification, for gun owners to carry a concealed weapon in public. Much of the discussion was framed in the context of the racist May 14 Tops shooting in Buffalo that left 10 people dead. While a number of legal changes have been made this year to restrict guns at the federal and state level, some questioned the extent to which new and existing laws would meaningfully impact violent killings at the hands of extremists and those radicalized by social media. John B. DeVito, special agent in charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, heralded legal changes enabling stronger law enforcement collaboration than at any point in the past. He also argued, however, that local law enforcement agencies nationwide still need to do a better job of tracing and sharing a firearm's history. "Forty-eight percent of the law enforcement agencies in this country don't trace their crime guns," he said. "They don't care how they got there. It's simply just another piece of evidence they recovered from a crime scene." His comments were challenged by retired Court of Appeals Justice Eugene M. Fahey, who referred to his father's long tenure in the Buffalo Police Department and the wide-reaching consequences of poverty. "Everything you say is correct," Fahey said. "The problem is, by the time we have to enforce, it's too late. That's the reality of crime. By the time you are enforcing these laws, they've already failed. So the question is policy." Fahey was one of a number of speakers and panelists at the daylong session held at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site by the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission. The group's mission is to promote racial and ethnic fairness in the court system. Todd Bullard, a lawyer with Harris Beach, argued that it's not just poverty driving the violence. Racial hatred, like the kind espoused by the Tops gunman, a middle-class teenager from outside the area, resulted in the deaths of 10 people. Bullard also noted the gunman's weapon was purchased legally. Social media companies and gun manufacturers who are financially driven should be held more accountable, he said. That should include requiring guns to be manufactured with microchips that can make them safer and more traceable. It should also include major financial penalties on social media companies that allow their algorithms and formulas to perpetuate online hate, he said. Speakers discussed the bipartisan federal legislation that passed in June after the Uvalde school massacre, which enhances background checks on gun buyers age 21 and younger, among other changes, as well as the revised conceal carry laws put forth by Gov. Kathy Hochul after the Supreme Court ruling in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. Amalea Smirniotopoulos , senior policy lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said it's important to recognize the diversity of crimes involving guns and to distinguish between hate crimes, which affect a broad group of people, versus other kinds of violence. Shaquan Huntt , who works as part of the governor's legal team, said New York has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and is ranked fifth lowest among states for gun ownership. He argued that strong gun laws make a difference, but also gave a nod to the many other factors at play. "More conversations like this need to happen," he said. CHERNIHIV, Ukraine -- We have bought three carloads of various kinds of firewood, said Iryna, an employee of the central heating plant in the city of Chernihiv, some 150 kilometers north of Kyiv and 40 kilometers south of the border with Belarus. We got the cheapest they had at the sawmill. Good firewood costs at least 6,000 hryvnyas ($165) per carload." This is pine, she said, showing a reporter around the modest pile that she hopes will get her family through the coming, cold winter. It burns quickly and gives little heat. We also bought a load of scrap lumber for 4,500 hryvnyas ($123). We will stay warm somehow. Iryna -- who, like the other locals interviewed for this story asked that their last names and images be withheld because of the ongoing Russian invasion -- lives in a house of some 100 square meters in the settlement of Zhavynka, on the southern edge of the Chernihiv. Because of her job, she has seen with her own eyes the damage inflicted on the citys heating and electricity infrastructure by recent Russian air attacks targeting civilians. I hope it will survive the winter, she said. The government in Kyiv and the international community have denounced the Russian attacks, which have struck facilities across the country. Officials said on October 22 that some 1.5 million homes have been left without electricity and that about 40 percent of the countrys electrical grid had been damaged by the attacks, which began on October 10. Authorities in Chernihiv, with a prewar population of some 285,000 people, have warned residents that the heating season this year will be a difficult one and have advised them to make preparations quickly. Locals have been stocking up on firewood, either buying it or raiding nearby forests. Social media platforms are full of life hacks on how to keep warm when temperatures are below freezing. 'It's Better With Heat' Iryna lives with her husband, her son, and her retired parents. My father advised me years ago not to throw out the wood burner, she said. Friends then were telling me it could cause problems with the gas heater. But father left it in. Although it is old and ugly, we are now thanking God we have it. The city has faced hardship since the early days of Russias invasion in February. It spent several weeks under Russian siege before Moscows initial thrust toward Kyiv was stymied and the Russians withdrew in April. During those days, people ran out of gas supplies and there were frequent blackouts. People made homemade stoves to cook in their yards. Now locals are dusting them off again, installing them inside their homes or even in the cellars where they shelter during attacks. Suppose you have to sit there for a few days, Iryna said. Its better with heat. Volodymyr is a doctor with a private practice in Chernihiv. He, his mother, and an aunt have been gathering firewood in the forest. We collected small branches for kindling, he told RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service. We have a wood burner that heats the house and can be used to cook food as well. The family lives in a small house that was built by Volodymyrs father some 40 years ago. He never finished it and now extra bits of unused lumber are being held in reserve in case its needed for heat this winter. What we were preparing for the construction, Volodymyr said, we will now burn to keep warm. He added that other locals were preparing to chop up furniture or dismantle wooden outbuildings. Valentyna is a pensioner who lives alone in a first-floor apartment in a residential district on the edge of Chernihiv. She said she is used to cold winters as the city doesnt heat generously even during peacetime. During the siege in February and March, the temperature fell to 7 degrees Celsius in her apartment. I slept in my clothes, she recalled. There was no water, no electricity, no gas. Today there is water. Only cold water, but still. She has electrical heaters but knows she might not be able to rely on them. For now, she doesnt use them because of calls to minimize consumption. The whole country is saving electricity, she said. How can I turn on the heater when I need to save electricity? I keep warm in the kitchen when Im cooking, she said. I can heat up two large pots of water. The steam warms the apartment a bit. Valentyna spends much of her time in the kitchen, embroidering remembrances of Chernihivs war dead. RFE/RL feature writer Robert Coalson contributed to this report. Russia has launched new, wide scale missile strikes on Ukraines civilian energy sites, causing power outages nationwide, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his regular video address late on October 22. 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, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Moscow says its forces continued to launch attacks against Ukraine's energy and military infrastructure over the last 24 hours. Ukrainian authorities say nearly 1.5 million households across the country have been left without electricity. But Zelenskiy said most of the Russian missiles and drones were being shot down, reiterating an earlier statement by the Ukrainian military that it had downed 18 out of 33 cruise missiles launched from the air and sea on October 22. Of course we don't yet have the technical ability to knock down 100 percent of the Russian missiles and strike drones. I am sure that, gradually, we will achieve that, with help from our partners," Zelenskiy said. Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine's power stations, water supply systems, and other key infrastructure over the past two weeks. The areas targeted by the latest strikes include Khmelnytskiy and Lutsk in the countrys west and the central city of Uman. Khmelnytskiy, which was home to some 275,000 people before the war, was left with no electricity, shortly after local media reported several loud explosions on October 22, regional officials said. Uman, which had some 100,000 residents before the war, was also plunged into darkness after a rocket hit a nearby power station. In Lutsk, a city of 215,000, electricity had been partially knocked out after Russian missiles slammed into local energy facilities, according to local officials. Authorities in Khmelnytskiy and Lutsk urged residents to store water, in case its also gone. Air strikes and power disruptions were also reported from Odesa in the south, the central city of Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhya in the countrys southeast. The national energy company, Ukrenerho, continued to urge all Ukrainians to conserve energy. In his address later on October 22, Zelenskiy said authorities had managed to restore power in multiple regions where electricity had been cut off as a result of the attack. "The main target of the terrorists is energy," he said. In the capital, Kyiv, and surrounding regions rolling blackouts came into effect on October 22 in response to the reduced power supplies. Ukrainian officials said about 40 percent of the country's electric power system has been severely damaged since Russia increased attacks on Ukraines civilian infrastructure. Zelenskiy had earlier said 30 percent of Ukraine's power stations have been destroyed by Russian strikes since October 10. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal warned that the intensifying missile and drone strikes will create a new wave of refugees from Ukraine. "If there is no more electricity, no more heating, no more water in Ukraine, this can trigger a new migration tsunami," he told the October 23 edition of Germany's broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Russia's Defense Ministry said on October 23 that it destroyed a large ammunition depot in Ukraine's central Cherkasy region that according to the ministry was storing over 100,000 tons of aviation fuel for the Ukrainian Air Force. The ministry also said in a daily briefing that Russian forces had repelled Ukrainian counteroffensives along the frontlines in southern and eastern Ukraine. The claims cannot be independently verified. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow had concerns Ukraine could use a "dirty bomb" in the conflict, without providing evidence to support his suggestion. Shoigu made the comment during a phone conversation with his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, on October 23, according to Russian news agencies. Shoigu was quoted as saying that the situation in Ukraine was rapidly deteriorating and trending toward "uncontrolled escalation. With reporting by AP, dpa, and the BBC A Buffalo man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for two attacks on an elderly woman relative, the second time in violation of an order of protection, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced. State Supreme Court Justice Deborah A. Haendiges also ordered seven years of post-release supervision for Kenneth J. Parks, 34, and issued a 20-year order of protection on behalf of the victim. After a two-day trial in August, a jury found Parks guilty of one count of first-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree assault, one count of aggravated criminal contempt all felonies and one count of criminal obstruction of breathing, a misdemeanor. In the first attack on Feb. 23, 2021, prosecutors said Parks grabbed the woman by the neck in her home, picked her up and slammed her to the floor, then put his knee into her chest and continued to apply pressure to her neck. She was treated for a traumatic head injury and cuts in Sisters Hospital. Five weeks later, prosecutors said, after an order of protection had been issued, Parks broke into the woman's home, grabbed her and choked her. When she ran outside to call for help, Parks chased her, slammed her against a parked vehicle and started choking her again. He fled when a neighbor came outside and was arrested shortly afterward. The woman again needed hospital treatment for injuries to her head, neck, chest, ribs, right arm and right leg. Flynn commended the Buffalo Police Department and the BE SAFE Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy Program. For information on the program, call 716-858-4630 or visit erie.gov/besafe. New York Attorney General Letitia James has just released a report commissioned by Gov. Kathy Hochul to address the role that online platforms played in the fascist mass murder that took place in Buffalo on May 14. Although James report contains harrowing and heartbreaking eyewitness descriptions of the rampage at Tops, her recommendations for preventing similar massacres in the future leave much to be desired. We did not need this report to tell us that the internet is crawling with cockroaches, but James suggestions for social media policing seem like the modern equivalent of blaming our nations ills on Dungeons & Dragons or heavy metal albums. Neither the right to free speech nor the endless permutations of internet culture and technology will permit her solutions. James did not include the true cause of these mass shootings as a prelude to pulling this weed once and for all: the problem is not the First Amendment, but the Second. Explaining the massacre at Tops as the result of online political radicalization is relevant, but only up to a point. The murderers spree mirrored several racist attacks in recent memory, such as 2018s Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre and New Zealands Christchurch Massacre. But how do politics explain Uvalde? Or Parkland? Or Sandy Hook? Or Virginia Tech? Or Highland Park? Where was the white supremacist angle in all of those and many other horrors? Shut down the entire internet and our supermarkets and elementary schools will still be turned into abattoirs. AG James is on the wrong trail. What James did not say in her report is that the seeds of Payton Gendrons massacre were not planted by 4Chan or Twitch. The slaughter did not begin there. It began at Vintage Firearms, a quaint mom-and-pop gun store in Endicott, N.Y., that sold a young psychopath a Bushmaster assault rifle suitable for warfare in Fallujah, and with barely a question asked. Big Tech can't be held more responsible than Big Guns for the mountain of victims that mass gun violence has piled up since the pivotal Columbine massacre 23 years ago. The next massacre of the sort that occurred in Buffalo one that will shock our nations conscience, even though many other mass killings will have preceded it is due to arrive soon, as predictably as the past dozen. Does anyone believe that shaking our fist at the internet will prevent it? Dont we know in our hearts that it is our impotent gun laws and our irresponsible gun dealers that are to blame for these absurd and completely preventable tragedies? Jason Yungbluth is a Monroe County representative to the Green Party of New York State. News featured spotlight Life in San Francisco Who carries the biggest child care burden in San Francisco? Unless your income is among the highest in San Francisco, or even among the lowest, finding and affording child care may be just wishful thinking. Nearly 60% of San Francisco children live in families that struggle to afford child care, which can run up to $4,000 per month for a family with two kids between the ages 0 to 5, according to estimates from the Insight Center, an economic research and advocacy organization. There is not enough quality, affordable child care to meet the needs of all San Francisco families, said Gina Fromer, CEO of the Childrens Council of San Francisco, the citys largest child care resource and referral agency. Over the last 2 years, weve seen firsthand that without enough child care, our city cannot function, she added. Employers need workers, and workers need child care. Its like we say: Without child care, San Francisco doesnt work. Financial assistance to offset child-care costs is available, and for many low-income families, it is essential to making ends meet. But a large swath of families doesnt qualify and struggles to pay out of pocket. Some of the available subsidies have a cap at the federal poverty line currently $23,030 for a family of three and the highest income ceiling is around $78,000 for a family with one infant. Altogether, roughly a third of all San Francisco children qualify. But that leaves a glaring gap for households in which child care is unaffordable and subsidies are out of reach. Its felt particularly tight for parents earning anywhere between around $89,000, the cap for assistance for a family of four, and $167,000. Thats the estimated minimum household income needed for a family with two young children in San Francisco to cover all basic needs including child care, housing, food and taxes, according to estimates from the Insight Center. Making ends meet Fromer of the Childrens Council knows the child care crunch more than most. The sixth-generation San Francisco resident was once a client at the organization she now leads seeking support to find child care for her two sons while pursuing a better job. Although we are making progress in addressing the lack of child care in San Francisco, currently there are only enough licensed child care slots to accommodate 15% of infants, said Fromer, who was born and raised in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Those with a close eye on The Citys economic rebound after COVID-related hardships are also paying attention. While significant portions of San Franciscos workforce have embraced work-from-home days, that hasnt removed the need for child care altogether. Pull Quote A household with two adults, one infant and one preschooler on average spends about $4,000 per month on childcare in San Francisco, according to the Insight Center. Meanwhile, the median rent in San Francisco is $3,750, according to Zillow estimates. Work from home solves the drop-off and pick-up problems, maybe, but it doesnt solve the need for child care. Its probably the same constraint its always been, said Ted Egan, San Franciscos chief economist, pointing out the difficulty of both working and watching young children at home simultaneously. A household with two adults, one infant and one preschooler on average spends about $4,000 per month on childcare in San Francisco, according to the Insight Center. Meanwhile, the median rent in San Francisco is $3,750, according to Zillow estimates. Child care is a challenge across California as the cost of living continues to rise. But here in San Francisco, the price point is at a premium compared with other counties. For example, the same Insight Center calculator estimates that the same family must pay $3,766 in Alameda County, $3,663 in Contra Costa County, $3,889 in Marin County and $3,144 in Los Angeles County. The cost of child care is so much. You sometimes have to pick its housing, my career or child care, said Maria Antonieta Jandres, a mother who lives in the Tenderloin. At the time she became pregnant, Jandres was living in shelters and on friends couches when she visited a prenatal program for homeless women. There, she was informed about child care subsidy options and places like the Childrens Council, which helps parents through paperwork and other tricky parts of the processes. The wait list for child care was so long, it was scary, she said, adding that having someone walk her through child-care assistance programs was game changing. With her assistance, Jandres was able to complete coursework at San Francisco State University and earn a bachelors degree in liberal studies. She now provides legal services in housing and real estate. Craig Lee/The Examiner Maria Antonieta Jandres takes her son, Eduardo, to his first grade class at Sherman Elementary School. She was able to navigate the tricky child-care process and graduate from San Francisco State University. Waiting games Anyone looking for assistance with child care in San Francisco must first navigate a system of paperwork, changing income thresholds and waiting lists. But many parents also struggle to navigate financial assistance. Currently, there are 475 children ages 0 to 5 on the waiting list for a subsidized child care spot in San Francisco, the majority of which are between 0 to 3, according to the Childrens Council. Todays waiting list is actually shorter than past years, particularly for pre-school-age children. But long waiting lists for infant care are trickier to solve. One reason is that safety regulations require a lower caregiver-to-child ratio for younger kids, making it more expensive to care for infants. Whats more, those who do obtain subsidies may not get a slot in the program of their choosing because some funds are only accepted at specific child care sites. Pull Quote We are spending as much on child care as we are spending on housing. Its a pretty significant burden, but we are fortunate that we can afford it. Jonah Horowitz, San Francisco parent For Jandres, subsidies covered virtually all of her child-care expenses while she was still homeless. But once she began working, she no longer qualified for the same level of assistance and had to begin paying $200 per month in what are known as family fees. On the other end of the spectrum, people with resources to pay out of pocket will often seek alternative options such as private daycare centers or nannies. We started sorting out child care as soon as we got pregnant, said Jonah Horowitz, a father of a six-month-old in San Francisco. Through an online community message board in their Bernal Heights neighborhood, Horowitz and his spouse arranged a set up where they would share a nanny with a neighbor for five days a week while the couple works a hybrid schedule at home and in their respective offices. We are spending as much on child care as we are spending on housing, said Horowitz. Its a pretty significant burden, but we are fortunate that we can afford it. The cost of child care typically decreases as a child gets older. Compared with about $4,000 in San Francisco, the national average costs for an infant are around $1,200 per month, $900 for a toddler, and $760 for a preschooler, according to data from the Center for American Progress. Investing in child care This month, Mayor London Breed announced a new Department of Early Childhood to manage initiatives that aim to support families with young children in San Francisco. The department will oversee more than $70 million annually aimed at growing the early care workforce and $40 million to increase rates and expand access to subsidies, among other efforts. The creation of the new department is part of the Mayors Children and Family Recovery Plan, announced in February, which charts out a five-year program to address the mental, physical and economic constraints facing families and young children coming out of the pandemic. It also aims to increase wages for childcare workers, a key component of providing enough slots in child-care facilities that are beholden to strict caregiver-to-child ratios. Other efforts to streamline the child-care system include a new state-funded website that helps match families with providers, called mychildcareplan.org, and lists every licensed provider in California along with important information like their safety record and vacancies. More Coverage This is the first in a series about the challenges and experiences of raising children in San Francisco. We welcome your tips, ideas and comments at newstips@sfexaminer.com Pandemic relief dollars also provided temporary expansions in money to support the child-care systems and subsidies. And family fees were waived during the pandemic for subsidy beneficiaries through June 2023. Still, theres a long way to go to help families out who are stuck in the middle. Jandres hopes that stronger social safety nets and increased minimum wages can make San Francisco a more inviting place for those who are calculating whether or not to have families here. We arent helping families when we just put a small piece of tape on the whole. We need to address that parents need better wages and continued support, she said. Its a shame it is this hard. We should be encouraging families to better their education and savings. Attorney General Letitia James is serious about holding social media outlets accountable for distributing content designed to incite hatred or violence, and she even has a plausible strategy to avoid the inevitable and important First Amendment objections to limiting free speech. Her proposed changes in federal and state laws, she told The News' Editorial Board, fall into the same category as child pornography so revolting and abusive that courts have put it beyond constitutional protection. Few we suspect and hope would argue otherwise. How, then, can it also be constitutionally authorized to record and spread a killing spree, as an 18-year-old man did at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue in May? How can social media companies be permitted to host the planning of murders, the intentional radicalizing of users and live video transmission of mass killings? That is surely no more defensible than child pornography. We would add that the First Amendment also does not permit shouting Fire! in a crowded theater when there is no fire. The risk of mass injury and death is too great. So it is with social media posts whose aim is to incite violence. Indeed, incitement to riot is already a crime. The man charged with the May 14 massacre at Tops was himself inspired by video of a mass shooting in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. Anti-Semitic and racist content posted on the fringe message board 4chan are reported to have heightened his radicalization. Experts says the site is a breeding ground for far-right extremists. Online platforms should be held accountable for allowing hateful and dangerous content to spread, James said in a statement accompanying her report. Extremist content is flourishing online, and we must all work together to confront this crisis. A crisis is what this is. While the internet and social media hold many public benefits, society and the law have not caught up to the dangers they indisputably pose. Doing so may require threading a constitutional needle, but its essential to craft reasonable and effective protections against incentivizing and profiting from mass murder. James has begun that work and she is aiming higher than New York. The report requested by Gov. Kathy Hochul after the Buffalo massacre recommends limiting federal protection of internet platforms to those that take reasonable action to reign in unlawful violent criminal content. That requires changing U.S. internet law Section 230, which provides internet platforms broad legal immunity from liability over users posts even plans for mass murder. That surely shouldnt be controversial. The recommendation only calls only for reasonable efforts at controlling a demonstrably lethal reality. Defining those minimum efforts could surely be complicated, but that doesnt absolve Congress of the task. James also recommends changes in New York law: criminalizing the recording of photos and videos during a homicide, and introducing civil penalties for people who share such content. In her meeting with The News, James clarified that such a law would not apply to someone who comes upon a crime in progress and records it. We know from too many mass killings that the internet and social media, in particular, play a significant role in instigating or otherwise promoting bloodshed. We will never stop it entirely, but we can do what is possible. Governments must act. 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. Its less than two years since Moderna brought its coronavirus vaccine to the world, but the companys global chief executive Stephane Bancel is already turning his mind to another medical mystery: cancer. The boss of the $US51 billion ($81.3 billion) Boston-based biotech, which emerged from relative obscurity in 2020 to become one of the best-known brands of the pandemic, is waiting on data from the companys phase 2 trials of a personalised cancer vaccine. Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel. Credit:AP Its a long shot, but I like our chances, he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age when visiting Melbourne last month. It is a science fiction type of science, which is, you make one [vaccine] for every human being based on the sequence of cancer cells. The NSW governments ambitious plans for Sydneys $3 billion Silicon Valley-style tech hub have received the green light that will transform the unloved Central Station precinct into large-scale office towers and expansive public spaces. Plans were lodged by the joint developers Dexus and Frasers Property Australia for the Central Place Sydney project in late March and were approved by the City of Sydney council on Thursday night. Central Place Sydney sits on the western edge of Central Station and is adjacent to the planned 40-storey Atlassian timber building also being developed and funded by Dexus. The final two elements of the $3 billion Central Place Sydney project are the Connector building and the Pavilion. Credit:Stocksy It will comprise more than 130,000 square metres of commercial floor space over two office towers, a smaller 10-storey block called the Connector and public space known as the Pavilion. Unemployment in NSW has fallen to a historic low of 3.3 per cent for three of the past four months, but the jobless rate is double that figure in parts of south-western Sydney and the states north coast. The number of jobs in the state hit an all-time high 4.285 million in September after employment rose by 7000 in the month. NSW now has the lowest unemployment rate among the states, with Western Australia on 3.4 per cent and Victoria 3.5 per cent. Separate, detailed employment figures published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show unemployment was around 2 per cent or lower in five of Sydneys 15 labour market statistical regions in August. The jobless rate was especially low in Sutherland (0.8 per cent), Central Sydney and Inner South (1.6 per cent) and the Northern Beaches (1.7 per cent). Rewarding and retaining staff along the way Australias current acute labour shortage is well known. According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are around 480,100 job vacancies in Australia, a 111.1% increase since February 2020. So attracting and retaining staff is crucial. With a BP Plus fuel card, your staff can also be rewarded on the spot with Qantas Points when they pay with the BP Plus Fuel card and scan their Qantas Frequent Flyer card. Its a feel-good exercise. Supporting the growth of Australian business Michael Schumann is the Director of Moving Services with Allied Moving Services - one of the biggest relocation companies in Australia. He recognises the opportunities to save on his everyday business expenses. Our national fuel usage per year is around 320,000 litres, he says. This equates to an annual fuel bill of between $430,000 to $500,000. So the discounts and rewards that BP Plus fuel card provides are fairly substantial. Even on much smaller spend, they all add up. Caring for drivers wellbeing Even on smaller spends, rewards add up. BP has teamed up with Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds as a Foundational Sponsor. The wellness partnership impacts long distance truck drivers, providing access to bps existing truck stop network, which is one of the largest in the country. Underpinning this initiative is bps aim to enhance the wellbeing of those in the road transport, warehousing and logistics industries. Its a welcome initiative to help counter the deliberating effects of the pandemic, the supply shortage and the extreme weather systems that have all impacted transport links. BP Plus powers through online shopping deliveries According to Peter Lipinski, the CEO of courier and logistics powerhouse Aramex, BP Plus is the perfect partner to have on board as the ecommerce market continues to boom. BP offers us great service and good value for their product, along with convenience, as their service stations are located in the country towns and metro areas where we operate. For businesses of any size Whether you head up a big, small or medium business, theres never been a better time to join BP Plus and reap the rewards of up to 5x Qantas Points* currently on offer. *Min. fuel volume & spend criteria. T&Cs apply at www.bpplus.com.au Desperate for a miracle, a friend emailed the famed Australian neurosurgeon on his behalf, saying: The doctors in Delhi have told him [Barman] that no treatment is possible and they were hoping that a Western doctor can offer his son a lifeline. He and his wife Sangeeta were devastated when their son was diagnosed with an incurable and inoperable diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). A second neurosurgeon confirmed the diagnosis. Mikolaj Barman (centre) was diagnosed with a very rare type of tumour a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). He is pictured with his father, Prasanta, and his mother, Sangeeta. Credit: In mid-September 2018, Barman, an engineer from Assam in India, was worried when his son, four-year-old Mikolaj, appeared to have difficulty walking. There should be some regulation to stop this. If someone is giving false hope, then its like a scam, said Prasanta Barman, who is plagued by guilt, following the horrific outcome of the futile surgery Teo performed on his only child. Several families, including those with young children who were left in a vegetative state, have spoken out about the dreadful price they paid for the hope Dr Teo sold them. Controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has charged families extraordinary amounts of money for ultimately futile operations that have catastrophically injured patients, a joint Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes investigation can reveal. This story is part of an in-depth series investigating controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo. See all 14 stories . The following day, replying to Barmans questions about the prognosis and risks, Teos office emailed, saying: If all goes as planned, the surgery should be curative as we should be able to remove the entire thing. This means that prognosis would be excellent He should hopefully live a long and happy life. On September 27, 2018, Barman was elated when what seemed like a lifeline was offered. Dr Teo has reviewed the scans and suggested urgent surgery, he said there is a very high likelihood of cure if he does the surgery before radiation, the email from Teos office in Sydney said. In 2021, Teo had restrictions placed on his ability to perform brain stem operations and faces a disciplinary hearing over two poor surgical outcomes, one of which was a DIPG. In the media, he is often portrayed as a maverick, motorbike-riding outsider fighting against both the medical establishment and his colleagues who, he suggests, are jealous of his superior skills. Teo, 64, is arguably Australias best-known neurosurgeon. He is renowned for his aggressive surgical style, especially in cases other surgeons deem inoperable, and he has many grateful patients who laud his successes. Souweidane, head of paediatric neurosurgery at the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Centre in New York, has been researching DIPGs for more than two decades. He said surgery is not and has never been an option for this uniformly fatal brain tumour and that it would be incomprehensible for anyone to attempt this. Asked if there was any clinical or research data anywhere in the world that shows a benefit from resecting DIPGs, one of Americas pre-eminent paediatric neurosurgeons, Professor Mark Souweidane, said bluntly: Absolutely not, doesnt exist. Kieran said any attempt at resection or removal of a DIPG could only result in neurologic devastation and eventual death either from the surgery or your tumour. Its not just a question of if you are going to die, its really when youre going to die. It is the only tumour in paediatrics where, from the day youre diagnosed, youre already considered palliative, leading American paediatric oncologist Mark Kieran told the joint investigation. However, there is no chance of a happy ending with a DIPG, the most lethal of all childhood cancers . There is no cure and the average life expectancy from the time of diagnosis is between six and 18 months. Barman sent another email to Teo asking the famous neurosurgeon to double-check the two MRIs to make sure about the certainty of the operation because the opinion of the two Indian neurosurgeons was that there is no treatment for this type of tumour. This is very rare. And once detected, weve got only eight to 12 months in our hand, Barman recalled. He was informed that the operation would cost $150,000 at Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Sydney or $80,000 in Singapore, of which $40,000 would have to be in Teos bank account before surgery. Barman explained to Teo that he had no medical insurance, so he would have to meet all the costs himself. To go in and remove that area would remove the very part of the brain that keeps you alive. The professor explained that because the aggressive tumour has infiltrated the pons, the part of the brain that decides when you breathe and when your heart beats, any attempt at resection will result in devastating consequences for the child. There should be some regulation to stop this. If someone is giving false hope, then its like a scam. Barman drained his savings and his retirement fund, Mikolajs school helped and friends donated money for the operation on October 11, 2018. Photos taken the night before the operation showed the happy, lively boy in his hospital bed surrounded by colourful balloons, playing with his toys. However there is hope. A renowned Australian neurosurgeon, Dr Charlie Teo, believes he can successfully remove the tumour using a pioneering technique. With this treatment, Mikolajs prognosis would be excellent, and he will hopefully live a long, normal life, read the crowdfunding page. That same day, Barmans friend set up a GoFundMe page to help with the steep costs for the operation to remove Mikolajs DIPG in Singapore. When he read Australian press reports describing Teo as a miracle worker, Barman was reassured that the much-hyped doctor could deliver the cure he was offering. But Teo begged to differ. Our diagnosis and recommendation remains the same and we think we can cure Mikolaj with surgery, said the emailed response from Teos office to Barman. His father told him, There will be a big fight tomorrow, theres something inside your brain, something inside your head, so that bad things will be taken out, and after that youll be OK again. Barman wiped away tears as he recalled what were to be among his sons last words. Mikolaj told his parents he was ready for battle and, punching the balloons, the little boy said, I will fight like this. Teo only met the young child for the first time as he was being wheeled into the operating theatre at Singapores National University Hospital and only half an hour before the operation, he broke the news to Mikolajs parents that the tumour was diffuse, meaning that it had spread, and for the first time he suggested that he may not be able to remove it all. Although the Barmans were alarmed at this last-minute news, they felt it was too late to back out. After a 10-hour operation, Teo spent 10 minutes telling the parents that hed removed 85 per cent and that it appeared to be benign. With that, Teo was gone, and they never saw him again. However, after the operation the pathology results revealed that the tumour was not benign. It had the H3K27M mutation, which is the defining molecular marker for the devastating DIPG. According to Souweidane, if a biopsy comes back consistent with an H3K27M mutation, my opinion, and I think the consensus of most neuro-oncology individuals, is going to be not to resect, not to offer surgical therapy. Before surgery, if Teo doubted the two previous diagnoses of a DIPG, he could have done a biopsy to be certain. But he didnt, and rather than delivering a miracle, Teo left the Barmans with a nightmare. Their once happy and playful little boy would never walk, talk, or eat on his own again. With the medical costs piling up in Singapore, the Barmans had to pay $40,000 to hire an air ambulance to fly Mikolaj back to India, where he languished in intensive care for months. Mikolajs care cost nearly $250,000 and the rest of his short life was spent in a room staring at a ceiling, his only means of communication was blinking his eyes. There was no hope. For a DIPG, there is no hope. So why give the false hope in the first place? Prasanta Barman Ten months after the catastrophic operation, the inevitable happened: the aggressive tumour returned and Mikolaj died. Mikolajs MRI scans were shown to several neurosurgeons who immediately identified the tumour as a DIPG. When told that an unnamed surgeon, offering a cure, had performed a resection, they were horrified. Barman is racked by guilt at what he put his son through. There was no hope. For a DIPG, there is no hope. So why give the false hope in the first place? he asked. Bellas battle Mikolaj Barman was not the only one. A year after Mikolajs death, another family was facing the dire diagnosis of a DIPG. In April 2020, doctors at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle told Gene Howard and Sarah Higginbottom that their seven-year-old daughter, Bella, had a DIPG and that there was nothing that could be done except to provide radiation as part of palliative care. Gene and Sarah Howard with their daughter Bella. Credit: Howard refused to accept that there was no cure and, in desperation, he turned to the high-profile Charlie Teo. Teos notes after the initial consultation reveal that he agreed that this is likely to be a DIPG. Bellas grandmother Mariza Howard, who was at the consultation, recalled Teo telling them there was a tiny chance the scan might be wrong. Teo offered to do a biopsy and, while doing that, if there were parts of the tumour he thought he could remove to buy Bella more time, he would. I was just a little perplexed how an operation that could save someones life [was] contingent on a payment of money the very next day. Mark Ramsland, a Howard family friend At this point we were all in tears because there was no hope and then we got this possibility of hope, a doctor out there offering something, recalled Gene, a tradesman from Shoal Bay. Instead of waiting for conclusive biopsy results, Teo wanted to operate the very next day. The Howards leapt at the chance to extend Bellas life. However, there was a catch. The surgery would cost $100,000 and $50,000 had to be in Teos bank account that night. We were trying to figure out how to get it ourselves, but even to get a loan it takes weeks, even friends that have lots of equity for them to get a loan it takes weeks, said Gene who, in desperation, even tried to sell his kidney. I wasnt ever stopping until we got that money, he said. Sarah and Gene Howard in the bedroom of their daughter Bella who died of DIPG. Credit:Peter Stoop Mark Ramsland, a friend of the Howard family and their solicitor and cancer survivor himself, was troubled at the haste for the surgery, the absence of an oncologist, and the extraordinary amount of money that had to be in Teos account that night. I was just a little perplexed at how an operation that could save someones life needed to be contingent on a payment of money the very next day, the solicitor said. Genes boss loaned him the money and the operation occurred at Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Sydney the next day. Just how much of the tumour Teo removed would vary. Immediately after the surgery, Gene Howard was ecstatic when told by Teo hed removed 95 per cent of the tumour which, in his opinion, was low-grade and slow growing. The operation report recorded a greater than 50 per cent resection and, in a report dated June 2, 2020, Teo wrote that naysayers would say he hadnt removed any. Experts in this area told the joint investigation that even if 99.9 per cent of the tumour was resected, which would likely result in immediate death, a resection is pointless as the cancer has already spread and it will come roaring back. The cancer cells are going to continue to grow, Kieran said. They basically are going to take over the entire brain because they dont respond to surgery, they dont respond to radiation, and they dont respond to any currently known chemotherapy. Unfortunately, we do not cure kids with DIPG. Three days after the operation, the pathology results came back. Bellas tumour had the H3K27M mutation and the diagnosis was a DIPG. But in his report, Teo cast doubt on the validity of the H3K27M mutation as an indicator. While radiation is the accepted treatment to relieve the symptoms, Teo advised against this. In his report, he noted that he had counselled the Howards that many neuro-oncologists and reputable neurosurgeons would be aghast at this course and would be strongly recommending radiotherapy plus or minus chemotherapy but that Jean [sic] is fully aware of the two completely different options and that it was his choice not to have the radiation. Teo offered the Howards a second operation at the same price as the first, but as the Howards were driving back to Shoal Bay after Bellas 12-week scan, Teo rang with some shattering news. He told Gene to pull over and get out of the car. Mate, this is really bad. The scans come back, its grown ... probably three times as big as what it originally was, Teo told him. Sarah said she cried the entire way home. Bella deteriorated quickly and required 24-hour care. In January 2021, eight months after diagnosis, Bella died surrounded by her devastated family. Her official cause of death was recorded as a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. In a written response to questions put to Teo about his DIPG operations, a spokesman said: Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) /Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) is the most aggressive childhood brain cancer. It is incurable and is truly inoperable. Dr Charlie Teo has never operated on a pure DIPG/DMG, and has never recommended surgery on such a tumour. While Teo declined a request for an interview with the joint investigation, he told The Daily Telegraph on Saturday that the debate around inoperable brain stem tumours was a complicated one and misinformation was rife, even among neurosurgeons in Australia and around the world. The article also stated, Virtually every intrinsic primary brainstem tumour is labelled as DIPG because there is no real definition and no one wants to talk or think about having to operate on them, he said. Thats why all these authorities are saying Teo is operating when he shouldnt. No, they have got it all wrong, Teo told the Telegraph. In August 2021, seven months after Bella Howard died, the NSW Medical Council was so concerned about Teos operations on brain stem tumours, including a DIPG, that they placed restrictions on his practising certificate. In November 2021, Healthscope, which runs 41 private hospitals, withdrew Teos accreditation at Prince of Wales Private Hospital, where he has worked for years. In September, Teo was due to face a two-day disciplinary hearing after a lengthy investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission. However, it was postponed to a date to be fixed as one of the hearing days became a public holiday due to the death of the Queen. Rather die than go blind Joe Leslie, a Brisbane engineer, discovered he had a slow-growing brain tumour in 1996. After several operations over the years, in 2018 doctors told him that there was nothing more they could do to treat his brain tumour and estimated he had two years to live. Having heard of the renowned brain surgeon, Joe and his wife, Kathy, a nurse, sought a second opinion. At the consultation, Teo assured the Leslies that he could remove the tumour. He dismissed concerns raised by the Queensland doctors that because of the position of the tumour, any attempt to remove it would leave him blind. Kathy Leslie said Teo told them not to worry, it was unlikely that that would happen as hed been doing these surgeries for ages and he was way better than other surgeons. She recalled Teo saying: the other surgeons were jealous of him because what he could achieve and he was a lot better than what they were saying and he could achieve great things. For Joe, the one thing he impressed upon Teo was that he didnt want to go blind. He would rather have passed away than go blind, that was his big thing, his wife said. Kathy recalled being anxious about the decision to proceed. It wasnt my life. It was Joes decision because it was his life, but my gut feeling was telling me maybe we should just go off and enjoy what weve got. Teo assured them Joe would be back at work in no time. Having paid Teo $35,000 from their retirement savings, Joes surgery was scheduled to start at 3pm. Due to complications with a previous operation, his surgery didnt start until 9pm and didnt finish until 5am the next day. Kathy was worried about the surgery starting so late at night. She told the joint investigation she was told Teo had to fly to Singapore the next day, so it had to be done then. What was so important that he had to get on that plane and go, rather than giving quality of care? she posed. Following the surgery, Joe was blind. And what Kathy Leslie couldnt have known was that Teo was jetting off to Singapore to operate unsuccessfully on another patient, four-year-old Mikolaj Barman. There were serious post-operative complications, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaking out of his nose. Joe spent six weeks in and out of hospital in Sydney before returning to Brisbane, where he spent months in a public hospital. Joe Leslie lost more than his eyesight. The 65-year-old is brain-damaged, confused and requires 24-hour care. He didnt have the capacity to provide consent to be interviewed. The life he lives now, the old Joe, the Joe that we knew, would be horrified what his life has come to, his wife said. Loading Kathy Leslie, who has had to go back to work to support the family, is angry at what she believes is the false hope Teo gave them. Doctors take an oath of Do no harm. This has done more harm than good: emotionally, physically and mentally. The strain you put on families when you do operations like this is a lot more than if you would lose someone. Yes, you did the operation. Yes, you took the tumour, but what quality of life did you leave him with? Kathy said. She wanted to know if Teo would want to live the nightmare that Joe is living. Thats what I would like him to say Is the quality of life you want for yourself? Why do you do it to other people then? Do you know more? Email: kmcclymont@smh.com.au The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here. In the end, it was Dominic Perrottets conservative faction that ended David Elliotts state political career, but dont blame the premier. Asked on Sunday whether he would prefer a factional ally or the Transport Minister in his team, Perrottet was unequivocal: David Elliott. The 52-year-old former army captain found himself without enough support to contest preselection for the seat of Castle Hill, which is dominated by members of Perrottets hard-right faction. Perrottet said he had encouraged Elliott to fight on to win the numbers but Elliott decided otherwise. NSW Transport Minister David Elliott will quit politics at the state election. Credit:Edwina Pickles The nature of Elliotts downfall - edged out by internal factional rivals aligned with Perrottet - has prompted debate within the government over whether he will use his final 150 days in parliament to settle political scores. However, on Sunday Elliott insisted he would be on his best behaviour. My days of throwing spears are over, Im actually quite relieved about that, he said. Its not in my best interest to go and settle scores, when you announce your retirement in politics, you need more friends than enemies. Ive got 100mm left and they are predicting it will be more than that, unfortunately, Dunque says. Its right through all my sheds and underneath my house, of course. The next couple of days they are expecting another peak and I guess I am going to lose. Anyway, it is what it is when you want to live on the edge of the bush. Its just a wonderful spot to be. Its hard to be angry with the waterways near you when you love them so much. The news was better in Kerang. We have now seen a peak on the Loddon River at Kerang of 77.97 metres, just below the 78-metre mark that was being forecast for this event, Wiebusch said on Sunday. The water level had since receded to about 77.84 metres and was expected to fluctuate between 77.7 metres to 77.8 metres, he said. Kerang is still largely isolated from the major transport routes and is going to continue to be that way ... for at least another five to seven days, Wiebusch said. There was also a watch and act warning for Melbournes Werribee River and the Barwon River at Geelong, he said. A levee divides Echuca on Sunday. Credit:Jason South There have been more than 8500 calls for help to the SES since the start of the flooding, the SES chief said, and about 750 rescues have been carried out in the past seven to 10 days. Around 300 of those have been for people that have remained in their properties and chose for whatever reason not to evacuate when those reasons were current, Wiebusch said. Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday that there was significant rainfall in the north and waters were rising at Echuca and Kerang, breaching levees in some spots. Theres been some rising above the levee banks that have been built there, in isolated spots, he said. Residents ship sandbags in Echuca, one of many towns battling floods across Australia in the past week. Credit:Jason South Andrews said thousands of emergency workers in the states north were working to support those affected, but warned the flood event was far from over. This is going to be a very long journey, he said. There are very significant challenges faced in the next couple of days as waters peak. About 50 flood victims were staying at the Mickleham quarantine hub, he said. Road crews are working to repair flood damage and fix 42,000 potholes caused by flooding and reopened 499 roads across the state. Merv Smith said he was done after working around the clock to sandbag his property at Echuca. Credit:Jason South Merv Smith, 75, has been preparing his property, mostly alone, on the eastern side of Echuca. I reckon Im done, he said. He supported the creation of the makeshift levee, but laments it wasnt better planned. You have to protect more than less, but at the end of the day ... youve had 50 years to do the levee bank in the right place, he said. Dallas Mitchell has been working for days with his nephew, Riley Murphy, and friends to secure his fathers property in East Echuca. They have built an earth wall topped with a row of sandbags, piled six high. But the water has reached the sandbags and is starting to leak underneath and Mitchell says he is starting to get nervous. Theres all trenches that weve dug everywhere, where were trying to run the water away from those earth walls into the driveway, and then we have a hole in the driveway with a pump in it that were trying to pump out as fast as we can, he says. Dallas Mitchells house (bottom left) surrounded by water on Sunday. Credit:Jason South And theres a pump underneath the house because we keep having water pop up underneath the house and were not quite sure where thats coming from, to be honest. Mitchell says the sandbags have turned to mush. We are too scared to touch anything because if you stand on some dirt somewhere all of a sudden it wells up and water starts coming out. Ray Cross, a retiree from Melbourne, has a holiday house in Pakenham Street in Echuca, just 20 metres from the riverbank. Loading He spent Sunday in his tractor, ferrying people through the water to doctors appointments and other chores in town, and picking up supplies and fuel for the pump, which is churning water out of his garage. We have got nine bricks to go before it hits the ground-level floor, Cross said. Everyones worried that the rivers going to keep climbing, but I cant see it getting too much higher. At the moment, the river is running fairly fast. Lets hope it stays that way. London: Prince William is to take an active role in planning the coronation of his father King Charles III, as an expert report recommends archaic, feudal and imperial elements be dropped from the ceremony altogether. William, the Prince of Wales is likely to also have a place in the ceremony on May 6 and is expected to join those on the Kings Coronation Committee to help set the tone for the event. William, Prince of Wales, pictured with Catherine, Princess of Wales, will be taking a role in modernising the coronation. Credit:Getty Images Plans for Operation Golden Orb have been in the draft stages for years, with a committee made up of members of the clergy and historians. But while Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, took a keen interest in the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the new Queen Consort, Camilla, is understood to not be taking the same role. Instead, the Kings eldest son will have an active advisory position, taking an interest in the ceremony and how it reflects modern Britain. If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means only one thing: that Russia has already prepared all of it, Zelensky said in a televised address on Sunday evening. Ukraines top diplomat, Dmytro Kuleba, said his country neither has dirty bombs nor plans to acquire them. Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions from a US-supplied M777 howitzer in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region on Sunday, October 23. Credit:AP The French Ministry of the Armed Forces said Shoigu told his counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, that the situation in Ukraine was rapidly worsening and trending towards uncontrollable escalation. Shoigus call with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin was the second in three days. A US official familiar with Sundays call said Russian allegations of a Ukraine provocation came up. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private call. The mention of the dirty bomb threat in Shoigus calls seemed to indicate the threat of such an attack has risen to an unprecedented level. It appears that there is a shared feeling that the tensions have approached the level that could raise the real threat for all, said Fyodor Lukyanov, the Kremlin-connected head of the Council for Foreign and Defence policies, a Moscow-based group of top foreign affairs experts. Russian broadcaster suspended Ukraine has branded the Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT as an inciter of genocide after a presenter said Ukrainian children who saw Russians as occupiers under the Soviet Union should have been drowned. Within hours, Margarita Simonyan, the channels editor-in-chief, said she had suspended the presenter, Anton Krasovsky, because of his disgusting comments, adding that no one at RT shared his views. In his show broadcast last week, Krasovsky said children who criticised Russia should have been thrown straight into a river with a strong current. Krasovsky is a pro-war commentator on Russian television who has been sanctioned by the European Union. He was responding to an account by Russian science fiction author Sergei Lukyanenko about how, when he first visited Ukraine in the 1980s, children told him they would live better lives were it not for Moscow occupying their country. They should have been drowned in the Tysyna [river], Krasovsky said in reply. Just drown those children, drown them. Alternatively, he said, they could be shoved into huts and burned. In a short segment of the interview on social media, Krasovsky also laughed at reports that Russian soldiers had raped elderly Ukrainian women during the invasion. Governments which have still not banned RT must watch this excerpt, Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter, linking to a clip of the interview. Kherson offensive Elsewhere, Russian authorities reported they were building defensive positions in occupied areas of Ukraine and border regions of Russia, reflecting fears that Ukrainian forces may attack along new sections of the 1000-kilometre front line of the war, which enters its ninth month on Monday. In recent weeks, Ukraine has focused its counteroffensive mostly on the Kherson region. Their relentless artillery strikes cut the main crossings across the Dnieper River, which bisects the southern region, leaving Russian troops on the west bank short of supplies and vulnerable to encirclement. Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Russian-installed regional administration in Kherson, said Sunday in a radio interview that Russian defensive lines have been reinforced and the situation has remained stable since local officials strongly encouraged all residents of the regions capital and nearby areas on Saturday to evacuate by ferry to the rivers east bank. The region is one of four that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month and put under Russian martial law on Thursday. Kherson city has been in Russian hands since the early days of the war, but Ukraines forces have made advances toward reclaiming it. About 20,000 Kherson residents have moved to places on the east bank of the Dnieper River, the Kremlin-backed regional administration reported. The Ukrainian military said Sunday that Russias military also withdrew its officers from areas on the west bank, leaving newly mobilised, inexperienced forces. The Ukrainian claim could not be independently verified. As Ukraine presses south after liberating the Kharkiv region in the north last month, authorities in the western Russian provinces bordering north-eastern Ukraine appeared jittery. The governor of Russias Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, said Sunday that two defensive lines have been built and a third one would be finished by November 5. Loading Defensive lines were also established in the Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. He posted pictures on Saturday of lines of pyramid-shaped concrete to block the movement of armoured vehicles. More defensive positions were being built in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire Russian businessman, said. Prigozhin owns the Wagner Group, a mercenary military company that has played a prominent role in the war. He said his company was constructing a Wagner line in the Luhansk region, another of the Ukrainian provinces Putin illegally annexed last month. Prigozhin posted images Wednesday showing a section of newly built defences and trench systems southeast of the town of Kreminna. The British Defence Ministry said on Sunday the project suggests Russia is making a significant effort to prepare defences in depth behind the current front line, likely to deter any rapid Ukrainian counteroffensives. Loading Russias forces captured Luhansk several months ago. Pro-Moscow separatists declared independent republics in the region and neighbouring Donetsk eight years ago, and Putin made controlling all of both provinces a goal at the wars outset. The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, said Sunday that Russias latest strategy of targeting power plants appeared aimed at diminishing Ukrainians will to fight and forcing the government in Kyiv to devote more resources to protecting civilians and energy infrastructure. It said the effort was unlikely to damage Ukrainian morale but would have significant economic impacts. The Five Points neighborhood, a hardscrabble area on Buffalos West Side just a decade or so ago, now attracts a mixed crowd of shopkeepers resurrecting storefronts and young homeowners refurbishing old houses. These newcomers know some of the neighborhoods history, where Italian immigrants relocated during the early 20th century. But few if any even recognize the name of one its most infamous former residents, a young man who spoke with a Southern drawl. His name was Charles Arthur Floyd. But the feds and headline writers called him Pretty Boy Floyd. And for more than a year, from September 1933 through October 1934, he lived a hermitlike existence on the block bounded by Rhode Island Street, Brayton Street, Massachusetts Avenue and 18th Street. If you walk a clockwise route around this keystone block of the Five Points, youll find other ghostly figures from the citys Depression-era history. At the corner of Rhode Island and Brayton streets, people line up to enter the Butter Block, a bakery in a storefront where A.B. Battaglia owned a drugstore in the 1930s. Stroll north on Brayton and youll see a parking lot where Blanche Sutor opened a beer joint just a few months after Prohibition ended. Across the street is a house with signs on the door and mailbox that identify it as the Better Business Service. That is where Mike Sanfratello, an Italian immigrant, had his meat market. All three had fleeting connections to Floyd. Complete your journey and at the corner of 18th and Rhode Island, and youll discover a little park, with benches, some bushes and trees and the head from an old statue resting forlornly on the grass. That park is where the four-story Amiantus apartments once stood. And that is where Floyd, another gangster and two young women lived in apartment 821 while federal agents hunted him after a massacre of four lawmen in Kansas City. This Buffalo sojourn was Floyds last stop on his road to eternity. The Sanders arrive The Chevy pulled up in front of the Amiantus apartments on Sept. 21, 1933. A young couple stepped out, walked into the building and identified themselves to the owner as Mr. and Mrs. Ed Brennan. The Brennans paid $45 cash for an apartment the owner didnt ask for references and then walked back to the Chevy, where another young couple got out. All four headed back into the Amiantus and walked up to the second floor, five-room furnished apartment. The second couple, who identified themselves as Mr. and Mrs. George Sanders, were especially good-looking. The woman was blond, about 5-foot-2 and slender, and when she smiled, she revealed a pretty gold tooth. The handsome man was well dressed, not quite 5-foot-9 and a muscular 170 pounds with a tattoo of a Red Cross nurse on his left arm. He discreetly carried a machinegun and two machine pistols. This was Charles Pretty Boy Floyd. The notorious outlaw, infamous for his bank robberies in Oklahoma, Missouri and the Southwest, was a wanted man with a price on his head in September 1933. Not for robberies, though. The Bureau of Investigation predecessor of the FBI blamed him for the Union Station Massacre in Kansas City, where three months earlier three gangsters killed four police and wounded three others in a failed attempt to free one of their own. The ambushers also killed their fellow gangster in the botched attack. The feds said Floyd was the ring leader and wielded a machine gun in the killings. The massacre occurred at a time when gangsters dominated newspaper headlines. It was toward the end of Prohibition. That would end in December. But it was still the depths of the Great Depression, and deadly yet colorful gangsters held Americas attention, robbing banks in often bloody attacks. Bonnie and Clyde. John Dillinger. Baby Face Nelson. After the slayings of four police including one federal agent on the morning of June 17, 1933, Pretty Boy Floyd was near the top of the list. Too hot to help Floyd and one of the other gangsters believed responsible for the massacre Adam C. Richetti needed a place to lay low, a place where they knew no one and no one knew them. The third gunman allegedly involved in the massacre, Vernon Miller, fled to New Jersey and then Detroit. Though Floyd had many friends, he and Richetti were now pariahs among the underworld crowd. It was simply too dangerous to help the notorious gangster, and their former hideouts were now closed to them, according to "The Life and Death of Pretty Boy Floyd." They headed to St. Louis, Cleveland and finally landed in Buffalo, a long ways from the hills of east Oklahoma that was Floyds home territory. But they stopped in Toledo to pick up two women Juanita Baird, 25, and her sister, Rose, 26. The sisters had known Floyd for several years. In fact, Juanita claimed that she married Floyd in March 1929, about three months after he and his wife, Ruby, divorced. Juanita, though, couldnt remember any details of the wedding, such as where they were married, or who married them. Laying low The four occupants of Apartment 821 at the Amiantus kept to themselves over the next 13 months, seldom going out. They never wrote letters nor received any. They played cards, turned on the radio and subscribed to magazines and newspapers. The women preferred "True Romances," "True Story" and "Womens Home Companion." The two men read "Master Detective" and "American Detective." About a month after they settled in, Floyd, who was 29, and Richetti, the youngest of the four at 21, learned that Miller, the only gunman positively identified in the massacre, met a violent end in Detroit. Police found his body in a ditch. He had been tortured, strangled and beaten to death with a claw hammer. It was a gangland murder. Crazy fool should have stayed hid, Richetti said. The men seldom went out, except to buy food. The few times that someone knocked on the apartment door, such as a paper boy who came collecting, the women answered. But the two men never showed any hesitation or fear. They never picked up any guns when anyone came to the door, Rose said later, or acted as if someone was coming after them. But few people came to the door. They had no friends in Buffalo. And on only one occasion did they invite anyone inside, a neighbor couple and their baby, identified by Juanita as the Letteris. The two women told the visiting couple that their husbands were gamblers. Identified While Floyd and Richetti remained hermitlike in the apartment, the Baird sisters occasionally strolled around the neighborhood. They frequented the Utica Drug Store at the end of the block, where the owner, A.B. Battaglia, remembered the two women. They purchased cigarettes (mostly Kool and Old Gold) and pine tar cough syrup but no prescriptions and only items for women, not men, he later said. The two couples needed to eat, though. Joe Sanfratello owned a meat market at 410 Massachusetts Ave., a two-block walk from the Amiantus. He recalled the two women and two men buying substantial quantities of meat from him, although he did not know their names. But Sanfratellos 23-year-old son Mike positively identified Floyd and Richetti as his fathers customers, explaining that he also delivered meat to their apartment. On one or two occasions, he said, the two invited him to share a drink. Both father and son said they never saw the two men with anyone else. Watching for police Seven months after Prohibition ended, Blanche Sutor opened a beer parlor the Fifty-Fifty Grille, at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Brayton Street. It was on the same block as the Amiantus. Mike Sanfratello stood outside the Fifty-Fifty at the opening July 10, 1934, and saw the two couples walking by. It was one of the few times that the men ventured outside the apartment. Sanfratello invited them in for a drink. Floyd and Richetti hesitated and one of the women refused to enter. But Sanfratello insisted, and they finally joined him inside, where he obtained a table. But Floyd, Juanita, Richetti and Rose appeared nervous the whole time. Floyd and Richetti pointed to some large men at the bar and asked Sanfratello if he knew them. They thought the men looked like police officers. The two couples left soon after. A vision of death While Floyd and Richetti stayed mostly inside their apartment, they did leave on occasion for extended periods. They would leave and be away for several days at a time, Juanita later told investigators. They never mentioned where they were going. On one occasion, Floyd went home to Oklahoma. He showed up before dawn at his mothers home at her farm near Akins, Okla., on Mothers Day May 1934 and stayed for three hours. Floyd told his mother he knew he was doomed. Right here is where you can put me, he said to her. I expect to go down soon with lead in me. Maybe the sooner the better. Bury me deep. A criminal supergroup John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd were among the most hunted criminals in the summer of 1934. But they ran separate enterprises until June 30, 1934. On that Saturday morning, the three gangsters, according to police accounts, joined forces to rob the Merchants National Bank of South Bend, Ind. Richetti, Alan Karpis (another notorious gangster), and Homer Van Meter also were involved. When the gang entered the bank, one of the gunmen fired his machinegun into the ceiling. Smiling, the gunman looked directly at a cashier standing at his desk next to the bank director. Both men later said they had no doubt Pretty Boy Floyd held that machinegun, But one month later, on July 23, 1934, federal agents killed John Dillinger as he left a movie theater in Chicago. Dillinger was the first person the feds ever named as Public Enemy No. 1. Now that he was gone, Pretty Boy Floyd was the new Public Enemy No. 1, and he had a $23,000 price on his head. Dangerously homesick Floyd and his party arrived in Buffalo in a Chevy but they left in a Ford. More than a year holed in their apartment, nerves were wearing thin, especially between Rose and Richetti. He always walked around with his head down, saying nothing, which aggravated us, Rose later said. During the time we were in Buffalo, we barely got along staying in the apartment practically all the time. In the later part of October 1934, Floyd asked the two women if they wanted to go home. We were all more or less homesick, Rose said. Floyd gave the two sisters money and told them to buy a car. They went to the Niagara Motor Co. and bought a Ford V-8 Coach. They paid $350 cash. A day or two later they packed up and left on Oct. 18. Richetti drove and Floyd sat in the back with his machinegun. They headed to Pennsylvania and then Ohio, the two men trading off driving from time to time. About 3 a.m. the next morning, with Floyd at the wheel and driving in heavy fog, they went off the road and hit a telephone pole near Liverpool, Ohio. The men sent the women to get a wrecker and have it towed to a garage for repairs. Floyd and Richetti stayed behind and then walked away with their machinegun and pistols before the wrecker arrived. The two women went to the garage with the Ford, and while they waited for it to be fixed, they heard that police had arrested one suspicious man and were looking for a second. The women decided to leave and drove the repaired Ford to Kansas City. When they arrived in there they learned that police captured had Richetti and killed Floyd near a corn crib in East Liverpool, Ohio. Romanticizing murder The banner headline in Buffalo Courier Express on the morning of Oct. 23, 1934, screamed Pretty Boy Floyd Killed by U.S. Agents. The headline in The Buffalo Evening News read Floyd Riddled in Death Trap. Most of America cheered the death of Pretty Boy Floyd. But not the people in eastern Oklahoma. While Floyd was a ruthless outlaw to America, he was a hero to the impoverished people there. They didnt call him Pretty Boy, a nickname that Floyd hated. The people in the hills of eastern Oklahoma knew him as Choc, a nickname associated with the home brew he liked. Some called him Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills while others called him Sagebrush Robin Hood because he frequently gave the money or groceries. He was the son of a tenant farmer and was a dirt farmer himself early on. But he was frustrated with the backbreaking labor that provided little for his wife and son. That is, until he traded five gallons of corn whisky for a pearl handed pistol and began his life of crime. He became a folk hero as he robbed banks that foreclosed on farmers and homeowners during the Depression. He always introduced himself to bank customers and it was rumored that he tore up mortgages during the robberies. I have robbed no one but moneyed men, he wrote to the governor of Oklahoma in 1931. Woody Guthrie later immortalized him in a ballad that told of the outlaws generosity to poor farmers and families and John Steinbeck modeled the fictional Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath after Floyd. When Floyd was buried in a tiny hilltop cemetery in Akins, Okla., 20,000 people showed up. Scattered among the curious outlanders were the natives of the district, men and women who came afoot, on horseback and in wagons, the Associated Press reported. Even the Cookson Hills, reputed hiding place for many of the Southwests outlaws, sent its delegation. Make no mistake, Floyds hands were drenched in blood. During his 12 years as an outlaw, he robbed as many as 30 banks and killed 10 men. He freely admitted to his crimes. But not the Union Station Massacre. He wrote to Kansas Citys chief investigator in the massacre shortly after the feds declared him one of the killers. I----Charles Floyd---- want it made known that I did not participate in the massacre of officers at Kansas City. Charles Floyd. The key evidence that linked Floyd to the deadly ambush was Richettis fingerprint on beer bottles in the Kansas City home of Vernon Miller, who was the actual mastermind of the massacre. And as he lay dying near that corn crib in Ohio, Floyd again denied participating in the Union Station Massacre. Looking back That apartment and that one block of the Five Points neighborhood of Buffalo was Floyds world for the last 13 months of his life. It was a neighborhood of first- and second-generation Italians and mom-and-pop stores. He was a Midwest-Southerner whose family went back generations in Georgia. Who knows if Floyd, Juanita, Richettii and Rose would have appreciated todays renaissance of the Five Points neighborhood? Floyd preferred that Choctaw beer brewed from barley, hops, berries and sometimes tobacco. So it is doubtful he would have found anything to his taste at the Paradise Wine store that now sits across Rhode Island from where the Amiantus once stood. And the four probably would have been reluctant to relax with the big crowd in the patio of that Remedy House across the street. Maybe Juanita and Rose would have enjoyed slipping over to the Blue Table Chocolates for some fancy candy or to the nearby Five Points Bakery for some artisan bread. And perhaps Floyd, the former dirt farmer, would have had something to in common to start a conversation with Pattianne Jablonski-Dopkin at the Urban Roots Cooperative Garden that now sits right next to where Floyd secluded himself in the Amiantus. Jablonski-Dopkin owns the park where the Amiantus once stood, and as a Philadelphia native, she says she finds the gangster era fascinating. So she was one of the few people in the Five Points area who has heard of Floyd, though she was surprised to learn he was a former resident. Its kind of cool, she said, when informer of Floyds ties to the block. Stan Evans is a retired deputy managing editor of The Buffalo News. He now babysits his granddaughter, writes history stories and plays tennis. By Trend Uzbekistan announced new measures to support the development of the agriculture sector in 2023, Trend reports via the press service of the Uzbek president. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on the expected results in the agricultural sector at the end of the year and tasks for the next year. First of all, the issue of increasing productivity through the efficient use of land and water resources was considered. The importance of helping farmers in determining the composition of the soil, choosing seeds, and protecting crops from pests was indicated. The task was set to launch, together with foreign companies, projects for the effective management of water resources in the regions. Furthermore, the need to expand the access of farms to financial resources, to simplify obtaining loans and subsidies was noted. In addition, the president separately touched upon the issue of the digitalization of agriculture. In general, the goal was set to create 600,000 permanent jobs in this sector and increase exports to $2 billion next year. OTTAWA Canadas envoy to the United Kingdom says Ottawa will not suspend trade negotiations with the British government over concerns about the Irish border. Britain has announced plans to change its arrangement with the European Union, which could eventually reinstate a border between the region of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. That has led to fears of a return to the decades of violence that ended with a 1998 peace agreement, which made the border almost invisible. Last week, Sinn Fein MP John Finucane came to Ottawa and asked Canada to stop its trade negotiations until London changes course. Canada's high commissioner to Britain, Ralph Goodale, says that would amount to "a veiled threat." He says Ottawa will instead offer help to avoid a conflict while proceeding with trade talks. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2022. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press The steady buildup of abandoned properties in St. Louis County adds to the urgency of legislative solutions to reduce the tedious, expensive and time-consuming legal roadblocks contributing to the spread of blight. Current Missouri law creates so many bureaucratic and legal hurdles that many would-be buyers of abandoned properties simply give up. They face two hard-to-fix problems: a big bill from unpaid property taxes and a potentially long list of title holders. It can take six or seven years to clear those items before a new owner can take over, meaning the property just sits there decaying in the meantime. Only the Legislature can fix this problem by granting all Missouri counties the same rights and privileges currently granted only to St. Louis city and Kansas City to establish land banking systems. Legislative solutions could help streamline the process of removing tax liens and clearing titles so abandoned properties can be more quickly sold. At least in theory its supposed to work that way. The St. Louis land bank has nearly 10,000 such properties, and even with streamlined processes, reducing that inventory remains a painstakingly slow process. In St. Louis County, the problem isnt quite as bad as in the city, but its growing fast, which is why legislative action is necessary. As the Post-Dispatchs Jacob Barker reported last Monday, nearly 5,500 properties mainly in North St. Louis County are in various stages of tax foreclosure. The process for putting abandoned properties up for sale is, by state law, absurdly slow and fraught with legal headaches. First theres tax delinquency. State law requires a waiting period of three years before a county can sell delinquent property at a tax auction. The purchaser is required to pay off the tax bill, which sometimes can be higher than the property is worth. Even then, the purchaser doesnt necessarily gain clear title. In many cases, the owners have passed away, leaving a potentially long succession of heirs children and grandchildren, etc. with a legal claim to the title. Clearing up those claims means hiring an attorney, adding more expenses and years of legal work to the process. Meanwhile, the property just sits there degrading, dragging adjacent home values down and making the neighborhood undesirable. Thats how blight churns into a vicious cycle, as it has in north St. Louis. State Rep. Bill Windham, D-Hillsdale, is planning legislation to expand tax-clearance land bank authority to all Missouri counties. Windham might find an ally in incoming House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, a former Pine Lawn municipal judge who has firsthand knowledge of north St. Louis Countys blight problems. Lawmakers might be inclined to dismiss this as just more urban problems that arent their concern. But even rural communities have abandonment issues, and once blight moves in, it never leaves without a fight. Regarding Why beer heiress and nurse Trudy Busch Valentine wants to be Missouris next US senator (Oct. 16): An analyst is quoted as saying it is pretty arrogant for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Trudy Busch Valentine not to have started her political career at the local level. I dont recall such condescension being levied at many current and former male senators and governors who successfully ran for their offices despite their lack of prior public service. JAKARTA, Oct 23, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - - The High-level Intergovermental Meeting on The Final Review of The Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities (HLIGM APDPD) was closed with the Jakarta Declaration agreement, which marked the start of the fourth decade of Asia and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities. "Today is the last day and the high-level meeting between governments in the Asia Pacific was closed and we are making the Jakarta Declaration 2023-2032 which will be followed up by members, accelerated and implemented," said Indonesian Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini in Jakarta. The Jakarta Declaration is expected to be able to reaffirm the commitment of the governments of Asia Pacific countries in realizing the Incheon Strategy, which was initiated ten years ago. The Jakarta Declaration has six resolutions. One of the priority issues is the alignment of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the level of legislation. According to Risma, harmonization of legislation is the toughest challenge for the Indonesian government because it has three levels of government, namely, the central government, provincial government and regency/city government. Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, said although the implementation of the CRPD making progress, people with disabilities in the Asia Pacific region face obstacles in education, work, decision making, and many other aspects. Therefore he invites UNESCAP members to strengthen new partnerships with disability organizations, the private sector, United Nations entities and the others to create a comprehensive community approach. Armida hopes that people with disabilities can participate in all policies and programs related to disability actively and significantly, in line with the spirit of 'nothing without us about us'. HLIGM APDPD was held on a hybrid basis during 19 - 21 October 2022 and was attended by delegates from 53 member states, 9 association member, observer countries, UN agencies, and civil society organizations. See the original article: https://en.antaranews.com/news/256377/ Written by: PR Wire, Editor: PR Wire (c) ANTARA 2022 Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. SAN DIEGO, Oct. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Transportation Research Institute, the trucking industry's not-for-profit research organization, released its 18th annual Top Industry Issues report, identifying the leading industry concerns including fuel prices, the driver shortage, truck parking, driver compensation, the economy and for the first time, speed limiters. "ATRI's list is a true reflection of what it was like to be a trucker this year," said ATA Chairman Harold A. Sumerford Jr. "High fuel prices and finding drivers were two of our industry's biggest challenges challenges made more difficult by the economy and the continued lack of truck parking. Thankfully, ATRI doesn't just tell us what the issues are, it provides a number of possible solutions that decision makers can use to address them." In a year that saw record-high fuel costs, Fuel Prices were ranked as the top industry concern, replacing the Driver Shortage, which had been the number one issue for five years in a row. This year, the Driver Shortage was the second-ranked issue, followed by the lack of available Truck Parking. Rounding out the top five this year were Driver Compensation and the Economy. With the release earlier this year of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Notice of Intent to enter into a speed limiter rulemaking in 2023, Speed Limiters ranked in the top ten this year for the first time, coming in ninth overall and fifth among commercial driver respondents. Over 47 percent of the survey respondents were professional truck drivers and 39 percent were motor carrier executives. Among driver respondents, Truck Parking, Fuel Prices and Driver Compensation were the top three concerns, while motor carriers ranked the Driver Shortage, Driver Retention and Fuel Prices as their top three concerns. More than 4,200 trucking industry stakeholders participated in this year's survey, including motor carriers, truck drivers, industry suppliers, driver trainers, law enforcement, and others. "This year's survey had the highest number of responses to date, showing how committed our industry is to identifying the most critical concerns and more importantly, figuring out how we collectively deal with each issue," said ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster. The complete results of the annual survey were released as part of 2022 American Trucking Associations' Management Conference and Exhibition. The full report can be found at ATRI's website here. ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fuel-costs-top-the-list-of-trucking-industry-issues-301656675.html SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Awale Resources Limited ("Awale") or the "Company") (TSXV: ARIC) is pleased to announce that, further to the Company's news release of September 13, 2022, the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") has conditionally accepted the acquisition of Colossal Gold Resources Limited ("Colossal") by Awale (the "Acquisition") pursuant to a letter agreement dated September 12, 2022, (the "Agreement") between Awale, Colossal and the shareholders of Colossal (the "Sellers"). Final TSXV acceptance of the Acquisition is conditional on the Company satisfying the requirements outlined in the TSXV's conditional acceptance letter in compliance with TSXV Policy 5.3 which the Company is in the process of completing. Colossal holds, through its wholly-owned Surinamese subsidiary, Consolidated Gold Resources N.V. ("Consolidated Gold"), a 100% interest in certain existing mineral exploration and exploitation licences in Suriname (the "Licences"). In addition to final TSXV acceptance, closing of the Acquisition remains subject to receipt of the approval of the disinterested shareholders of the Company; Awale having completed a financing to raise a minimum of gross proceeds of CAD$2,000,000 (the "Financing"); the assumption by Awale of the Assumed Obligations (as defined below); and other closing conditions as are standard for a transaction of the nature of the Acquisition, (collectively, the "Closing Conditions"). Awale has now completed its in-country due diligence review of Colossal's assets, which was a condition to closing of the Acquisition, and is satisfied with the results. The Company will seek the approval of the disinterested shareholders of Awale to the Acquisition and the issuance of an aggregate of 21,663,138 common shares of the Company to the Sellers in consideration of 100% of the Colossal shares, at the annual general meeting of the Awale shareholders to be held on November 7, 2022. The management information circular relating to the meeting setting out the details of the Acquisition, will be mailed to shareholders on October 11, 2022. The Sellers in the aggregate currently hold approximately 24% of the outstanding Awale shares. The Sellers will be excluded from voting any of those Awale shares for the approval of the Acquisition. Upon closing of the Acquisition, the Company will assume the following liabilities of Colossal and Consolidated Gold: (a) the following payments owing to Dimitri Lemmer, one of the Sellers, in consideration of Colossal's acquisition of the Licences, (the "Assumed Obligations"): Payment of US$250,000 on closing of the Acquisition or as otherwise agreed; Payments totaling a maximum of US$1.75M following issuance of a technical report prepared in accordance National Instrument 43-101 Standards for Disclosure of Mineral Projects establishing a mineral resource on the Project on the following basis: US$0.50 per ounce of gold for reported accumulated ounces of up to 999,999 ounces of gold (the "Initial Ounces); US$1.00 per ounce of gold for reported accumulated ounces of one million ounces or greater of gold plus an additional payment of US$0.50 per Initial Ounce; (b) US$299,614 as at July 31, 2022, owing to third parties in connection with exploration expenditure being salaries, Auger drilling, assaying, logistics and related expenditure; and (c) other monthly operating expenses from August 1, 2022 accruing and amounting to no greater than US$14,450 per month until closing. As at the date of hereof, the pricing and terms of the Financing have not yet been determined. Other than Thierry Dalais, a Seller under the Agreement, who will become an insider of Awale after closing of the Acquisition as he will then hold approximately 10.69% of the Awale outstanding shares, no other insiders of the Company will be participating in the Financing. Although the Financing is a condition to closing the Acquisition, which may be waived, closing of the Financing is not contingent or conditional on completion of the Acquisition. Under the terms of the Agreement, any party could terminate the Agreement if any of the Closing Conditions for the benefit of the terminating party was not satisfied or waived by October 15, 2022 (the "Outside Date"), unless such date was extended by mutual written consent of Awale and Colossal. Awale and Colossal have agreed to extend the Outside Date to November 30, 2022. About Awale ResourcesAwale is an exploration company focused on the discovery of large high-grade gold and copper-gold deposits. The Company currently undertakes exploration activities in the underexplored parts of Cote d'Ivoire. Awale's success to date at the Odienne Project in the Northwest of Cote d'Ivoire has culminated in a fully funded earn-in Joint Venture with Newmont (the "Newmont JV") covering the Odienne Project where two primary targets for world-class discoveries have been made: i) the gold-rich Empire corridor and ii) the recently defined Charger, Sceptre and now Lando Iron Oxide Copper Gold ("IOCG") targets. Parts of the remaining 200km2 of granted tenure and 400km2 under application remains underexplored and offers significant IOCG potential. The Newmont JV forms the solid foundation for the Company to continue looking at new opportunities in new jurisdictions which offers significant potential for district scale discoveries. Awale is currently in the process of completing the acquisition of Colossal Gold Resources, a private company with a highly prospective gold exploration portfolio in Suriname, which provides an excellent strategic fit and future growth potential for Awale. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD AWALE RESOURCES LIMITED "Derk Hartman" Independent Director and Chairman of the Special CommitteeDerk Hartman, Director Forward-Looking InformationThis news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by such information. The statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Cautionary Statement NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/update-on-acquisition-of-colossal-gold-in-suriname-301646029.html SOURCE Awale Resources STAND OFF, Alta. The Prairie Blood coulee winds through a property on the Kainai Nation, also known as the Blood Tribe, in southern Alberta. On a warm fall day, about a dozen people haul willows, mulch, dirt and water to several spots along a dry creek bed. Some pound large posts into the ground. Technicians from Blood Tribe and volunteers from local environmental groups are building five beaver dam analogs, which mimic a natural logjam. They hope to restore the stream flow to help the landowner care for his animals and have more water for wildlife as the area experiences a decade-long drought. "Farther upstream, where there are beavers, there is plenty of water. They are missing here and we need to help this ecosystem," Alvin First Rider, an environmental technician with Blood Tribe Land Management, said as the crew got started on another day's work. "(Beavers) are ecological engineers like bison or fire. They are tools that people don't need to be scared of. They get a bad rap, but we need to learn to live with them. "We have been living in a drought and climate change is only getting worse. We are trying to be proactive by installing these to help climate resiliency on the landscape of Kainai." It's one of many ways First Nations are dealing with climate change, which has led to extreme weather that contributes not only to droughts, but also damaging floods and wildfires across the Prairies. The Kanai Ecosystem Protection Association, which includes Blood Tribe Land Management and the Blackfoot Confederacy, works to build a healthy environment that balances sustainability, the economy and a traditional connection to air, water, land and animals. At its annual summit in September, the association showcased its efforts on water conservation. Attendees learned about the Blackfoot Confederacy's work to protect native bull and cutthroat trout on its four First Nations, heard about the importance of wetlands and visited a site where willows were planted along the river. Story continues On the final day of the summit, First Rider walked to the edge of the Belly River, part of the Oldman watershed, and pointed to the stem of a recently planted willow poking through the grass. "For ceremonial use, willows are hard to find," he explained. "One of the things we are trying to do is restore willow populations here. It will also keep the stream bank from eroding." More frequent and intense rainstorms that come with climate change can cause more erosion and see more sediment washing into rivers and streams. Shannon Frank, executive director of the Oldman Watershed Council, said the non-profit organization helps Kainai Nation, as well as nearby Piikani Nation, with water-related projects. "Both Nations have been doing great work, so we want to support them and make sure they have the resources and tools they need," she said. Frank, who received a traditional Blackfoot name that means "water-singing woman" at the summit, said partnerships with Indigenous communities are an important part of reconciliation. "It's not just about the watershed and the water it's about restoring the culture," she said. "The Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) culture is directly connected to the land and the water. So, by restoring the watershed, we are actually helping to restore the culture." Watershed councils across the Prairies have become an effective mechanism for local climate change adaptation planning and water protection, says a 2021 report led by Natural Resources Canada. The report notes some of those groups in Saskatchewan have branched out to include drought and flooding on top of water-quality issues. In Alberta, the report says non-profit organizations report on health of watersheds, lead collaborative planning and facilitate education and stewardship activities. Frank said a lot can be learned from the Indigenous community. "It's a sustainable culture," she said. "It was always a sustainable culture." Kansie Fox, environmental protection manager with Blood Tribe Land Management, said Kainai's projects come from engagement with the community, including its youth and elders. "There is a lot of concern, especially around species and plants that are disappearing those culturally important species that are needed daily," she said, referring to sweetgrass and willows regularly used in traditional ceremonies. There are several sites where willows are being replanted, similar to the site along the Belly River. In addition to stabilizing the bank, First Rider said willows can create better fish habitat by shading the water and keeping it cool for native trout, provide food for beavers and become habitat for nesting birds. "They are very important for the ecosystem." Similarly, more than 40 First Nations and tribes across Canada and the United States have signed on to a Buffalo Treaty to bring back bison or buffalo, as they are traditionally known by Indigenous people as a way to connect to their history and restore an ecological balance. At Kainai, First Rider said bison could help to protect the native grasslands. "At one time, it was considered the largest intact remnants of grassland," he said. "It's slowly being disturbed. We're trying to create that awareness in that push to protect that little bit of grassland that's left." The reintroduction of bison comes with an assessment of birds, soil and insects. "We're looking at the dung beetle population," he explained. "Burrowing owl will seek out the dung. "Historically, burrowing owls were there in the late 90s, 2000s. We're hoping they eventually come back." Fox said the Nation is also trying to protect culturally important animals such as wolves and bears, which have been affected by climate change, before it's too late. In 2017, a wildfire swept through Waterton Lakes National Park, about an hour's drive to the southwest. "When that happened, there was an influx of wolves and wolverines," said Fox. "Data is showing ... they are using this place almost as a refuge. So, keeping that habitat healthy is something we are working toward to face those challenges that come with climate change." Their work, she said, tries to balance Western science with available traditional knowledge. "A lot of knowledge is hard to find," said Fox. "A lot of it was lost when colonization happened and residential schools." She said some of the project funding is being used to gather traditional knowledge, find a way to document it, then pass that knowledge on to future generations. "It's important to get that Western science data to make sure we are doing things in a consistent manner," said Fox, "but also that we are respecting the knowledge that the land holds, that these species hold, that our elders hold." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 23, 2022. Colette Derworiz, The Canadian Press Gerald McIlmoyle had an incredible view of the world and no time to enjoy it. Some 13 miles below him, the green island of Cuba stood out against the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, but he was focused on his perilous mission. It was Oct. 25, 1962, and the U.S. Air Force captain was piloting a U-2 spy plane on the edge of Earths atmosphere, taking high-resolution images of nuclear missile sites on the island nation about 100 miles from Florida. The world teetered toward total destruction as tensions escalated between the United States and Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis 60 years ago this week. As McIlmoyle snapped photos, a flash of light caught his eye. The Soviet and Cuban militaries had launched a pair of surface-to-air missiles. Thankfully, a course correction hed made moments earlier caused the missiles to miss his plane. The Cold War had suddenly heated up, and Americas U-2 pilots were on the front lines of a dangerous game of brinkmanship between two heavily armed superpowers. Their bravery gave U.S. President John F. Kennedy the proof he needed to confront Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and find a way to avoid a nuclear nightmare. These men risked their lives in an effort to save mankind, and Im not being hyperbolic when I say that, said Casey Sherman, co-author of the 2018 book Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and Americas Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission. During those 13 days in October 1962, we came the closest in history to thermonuclear war. The Cuban missile crisis began Oct. 14, when Maj. Steve Heyser snapped the first shots of the missile sites, triggering a series of missions by 11 U-2 pilots to learn exactly what was happening on the ground in Cuba. Largely forgotten today, their actions probably prevented nuclear war. One of those spy-plane pilots would make the ultimate sacrifice for his country, while another barely escaped being shot down by Soviet jets. These pilots were completely unarmed, Sherman said. They were flying in defenseless aircraft. Even though they were 13 miles high, they were still susceptible to airstrikes from the ground, which ultimately led to the death of one of the pilots. Nobody remembers there was a KIA [killed in action] during the Cuban missile crisis. The lone casualty by enemy fire during that tumultuous two-week period was Maj. Rudolf Anderson. The Air Force pilot, who jumped at every chance to fly U-2 missions over Cuba, was not scheduled to be in the air on Oct. 27, 1962. In fact, no one was. However, military planners changed their minds at the last minute, and Anderson volunteered. The veteran pilot was used to dangerous missions. Anderson had earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses for reconnaissance flights over North Korea in 1953. He joined the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in 1957 and soon became the top U-2 pilot, with more than 1,000 hours of flying time. On that fateful day, Anderson climbed into his spy plane and took off for Cuba. The Lockheed U-2, still in use today, first entered service in 1955. Though equipped with sophisticated technology, the plane itself is simply constructed mostly an airframe and engine. Its main purpose is taking photographs of objects on Earth from the edge of space. It features no armor or weapons. You cant even fight back in a U-2, said Mike Tougias, who co-wrote Above & Beyond with Sherman. Youre basically a sitting duck. Flying the U-2 at such high altitudes required a pressurized suit and helmet similar to those donned by astronauts in the Mercury space program. They protected pilots from the thin air and cold temperatures 72,000 feet above the earth but not from weapons fired at them. As Anderson soared through the stratosphere, Soviet and Cuban troops launched two surface-to-air missiles. Both exploded too far away to cause serious damage to the aircraft. However, a tiny piece of shrapnel pierced the jets fuselage and penetrated Andersons suit, causing it to depressurize. He probably lost consciousness almost immediately and died in seconds. His pilotless plane then spun out of control and fell 13 miles to Earth, crashing near the Cuban village of Veguitas. It didnt take much to bring a U-2 down, Tougias said. There are photos of the fuselage on the ground with cockpit intact. I remember McIlmoyle telling me, All it takes is one little piece of shrapnel and the U-2 will come spiraling down like a leaf from a tree. Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union further escalated during another U-2 mission that occurred about the time Anderson was shot down. Thousands of miles away, Capt. Chuck Maultsby was flying a spy plane over Alaska toward the North Pole to take radiation readings of Soviet nuclear tests on an island off Siberia. Unknowingly, the Air Force pilot had drifted of course, his compass rendered useless by the magnetic north pole and interference from an active aurora borealis display. By the time he discovered his error, he was being chased by six Soviet MiG interceptor jets. He flew as high he could higher than the Soviet jets could reach but he was low on fuel, so he attempted to glide back to safety. Meanwhile, the U.S. Strategic Air Command launched F-102 fighter jets armed with tactical nuclear missiles. If those American pilots fired on the enemy planes, it could trigger the war both superpowers were trying to avoid in the Caribbean. Fortunately, Maultsby was able to avoid the Soviets and land safely on a remote airstrip in Alaska. Soon after these events, the world stepped back from the precipice of nuclear war. Kennedy and Khrushchev concerned that an event like the downing of a spy plane could escalate into a conflagration negotiated a deal to end the crisis. The Soviets agreed to remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba; the Americans later dismantled similar sites in Turkey. About a week after the crisis cooled, McIlmoyle shook hands with Kennedy when the president met with the U-2 pilots to acknowledge their heroic efforts. Ill never be able to thank you men enough for bringing back those pictures which allowed me to peacefully end this crisis, he told McIlmoyle, who died last year. Anderson was posthumously presented with the Air Force Cross the first airman to receive this award for heroism in military operations against an armed enemy. Today, Anderson is remembered with a small plaque at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. There are no other memorials or statues honoring the men who flew U-2 missions with the future of humanity on their wings. The heroism of the U-2 pilots has been lost to history, Sherman said. They should be recognized and honored for what they did. These men were heroes. Rudy Andersons name should be on the tip of everyones tongue, but people dont remember him. While the worlds eyes are trained on the war in Ukraine and whether Vladimir Putin is unhinged enough to use nuclear weapons, another war rages mostly unseen some 3,000 miles away in Ethiopia. The war is centered on the northern region of Tigray, where a long-standing political conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) turned violent in 2020. The region has been under a near total blockade for most of the time since, cut off from humanitarian aid, electricity, telecommunications and banking, leaving 5.3 million civilians in dire straits. The Ethiopian governments renewed offensive has escalated the crisis even further. Accurately estimating the dead while war continues is difficult, but the best estimates available suggest at least half a million people have died so far from direct violence, starvation and lack of access to health care. Starvation seems to be a feature rather than a bug in the governments battle plan. More recent estimates suggest that this number have died in combat alone, possibly bringing the overall deaths closer to a million. To put it in perspective, the United Nations estimates about 6,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine so far, and estimates put military deaths in the tens of thousands. Even if these estimates are low, the best available numbers suggest that the scale of death in Ethiopia exceeds that in Ukraine many times over. And yet Ethiopia has received a small fraction of attention, both from policymakers and the media. The U.S. and others must take a more direct approach before the worst fears of the Tigrayan people are realized. Those fears include a genocide of the people of Tigray. In response to the latest offensive, the United Nations, African Union, United States and other countries have called on all sides to cease hostilities. But generic calls for everyone to stop fighting and quiet behind-the-scenes diplomacy that has been the favored approach so far are a woefully inadequate response. Tigrayan authorities have indicated that they would respect a cease-fire, but Ethiopian government officials have instead doubled down to lambaste the evils of its enemy. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government has reportedly dropped leaflets in Tigray stating that anyone remaining behind would be considered a combatant, raising clear concerns that all Tigrayans, a distinct ethnic group, would be targets in an assault. Sources from the area claim Ethiopian and Eritrean forces (their allies) have been instructed to kill three Tigrayans each, including elderly and children, and that victims limbs and skulls are on display. These stories are unverified given the lack of humanitarian and media access to the region. But given the language and actions of Ethiopia so far, along with the death toll and atrocities already committed, there is little reason not to take them seriously. Eritreas role has complicated efforts to reach a peace too, as few countries have any leverage to influence its actions, and the TPLF is its sworn enemy. There is no guarantee that Eritrea will stop fighting even if the Ethiopian government comes to the table. While its true that all sides have committed abuses, the scale is hardly comparable, with Ethiopia and Eritrea committing the lions share of wanton violence and harm against civilians throughout the conflict. When one side holds this level of responsibility for continuing conflict and suffering, those who hold any sway must speak out clearly and directly against it. At this stage, peace looks like a long shot, but that does not excuse the inadequate efforts made so far. The United States and the United Nations are often loath to invite criticism by directly calling out states for violent acts against their own people when those states are friends and partners, as Ethiopia is. It wont likely end the war, but that is a weak excuse for not trying harder. The innocent people of Tigray deserve acknowledgment, and there is a chance that such international pressure, in combination with policy choices that reduce Ethiopias support, through international institutions and individual countries alike, could influence the path Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed chooses. Calling out the atrocities for what they are would at least put Ethiopia and Eritrea on notice that the world is watching, and the long arm of international justice could ultimately prevail. Offenders in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone, to name a few, ultimately faced justice. We must stop shying away from uncomfortable conversations when so many lives are at stake. If U.S. leverage is inadequate, we should press the countries who arm and support Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the international financial institutions like the World Bank that keep the country afloat as its economy falters. The time for quiet diplomacy is over. The time for alarm has long since passed. Echoing what weve heard repeatedly about the plight of Ukraine: If Ethiopia stops fighting, the war ends, but if Tigray stops fighting, in the absence of international oversight and an inclusive peace process, the impoverished people of Tigray might end instead. Elizabeth Shackelford is a senior fellow on U.S. foreign policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She was previously a U.S. diplomat and is the author of The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age. CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea North and South Korea exchanged warning shots along their western sea border Monday, the same day Seoul and Washington kicked off four days of naval drills in preparation for enemy provocations, the Souths Ministry of National Defense said. A North Korean merchant ship crossed the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, also known as the West Sea, that morning, according to the Souths Joint Chiefs of Staff. The South fired warning shots, to which North Korean forces responded by firing 10 artillery rounds into the water. No injuries were reported by the South Korean military. The Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency claimed in a report Monday it had issued a grave warning after a South Korean vessel crossed the maritime border. The Northern Limit line is a de facto maritime boundary separating the two Koreas since the 1950-53 Korean War. The area has been marked with clashes in the past, including a 2010 incident in which 46 South Korean navy sailors were killed after their warship was hit by what international investigators concluded was a North Korean torpedo. Pyongyang denied involvement in the ships sinking. The Sohae Joint Exercise, which involves military forces and law enforcement in the area, was planned prior to the incident, the Defense Ministry said. The four-day drills include over 20 South Korean warships, F-15K Slam Eagles and KF-16 fighters, according to a ministry news release. The U.S. is sending AH-64 Apache helicopters and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, it added. The exercise is being held in preparation for enemy provocations, according to the release, and scenarios include detecting and intercepting high-speed hovercraft, infiltration of islands by special warfare units and countering local provocation operations. This is an exercise, which is defensive in nature, with an aim to improve capabilities to conduct joint and combined operations in preparation for a range of maritime provocations, South Korean 2nd Fleet commander Adm. Ryu Hyosang said in the release. We will defend our territorial waters by adamantly punishing enemies as we trained in preparation for enemy provocations. South Korean and U.S. forces are also scheduled to take part in Vigilant Storm, a five-day joint air exercise starting Oct. 31. Around 240 South Korean aircraft are expected to take part in the exercise along with about 100 U.S. aircraft, including helicopters and F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters. The number of large-scale military exercises between Seoul and Washington has risen sharply in the past year. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a member of the conservative People Power Party who was inaugurated in May, has vowed to reinforce the countrys military alliance with the U.S. and sternly address North Koreas provocations. North Korea has denounced the allies military drills and has conducted a record of 26 rounds of missile tests so far this year. The communist regime is also suspected by U.S. and South Korean officials to have prepared to conduct its seventh nuclear test, its first since 2017. Welcome home, Pvt. Reiter. Seven decades after he left his family in Northampton, Pa., and went to war in Korea, Edward Reiter was laid to rest in a grave that long has borne his name. Reiter dropped out of Northampton Area High School during his junior year and with his fathers reluctant permission, enlisted in the Army. Eight months later, he disappeared on a battlefield in the first weeks of the Korean War. He was 17. It wasnt until earlier this year that Reiters remains were identified. His short life was honored Saturday at a funeral Mass. He was buried with military honors and interred with his parents at Our Lady of Hungary Cemetery in Northampton. Hes never been forgotten, the Rev. Patrick Lamb said during his eulogy at Queenship of Mary Catholic Church, just two lots down Newport Avenue from where Reiter lived. About 20 family members attended the service, including Reiters sister, Rose Prickler, who held a memorial Mass for him at the church every year. Prickler was presented with her brothers Purple Heart by Capt. Jamie Washo, a National Guard support specialist. The consulate of the Republic of Korea in Philadelphia presented Prickler with the Ambassador for Peace Medal, an honor from the Korean government to U.S. service members who fought for that countrys freedom. I hope you will understand our total and profound appreciation, consulate principal officer Daesup Chung told the family, which besides Prickler consisted of nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. Reiter would have turned 90 last Saturday. Another sister, Helen Templeton, was unable to attend the service. The rest of his siblings have died. What an incredible journey brought us here today, Lamb said during a well-crafted eulogy. Its a journey the family had long prayed would reach its conclusion. Nephews Mark Prickler and Eddie Reiter Reiters namesake and Pricklers wife, Crystal, spent shared memories that had been passed down and showed family photographs and the government report on how Reiter was identified. Reiters unit K Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division was among the first U.S. ground troops deployed to Korea. Officials later acknowledged the unit was undermanned, underequipped and inexperienced. Reiter went missing in action on July 7, 1950, when his unit was overrun. His remains were found a little less than a year later, in May 1951. But they were unidentifiable. There were no dog tags or markings on his uniform. So he was buried as an unknown in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery Tanggok in Korea. In 1956, his remains were moved, with all other unidentified dead of the Korean War, to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. They were disinterred three years ago, along with the remains of 52 other unidentified soldiers who had been found in that part of Korea, for further investigation. Reiter was identified in June, based on X-rays and DNA comparisons with relatives. This moment makes all of that work worth it, Lamb said, recognizing the efforts of the military to bring Reiter home. He wished that families of other missing soldiers would be encouraged by Reiters return and not give up hope that one day their loved ones would be found and they can have their moment of mourning and closure as well. There unfortunately are many families in that position, with 7,525 U.S. military personnel remaining unaccounted for from the Korean War. Of those, 546 are from Pennsylvania. Lamb noted how Reiters family parents Frank and Theresa, brothers Joseph and Frank and sisters Julie, Theresa, Rose and Helen had endured much grief after Reiter went missing. But they couldnt do much mourning. To heal our grief we have to mourn, Lamb said. Thats a big part of what we are doing today. The Northampton community mourned with the family. Members of Northampton VFW Post 4714 and Catholic War Veterans Post 454 attended the funeral. Ladder trucks from the North Catasauqua and Northampton fire departments raised a large flag at the entrance to the cemetery where the funeral procession entered. An Army honor guard provided services at the cemetery, including a rifle salute and taps. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the U.S. and Pennsylvania flags to be flown at half-staff at public buildings on Saturday in Reiters honor. On Friday, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure issued a proclamation recognizing Reiter for making the ultimate sacrifice. Eddie deserved it, Lamb said. He served his country well. That he did. Now hes finally home. 2022 The Morning Call (Lehigh Valley and Allentown, Pa.). Visit mcall.com . Christopher Walsh, who at one time had property portfolio worth estimated 100m, claimed he drank bottle of vodka after crash A millionaire property developer who crashed his Ferrari is too skint to pay court costs, a judge has been told. Christopher Walsh said he had been on universal credit for about a year and was not in a position to pay fees sought by the PPS. The 58-year-old, from Mount Pleasant in south Belfast, was prosecuted for careless driving while drunk and fleeing the scene of an accident. A court in Antrim was told that the documentation submitted by Walsh doesnt prove that he isnt able to pay the order. While he submitted screenshots of his bank balances, the prosecution suggested they were not the full picture and called for very close scrutiny. Walsh's damaged Ferarri Highlighting that Walsh privately funded his contest and the appeal, both of which resulted in convictions, it was disclosed he was using the same solicitors practice to file a judicial review. The prosecution argued that from experience, solicitors and counsel will not take on new work for a client who has not paid for old work. Representing himself, Walsh claimed that while his legal team had been paid, he did not pay them out of his own pocket. He added he had no problem with supplying copies of his bank statements and any transactions valued at over 500 from the last nine months. Despite two convictions, Walsh is still striving to clear his name seven years after he crashed his Ferrari California. Walsh's Ferrari He lost control of the car as he sped along the Belfast Road in Holywood on in September 2015. The millionaire crashed into two parked vehicles before fleeing the scene. He was followed by an off-duty officer police, and when Breathalysed was found to be more than twice the legal limit. Walsh, who at one time had a UK-wide property portfolio worth an estimated 100m, ran a hopeless hip flask defence, claiming he drank a bottle of vodka after the impact. Adjourning the case until next month, the judge warned him his decision regarding costs could be based on the records he is due to provide, so they better be accurate and truthful. Conaire Adams-Whyte (26), from west Belfast was convicted of rape in 2017 and jailed for under a year, sparking outcry A child rapist who got his 12-year-old victim pregnant has been handed a suspended sentence for possession of tranquilliser drugs. Conaire Adams-Whyte (26), from west Belfast but currently of no fixed abode, was convicted of rape in 2017 and jailed for under a year, sparking outcry from politicians. Since his release, the sex offender has been in front of the courts on numerous occasions for minor offences and was again in trouble with the law last week. During a brief hearing at Laganside Magistrates Court, the child abuser entered a guilty plea to a single charge of possession of a Class C drug. It is understood the drug was alprazolam, better known as Xanax, a powerful benzodiazepine tranquilliser. After admitting the offence, the defendant was sentenced to one month in prison, suspended for 18 months. A destruction order was also made for the drugs. In August last year, Sunday Life reported how depraved Adams-Whyte had been fined for possessing heroin and cannabis. Prosecutors told the court police were alerted to him behaving suspiciously on the junction of Rosemary Street and Lombard Street in Belfast city centre on February 15 last year. Conaire Adams-Whyte During a search, cops found two lumps of heroin, and he was arrested and taken into custody, the court heard. Following a further search while in police custody, three small chunks of herbal cannabis were found on his person. During interview the following day, Adams-Whyte told police he had no recollection of being arrested. District Judge Austin Kennedy fined him 400 for possession of Class B and C drugs, as well as ordering him to pay a 15 offender levy. In February 2017, then aged 20, Adams-Whyte pleaded guilty to a single charge of raping a schoolgirl in the bedroom of his home. He was handed a 10-and-a-half-month sentence, leading to an outcry from DUP and Green Party politicians, who said they were dismayed by the length of the tariff. His victim later gave birth to the child at the age of 14 and was reportedly supported by her family in the raising of the infant. In February 2020, Sunday Life exclusively revealed Adams-Whyte had been seen back walking the streets of his native west Belfast, sparking fear among locals. The paedophile was spotted on the Falls Road, leading to concerns that he was living in the area again. This was after he had been convicted at Belfast Magistrates Court of unlawfully possessing diazepam. Adams-Whyte had been living with a relative at a flat complex near Hamill Street. However, he left the property shortly before Christmas 2019 after vigilantes smashed one of the windows. He was also confronted by a group of angry parents who told him in no uncertain terms not to come back. The paedophiles 2017 court case heard how he groomed and then raped his 12-year-old victim while she was being babysat in his west Belfast home by his mother, who was not present at the time. But the former Republican killer died of Motor Neurone Disease just 18 months after the murder of David Byrne Kevin Flatcap Murray in 2017 in Strabane shortly before his death from motor neurone disease One of Irelands most infamous gunmen Kevin Flatcap Murray agreed to smoke Daniel Kinahan at the Regency Hotel for a ton of cigarettes, we can reveal. The former Republican killer, who died of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) just 18 months after the 2016 murder of David Byrne, was to be paid a full shipping container of fags in return for his deadly services. But it is unclear if the Strabane-based gun-for-hire ever even received a single tab for his troubles. Sources who knew him say the stress of trying to avoid the Kinahans revenge accellerated his illness and killed him in just 18 months. Kevin Flatcap Murray in 2017 in Strabane shortly before his death from motor neurone disease We pictured Flatcap on a mobility scooter a month before his death looking pale and in ill health in 2017 in Strabane. In the week when three men went on trial in Dublin, charged in connection with the murder of the 33-year-old, criminal sources have for the first time revealed what some of the death squad sent to kill the Kinahan cartel member were to be paid for doing their bidding. Gerry Hutch, the man known as The Monk, of the Paddocks, Clontarf in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of David Byrne at the hotel on 5 February 2016. Two other men, 50-year-old Jason Bonney of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, and 59-year-old Paul Murphy from Cabra Road have also pleaded not guilty to helping a criminal gang to commit the murder by providing it with access to motor vehicles. David Byrne But the trial has brought back memories of one of the most shocking gangland attacks which was captured by photographers and in which the deceased Co Tyrone men Kevin Murray was pivotal in taking part. Flatcap agreed to carry out the murder of Daniel Kinahan for a container of fags, sources we met this week told us. The Hutch gang made millions over the years from illegal shipments of fags and it was a cheap and easy way of paying debts. Flatcap thought hed make a couple of hundred thousand pounds by moving them on and the cops werent that bothered with illegal fags so it was low risk. The images of Flatcap Murray and his fellow shooters, some dressed as cops and one dressed as a woman, went around the world given the brazen audacity of the carefully planned but shocking hit. Flatcap and the rest of the gang were there to target Daniel Kinahan who was in the hotel for the weigh-in of a fight the gangster was promoting. The attack was believed to be revenge for the murder of Gary Hutch in Spain in 2015 which sparked the bloody Kinhan-Hutch Feud which has cost the lives of at least 18 people. And the source has claimed Flatcap Murray was brought into the Regency death gang by friend and fellow Co Tyrone republican Michael Barr, who was murdered just a couple of months later by the Kinahan cartel at the Sunset Lounge pub in Dublin. The claim that Michael Barr was involved in the Regency Hotel has always been denied by his family and did not feature in court. Michael Barr Mickey Barr was working in a bar on Hutchs patch and he was well got with him, said the source. Mickey said he knew a man who would be ideal for the job. That man was Flatcap. They went back together for years. Flatcap did time for shootings before, including a UDR man, and Mickey knew he had the balls to carry out such a mad operation. He added: He was murdered because he was involved. He wasnt killed just because he was a friend of Kevin Murray. Mickey brought Flatcap into the gang. Barr, a father of five, was shot a total of seven times at the Sunset House Pub, which was holding a raffle for the families of Republican prisoners on the night he was murdered in April 2016, just two months after the Regency Hotel attack. The 35-year-old was socialising at the pub, where he was a manager, when two armed males burst in wearing what have been described as Freddy Krueger, or Halloween masks. But former pals of Flatcaps have told the Sunday World the stress of trying not to be murdered by the Kinahans in revenge for the Regency Hotel attack accelerated his incurable disease and eventual death. Flatcap was a dead-man walking in more ways than one, said the source. Not just because he had been identified leaving the Regency Hotel but because he was ill. If he knew about having Motor Neurone Disease at the time he didnt tell many people so I dont know if he knew he had it when he carried out the attack. Daniel Kinahan Theres video footage of him stalking about the hotel looking for Kinahan and other targets and then you see him running away from the hotel. It was less than a year when he was confined to a wheelchair and only a year-and-a-half before he died. But the stress of knowing he was being hunted made his condition much worse. He was paranoid and he was right to be. Hed been identified red-handed trying to kill Daniel Kinahan. When you try and kill the King and fail its only a matter of time before the King roars back. And thats what happened. Loads of people, like Michael Barr got murdered as a result. And because of that Flatcap was shunned by his old Republican pals. People distanced themselves from him and he knew he was on his own. People were scared to be associated in case they got caught up in the fire. He was going around Strabane from house-to-house until his illness made that impossible. Despite a European Arrest Warrant on charges connected to the Regency Hotel murder of David Byrne, a judge later ruled the alleged killer with dissident Republican links was too ill to stand trial. Three months before his death, it was confirmed that Murray was bed-ridden, immobile and being fed via a tube and the battle to extradite him ended. Judge Patricia Smyth said at Belfast Recorders Court that the only appropriate course I can take is to discharge the requested person. Steven.moore@sundayworld.com There is high-quality CCTV of the incident according to senior sources A garda sergeant has been charged with the alleged assault and false imprisonment of a 16-year-old boy at a Dublin garda station, the Sunday Worldcan reveal. A rank and file garda has also been charged with the false imprisonment of the boy during the same incident, which took place in April of last year. The two officers were charged at Lucan station on October 14. The gardai, who are not stationed at Lucan, were granted station bail and are due to appear in court on November 11. It is understood the teenager was attending a Dublin garda station to sign on as part of his bail conditions. Sources say a disagreement broke out between the sergeant and the 16-year-old over the wearing of a face mask. The boy was then allegedly assaulted by the sergeant. There is high-quality CCTV of the incident, according to senior sources. The gardai have been suspended since May of last year. The teenager lodged a complaint with the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc). The watchdog referred it back to An Garda Siochana, which launched a criminal investigation, culminating in the laying of criminal charges. Garda headquarters has confirmed its internal investigation into the alleged assault and false imprisonment of the teenager by garda officers. In April 2021, following a minor attending a Dublin garda station, a complaint was made by the minor to Gsoc that they were falsely imprisoned and assaulted at the station during an interaction with two gardai, a spokesman said. In May 2021, the complaint was sent by Gsoc to An Garda Siochana for investigation. A criminal investigation was launched. The two gardai were suspended in May 2021. The garda spokesman also confirmed the two gardai have now been criminally charged in connection with the incident. Following directions from the DPP last week one of the gardai was charged with false imprisonment and assault, and the other garda was charged with false imprisonment. They were released on station bail and are due to appear before the courts in the coming weeks, the spokesman added. Should the two garda be convicted, it is expected they would be sacked. There are around 14,300 gardai stationed around the country. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of officers being brought before the courts. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has introduced a zero tolerance policy for garda misbehaviour and criminality. He established the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit in 2020. Most recent figures show 110 gardai are currently suspended from the force. The figures, provided by Justice Minister Helen McEntee in July, revealed that in the first seven months of this year, 23 gardai were suspended. If the rate of suspensions continues throughout the second half of the year, the total will be a new record. Last year Ms McEntee confirmed there were 38 gardai suspended; this followed 31 being suspended in 2020. The figures show one garda who was suspended in 2014 remains on suspension. Two gardai suspended in 2016 are also continuing to serve their suspensions. A post mortem has been completed on the body of the man, who was aged in his 60s, however gardai said they are not releasing the results for operational reasons. Gardai investigating the discovery of a mans body in Dublin in the early hours of Saturday have appealed to taxi drivers and pedestrians who were in the area to come forward. A post mortem has been completed on the body of the man, who was aged in his 60s, however gardai said they are not releasing the results for operational reasons. The man is understood to have been socialising in a pub before his body was found with unexplained injuries on the Old Navan Road in Mulhuddart shortly before 3am yesterday. He was taken to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown where he was later pronounced dead. Gardai this evening renewed their appeal for anyone with information to come forward. They have asked that anyone who was in the vicinity of Blanchardstown Road North, the Old Navan Road and Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and the surrounding areas between 12am and 3am on Saturday and who saw any activity which drew their attention to come forward. Any road users particularly taxi drivers - or pedestrians who were travelling in these areas at these times who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, are asked to make this footage available to gardai. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station. Bills for Mr Ahern amounted to just under 70,000 while a further 83,000 was spent on secretarial support for Mr Kenny More than 150,000 has been spent on providing secretarial support for two former taoisigh over the past year. The Department of the Taoiseach has been paying about 12,700 every month for secretarial assistance for Bertie Ahern and Enda Kenny. According to figures released under Freedom of Information legislation all the money was paid to a company called Tech Skills Resources Ltd by the department. Bills for Mr Ahern amounted to just under 70,000 while a further 83,000 was spent on secretarial support for Mr Kenny, the figures show. Supports for the retired taoisigh had been ended in 2012 by Mr Kenny when he was head of government in the aftermath of the Celtic Tiger crash. However, they were restored by Leo Varadkar when he took office in 2017, with civil servants suggesting the annual cost could run to 300,000 per year. Bills have not run that high, however, with no costs incurred in the provision of VIP services at Dublin Airport between September last year and the end of August this year. Only a single official request for a state car was made by former taoiseach John Bruton after he was asked to speak in June at an Irish Farmers Journal event on the future of Europe. Numerous speakers from at home and abroad are also addressing the event, said Mr Bruton. It will be from 8.30am to 1pm. I am requesting the facility of a state car to attend this event under the provision that is extended to former taoisigh. Emails from the department said they were happy to accede to the request on this occasion. An internal message said: I would appreciate when the driver is confirmed [if] you could make contact with Mr Bruton directly on pick up and timings. Under current arrangements, former taoisigh can benefit from government support in various ways. They can be provided with briefing material on government policy, and secretarial assistance from a person who is prohibited from engaging in constituency or party-political task. State cars are available up to five times each year for important state functions while VIP airport facilities at Dublin are also provided. The Department of the Taoiseach did not respond to a request from the Sunday Independent for a comment. Edward OReilly and his partner, who live in Santry Cross in Dublin, left the African country on October 12, with just the birth certificates rather than their three baby girls. Edward O'Reilly is trying to get his three daughters back to Ireland. Picture by Gerry Mooney A Dublin couple who were forced to leave their surrogate triplets in Kenya are preparing to fly back to their infant daughters this week to bring them home. Edward OReilly and his partner, who live in Santry Cross in Dublin, left the African country heartbroken on October 12, with just the birth certificates rather than their three baby girls. They used a surrogacy service which cost 50,000 and were told all expenses were covered in the initial payment. However, they were asked for a further 16,000 when they arrived. Then they were asked for another 12,000 in hospital bills for the babies medication and food, along with an extra 11,000 to pay the medics. They cannot bring their daughters home until these costs are paid. Mr OReilly set up a GoFundMe page, outlining the plight of their family, and almost 35,000 has now been raised. We are completely overwhelmed and so grateful to the people of Ireland for their kindness and generosity, he told the Sunday Independent. Edward OReilly's newborn daughters, triplets Briella, Camilla and Renesmee We need about 38,000 to cover all of our costs to go back over, so we are nearly there, thank God. I cant wait to see my daughters again. If I could get on a plane right this minute, I would. Hopefully it will happen next week. Briella, Camilla, and Renesmee were born almost three months prematurely on September 1. When Edward and his partner flew over to collect their babies four days later, they were not permitted to see them initially but instead were asked for more money. The surrogacy agency also would not tell them which hospital their children were in without payment. However, the couple managed to find out themselves. As soon as we arrived in Kenya after they were born, and went to the surrogacy agency, alarm bells started to ring. I just wanted to see my kids and they kept asking about money. I was gobsmacked. We knew there might be medical complications, because they were triplets, but we were told they were OK. But when we finally saw them we couldnt believe it. The girls had 20 tubes coming out of them. It was terrifying. Doctors initially thought Camilla might not survive. Edward O'Reilly is trying to get his three daughters back to Ireland. Picture by Gerry Mooney I cant explain how frightened we were. We didnt know if Camilla was going to make it. But God granted us three little fighters. They are getting healthier every day. They are being cared for well in the hospital, but I just wish I was there with them. Mr OReilly is in daily contact with the doctor in charge of the triplets care. The surrogate who had the babies is no longer at the hospital. Mr OReilly and his partner have enlisted a solicitor in Ireland, who is now liaising with the surrogacy agency in Kenya about the additional money the company is demanding. The couple may also need security when they return to Kenya, he added. It is one week and three days since I last saw them. We are worried we are missing out on this important bonding time right now. We are just waiting to hear from our lawyer about when we are going back- the sooner we can get on that plane, the better. All we want is to go over and bring our daughters back home safely to Ireland. The heartbroken father also hit out at the surrogacy agency and its treatment of his children, as well as himself and his partner, saying: There are three tiny babies we are talking about but all they were interested in was more money. We trusted these people. This is not a decision we made overnight. We did a lot of research for two years and began contacting agencies. We trusted them completely and everything was fine, until the girls were born. The couple travelled to Kenya to meet the agency to begin the process last year and said everything seemed above board. Mr OReilly warned what happened to his family could happen to other Irish couples, and called for the Government to intervene. We are not the first couple for this to happen to and we wont be the last. Ireland needs to change its surrogacy laws to protect children first, and their parents. People like us shouldnt need to go abroad. We should have been able to have gone through the surrogacy process here in Ireland. Mr OReilly and his partner made the tough decision to come back to Ireland 11 days ago because he believed he would raise funds quicker here. I remember kissing them goodbye and telling them I loved them. It was a tough decision. I cried the whole plane journey back. There was no other option, I wouldve never raised the money to get the kids home if I stayed in Kenya. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has donated to help us so far. You can donate to the GoFundMe page here. Police said early Sunday they conducted a controlled detonation at Billy Bishop Airport in downtown Toronto after a possible explosive device was discovered. (Michelle Siu/The Canadian Press - image credit) Toronto police said two people were detained after a possible explosive device was found near Billy Bishop Airport's mainland ferry terminal on Saturday, prompting an evacuation and a halt to flights. Police said the two people were co-operating with the investigation. In an update shortly after midnight ET, police said they conducted a controlled detonation of the device. Evacuees from buildings near the ferry terminal were cleared to return and the island airport announced it had reopened its runway. Flights resumed Sunday morning, although the airport warned some flights may be impacted by the closure. Device found on bike PortsToronto said it called police around 4 p.m. after a device was found on a bike parked near the ferry terminal. The runway at the airport was closed for several hours and two scheduled Air Canada flights were diverted to Hamilton. Submitted by James Carpenter Police had said buses were brought in for evacuees in the area. "We ended up pulling the fire alarms in all the nearby buildings to get people to leave," Const. Laura Brabant said in an emailed statement. Passengers inside the airport reported seeing six heavily armed police officers in tactical gear come into the terminal and head toward an upper floor, away from crowds gathered near the exits. Water taxis bring passengers to mainland Those stranded inside the airport terminal described a confused, but relatively calm scene where staff offered sparse updates and passengers learned about the situation from news reports. Passengers said staff shouted information to the large crowd, with those at the back struggling to hear. Matthew Zadow, a Canadian opera singer based in Belgium, used his baritone to help carry those updates to his fellow stranded passengers. "The staff has said repeatedly they don't know anything. They have no information from anyone," he said in a phone interview from the airport, about three hours after his flight arrived. "It's all kind of been a telephone game where people at the front hear something and they pass it back along the line." Story continues Krista Hiddema said she was on the first flight to land after the airport shut the tunnel to the mainland and prevented people from leaving. She learned about what was going on outside the airport in a call from her husband, not from staff. "It's an exceedingly painful lack of organization. It's remarkable to me that there is no designated communications person that is walking around sharing information." 'I quite enjoyed myself' Hiddema said spirits remained high among the passengers, who mingled, shared travel stories and commiserated over snacks and drinks from an airport convenience stand. Among the other passengers Hiddema said she met in line was actor Jean Yoon, star of the CBC sitcom Kim's Convenience. "I quite enjoyed myself. After the three-hour mark [though people] were tired and frustrated [with] no clear plan, apparent disorganization," Yoon said in a series of tweets, recounting her experience. Water taxis eventually arrived to take passengers and their luggage from the airport to the mainland. In an update around 10 p.m., the airport tweeted all passengers had been transported. Earlier Saturday, the airport had scheduled a routine full-scale emergency preparedness exercise involving police, paramedics and airport staff. Police confirmed the exercise and the investigation into the possible explosive device were unrelated. A further ten people, all single males, were informed that no accommodation was available Ten Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Ireland yesterday have been told there is no accommodation for them, bringing the total number to 44 this week. Yesterday it had been revealed that 33 refugees had been told there was no accommodation for them, but this afternoon the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) confirmed that a further ten people, all single males, were informed that no accommodation was available and asked to provide contact details for when it does become available. The refugees, all single men, were first processed and given temporary protection status at the Citywest transit hub but were told there was no accommodation available for them and that they would be contacted when beds became available. It comes as RTE News reported that a number of Ukrainian refugees claimed to have spent Friday night sleeping in Dublin Airport after they were turned away from Citywest. The Capuchin Day Centre is also understood to have catered for more than a dozen Ukrainian refugees on Saturday morning. Reacting yesterday, Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said it is disappointing that Ireland currently cant offer a bed to all those looking for refuge, but said that work is underway on a short-term emergency response to the situation. My understanding is 33 male Ukrainians were unable to be accommodated which is a very disappointing place for us to be in, Minister Heydon said on RTE Radio 1s Saturday with Katie Hannon. Their contact details were taken and they were linked up with NGOs I dont know the exact details, but from Monday, Dublin Airport will have overnight facilities as people are bussed to Citywest at 3 or 4 in the morning. We have to be up straight and honest with people outside of the country thinking of coming; we cannot guarantee everyone that comes here a bed right now because of the situation that we are in. We have to be upfront and honest about that while we double our efforts to offer those medium-term solutions as well as the short-term emergency response. Work is currently underway to establish a temporary overnight accommodation facility for asylum seekers at Dublin Airport and it is expected that the accommodation facility will be ready tomorrow. On Friday, the Department of Children said it didnt anticipate any refugees would have to sleep in the airport. At present, it is not anticipated that anyone will have to stay at the airport over the weekend. DCEDIY is currently working with DAA to set up a temporary facility. It is expected this will be available early next week, a spokesperson said. They added that access to suitable accommodation is severely constrained and current projections indicate a shortfall of 15,000 beds by December as the number of Ukrainians and international protection applicants arriving is expected to remain at elevated levels. The Department of Justice confirmed that 1,324 people from Ukraine were given temporary protection in the seven days to October 20. The Cold Feet and Bloodlands star revealed this week that he was unnerved and saddened by the sinister message Orange Order leader the Reverend Mervyn Gibson has slammed the shadowy figures behind graffiti attacking actor Jimmy Nesbitt. In an interview with the Sunday World, the organisations Grand Secretary said he unequivocally condemned the actions of those responsible. The Cold Feet and Bloodlands star revealed this week that he was unnerved and saddened after a sinister message directed at him which was daubed on a wall in Portrush. And the top actor who had played in a marching band as a schoolboy in Ballymena told listeners on BBC Radio Ulsters Talkback programme: It really saddens me, because Im just really sorry this has been brought to Portrush, brought to my neighbours, brought to the community I love. Nesbitt revealed he had been informed about the threatening graffiti in a phone call from the police. The loyalist slogan was followed by painted rifle crosshairs. But yesterday the Rev Gibson said he was appalled by the graffiti. Jimmy Nesbitt is from a unionist background. As a boy, he played in a marching band with a great reputation. He never hid it, he said. A young Jimmy Nesbitt in Ballygelly marching band The graffiti appeared after Nesbitt gave the keynote address to an Irelands Future conference in Dublin earlier this month. The Orange Order leader added that he was well aware Nesbitt was from a unionist background in Co Antrim he had in fact been a drummer in an accordion band linked to an Orange Lodge in Ballymena, as our exclusive pictures show. The Rev Gibson said: I read that someone had said in reference to Jimmy Nesbitts appearance in Dublin, that we didnt need any more Lundys. I followed exactly what Jimmy Nesbitt said in Dublin. And personally I dont think he said anything with which you could disagree. As far as Im concerned, Jimmy approached the podium as a unionist and when he stepped away from it, he was still a unionist. Crosshairs beside the actors name Now, I would also say, I believe it was ill-judged from Jimmy to have appeared on that particular platform, but thats no justification for graffiti being daubed on walls about him. I remember watching Jimmy in the film The Way, where he starred alongside Martin Sheen. It was a tale about a father following in his deceased sons footsteps on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. At one stage, you see Jimmy walking away down a lane, when suddenly; he throws his walking staff in the air like a stick boy in an Orange band. I remember saying to myself, thats the real Jimmy Nesbitt. I think Jimmy Nesbitt would have been better off using his talents to stand up for the benefits of the Union, rather appearing at an Irish nationalist jamboree in Dublin. He added: But I totally condemn this graffiti attacking him. Ballygelly marching band Other politicians reigned in behind the Orange Order leader, including DUP MP Gregory Campbell. He said: Jimmy Nesbitt is a local lad who has invested in his own community. Those painting threatening graffiti such as this should stop, he said. As this Sunday World picture shows, Jimmy Nesbitt played with the Ballygelly Accordion Band based in his native Ballymena. And according to local man Andy Kennedy, he later played in the prestigious Young Conquerors Flute Band, before the family quit Ballymena and moved to Coleraine. Jimmy Nesbitt is like me. Hes a unionist with a small u. That graffiti is a disgrace, he said. He added: I can understand people being annoyed because he switched his allegiance from Ballymena United to Coleraine FC, but thats another matter! hjordan.media@btinternet.com McGregor has been feuding with the viral sensation online over the past few months Conor McGregor has reacted to news that internet celebrity Hasbulla Magomedov has signed a deal with the UFC. Earlier this week, UFC president Dana White confirmed that the 99cm-tall 20-year-old had signed a contract with the organisation, but did not clarify whether he will fight in upcoming bouts. "I didn't know this was coming, but yes we did sign Hasbulla, he told Barstool Sports. And what he's going to end up doing remains to be seen." And Conor McGregor, who has been feuding with Hasbulla online over the past few months, has reacted to news of his signing. The Dubliner seemingly put their rivalry to rest by sending a congratulatory tweet to the Russian, while poking fun at Petr Yan, who is one of the shorter fighters on the UFC roster at 1.71m. Congrats Hasbulla on signing with the UFC, McGregor said, attaching a photo of Yan ahead of his fight with Sean OMalley at UFC 280 over the weekend. The tweet has since been deleted. Hasbulla hit out at McGregor last month after the Irishman posted a mocking meme of Hasbulla online, showing him strangling what appears to be a small toy with the teenagers face imposed on it. The caption on the now-deleted tweet added: Now what you saying you little gimp." A furious Hasbulla then begged UFC president Dana White to give him a fight against the sport's biggest star. He said: "Hey uncle @danawhite and @ufc please make it happen, let me eat this chicken @TheNotoriousMMA. "I'm hungry, Ill smash him with my mountain spirit. My brother @TeamKhabib smashed him and all his team, now is my time to rise! #HasbullaTime #CantDeleteMyTweetsConor." In one of McGregor's recent insults the Notorious told how hed love to boot that little g**p Hasbulla over a goal post." "How much to get him on the volley? "Im gonna make it my mission to score a three pointer with him one day, hon the gaa." He added: "Little smelly inbred," before swiftly deleting all of his previous tweets. Hasbulla who shot to fame in late 2020 when he began posting videos on Instagram and TikTok of himself performing daring stunts and pranks, retorted: I don't follow bums didn't know someone was running their mouth. He added in a further tweet: At least one of us kept an undefeated record. Hasbulla 1. McGregor 0. The James Bond and Cracker actor died on 14 October, aged 72 Much loved actor Robbie Coltranes cause of death has been revealed. The Harry Potter, James Bond and Cracker actor died on 14 October, aged 72. His agent of 40 years, Belinda Wright, announced the news, thanking the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, near Falkirk in Scotland, for their care and diplomacy. According to multiple reports, Coltrane died from multiple organ failure. According to the actors death certificate, the actor, who played Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise, had been suffering from sepsis, lower respiratory tract infection and heart block. News of the actors death led to tributes from the world of Hollywood, including his co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. Harry Potter fans also shared a poignant clip from the film seriess 20th anniversary, Return to Hogwarts, which aired in January 2022. While discussing its legacy, a tearful Coltrane said: I just think its the end of an era, 10 years of my life. My children have grown up during it, of course. The legacy of the movies is that my childrens generation will show them to their children. He added: So, you could be watching it in 50 years time, easy Ill not be here, sadly but Hagrid will, yes. Coltrane, who was born Anthony Robert McMillan, is surived by his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice, and their mother Rhona Gemmell. A SunLive reader reports that police cars with armed police and dogs were in Omokoroa on Saturday night. Many police cars were seen heading to the peninsula about 11.30pm with sirens sounding. "Armed offenders were in Kaimai Views," says a SunLive reader on Sunday morning. "We received a report that an armed person was outside someone's address," says a police spokesperson. "But it turns out that wasn't the case." At the scene? Phone 0800 SUNLIVE or email newsroom@thesun.co.nz Experts are warning Kiwis to be extra cautious this summer, with ultraviolet radiation levels averaging higher compared to 2021. UV radiation is produced by the sun and too much exposure can damage our health by causing sunburn, premature aging, and increasing the risk of skin cancer. According to NIWA, peak clear sky UV index levels between noon and 1pm at Leigh, Auckland have been five per cent more on average and up to 10 per cent higher over the last month compared with the same period last year. The higher the UV index, the stronger the suns UV rays and the faster you may burn. A UV index level of three or more is enough to cause skin damage. It has already reached UV level 8 in New Zealand this week. For comparison, UV 8 is rare in the UK, even in the height of summer. UV Index levels are predicted to reach between six and seven in the south, seven to eight in central parts, and between eight and nine in the north over the Labour weekend. NIWA meteorologist Dr Richard Turner says NZ is likely experiencing elevated clear sky UV levels due to a slight depletion of the ozone layer over the past few months. "Our atmosphere shields us from a lot of the suns radiation because of the thin ozone layer in our stratosphere, which absorbs most of the UV. However, values taken at our atmospheric research station in Lauder show that ozone levels are at or near the lower end of what wed expect at this time of the year," says Dr Turner. The ozone layer naturally breaks down and restores, but it has become thinner over time. This is particularly prominent over Antarctica, where a large hole forms in the spring with the effects felt in New Zealand over summer. The most common cause is manufactured chemicals such as CFCs, which were phased out in the 1990s but linger in our atmosphere for decades. Another cause of ozone depletion is volcanic eruptions. This is leading some scientists to think that Januarys eruption of the underwater Tongan volcano - which caused the biggest explosion in modern times - could be factor in what were now experiencing. Recent research suggests that the Tongan volcano injected so much water into the stratosphere that it may have created conditions that caused further loss of ozone. Luckily, any effect from the Tongan volcano on the ozone is reversible, as the water will be removed from the stratosphere in a few years. Hazel Potterton, National Advisor: SunSmart from Cancer Society of New Zealand says that until then, this is of particular concern in New Zealand due to our ozone already being some of the thinnest in the world. "New Zealand often ranks highest in the world for skin cancer rates. Even on cloudy days, you can burn within minutes, and people are often caught out at this time of year," says Hazel. "The good news is, you can help protect yourself by being SunSmart and remembering to slip, slop, slap, and wrap. This means slipping on clothes to cover as much skin as possible; slipping into shade, especially during the middle of the day; slopping on sunscreen of at least SPF 30 every two hours; slapping on a wide-brimmed hat; and wrapping on close-fitting, sun-protective sunglasses." NIWA provides Cancer Society of New Zealand with daily UV level forecasts, which can be accessed via the free UVNZ app . For more information on being SunSmart, visit www.sunsmart.org.nz The arts and business communities are joining forces with Tearfund NZ to present a fundraiser to fight human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region. The Trafficking Unlocked gala dinner will be hosted by Tearfund NZ in partnership with the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Nikko Asset Management at Trinity Wharf Hotel on November 3. Tearfund has been fighting modern slavery for more than a decade and along the way has enlisted the help of New Zealands business community through its Trafficking Unlocked fundraisers. This years event will use the power of the creative arts to explore the human experience of modern-day slavery, drawing from the mediums of art, dance, music, poetry and song. Directors of GJ Gardner Homes in Tauranga, Shane and Kirsty McConnell, and former NZ police detective from Tauranga, Sean Hatwell, who has worked for Tearfunds partners fighting human trafficking, are part of the line-up for the event. A feature will be a performance by Royal New Zealand Ballet artist Luke Cooper, in a short work inspired by overcoming adversity to find freedom, specially created for the event. A panel of experts will present Tearfunds holistic vision, explore innovative ways to partner in the fight with NZs business community and answer questions. Tearfunds Luisa Giacon says there are more than 27.5 million people caught in forced slavery of which 6.3 million are exploited for sex. Huge task It is a huge task to reduce these numbers and that is why Tearfund needs the influence and creativity of the philanthropic community to combat the crime of human trafficking, says Luisa. Its not just about releasing survivors from harm, it is about stopping trafficking before it starts through prevention, breaking the criminal networks involved and helping to prosecute those behind this miserable trade in human lives. To do this, its going to take a strong network of generous individuals and businesses in NZ to bring down these networks of traffickers and change the tide on trafficking. Luisa says a good example of the power that comes from synergy and collaboration with socially-conscious businesses is Tearfunds partnership with Nikko Asset Management. Last year, the New Zealand arm of Nikko AM launched their Freedom Fund, a first-of-its-kind philanthropic investment fund which allows socially-conscious investors and businesses to put otherwise dormant capital to work in the fight against modern slavery and trafficking. Exploitation too common With Nikko AM and its partners covering all operating costs and management fees, and a unique tax-exempt structure in place, 100 per cent of all returns generated from the pooled capital can be donated to the cause while investors retain the flexibility to access their money at any time. Nikko AM NZ managing director George Carter, who will be speaking at Trafficking Unlocked, says he was motivated to create the fund by hearing about the work that Tearfund and its partners are doing to combat slavery and human trafficking. Its impossible to not be appalled at the exploitation that is all too common, and so its a privilege to be able to do something which can help bring those accountable to justice and to see the victims given hope and a fresh start, says George. Nikko AM is one of many businesses across the country that recognise the role they can play in being a part of the solution, and we are both honoured and encouraged as more continue to partner in Tearfunds mission, says Luisa. It is through Nikko AMs sponsorship of ballet dancer, Luke Cooper, that Tearfund has partnered with the Royal New Zealand Ballet for this years event. Speakers The event will be hosted by Television New Zealands Breakfast host Indira Stewart, and speakers include award-winning humanitarian advocate Nikki Denholm, former human trafficking Detective Sean Hatwell and Tearfund CEO Ian McInnes. The evening will also include performances from a range of talented artists including singer/songwriter Anna Hawkins and international cellist Dominic Lee. The Trafficking Unlocked gala dinner begins 6.30pm Thursday, November 3, at Trinity Wharf Hotel, Tauranga. Book tickets at: Tearfund.org.nz Labour Weekend is a welcomed respite for many people. The three day weekend ushers in the start of summer weather, which this weekend has been stunningly beautiful. It's also a chance for people to go away and recharge before the final two months of the year. But where did this three day weekend come from? What is known about the history Labour Day in New Zealand. According to nzhistory.govt.nz, Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim this right when, in 1840, the carpenter Samuel Parnell won an eight-hour day in Wellington, says a post on the website. Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand on October 28, 1890, when several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres. Government employees were given the day off to attend the parades and many businesses closed for at least part of the day. The history of Labour Day in New Zealand Officeholidays.com reports that in 1840, Parnell reportedly told a prospective employer: "There are twenty-four hours per day given us; eight of these should be for work, eight for sleep, and the remaining eight for recreation" He encouraged other tradesmen in the colony to also restrict their work to only eight hours a day and by October 1840, a local workers' meeting passed a resolution supporting the idea. On October 28, 1890, the 50th anniversary of the eight-hour day was marked with a parade. The Government supported parades in the main centres by union members and supporters, giving public servants the day off to attend. Many businesses closed for the event. This led to an annual celebration in late October as either Labour Day or Eight-Hour Demonstration Day. The New Zealand government legislated that the day be a public holiday from 1900, after Parliament passed the Labour Day Act 1899, but they didn't specify when it should be celebrated. This led to the holiday being on different days in different provinces, reports officeholidays.com This date difference even led to complaints that sailors were having extra holidays by timing their visits to ports in different provinces to coincide with local Labour Day holidays. The situation was clarified in 1910 when the date was Mondayised by the Public Holidays Act of 1910, when it was moved to the fourth Monday in October. Send your letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will soon install a statue of Our Lady of Aparecida, widely regarded as the patroness of Brazil, thanks in part to the persistence of University Vice Provost of Global Strategies and Physics Professor Duilia de Mello. Native Brazilian de Mello has wanted an image of Our Lady of Aparecida in the National Shrine for years and began personally campaigning for the image installation in November 2021. The enthronement is planned for next summer. The devotion to Our Lady of Aparecida began in Brazil in 1717 when three fishermen pulled a statue of the Blessed Mother from the water, followed by a miraculous catch of fish. Veneration of the image spread among Brazilians and she was declared the patroness of Brazil in 1930. She goes even beyond religion, shes a cultural icon, said de Mello. The Basilica has a lot of meaning for the Brazilian community, not only the Catholic community but also the entire immigrant community. Cardinal Sean O Malley, OFM Cap., archbishop of Boston, offered to be the ecclesiastical sponsor of the installation and will donate his statue of Our Lady of Aparecida to the Basilica. Cardinal O Malley earned his doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese literature from the University. He taught at the University from 1969 to 1973 and is now a member of the Board of Trustees. On Oct. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida, Cardinal O Malley celebrated a Mass in Portuguese in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the Basilica in support of the cause. Brazilians from the region and out of state, representatives from the Brazilian and Portuguese embassies and University faculty attended. The Mass was con-celebrated by Most Reverend Adilson Busin, auxiliary bishop of Porto Alegre in Brazil, Rev. Diogo Escudero, OFM Cap., a local Brazilian Capuchin friar, Rev. Charles Hergenroeder, C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist Father from Boston, and Reverend Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the Basilica. (The Mass) marked the beginning of a project that has been the dream of the community for a long time, said de Mello. The National Shrine, which is adjacent to the University but is unaffiliated, has over 80 different Marian chapels and images representing the unique devotions of Catholics from all over the world. When de Mello first approached Monsignor Rossi about installing the Aparecida image, he said that there was no available space since the Basilica is no longer building chapels. After walking through the entire Basilica, they found a space in the Our Lady of Fatima Oratory at the entrance to the Upper Church. Most of the chapels and oratories in the Basilica are owned by religious orders, but the small chapel dedicated to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, is one of the few that belongs to the Basilica outright, which allows for more flexibility for a new installation. The statues will face each other from opposite sides of the oratory, which de Mello said is especially fitting because of the centuries-long bond between Portugal and Brazil. Theyll be speaking Portuguese all day long, she said. The next step is raising $85,000 to construct a pedestal for the statue that meets the architectural standards of the Basilica. De Mello wrote the proposal and donations can be made through the National Shrine website. We still have a long way to go but we are a very resilient community, said de Mello. Related News The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. By Yew Lun Tian and Tony Munroe BEIJING (Reuters) -China's Xi Jinping secured a precedent-breaking third leadership term on Sunday and introduced a top governing body stacked with loyalists, cementing his place as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang followed Xi onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People as the new Politburo Standing Committee was introduced, putting him in line to become premier when Li Keqiang retires in March. The other members of the seven-man Standing Committee are Zhao Leji and Wang Huning, who return from the previous committee, and newcomers Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. Li Qiang is also new to the Standing Committee. All are seen by analysts to have close allegiance to Xi, the son of a Communist Party revolutionary who has taken China in a more authoritarian direction since rising to power in 2012. Richard McGregor, senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, said the result was a resounding victory for Xi. "All of his rivals, potential and real, have been forced out of the Politburo Standing Committee and Xi loyalists took their place. The new Politburo is an emphatic statement of Xis dominance over the party." The unveiling of the Standing Committee and the 24-member Politburo comes a day after the closing of the Communist Party's 20th Congress, where amendments were added to the party charter cementing the core status of Xi and the guiding role of his political thought within the party. Still, the 69-year-old Xi faces stiff challenges as the world's second-largest economy slows and frustration over his zero-COVID policy grows. China is also increasingly estranged from the West, exacerbated by Xi's support for Russia's Vladimir Putin and mounting tensions over Taiwan. "This is a leadership that will be focused on achieving Xis political goals, rather than pursuing their own agendas for what they think is best for the country," said Drew Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow at the National University of Singapores Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. "There is only one correct way to govern, and that is Xis way." Story continues XI'S NEW MEN Putin congratulated Xi, saying he looked forward to further developing a "comprehensive partnership" between their two countries. "The results of the Party Congress fully confirm your high political authority, as well as the unity of the party you lead," Putin told Xi, according to the Kremlin's website. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un also sent a congratulatory letter to Xi, state news agency KCNA reported. As expected, the new Standing Committee line-up does not include a clear successor to Xi, whose predecessor Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted out of the congress closing ceremony on Saturday. The ascension of Li Qiang, 63, to the number two spot, meanwhile, speaks to the importance of ties to Xi. As Shanghai party chief, Li was a lightning rod for some of the public ire that made it past censors over the city's grinding two-month COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year. But Li and Xi share a long history, including Li's stint as Xi's chief of staff when Xi was party chief in Zhejiang province. Another new Standing Committee member is Xi's private secretary and gatekeeper, Ding Xuexiang, who at 60 is the youngest on the new panel. Ding heads the party Central Committee's powerful General Office, which manages the administrative affairs of the top leadership. Cai Qi, 66, joins the Standing Committee from his post as Beijing party chief and is considered one of Xi's closest political allies, having worked with him for 20 years in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. The fourth newcomer is Li Xi, 66, party chief of economic powerhouse Guangdong province, who is also perceived by experts to be ideologically close to Xi, although they do not share a history of working together as the others do. CONSPICUOUS ABSENCES The unveiling comes a day after Li Keqiang and Wang Yang, seen by analysts as relative moderates that were young enough to serve longer in top decision-making bodies, were excluded from the wider Central Committee. Both have ties with the Communist Youth League, a once-influential group that experts say has lost power under Xi. Another conspicuous absence from Sunday's unveiling was Hu Chunhua, a vice premier who had been considered by some party-watchers as a candidate for the premiership and who also has Youth League roots. Hu, 59, was not chosen to return to the Politburo. Also missing from the Politburo: any women. The lone woman on the last Politburo, Sun Chunlan, retired after two terms. Xi laid the groundwork to rule beyond a decade when he eliminated the two-term limit on the presidency in 2018. His term as president is likely to be renewed at the annual parliamentary session in March, where the next premier will also be officially named. "Xi's full control means his team will be fully responsible for any policy mistake," said Yang Zhang, assistant professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington. "His autocracy may provoke stronger international pushback from the U.S.-led Western countries. All of these scenarios will make his third and likely fourth terms not as easy as expected," he said. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Eduardo Baptista and Martin Quin Pollard; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Mallard) sri_tesla BHPian Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 825 Thanked: 3,981 Times Re: Ola S1 Air unveiled with starting price of Rs 79,999 Quote: Electromotive Originally Posted by A hub motor? Seriously!? While rest of the changes are welcome; replacing the belt drive power-train with a hub motor is a deal breaker. Kills all the fun if the torque is not there. Quote: I pronounce this DoA. Addendum: No, 70-80Km range is not good enough even for regular office commutes unless you can charge at your office. And I am doubtful even 70-80Km range will be possible on the Air given how inefficient hub motors are in general and more so while accelerating. Okinawa Praise Pro: Rs 87,593 (ex-showroom) 2.7 KW peak power hub motor, 2 kWh battery, 50 kmph top speed Ampere Magnus EX: Rs 77,249 2.1 KW peak power hub motor, 2.3 kWh battery, 50 kmph top speed. Hero Electric Optima CX: Rs 85,190 1.2 KW peak power hub motor, 3 kWh battery, 45 kmph top speed. None of these models are known for superior performance or great build quality or reliability. The major selling point for these scooters is that their starting price is similar to ICE scooters and the running costs are extremely low. Compared to these scooters, Ola S1 Air has a much more powerful motor, bigger battery, range, and higher top speed. Except for those who travel more than 60 km on a daily basis and frequent longer rides, S1 Air can be a proper replacement for Activas and Jupiters at a similar price with much cheaper running costs. The average daily distance traveled by 2-wheelers in Indian cities is around 30 km. So, charging once every 2 days is enough for S1 Air. The S1 variant with a 100 km range for a slightly higher price (Rs 1 lakh) can serve those who have range concerns. One major caveat is Ola's reliability. S1 has been released prematurely into the market without rigorous testing. While some of the major quality issues with S1 like suspension, grab rail integration, etc... seems to have been addressed in S1 Air, it remains to be proven in the real world. Also the duration between product launch and actual deliveries is very high (6 months in this case). I own a TVS iQube with a 4.4 KW hub motor and it's quicker and faster than most popular ICE scooters like Activa, Jupiter, etc... It's also faster and quicker than Chetak electric which has a mid-drive motor with similar peak power. iQube's top speed is almost the same as Ather 450X although acceleration is lesser. Every month 4 to 5 lakh ICE scooters are being sold in India which can easily be replaced with an EV scooter like TVS iQube which has better performance and much cheaper running costs. Its 100 km range will be enough for 90% of those customers. While TVS claims a 100 km range in eco mode and a 75km range in power mode, I am consistently getting a 100 km range in power mode with my normal riding which is similar to an ICE scooter. The only problem is that the TVS iQube price (Rs 1.3 lakhs) is around Rs 50,000 higher than Activas and Jupiters.It's very premature to announce the demise of S1 Air in my opinion. At the very least it will eat into most of the Chinese imports from the likes of Hero Electric, Okinawa, and Ampere. These 3 companies are selling around 30,000 electric scooters per month in similar price ranges (Rs 75K to 90K) but with very inferior specs as shown below.Rs 87,593 (ex-showroom)2.7 KW peak power hub motor,2 kWh battery,50 kmph top speedRs 77,2492.1 KW peak power hub motor,2.3 kWh battery,50 kmph top speed.Rs 85,1901.2 KW peak power hub motor,3 kWh battery,45 kmph top speed.None of these models are known for superior performance or great build quality or reliability. The major selling point for these scooters is that their starting price is similar to ICE scooters and the running costs are extremely low. Compared to these scooters, Ola S1 Air has a much more powerful motor, bigger battery, range, and higher top speed. Except for those who travel more than 60 km on a daily basis and frequent longer rides, S1 Air can be a proper replacement for Activas and Jupiters at a similar price with much cheaper running costs. The average daily distance traveled by 2-wheelers in Indian cities is around 30 km. So, charging once every 2 days is enough for S1 Air. The S1 variant with a 100 km range for a slightly higher price (Rs 1 lakh) can serve those who have range concerns.One major caveat is Ola's reliability. S1 has been released prematurely into the market without rigorous testing. While some of the major quality issues with S1 like suspension, grab rail integration, etc... seems to have been addressed in S1 Air, it remains to be proven in the real world. Also the duration between product launch and actual deliveries is very high (6 months in this case). Last edited by sri_tesla : 22nd October 2022 at 22:06 . Fiido, an electric bike company, has reportedly issued a recall for their Fiido T1 e-bike due to frame defects that cause the bike to snap in half. The company's urgent notice also advised users to stop using the e-bike. This comes only six months after the Hong Kong-based electric bicycle company issued a recall for the Fiido X electric bike due to frame integrity issues. According to an April report by The Verge, Fiido notified owners of recall plans, offering free collection and replacement with an improved Fiido X or another, but comparable, e-bike sold by the company. The stronger 2.0 frame is now said to be backed by a three-year warranty. The same issue has now arisen with the company's bikes, albeit in a different model. Fiido T1 Frames Broke in Two As per Electrek, the issue was caused by a highly engineered magnesium frame with a sleek and minimalist design. The metal tubing design, as seen in the images in the report, failed to support the rider and the weight of the backside engine. Also, based on the report, the design was a little too sleek near the collapsible mechanism, causing the bikes to start to crack in half because of repeated stress-induced micro-fractures of the frame. This is especially surprising given that the company advertises that the electric bike's front fork is designed to withstand and absorb shock. According to Fiido, the bike's suspension forks are designed to eliminate bumps caused by the front wheel's travel. Product descriptions also read that it is ideal for making difficult trails feel more comfortable. Read Also: E-Bike Injuries are on the Rise Despite Safety Precautions, According to Dutch Organization A Fiido representative told Electrek that the company has already started inspecting their products and that a welding defect was discovered in a number of T1 bike units. The representative also stated that the problem is the result of a manufacturing error. Fiido Takes Responsibility Fiido has already stated that they have begun working on an improved design since the issue was discovered. According to them, the new design is already in production and will be used to replace every single product in the batch. Furthermore, Fiido is said to be making a $10,000 dollar promise to help restore consumer trust in their product. The company is also beginning to assist customers in returning their units for a replacement, as outlined by a Reddit user. As said by Reddit user theconserver, the company is now offering replacements for the same bike models, but users must keep their original battery and charger for the replacement units. The user also claims that the new frame is reinforced on both the exterior and inside the frame. To win back owners, the company added a few other improvements to the bike, such as hydraulic disc brakes in place of the previous mechanical disc brakes. How can Fiido customers request a replacement and learn more about the company's products? Fiido has a website where users can check their bike serial numbers to see if their frame is among those affected. Related Article: Electric Bike Company Launched Long-Awaited 25MPH Folding Electric Bike 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. COVID-19 rapid tests are still adequate when it comes to detecting sub-variants of the novel coronavirus. (Photo : Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) A photo illustration of a rapid antigen test kit showing a negative result is seen during the second stage of a Covid-19 lockdown in Shanghai on April 5, 2022. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) Experts claimed that these health kits could efficiently know if an individual has COVID-19. But, they clarified that issues might arise when rapid test kits face new COVID-19 sub-variants. "These tiny, tiny changes in sub-variants matter a lot in terms of the biological activity of the virus and its ability to escape our immune system," explained University of Toronto assistant professor Colin Furness. COVID-19 Rapid Tests Still Efficient Against New Sub-Variants? Via Global News' latest report, Furness, an infection control epidemiologist, stated that new COVID-19 variants can't easily fool rapid tests. (Photo : Photo by DAVID GANNON/AFP via Getty Images) This photograph taken on October 11, 2022 in Berlin shows Covid-19 Antigen rapid tests, both negative and some positive, made and collected by one person over the past 18 months of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by David GANNON / AFP) Also Read: Health Experts Suggest Bringing Back COVID-19 Face Masks; Will People Accept This? But people need to remember that COVID-19 rapid test kits will have a pretty hard time detecting the virus when symptoms begin. Furness explained that it would take a few days before rapid tests could show positive test results. He added that even though the kit shows a negative result, there's a chance that the individual may be infected with the coronavirus. The health expert further explained that this happens because the test kits show that the infection may not be contagious enough to trigger a positive result. How Do Rapid Test Kits Work? UC Davis Health explained that COVID-19 rapid test kits (rapid antigen tests) are specifically designed to identify the novel coronavirus' protein pieces. This health technology uses a sterile swab to collect samples from nostrils. After that, the swab is combined with a liquid. Then, this liquid will be placed onto the rapid antigen test kit's cartridge. If there are enough protein pieces, the test strip will show a positive result, appearing around 15 to 20 minutes. A negative result will be shown if protein pieces are insufficient. For those who want to learn more about COVID-19 rapid test kits, you can click this link. In other stories, the COVID-19 super-dodgers intrigued many health experts. Recently, a new COVID-like virus called Khosta-2 was identified. For more news updates about COVID-19 and other alarming diseases, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Free At-Home COVID-19 Test Orders To Be Suspended? US Government Explains Why and How To Get Tests For Free This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Wondering if MS Word 2019 is free to download? Then let us help you to download Microsoft Word on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows 7. Get it for your computer and start creating and editing important documents with carefully crafted features that help in bringing out content in a pleasing manner. You will also learn to install Microsoft Word 2019 through the ISO file by mounting it in Windows 10. We will go step by step to download the file and then proceed to the installation of MS Word by skipping other programs, thus saving space and time in the process. Microsoft Word 2019 Microsoft Word is a part of the Microsoft Office suite, which is a collection of tools that are used in offices and educational institutes. MS Word was first released in 1983 and helped introduce the mouse to bundle buyers. This word processor program lets you create, edit or modify documents in any way you want. Microsoft Word 2019 is available for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and Vista. It is also available for macOS running 10.15 or later. The Word 2019 brought a variety of new features to the word processor such as the in-built translator, reading tools, digital pen for natural writing, the ability to add icons and SVG files, etc. Couple it with the cloud backup and you can use it anywhere without ever losing your important documents. If this interests you and use the below links to download Word 2019 and then also a tutorial to get it from the official website Microsoft Word 2019 Free Download for Windows 10 64-Bit/32-Bit Microsoft Word 2019 Free Download 64-Bit/32-bit (via Office 2019 Download from Third-Party Sites) The quickest way to download Word 2019 is by downloading the Office package. It is available for free through Internets very own digital library, the Internet Archive. You can download software, games, media files, and more for free from this site. Here are the links to download Office 2019 to get Word 2019. Once the ISOs are downloaded, here you can mount them in Windows 10 and install Office to get Word 2019 on your PC. Right-click on the download Office 2019 zip file and click on Extract All... 2. Select the location for extracting the zip file of Office 2019 and click Extract to begin the extraction process. 3. Right-click on the ISO file and select Mount. The file will be mounted like a normal CD or DVD. 4. Install Office in a standard process and you will get Word 2019 installed on the PC along with it. Microsoft Word 2019 Download via the official site You can get Word 2019 as a separate product through the official Microsoft site. They only allow it in certain regions. If you are not qualified, then you can download the entire Office suite and install Word 2019 from it while skipping other programs during installation. Here is how you can download Word 2019 from official servers by downloading the Office 2019 suite: 1. Sign in to your Microsoft account and then proceed to the next step. 2. Head to services and scroll down to the Free services from Microsoft section. Click on Office for the web 3. Click on Install Office button given at the right and you will be prompted to download Word 2019 and other apps for offline usage. Note Your Microsoft account must have Office 2019 registered on it or you have a serial key for the same. That is the only way to download Word 2019 from Microsofts official site. System Requirements for Word 2019 Operating System: Windows 8.1 or later Windows 8.1 or later Processor: A dual-core processor would be enough A dual-core processor would be enough RAM: 2GB for x32-bit, and 4 GB for x64-bit. 2GB for x32-bit, and 4 GB for x64-bit. DirectX : DirectX 9 or later : DirectX 9 or later Disk Space: 4 GB of minimum space for installing the full Office 2019 suite. Under 1 GB is enough if you only install Word 2019 and skip other programs. Frequently Asked Questions Can I download Microsoft Word for free? Yes, you can download Microsoft Word for free from the internet digital library. For downloading it from the official Microsoft servers, you will require a license key. Is Microsoft Word 2019 free to download? MS Word 2019 is not officially free but there are legal ways to get it without paying anything. If you are an educator or a student, you can get it for free or through the Microsoft 365 plan subscribed by your institution or organization. MS word 2019 is free for Android and iOS so you can use them on mobile without opening your wallet. Over to You This is how you can download Microsoft Word 2019 for free and also install it on the computer in a short time. Follow the instructions of the tutorial and you can easily download and install MS Word 2019 on your PC. Iran said Saturday it would take legal action against the United States, accusing it of direct involvement in the protests sweeping the country. Tehran also warned the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia would not be ignored by the Islamic Republics judiciary system for their role in hosting and supporting TV networks such as BBC Persian and Iran International which it claimed had urged protesters to destroy public and private properties. Anti-government protests have gripped Iran since the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being pulled off the streets of Tehran by morality police and taken to a re-education center for lessons in modesty. Strikes and protests have become a common sight in cities and towns across the country and in the capital chants of death to the dictator in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei often ring out at night from the rooftops. US President Joe Biden has thrown his support behind the demonstrators, promising costs on perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters and saying the US stands with the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights. The US has also announced sanctions on Irans morality police for abuse and violence against Iranian women and the violation of the rights of peaceful Iranian protesters and is working to making it easier for Iranians to access the internet. This is not the first time Iran has accused the US of meddling in anti-government protests it made similar claims in 2018. Workers strike in Saqqez, the birth place of Mahsa Amini. - IranWire The state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday that the Justice Department has been tasked to file a lawsuit in order to investigate the damages and meddling inflicted by the USs direct involvement in the unrest. It also reported the claims against the BBC and Iran International, made by the deputy head of the Iranian Judiciary and secretary of the countrys High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi. Story continues The report did not make clear what court would hear such a case. Strikes and solidarity protests Meanwhile protests are continuing both within Iran and in solidarity movements across the world, with large demonstrations in both Berlin and Tokyo on Saturday. Within Iran, business owners and factory workers from the Kurdistan region went on strike and students from universities across the country joined in on the demonstrations. Video shared with CNN by pro-reform activist outlet IranWire, show Sanandaj, the capital of the Kurdish region, eerily quiet at the beginning of the work week as stores remain shuttered. The Norway-based Iranian rights group Hengaw said shopkeepers were also on strike in Bukan, Sanandaj and Marivan, though CNN cant independently verify these reports. On Saturday, videos of protests against the Iranian regime from IranWire showed a crowd at Tehrans Shahid Behasti University chanting Freedom, freedom, death to the dictator, death to Khamenei. Workers at Aidin Chocolate Factory in Tabriz have started a strike in solidarity with nationwide protests. (IranWire) - IranWire Students at Tabriz University in East Azerbaijan province also took to the streets chanting in unison that regime change was on the horizon, according to IranWire, and at Yazd University in Yazd province, students sang a century-old pre-revolutionary anthem. An eyewitness told CNN that young girls from local schools who joined in the protests calling for freedom and death to the dictator were rounded up by police moments later and loaded into black vans. Outside Iran, video published by Radio Free Liberty showed protesters on a boardwalk in Sydney, Australia, chanting freedom on Saturday. Germanys state broadcaster RBB reported solidarity protests with close to 80,000 people in Berlin. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com [Pick] I took care of you all my life... Son in his 40s who murdered his mother for nagging him The problem for America in the 2022 elections will not be declaring winners. It will be convincing losers that they lost. This was the message of former U.S. election cyber and infrastructure security director Chris Krebs and a panel of experts at a forum sponsored by the University of Virginia Center for Politics. How can you convince somebody that they lost an election if they wont accept the evidence? Krebs asked. This could be a challenge next month. Donald Trumps nonstop promotion of the Big Lie that election fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election set the table for election deniers this year, the panel pointed out. Those election deniers form the core of a tumor that uses technology to spread a cancer through the U.S. body politic. The biggest threat to American democracy now comes from candidates like Kari Lake, the ex-TV reporter, Trump loyalist and conspiracy theorist running for governor of Arizona. Lake, said panel member and former conservative Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, has already said she will not admit defeat if she loses. Lake spreads lies about election fraud. She is also someone Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin happily endorsed. He traveled to Arizona Wednesday to endorse her and expose his own hypocrisy when he admits Joe Biden defeated Trump in a legal, legitimate election. Krebs and Comstock sounded the alarm about pushing or accepting Trumps Big Lie, something Youngkin has done with several of his endorsements. Believing the Big Lie does more than destroy trust in democracy, it puts honest election workers at risk. Krebs knows that all too well. Trump fired him from his election security job for calling the 2020 election the most secure in U.S. history. Krebs has endured death threats. So have hundreds of other election officials. Even volunteers have been targeted for violent threats by people who refuse to believe their candidate could lose. As a result, many states, including Arizona, have moved to what Krebs calls radicalization of election workers. In Arizona, Republican Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem continues to deny the 2020 election results, despite multiple audits and court cases that confirmed them. He cites debunked conspiracy theories to spread lies. And such is the state of his state that he has a good chance of winning. To grasp the threat of such craziness, understand that Arizona is currently re-litigating the Sharpie marker conspiracy of 2020. It claims that election workers gave Sharpie markers to voters to mark ballots so voting machines could not read them, Renee DiResta, Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, told the UVa forum. Internet influencers spread this pestilence to hundreds of millions instantly, DiResta added. Did you hear the one about the CIA super computer flipping votes after they were cast? Arizona is the nexus of conspiracy theories or the gate to Hell, said Krebs. I dont know which. But Arizona is not alone. Election officials in Georgia and Colorado illegally gave access to voting machines to Trump partisans after the 2020 election in hopes they could prove the Big Lie, which, of course, they could not. So up popped another conspiracy theory. The debunked election denier documentary 2,000 Mules is still being shown in rural radical Republican strongholds in Central Virginia to whip up support for candidates like 5th District Congressman Bob Good, an election denying Christian nationalist, who is supposed to represent the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. In a recent interview with Cardinal News, Larry Sabato, the founder of the Center for Politics, said this: Except for the hard-core segregationists who never reformed, Id rate Bob Good the most extreme House member from Virginia that Ive seen in the six decades of my observation. And the way the Fifth is now constituted, that wont stop him from being reelected. Bob Good clones are running all over the U.S. Washington Post research of candidates shows that 2020 election deniers are likely to control the House of Representatives after the 2022 midterms. This is why Comstock now calls herself a single issue voter. My issue, she said, is democracy. If you do not respect democracy, you cant have any issues before that. Bryan Munson is outspoken. Thats why he is asked to speak to a lot of religious groups, political groups and gun shows, he said. I speak my mind, Munson said with a nod. Munson is running for City Council in Ward 3, which represents the eastern side of Albany. To get there, he'll have to best incumbent Bessie Johnson and challenger Ramycia McGhee. Being in a position of leadership runs in his family, he said. Munson comes from a long line of preachers and those who enlisted in the military service, he said. Civic duty runs in the family, he said, I know the burden and what it takes to do things right, he said. Munson served in the military before becoming an operations and engineering manager. He said that he is used to working in a team and used to reading dense documents. Munson believes these are skills that would serve him well in city council. In his spare time, he is a podcast junky. He listens to subjects from aviation to guns, and to names like Joe Rogan and Rush Limbaugh. He is hesitant to put his full trust in the election process because of the possibility of fraud, but believes at the local level, Albanys election is not a concern. Munson is passionate about infrastructure in Albany and wishes some of the buildings and roads were more well-kept, likening them to cobblestone. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. He wants to make sure Albany is building in the most cost-effective way, he said. Munson enjoys the small-town atmosphere of Albany. If you need someone, they will be there for you, he said. He doesn't want Albany to end up like Portland, he said. He believes the decriminalization of drugs has caused crime rates to rise thee. It's a moral decay, he said. Munson is endorsed by the Oregon Firearms Federation and the Willamette Association of Realtors. He has a degree in leadership. Munson said he is used to delegating, but more importantly, he cares, and that's what will aid in achieving goals in City Council. I love watching people achieve goals I know I helped, he said. Rupert Murdoch has praised the role of his former right-hand man, the late Ken Cowley, in making News Corp a media giant in Australia. Cowleys family announced his death earlier on Monday. It is with deep regret that Ive learned of Ken Cowleys passing, Murdoch said in a prepared statement on Monday afternoon. Rupert Murdoch (left) and Ken Cowley in 1986. Ken was one of Australias most outstanding executives. His leadership was integral to News Corps growth from a small publisher to Australias finest media company. In Kens long association with News over many decades, I admired his loyalty, integrity and business leadership, said Murdoch, who remains News Corps executive chairman. Cowleys death was reported by 2GB presenter Chris Smith on Ben Fordhams show on Monday morning. Smith is a close friend of the Cowley family. Are there any jewellery pieces you always wear? I love bracelets and never leave the house without my Bulgari Serpenti Vipers. I started with one, then two, and now three is much better; maybe I will stop at seven, or 10. I like to play with different-coloured golds: I wear yellow, rose and white gold together. I also always wear a gold necklace which has an ancient coin and diamonds, but I change my earrings every day. I love to wear jewels; I cannot live without them. Can you remember a favourite outfit from when you were a child? I started to choose my own wardrobe when I very young. When I started school, I remember discussing what to wear with my mother. She wanted me to wear something pink but I decided on my favourite red dress. Whats at the top of your fashion wish list? Its a long list, starting with the jewels I need more bracelets. Id also like a new Valentino gala dress. I went to the Valentino haute couture fashion show in Rome and I was so excited to see all the colour. I love creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli; I dream of owning one of his gowns. What are three essential items in your wardrobe? Jewels, a white shirt and a beautiful jacket. Is there something youd never wear? Anything too tight its not possible any more. At my age I have to hide some defects, so I prefer something larger. As a large part of the state is engulfed in a severe thunderstorm warning, including parts of the northern rivers, central tablelands and Riverina region, Meteorologist Jordan Notara from the Bureau of Meteorology says the severe storms are unlikely to make their way further east today. Theres not a high certainty that it will reach further east, mostly due to the time. The peak heating of the day has passed, Notara told The Herald. Theres a chance of sun for Sydneysiders on Tuesday, but that will be coupled with showers and possible thunderstorms. Credit:Nikki Short However, he said that eastern parts of NSW, from northern parts of the Illawarra all the way up to the Queensland border, could experience severe thunderstorms tomorrow. Looking into tomorrow there is a returned chance that we will see severe storms return, and also a chance that non-severe storms will be present. For Sydney, there will be on and off showers tomorrow says Notara, but its likely there will be a patch or two of sun among the rain, before thunderstorms potentially emerge in the afternoon. If the reports coming in from Column 8 readers are anything to go by, Coral Button might not need to go so far as looking over the fence to locate her missing snails (C8). The answer is in our letterbox, eating our snail mail, says Stephen Harris of Stroud. Ruth Hutchinson of Saratoga also reports that snails have established a dry den in my letterbox enjoying a regular food delivery service from the postie. It must have taken them a few years to get there from North Epping, but Dawn Fardell of Dubbo reports that the snails [C8] are living in Dubbo in large numbers. Helen Lewin of Tumbi Umbi doesnt know where the snails (C8) are, but on a recent visit to Canberra the earthworms in some areas were throwing themselves on the footpaths in their thousands to avoid the waterlogged grass verges. Dodging them was impossible, especially at night! According to Bruce Horsburgh of West Pennant Hills, Jon Travers neglected to mention the most important fact about the River Piddle [C8], that being that it runs from Puddletown to Poole. As a kid in the 1950s, Barry Myler of Wollongong would come in from the rain and say how wet it was outside and my old uncle Alan would say, Youre telling me nothing son, youre telling me nothing. Then, when he came in out of the rain he would say, Its wet out there, and I will tell you that for nothing son, I will tell you that for nothing. Was it just my old uncle that used that turn of phrase, or am I telling you nothing? Only 15 minutes after SES volunteer Jarrod Bell helped pull a couple sitting on the roof of their 4WD to safety, the car was swept away. It was 4am on Thursday when he was called to Elmore, northeast of Bendigo. A couple in their 60s had unsuccessfully tried to cross the Elmore Bridge and climbed onto the roof of their car, where they waited for help for 40 minutes. SES volunteer Jarrod Bell has been helping flood-affected communities in northern Victoria. Credit:Jason South They just overestimated the capabilities of their vehicles and underestimated the depth and ferocity of the current, Bell said. If we werent able to get there as quickly as we did, that could have been an awfully different outcome for that couple. Full text of resolution on 19th CPC Central Committee report Xinhua) 10:25, October 23, 2022 BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of the Resolution of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on the Report of the 19th Central Committee adopted at the closing session of the 20th CPC National Congress Saturday. Resolution of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on the Report of the 19th Central Committee Adopted on October 22, 2022 The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) approves the report presented by Comrade Xi Jinping on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee. The Congress has held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics; adhered to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development; and fully applied Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. On the basis of an analysis of the international and domestic landscapes, the Congress has established the theme of the 20th National Congress, reviewed the work of the past five years and the great changes taking place in the first decade of the new era, and elaborated on the new frontier in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, the Chinese features and essential requirements of Chinese modernization, and other major issues. It has made strategic plans for building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts, and it has set out overall plans for coordinated implementation of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, thus charting the course for continued progress in advancing the cause of the Party and the country on the new journey to achieve the Second Centenary Goal in the new era and establishing a guide to action. The report of the 19th CPC Central Committee adopted at the Congress is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Party and the people. It is a political declaration and a program of action for the Party to bring together the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and lead them in securing new success for socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is a guiding Marxist document. The delegates believe that the theme expounded in the report is the soul of the Congress and a general platform for the development of the cause of the Party and the country. Every one of us in the Party must hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and develop a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We must resolutely uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We must carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party, stay confident and build strength, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude, and strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. The Congress points out that our Party has dedicated itself to achieving lasting greatness for the Chinese nation and committed itself to the noble cause of peace and development for humanity. Our responsibility is unmatched in importance, and our mission is glorious beyond compare. It is imperative that all of us in the Party never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, that we always stay modest, prudent, and hard-working, and that we have the courage and ability to carry on our fight. We must remain confident in our history, exhibit greater historical initiative, and write an even more magnificent chapter for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The Congress applauds the work of the 19th Central Committee. The five years since the 19th National Congress have been truly momentous and extraordinary. Over these five years, the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, thoroughly acted on the guiding principles from the 19th National Congress and the plenary sessions of the 19th Central Committee, upheld Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development, and fully implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Central Committee has united and led the whole Party, the entire military, and all Chinese people in making well-coordinated efforts to advance our great struggle, our great project, our great cause, and our great dream, to implement the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic while also promoting economic and social development, and to both pursue development and ensure security. We have remained true to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability. We have devoted great energy to finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts, focused on promoting high-quality development, and worked to create a new pattern of development. We have pursued reform at a swift and steady pace, made solid progress in developing whole-process people's democracy, and advanced law-based governance across all fields of endeavor. We have actively developed advanced socialist culture. We have worked to ensure and improve public wellbeing as a matter of priority and pooled resources to wage a critical battle against poverty. We have made a big push to enhance ecological conservation. We have worked with firm resolve to safeguard national security, fended off and defused major risks, and ensured social stability. We have devoted great energy to modernizing our national defense and the armed forces. We have helped to restore order in Hong Kong, bringing about a major turn for the better. We have stood firm in fighting against separatism and interference, conducted major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts, and made sweeping efforts to advance the great new project of Party building. We have eradicated absolute poverty as scheduled and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus attaining the First Centenary Goal and embarking on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and reach the Second Centenary Goal. Over the past five years, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core fully assessed the situation, upheld fundamental principles and broke new ground, and exhibited its courage and ability to fight. It has united and led the whole Party, the entire military, and all people across the country in effectively responding to grave, intricate international developments and a series of immense risks and challenges, in solving a great number of problems that had long gone unsolved, in securing many accomplishments that hold major future significance, and in achieving impressive advances in the cause of the Party and the country. With great effort and determination, we have thus steadily advanced socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The Congress stresses that the past decade since the Party's 18th National Congress marked three major events of great immediate importance and profound historical significance for the cause of the Party and the people: We embraced the centenary of the Communist Party of China; we ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and we eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the First Centenary Goal. These were historic feats -- feats accomplished by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people striving in unity, feats that will be forever recorded in the Chinese nation's history, and feats that will profoundly influence the world. Over the past decade, we have fully implemented the Party's basic theory, basic line, and basic policy. We have adopted a number of strategic measures, developed a range of transformative practices, and made a series of breakthroughs and landmark advances. We have withstood risks, challenges, and trials in the political, economic, ideological, and natural domains, secured historic achievements and seen historic changes in the cause of the Party and the country, and taken China on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects. The great transformation over the past 10 years of the new era marks a milestone in the history of the Party, of the People's Republic of China, of reform and opening up, of the development of socialism, and of the development of the Chinese nation. The Communist Party of China has tempered itself through revolution and grown stronger. The Chinese people are filled with a stronger sense of history and initiative. The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is now on an irreversible historical course. Scientific socialism is brimming with renewed vitality in 21st-century China. The Congress stresses that we owe this great transformation to the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups who have striven in unity under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Party has established Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and established the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This reflects the common will of the Party, the military, and the Chinese people, and it is of decisive significance for the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for advancing the historic process of national rejuvenation. To advance socialism with Chinese characteristics on the new journey in the new era, it is most critical to develop a deep understanding of the decisive significance of the establishment of Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; to strengthen our consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; to stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; to uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership; and to be more purposeful in closely following the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in thinking, political stance, and action. The Congress stresses that Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology upon which our Party and our country are founded and thrive. Our experience has taught us that, at the fundamental level, we owe the success of our Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics to the fact that Marxism works, particularly when it is adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of our times. Since the 18th National Congress, our Party has made theoretical explorations and innovations with great courage. It has, from an entirely new perspective, deepened its understanding of the laws that underlie governance by a communist party, the development of socialism, and the evolution of human society. It has achieved major theoretical innovations, which are encapsulated in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The main elements of this theory are summarized in the 10 affirmations, the 14 commitments, and the 13 areas of achievement that were articulated at the 19th National Congress and the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Party Central Committee, all of which we must adhere to over the long term and continue to enrich and develop. Only by integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific realities and fine traditional culture and only by applying dialectical and historical materialism can we provide correct answers to the major questions presented by the times and discovered through practice and can we ensure that Marxism always retains its vigor and vitality. To keep advancing theoretical innovation on the basis of practical experience, we must, first of all, gain a good command of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and adhere to and make good use of its stances, viewpoints, and methods. We must put the people first; maintain self-confidence and stand on our own feet; uphold fundamental principles and break new ground; adopt a problem-oriented approach; apply systems thinking; and maintain a global vision, so as to open up a new frontier in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of our times. The Congress has established that, from this day forward, the central task of the Communist Party of China will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. The Congress concludes that our Party has succeeded in advancing and expanding Chinese modernization, based on decades of exploration and practice since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, especially since the launch of reform and opening up in 1978, as well as the new breakthroughs made in theory and practice since the 18th National Congress. Chinese modernization is socialist modernization pursued under the leadership of the Communist Party of China; it contains elements that are common to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context; it is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. The essential requirements of Chinese modernization are as follows: upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China and socialism with Chinese characteristics, pursuing high-quality development, developing whole-process people's democracy, enriching the people's cultural lives, achieving common prosperity for all, promoting harmony between humanity and nature, building a human community with a shared future, and creating a new form of human advancement. The Congress states that a two-step strategic plan has been adopted to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects: first, basically realizing socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035; second, building China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful from 2035 through the middle of this century. The next five years will be crucial for getting our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects off to a good start. Our main objectives and tasks for this period are as follows: -- Make breakthroughs in promoting high-quality economic development; achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology; make major progress in creating a new pattern of development and building a modernized economy -- Make new strides in reform and opening up; make further progress in modernizing China's system and capacity for governance; further improve the socialist market economy; put in place new systems for a higher-standard open economy -- Further enhance the institutions, standards, and procedures of whole-process people's democracy; improve the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics -- Enrich the intellectual and cultural lives of our people; enhance the cohesion of the Chinese nation and the appeal of Chinese culture -- Ensure personal income grows basically in step with economic growth and pay rises in tandem with increases in productivity; ensure much more equitable access to basic public services; develop a better multi-tiered social security system -- Substantially improve urban and rural living environments; make notable progress in building a Beautiful China -- Further consolidate national security; fulfill the goals for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army in 2027; make solid progress in building a Peaceful China -- Further increase China's international standing and influence; enable China to play a greater role in global governance The Congress emphasizes that building a modern socialist country in all respects is a great and arduous endeavor. Our future is bright, but we still have a long way to go. On the journey ahead, we must firmly adhere to the following major principles: upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership; following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics; applying a people-centered development philosophy; remaining committed to deepening reform and opening up; and carrying forward our fighting spirit. All of us in the Party must forge ahead with confidence and determination; proactively identify, respond to, and steer changes and prevent and defuse risks; and keep on striving to secure new successes in building a modern socialist China in all respects. The Congress endorses the strategic plans set out in the report for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the period to come, and it stresses that we should fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, accelerate the creation of a new development pattern, and pursue high-quality development. We should continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy, promote high-standard opening up, and accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows. We should build a high-standard socialist market economy, modernize the industrial system, advance rural revitalization across the board, promote coordinated regional development, and advance high-standard opening up. We should invigorate China through science and education and develop a strong workforce for the modernization drive. We should continue to give high priority to the development of education, build China's self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and rely on talent to pioneer and to propel development. We should develop education that meets the people's expectations, improve systems for scientific and technological innovation, accelerate the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, and implement the workforce development strategy. We should speed up work to build a strong educational system, greater scientific and technological strength, and a quality workforce. We should advance whole-process people's democracy and ensure that the people run the country. We should firmly stay on the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics; uphold the unity between Party leadership, the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance; and ensure the principal position of the people, so as to give full expression to their will, protect their rights and interests, and spark their creativity. We should strengthen the institutions through which the people run the country and uphold and improve our country's foundational, basic, and important political systems. We should fully develop consultative democracy, actively develop democracy at the primary level, and consolidate and develop the broadest possible patriotic united front. We should exercise law-based governance on all fronts and advance the rule of law in China. We should, with a focus on protecting and promoting social fairness and justice, pursue coordinated progress in law-based governance, law-based exercise of state power, and law-based government administration and take integrated steps to build a country, government, and society based on the rule of law. We should improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics with the Constitution at its core, steadily advance law-based government administration, ensure strict and impartial administration of justice, and step up efforts to establish the rule of law throughout society. We should build cultural confidence and strength and secure new successes in developing socialist culture. We should ignite the cultural creativity of the entire nation and build a powerful source of inspiration for realizing national rejuvenation. We should consolidate a common intellectual foundation for the whole Party and all Chinese people to strive in unity, develop a socialist ideology that has the power to unite and inspire the people, extensively apply the core socialist values, enhance civility throughout society, develop cultural programs and the cultural sector, and extend the reach and appeal of Chinese civilization. We should improve the people's wellbeing and raise quality of life. We should ensure and improve the people's wellbeing in the course of pursuing development and encourage everyone to work hard together to create a better life. We should make solid progress in promoting common prosperity, improve the system of income distribution, implement the employment-first strategy, improve the social security system, and advance the Healthy China Initiative. We should pursue green development and promote harmony between humanity and nature. We should uphold and act on the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and we should remember to maintain harmony between humanity and nature when planning our development. We should take a holistic and systematic approach to the conservation and improvement of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts. We should carry out coordinated industrial restructuring, pollution control, ecological conservation, and climate response. We should accelerate the transition to a model of green development, intensify pollution prevention and control, enhance diversity, stability, and sustainability in our ecosystems, and work actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. The Congress emphasizes that national security is the bedrock of national rejuvenation and social stability is a prerequisite for building a strong and prosperous China. We must resolutely pursue a holistic approach to national security and promote national security in all areas and stages of the work of the Party and the country. We must improve the national security system, strengthen our capacity for safeguarding national security, enhance public safety governance, and improve the social governance system, so as to ensure national security and social stability. The Congress stresses that achieving the goals for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army in 2027 and more quickly elevating our people's armed forces to world-class standards are strategic tasks for building a modern socialist country in all respects. To this end, we must apply Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military, implement the military strategy for the new era, and maintain the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces. We must continue to enhance political loyalty in the military, strengthen the military through reform, science and technology, and personnel training, and run the military in accordance with the law. We must simultaneously carry out operations, boost combat preparedness, and enhance our military capabilities. We must continue integrated development of the military through mechanization, informatization, and the application of smart technologies and work faster to modernize military theory, organizational forms, personnel, and weaponry and equipment. We must enhance the military's strategic capabilities for defending China's sovereignty, security, and development interests and see that the people's armed forces effectively fulfill their missions and tasks in the new era. The Congress stresses that the policy of One Country, Two Systems is a great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It has proven to be the best institutional arrangement for ensuring sustained prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao after their return to the motherland. This policy must be adhered to over the long term. We should fully, faithfully, and resolutely implement the policy of One Country, Two Systems, under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy. We should remain committed to law-based governance in Hong Kong and Macao, maintain constitutional order in these two special administrative regions as stipulated in China's Constitution and their basic laws, and see that Hong Kong and Macao are administered by patriots. We should adhere to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus and implement our Party's overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era. We should take resolute steps to oppose "Taiwan independence" and promote reunification, maintain the initiative and the ability to steer in cross-Strait relations, and unswervingly advance the cause of national reunification. The Congress endorses the report's analysis of the international situation and the arrangements it sets out for China's foreign affairs. The Congress emphasizes that China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace and has always decided its position and policy on issues based on their own merits. China adheres to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in pursuing friendship and cooperation with other countries. It is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. China plays an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system and works to make global governance fairer and more equitable. China sincerely calls upon all countries to hold dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom and join forces to meet all types of global challenges. The Congress stresses that our Party has a pivotal role in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and in advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. As the largest Marxist governing party in the world, we must always stay alert and determined to tackle the special challenges that a large party like ours faces, so as to maintain the people's support and consolidate our position as the long-term governing party. We must persevere with full and rigorous self-governance, continue to advance the great new project of Party building in the new era, and use our own transformation to steer social transformation. We must meet the overall requirements for Party building in the new era, improve the systems for exercising full and rigorous self-governance, and comprehensively advance our efforts to purify, improve, renew, and excel ourselves. We must uphold and strengthen the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee; enhance cohesion and forge the Party's soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; improve the systems and regulations for the Party's self-reform; cultivate officials capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation; enhance the political and organizational functions of Party organizations; take strict steps to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline; and endeavor to win the tough and protracted battle against corruption. The Congress calls on the whole Party, the entire military, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to stay closely rallied around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, to keep in mind that empty talk will do nothing for our country and only solid work will make it flourish, to maintain firm confidence, unite as one, and forge ahead with resolve, and to strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts. (Web editor: Zhange Wenjie, Hongyu) HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, today (October 23) announced the launch of the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (GSCRI), a key initiative aimed at making the kingdom a location of choice for leading global industrial companies looking to drive competitive advantage and improve business resilience. The GSCRI is one of the initiatives of Saudi Arabias National Investment Strategy, launched in October last year to accelerate efforts to make the kingdom a global investment powerhouse. The initiative will enable global investors to make optimal use of the kingdoms natural resources and untapped potential and form strong relationships with regional and global markets. Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the GSCRI was aimed at turning the kingdom into an ideal destination for all investors in supply chains, through several steps. It aims to attract SR40 billion ($10.7 billion) worth of quality, industrial and service investments in global supply chains into the kingdom within the launching phase. Saudi Arabia is also working to implement regulatory and procedural reforms in various aspects, which, in turn, will contribute to further improving the investment environment and increasing its attractiveness and competitiveness as well as make the investment play an essential role to achieve economic growth and diversity in light of Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, he stated. According to him, the new initiative will provide a great opportunity to achieve common successes. Working along with other development initiatives that have been launched in recent years, it will help to enable investors, from all sectors, to benefit from the kingdom's resources and capabilities and support and develop these value chains. "It will also build successful investments, which will give greater flexibility to economies, businesses and consumers around the world," he noted. The strategy of continuous enhancement of the investment environment will be coupled with attractive opportunities and a unique incentives budget, including that of SR10 billion in financial and non-financial incentives. These steps include identifying and developing investment opportunities and presenting them to investors, establishing a number of special economic zones in the near future, through which an attractive environment can be created for investors, in addition to attracting the regional headquarters of international companies to the kingdom. It will ensure the provision and sustainability of supply chain access to all parts of the world effectively and with highly competitive advantages. Finally, the GSCRI will bring the kingdom closer to achieving its Vision 2030 aspirations to be a top 15 global economy by 2030 and leave a prosperous legacy for future generations. The Saudi Crown Prince said the pandemic, trade disputes and the geopolitical landscape have broken or weakened global supply chains, driving up commodity prices and disrupting production and distribution. This initiative aims to strengthen the position of KSA in the global economy, and to mitigate the impact of global disruptions, he stated. According to Council for Economic and Development Affairs, the new supply chain resilience move will leverage the kingdoms resources, infrastructure and location to bring greater resilience to economies and companies across Europe, the Americas and Asia, while further enhancing Saudi Arabias position in the global economy. The kingdom offers a strong value proposition to investors across several key dimensions. It provides a resilient economy which is the largest in the Middle East and the fastest growing in the G20, a strategic location at the heart of three continents and a source of key raw materials for manufacturing. Saudi Arabia provides a robust logistics infrastructure across industrial cities, airports and ports, with ambitious expansion plans underway as part of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy. The countrys digital infrastructure too has witnessed significant progress, with widespread high-speed internet coverage and 5G now available to nearly 80% of the population thanks to the Saudi Arabia' s young, educated and ambitious workforce. Of the total population, about 60% are under the age of 30. In addition to these advantages, KSA has launched many ambitious plans and programmes that have already begun to be implemented, with the aim of achieving sustainability, protecting the environment and confronting climate change. These include the Green Saudi Arabia and Green Middle-East initiatives, and the programme to diversify the energy mix used in generating electricity, so that the proportion of renewable energy in electric power production will be 50% by 2030.-TradeArabia News Service For the November general election, our editorial board tried to target the most critical races in the mid-Willamette Valley for endorsements. We eliminated contests that we thought would end in landslides for whatever reason so you wont find a pick regarding the Benton County Board of Commissioners, where we expect the solid and steady Pat Malone to be reelected, or in the Albany mayors race, where we predict the business-friendly and gregarious incumbent Alex Johnson II will win. Many of the races for local state representative seem like theyll be decided simply on demographics. The races we pinpointed as most substantial and potentially tight were Corvallis mayor, Lebanon mayor and Linn County sheriff. Well start with the race for Corvallis mayor, and in the coming days tackle those other contests. With Biff Traber declining to seek another term, the Corvallis mayors race is one of the most interesting contests on ballots in either Linn or Benton counties. It feels especially important since there are cracks in the supposed utopia that need patched up. Homelessness, affordable housing, public transportation and how to pay for community perks are hot topics. The contest has attracted three rather qualified candidates: current Corvallis City Council member Andrew Struthers, and former councilors Roen Hogg and Charles Maughan. Out of this trio, wed urge you to vote for Charles Maughan, who is the most progressive option in the race, and therefore the person who best represents Corvallis, perhaps the most progressive city in Oregon per capita. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. (For full disclosure, Maughan was employed by Mid-Valley Media more than a decade ago and two of our editorial board members were his co-workers. That didnt factor into our decision, but, regardless, well declare a potential conflict of interest.) Both Hogg and Struthers, of course, have excellent points that could be attractive to voters. Hogg has positioned himself as a strong advocate for practical solutions for homelessness, he thinks high taxes are a major issue, and he thinks that the difficulty and cost of building in Corvallis has contributed to the housing crisis. Some of Hoggs major selling points are that hes the most experienced of the candidates and hes retired, so he can fully devote himself to the position. However, some of the most effective mayors weve seen have been newly-elected men and women who worked full-time but were always at community events. Struthers seems like a genuinely nice guy and moderate influence who wants to bring more businesses to Corvallis and aims to thoroughly investigate issues that come before the council. But Corvallis has a tendency to talk every topic to death, or, lately, to punt issues rather than court controversy. Among Struthers recent votes that seem at odds with the general public are voting to try to delay psilocybin therapy in Corvallis, and putting home energy scores before voters. Despite any criticisms, Hogg or Struthers are serious local politicians who probably would do a fine job if elected. Maughan is our choice, though, in part because hes particularly well-educated on housing issues, and he wants the city to take a more active role in incubating the development of affordable alternatives. He also wants to bring Corvallis bus system in-house, rather than have an outside contractor, and hes staunchly for mandating energy scores. We worry about Maughans financial acumen to a degree. He hopes to tap into state and federal dollars, as well as grants, to preserve community services. Money doesnt grow on trees, though, and Corvallis may need to make tough choices if a full-blown recession materializes. Nevertheless, we believe Maughan will be a decisive leader who will try to push things forward and push back against city staff when necessary. Again, if Corvallis really wants to double down on its liberal values, residents should be bold and vote for Maughan. An emergency workforce has been hired to deliver faster payments to Australians suffering from floods and other natural disasters in a $588 million federal budget plan that prepares for more pressure from events caused in part by climate change. Services Australia has gained at least 2000 workers to take calls for help from victims of natural disasters and ensure resources are in place to deal with the workload during summer. Residents ship sandbags in Echuca, one of many towns battling floods across Australia in the past week. Credit:Jason South With major floods spreading over large parts of Victoria and NSW, the federal move adds permanent staff to the agency that fields requests for assistance such as the $1000 Australian government disaster recovery payment. Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said the natural disasters of the past three years had shown that the government needed a ready to go workforce rather than assembling the teams in a rush after each emergency. Cheyenne, WY (82001) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning, then some snow showers this afternoon. High 44F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 40%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Periods of snow. Low near 10F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches. Batavia, NY (14020) Today Overcast. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 30F. Winds light and variable. Corvallis conversations about its downtown unhoused populations are about to get a little bit country. Aleita Hass-Holcombe stood between two sheet-like signs Saturday, Oct. 22, the language to her right describing Josephine County residents rebuff of right-wing militias in 2015. To the right of the long-time city homeless advocate, a sheet-like sign described the way the left-leaning community action group had struggled against the fundamentalist hardening of rural Oregon in the 1990s. In the big picture, were really more alike than different, said Hass-Holcombe, volunteer board president at the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center. She said staff recognized the plight at the heart of the Rural Organizing Projects work that once stripped of political polarization, rural Oregon problems like addiction, homelessness and poverty are everybody problems. Corvallis is one of not-in-my-backyardism, she said. The Drop-In Center is hosting a traveling Rural Organizing Project exhibit of documentary-like exposition. Its a sort of greatest hits of times and places where rural Oregonians ostensibly put aside politics for common causes, and itll be displayed at Westminster House from Oct. 24 to Nov. 5. But Hass-Holcombe is hoping the project serves as an entry point for exactly the kind of cross-kitchen-table dialogue she said other cities in Oregon have used to solve problems. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Hass-Halcombes homeless resources hub is going to grow someday, she said, and she wants to hear the complaints now. As we try to figure out how to have a bigger presence somewhere, there are going to be NIMBY voices, she said. Keep them out The resource ecosystem can be disjointed. Some people who visit the resource hub find the access to paperwork, phones, staffers who can help them to receive subsidized housing if there was any, Hass-Holcombe said. People who get HUD vouchers should be able to use those vouchers, she said. Corvallis unhoused population finds there are too few beds available for immediate shelter, and even fewer transitional homes available among some of the housing that qualifies for U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department grants. Drop-In Center staff estimate there are 600 or more people without permanent homes in Corvallis. Beds for people who need immediate or transitional housing total as few as 122. Thats bunks at men- and women-specific shelters, tiny house-like microshelters and apartments for one or two people who are following social programs off of Corvallis streets. Hass-Holcombe said she wants to see more efforts to not just store unhoused people but connect people with counseling. She pointed and likened the process to the nearby Willamette River. You dont want to just pull them out, Hass-Holcombe said. You want to keep them from falling in. Rick Kleinosky worked at the hub for more than a decade, where he managed a program for handing out basic supplies like batteries, flashlights, sweatshirts and toiletries. An accident landed Kleinosky in outreach work. The Corvallis man said he lived on the citys streets before 2008, unable to function with an addiction to alcohol. After my morning beer, I slipped on the grass over here by the skate park and shattered my shoulder, he said. Kleinosky said Hass-Holcombe and a forerunner of the Drop-In Center helped him end up, after a year-plus-long process, in subsidized housing. First there was detoxing in a hospital, attending an Alcoholics Anonymous group, signing up for medical disability payments. I learned how to take responsibility for myself, Kleinosky said. He said he wants the same chance he had to end up with a job and housing for others. But first, Corvallis needs to have those talks faster, more inclusively. Hass-Holcombe and Kleinosky described the resistance they said meets any proposed service for unhoused people. Kleinosky said Corvallis has too few shelters where people can escape from cold weather. I dont know when the first one opened, but people dont want it in their neighborhood, Kleinosky said. The center was, itself, unhoused for a time in summer 2019. Downtown property owners pushed back against a proposed all-in-one stop for food, shelter and casework. That was the end of a nearly decade-long Benton County effort to track and create housing opportunities. Neighbors said they didnt want the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center, Stone Soup and a cold-weather shelter in a building on Southwest Second Street, and the program imploded. Hass-Holcombe said she often hears about safety. The citys housed residents sometimes fall back on the word, wondering whether emergency shelters and transitional housing will lead to violent crime. She said the safety of the unhoused residents goes overlooked, where people are significantly more likely to be robbed or injured when they live on the streets. Theyre part of the community, too, Hass-Holcombe said. The methodology is here, Kleinosky said. Now we just need the support of the community. Hass-Holcombe said she hopes the concerns raised in the kitchen table process gets Corvallis looking past its divisions. This is a seed. Well water it; well nurture it; well see how it grows, she said. People with mild and symptomatic cases of COVID-19 quarantine at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in China on April 1, 2022. (Ding Ting/Xinhua via AP) Family Pleads for Help as 16-Year-Old Daughter Dies in COVID-19 Quarantine in China Reports of the death of a 16-year-old girl in a COVID-19 quarantine center after her familys pleas for help went ignored have been spreading on Chinese social media since Oct. 18during the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) 20th Party Congressand have sparked public outrage. The girls father is believed to have been silenced by authorities after he spoke publicly about her death. In a video that went viral, the father was seen filming a girl who had died in a hospital bed. He revealed his national ID and cellphone numbers, saying his name is Guo Lele and that he lives in Qizhuang Village, Ruzhou City in Henan Province. He said that after his daughter, Guo Jingjing, was placed in a COVID-19 isolation center at Wanji High School on Oct. 14, she developed a high fever on Oct. 16, and a day later, she was convulsing, dehydrated, and trembling in a bunk bed. Medical staff at the isolation center ignored the familys plea for medical help, the man said. They called emergency line 110 and ambulance line 120 many times, but they also ignored the familys plea. The delay led to his daughters condition worsening, according to Guo. At 7 p.m. on Oct. 17, his daughter was transferred to the Fourth Peoples Hospital of the County for emergency treatment and was pronounced dead. Guo now is requesting that the regimes Central Commission for Discipline Inspection investigate allegations that the Ruzhou government improperly implemented epidemic control measures, demanding justice for his daughter. The girls aunt said in the video that all six members of the family have been forced into a quarantine center for being close contacts. When she went into isolation, she was fine, Guo said of his daughter. She had been there for four days and then suffered from convulsions, vomiting, and high fever, he said. Without timely treatment, the child is gone. A post in a social media group called Ruzhou Experimental Middle School claimed to be from a woman whose sister and Guo Jingjing had been quarantined together in the school dormitory. According to the post, Guo Jingjing had a high fever and was left unattended, causing acute encephalitis, vomiting, foaming, and convulsions. When she was on the verge of death, she was eventually sent to the hospital. In the hospital, she slipped into a coma and was left unattended in her bed. At 3 a.m., her mother was notified that she had no heartbeat. Father is Silenced After news of the incident went viral on social media, the Sound of Hope Radio Network spoke with Guo by telephone. Our policy here [in China] is that as long as there is contact or close contact, all of them will be taken away, he said. At 2 a.m. on Oct. 14, our whole family was taken away to the quarantine point. Then, the call was cut off. The reporter called Guo again but hasnt been able to get through. In line with the CCPs usual tactics, its suspected that Guos phone was being monitored by the regime as the authorities try to stop him from speaking to the outside world. Two reporters from The Epoch Times had the same experience. Just as Guo and the reporters began talking on the phone, he coincidentally had another call come in. He then hung up and hasnt answered calls from the reporters since. Zero-COVID Policies Responsible Dan Xia, a former lecturer at a university in mainland China, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 19 that quarantines should be about preventing infection and protecting peoples lives, but under the CCP, its not about protecting peoples lives but about being politically correct. Didnt we see this absurd scene? she said. It is said that to prevent the spread of the virus, factories are not allowed to open, but people are waiting in groups to do PCR testing. That is also gathering, so why allow it? It is because it is politically correct to gather together to do a PCR test, but it is not politically correct for workers to gather to work together. Residents queue to undergo PCR testing for COVID-19 at a swab collection site in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, in August 2022. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) This poor girl from Ruzhou, Henan, died from the CCPs politically correct epidemic prevention policy. The current CCP officialdom only talks about politics, not common sense; the CCP officials only care about their positions; they dont care about the peoples livelihood. Ms. Liu, a retired professor from a mainland Chinese college who declined to give her full name for fear of reprisal, told The Epoch Times that this was just another wrongful death to add to the abuse that has been Chinas COVID-19 quarantines. The teenage girl was in critical condition with a high fever for three days, but numerous calls and online pleas for medical help were ignored. What is the purpose of paying taxes to the government? Liu said. Does the CCP still treat people as people? This evil zero-COVID policy is tantamount to murder! This girl was killed by the CCP. So far, the CCPs total disregard for human life has reached an outrageous level. Can they totally ignore if people live or die when they are put in quarantine? She said that if one person is infected, the entire community will be pulled into centralized quarantine. Now, mainland Chinese regard quarantine as a gate of hell, and everyone is afraid of being quarantined. If everyone said no to the CCP, what would the result be? Liu said. But they all obey, and the outcome of obedience would be like the girl in Ruzhou. Xia Song, Li Yun, and Gu Xiaohua contributed to this report. Republicans Call for Investigation Into Soros-Backed Group Over Misusing Federal Money A former Trump administration official is leading a call that demands an immediate investigation from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over an advocacy groups use of $8.5 million taxpayer dollars. Alianza Americas, a pro-mass immigration group funded by liberal billionaire George Soros, may have unlawfully used funds granted by agencies under HHS, according to Friday letters by Texas state representative Brian Harrison, who initiated the call, and Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas). Harrison, who is the former chief of staff of the HHS, wrote in his letter to the department dated Oct. 21, saying he is deeply concerned that taxpayer dollars may have encouraged illegal immigration to the United States, both at home and in foreign jurisdictions, in the guise of federal grants. Federal grants are banned under U.S. law from being leveraged, either directly or indirectly, to weigh on government positions on legislation or policies, including lobbying. In a statement provided to The Epoch Times, the ex-Trump administration official said his constituents hard earned money should never be used to illegally promote Bidens disastrous open border policies that are harming countless Texans. Despite statutory and regulatory restrictions on lobbying for recipients of federal funding from all federal agencies, forms submitted to the Internal Revenue Service by Alianza Americas appear to show activity in direct violation of the law and federal regulations, Roy and Van Duyne wrote in an joint letter sent to HHS Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm, calling for a review of all grants received by Alianza Americas as well as the publicly disclosed actions taken by the group. Besides calling to defund U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Alianza Americas launched in September a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the state flew illegal immigrants to Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts under the governors order. Official records show Soross Open Society Foundations website awarded nearly $1.4 million to Alianza Americas between 2016 and 2020. Yet lawmakers said official grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) totals $8.5 million over the past two years. CDC granted Alianza in February 2021 $7.5 million in funding, which will terminate in September 2025, to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate impacts among Latinx and Latin American immigrants. Since last July, the group had also received a total of $1 million from HRSA to increase COVID-19 vaccine access among local communities. I believe an immediate and thorough audit of that entitys use of the funds from CDC and HRSA grants is warranted to ensure the federal funds are not being used for political advocacy, as appears to be the case here, Harrison said in his Friday letter. The Republican also cited the groups 2019 tax documents, indicating Alianza Americas held two congressional briefings on immigration-related issues in Washington and made over 200 visits to Congress between June 2017 and September 2019. It appears that Alianza incorrectly stated on their IRS Form 990 that they do not engage in any lobbying when it appears that they do by getting their supporters to contact Congress to introduce or influence legislation regarding the status of illegal immigrants, Paul Kamenar, counsel to the National Legal and Policy Center, told the Washington Examiner. They are also required to file a separate form with the IRS detailing how much they spend on such lobbying activities. HHS and Alianza Americas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Police respond to an active shooter incident at Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Dallas on Oct. 22, 2022. (Liesbeth Powers/The Dallas Morning News via AP) 2 Nurses Dead After Shooting at Dallas Hospital, Suspect in Custody Two nurses were killed in a shooting at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday. The shooting occurred about 11:15 a.m. inside the Methodist Dallas Medical Center, located in the 1400 block of North Beckley Avenue. The hospital said in a news release Saturday afternoon that Methodist Health System police, Dallas police, and Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to the shooting. A Methodist Health System Police Officer arrived on the scene, confronted the suspect, and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him, hospital spokesperson Ryan Owens said in a statement. He added that the suspect was taken to another hospital in undisclosed condition and is under police custody. Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Nestor Hernandez, who is currently on parole for aggravated robbery. He faces capital murder charges in relation to the shooting, reported The Dallas Morning News. Charley Wilkison, CEO of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said on Twitter that the suspect fatally shot two maternity ward nurses. In a statement, the hospital system noted that there is no ongoing threat. It expressed condolences for the deaths of the two nurses, whose identities have yet to be released. The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members, its executive leadership said in a written statement. Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy. Our prayers are with our lost co-workers and their families, as well as our entire Methodist family. We appreciate the communitys support during this difficult time. Dallas police are assisting Methodist Health System police in an active investigation, the hospital said. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a Twitter post called on the public to pray for the family and friends of the victims and the entire [Methodist Health System] team. Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said on Twitter: Our thoughts are with staff and victims of todays events. We will do EVERYTHING to assist in this investigation. This is a tragedy, and an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system. The shooting follows hospital shootings in September in Little Rock, Arkansas, that killed a visitor and one in June in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that left four dead. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Emblems of both strength and beauty, draft horses were once a mainstay of highly productive societies. They were powerful engines of war, agriculture, and transportation, without which civilization as we know it wouldnt have been possible. Today these elegant yet strong steeds serve more often as show horses or pulling carriageslike the ones seen in Central Park in Manhattan. The romance and allure of these horses was famously encapsulated in Budweiser commercials, featuring draft horses hauling beer through snow, their elegant manes and feather-laden hooves complimenting their imposing raw power. But with the introduction of mechanization in the 20th century, many of these breeds have fallen by the wayside, their calling to serve man no longer deemed essential. Some breeders, nevertheless, have sought to preserve their existence. Here are a few of these beautiful breeds which have made such an impact on human history. 1. Ardennes This breed is one of the oldest heavy horses still in existence today, tracing its roots all the way back to ancient Roman times. They were also used as warhorses during the Crusades. They originate from Ardennes, a region spanning parts of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. A pair of Ardennes horses roaming field in France. (Kevin Carvalho/Shutterstock) These massive horses measure 15.3 to 16 hands in height (a hand being the unit of measurement used in sizing up horses, equal to 4 inches in length). They feature thickly feathered fetlocks and bay- or roan-colored coats. Ardennes were typically used as war mounts and agricultural workhorses in the olden days, but today theyre mostly used to pull carriages. 2. Friesian Another large draft horse, Friesians originate from Friesland in the Netherlands. They possess a strong, compact build but are nimble for their size. In the past, they were used as warhorses by knights in armor in the Early and High Middle Ages. This breed typically measures 15 hands high and is usually solid black in color. A solid black Friesian horse. (otsphoto/Shutterstock) They are known for their long, arced necks and powerful build. They have a calm temperament and exhibit a high-stepping action, facilitating maneuverability in movement. Like many other breeds of draft horse, Friesians are adorned with abundant flowing feathers around their hooves. Today Friesians are prized as show horses or for pulling carriages. What is So Special about Friesian Horses? Friesian horses are named after the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. They are not originally from there, but they are bred by the original inhabitants of Friesland. Friesian horses are calm, steady, gentle, docile, and at the same time strong, energetic, and fearless. Due to their specific features, they were used in wars during the middle ages. They are also common in a wide range of equestrian sports and movies. The most special feature of Friesian horses is their appearance. They are short and muscular with feathered legs and thick, wavy manes and tails. 3. Clydesdale Clydesdale horses hark from the River Clyde area in Scotland from around the early 1800s. These are the same horses featured in said Budweiser commercial, presenting beautifully featured fetlocks with a towering height of up to 16.2 hands. They were bred, in part, to look impressive in shows and parades. A Clydesdale horse. (Bettina Calder/Shutterstock) Clydesdales were once tasked with the prominent role of tilling millions of hectares of land for agriculture in the days of colonial Australia and New Zealand. Today, the breed serves mainly as a carriage horse. It may also be ridden in parades or processions. This gentle giant is now a vulnerable breed, which has been kept in existence thanks to the efforts of horse conservationists. Clydesdale horses hark from the River Clyde area in Scotland since around the early 1800s. These are the same horses featured in said Budweiser commercial, presenting beautifully featured fetlocks with a towering height of 16-18 hands. They were bred, in part, to look impressive in shows and parades. What Horse is Bigger than a Clydesdale? Although Clydesdales are tall, they are in second place in size. The shire, with a height of 17-19 hands and weight of 1,800-2,400 pounds, is in first place. We discussed Shires characteristics later in this article. Percheron and Belgian horses are also of 15-19 and 15-18 hands, respectively. All of these horses, except for Belgian, live longer than a Clydesdale. 4. Shire The Shire horse is an immensely tall animal, with some standing over 18 hands high. They also sport long hair around their hooves and are typically black, bay, or gray in color. They possess an immense capacity for hauling and, in the past, were regularly used in farm work. A Shire horse galloping in a field. (horsemen/Shutterstock) Shire horses were also used as cart-pulling delivery animals throughout England and, like Clydesdales, delivering beer to taverns and inns was one of the tasks they facilitated. The tallest horse ever known was a Shire horse named Sampson, who stood a jaw-dropping 21.25 hands in height. Increasing mechanization during World War II saw the mass slaughter of thousands of Shire horses as demand for working horses decreased. They were revived somewhat in the 1970s as public interest increased, and breed societies were established in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, France, and Germany. Are Shire Horses Bigger than Clydesdale? Shire horses are the biggest among draft Horse Breeds, and yes, they are bigger than Clydesdales. However, Clydesdale is in second place. Actually, they are powerful and tall and bred for hard work. There are some other differences between a Shire and a Clydesdale. The most distinct one is their coat color. Clydesdales are of distinctive white markings all over their bodies, while Shires are solid except for legs and faces. 5. Gypsy Vanner As the name suggests, this horse was bred by Romani travelers in Britain and Ireland. They employed this solidly-built breed to pull their mobile living quarters, called vardos. A herd of Gypsy Vanner horses galloping down a hillside. (critterbiz/Shutterstock) These show-stopping horses come in an assortment of colors, or black and white. They are known for being piebald, but their coats are sometimes of a solid color. In the days when colored horses became unfashionable, the Romani were happy to use them to compliment their colorful wagons. These medium- to large-size horses exhibit strong necks, lavishly feathered fetlocks, and long, flowing manes. How Much does Gypsy Vanner Horses Cost? The price of a Gypsy vanner horse depends on its age, bloodline, subtype, and training. The most expensive one is a trained, male, uncastrated adult (age between 7 to 14) Gypsy horse which costs you about $60,000. Typically, top Gypsy horses cost over $30,000. However, you can buy a Gypsy Vanner horse for $5,000. A normal Gypsy horses price is between $5,000 and $15,000. 6. Fell Ponies From the northwest of England originally, Fell ponies are a hairy breed known for their versatility in utility. They were used as riding or driving horses and could perform light agricultural work. Like Ardennes, Fell ponies trace back to as early as Roman times, when soldiers still patrolled Hadrians Wall. Fell Pony mare with foal in English countryside. (nicole ciscato/Shutterstock) These ponies were bred for their self-sustaining, rugged traits fostered by the unforgiving mountainous environment of Cumbria that they are adapted to. They are closely related to another workhorse: the Dales pony. They are typically black, brown, bay, or grey and are known for their intelligence and stamina. At one time, Fell ponies used to haul copper, iron ore, and slate. Being very energy-efficient, some could walk as far as 240 miles (390 km) per week. 7. Dales Pony Dales ponies are a mountain and moorland breed from northern England, harking from Yorkshire Dales originally, and they are known for being reliable work animals. Although larger than the Fell pony, Dales also hauled metals, such as lead and iron ore used in smelting. Trains of 20 pack ponies sometimes worked loosenot ledfollowing one mounted, trained lead horse. They were used by the British Army in World War I and II. They typically feature black coats but sometimes sport other colors, such as bay, grey, or roan. How Big is a Dale Pony? Dales ponies are similar to Fell Pony in terms of the physical structure and build. While Dales are a little larger than Fells. They are ideally in the range of 14 to 14.2 hands (142-147 cm or 56-58 inches), a little larger than Fells, with solid bones, neck, and legs, as well as their famous large feet. You cannot see its name among large and tall horses; nevertheless, its good at long-distance riding and jumping. 8. Swedish Northern Horse As the name suggests, this breed originates from Sweden, but they can now be found in Finland, Norway, and Estonia. They were traditionally used as workhorses in forestry and agriculture. Although smaller than other draft horses, measuring 15 hands high, these animals were also more maneuverable traveling through tightly forested areas. They also required less feed to sustain them. Swedish northern horses have extremely thick winter coats, which helped them survive harsh, cold weather conditions. Their docile temperament allows them to live indoors during the colder months. Today, the breeding of this horse is strictly controlled, and animals are thoroughly tested. The most desirable qualities in this horse are pulling capacity and fertility, as well as good character. 9. Australian Draft Horse The Australian draft horse is an extremely hardy breed known for its sheer strength. They were typically used for farm work and riding in the past, though some farmers still use them today. Australian draft horses in a street festival. (Jackson Stock Photography/Shutterstock) This breed was developed through extensive crossbreeding and features a range of colors and body types. White markings are undesirable anywhere on the body of this steed except below the knee. The Australian draft horse saw its numbers dwindle significantly in the 20th century as a result of mechanization. However, in 1979, the Australian Draft Horse Society was established to preserve this robust, domesticated mammal. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Abbott, Sheriffs Address Fentanyl Crisis Stemming From Southern Border Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met with scores of law enforcement officers in Corpus Christi to discuss measures being taken to secure the border and combat the fentanyl crisis. Cartels are bringing fentanyl across the border in record amounts, Abbott said. Texas DPS alone has confiscated enough lethal doses to kill every man, woman and child in America. He said, this past year weve seen a record number of people lose their life because of fentanyl, the precursors of which are made in China and shipped to Mexico. Cartels make them into drugs that are then sold in the United States. Last year alone in Texas, we had almost 1,700 people who lost their lives because of fentanyl overdoses. More than four Texans a day die because of fentanyl, he added. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the leading cause of death of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45 is not COVID or cancer, Abbott said, its fentanyl. This is a crisis. While those in Texas law enforcement are trying their best to get it off our streets, he said, its time the Biden administration take it serious and step up to secure the border, if nothing else to stop the fentanyl. Abbott also warned at Thursdays meeting about the dangers of rainbow fentanyl that cartels are bringing across the border that look like candy that some kids may take and not survive. Abbott said the state legislature next year will consider several proposals to beef up enforcement efforts and expand resources. One proposal will identify a fentanyl overdose for what it is a poisoning. Another will classify fentanyl for the crime that it is murder. Anyone who laces a pill with fentanyl and knowingly sells it to someone else who loses their life should be arrested, tried and convicted for murder, he said. Another will allow for people to more easily and readily receive immediate medical treatment by making NARCAN more accessible statewide. Another will help those suffering from substance abuse and expand mental health resources. He also said his executive order declaring Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations is enabling law enforcement to identify and seize cartel assets and those of gang members, to put them out of business. We want them to understand if they are doing business in Texas, they picked the wrong state. We will track down their boats, their money, their cars, whatever assets they have and put them out of business. The legislature provided additional resources to local sheriffs to help them combat crime stemming from Joe Bidens open border policies, he said. Its important that I emphasize this: we should not be doing this, he added. This is the federal governments responsibility to take care of this issue. We are big enough to step up and respond to it but the federal government needs to do its assigned duty under the constitution to secure the border. Were not going to wait on them. We will continue to step up. Nueces County Sheriff JC Hooper said the county is a different place today than it was before Biden took office. Two and half years ago there were only three deaths related to fentanyl. One year ago there were 17; last year there were 31, Hooper said. We are on a pace to beat that again this year. The fentanyl pipeline comes through Nueces County, he added, heading to the distribution center of Houston. Nueces County used to be a pass through, he said, 30 miles off of Highway 77, a route used by smugglers and traffickers of people and drugs. Now its hitting us right between our eyes, he said. Its hitting our young people. We dont see an end in sight. Something has to be done. Hooper also said fentanyl deaths are occurring inside the county jail. It comes in as easily as spraying some liquefied fentanyl on paper and its extremely difficult to detect, he said. Now we are spending money on technology to try and address that issue. Fentanyl is everywhere and it starts at the border. Zapata County Sheriff Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. said bbott helped equip his rural county with a range of resources it wouldnt otherwise have had. Not only has Gov. Abbott pushed to secure the border, he said, but also has been constantly searching for resources for rural counties like mine. He has provided us with resources and equipment that have helped us to continue doing our job. Gov. Abbott stepped up to the plate when no one did. He has heard the voice of small rural counties that have been unheard for many years. Hes visited our counties at the border and is helping us and listening to our concerns. Fighting crime stemming from the border is not a red issue, a blue issue, he said. This is a red white and blue issue. By Bethany Blankley Alternatives to San Franciscos $1.7 Million Public Toilet Commentary If you want to know where Californias headed, dragging the rest of America in its wake, consider the $1.7 million single public toilet the city is going to install in the Noe Valley neighborhood. Dont hold your breath, by the way, because if were lucky, the toilet will be available to the public sometime in 2025. Everything about this toilet fiasco exemplifies how the system has broken down in California, failing normal working people in order to benefit special interests. To begin to identify these special interests, you can start with the California Assemblyman who obtained the funds from the state, Democrat Matt Haney. Haneys running for reelection this November against another Democrat in this ultra blue seat in an ultra blue state. A quick scan of Haneys top ten political contributors, all of whom made the small contributor committee maximum donation of $9,700, were either government employee unions such as the California Teachers Association, or unions representing employees of contractors that do mostly government work, such as the California State Association of Electrical Workers. Every one of them. Like nearly every Democrat legislator in the one-party state, Haney owes his political career to government unions. Its easy enough to verify this. Go to the California Secretary of States campaign finance website and scan through the 2022 data on donations to candidates. This data, overwhelming in its consistency, demonstrates another sad truth about democracy in California. Haney, like nearly every other Democrat in California, doesnt have to work hard to raise money. Republicans, on the other hand, have no choice, because theyre not owned by government unions who spend hundreds of millions every year on politics. Republicans have to perpetually organize grassroots fundraisers, collecting a little here and a little there, never getting ahead. Thats normal, by the way. But not for Democrats. Thanks to government unions, the financial advantage Democrats have in California is so one-sided its amazing any Republicans get elected. In return, Haney, along with his counterparts, does what hes told. In that context, spending $1.7 million on a single toilet makes sense. Why not spend hundreds of thousands for designs, permits, reviews, materials, and labor? Why not stretch the process out for years in order to prolong the period at the taxpayer trough? Wasting this much money on one public toilet is an example of how Californias governing class has broken the social contract and betrayed the people theyre supposed to servebut its unfair to single out public sector unions as the only reason this has happened. Government unions have an inherent conflict of interest, since success for them involves more members and more money for their members, and that success can be had even if the policies they implement are complete failures. In fact, failures for society are often huge victories for government unions. Californias ruined system of public education is a perfect example of this. The worse things get, the more money is demanded and received. But government unions are only part of the reason California is broken. This can be easily seen in how Californias homeless crisis is being managed. After squandering well over $10 billion, the states homeless problem is worse than ever. Public bureaucracies to supposedly help Californias unhoused are bigger than ever, which is a big win for the government unions. But also at the trough are powerful nonprofits and politically connected developers and construction contractors. Using environmental regulations, labor laws, misguided laws that have effectively decriminalized drug use and petty theft, and the federal housing first policy that denies funding for drug treatment or job training until supportive housing is provided, these special interests have spent billions of dollars on projects and programs that have done more harm than good. The story of the $1.7 million single toilet is also a parable for Californias housing crisis. Theres no reason housing should be unaffordable in California that isnt the result of special interests feeding at the trough. California is a vast state, over 163,000 square miles, and is only 5 percent urbanized. Along with tremendous reserves of open space on which to build new homes, California is rich in the natural resources necessary to build homes and roads. But regulators have reduced Californias timber industry to less than a quarter of its size only 30 years ago (the real reason theyre having catastrophic firesovergrown and overcrowded forests), and are on track to completely eliminate the states oil industry. No trees, no lumber for houses. No oil, no asphalt for roads. Shortages of land and lumber, both of which have to be imported from other states and nations, are politically contrived and unnecessary. But that only begins to explain Californias unaffordable housing. Exorbitant costs for permits and fees, excessive planning requirements, the inevitable environmentalist litigation, and unreasonable building code mandates (carbon neutral new homes) add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a home in California. The alternatives are not mysteries. Deregulate the timber industry, along with oil and gas, and loosen the restrictions that prevent new construction on raw land. Roll back the expensive new building codes, reform the laws that facilitate endless litigation, and lower the punitive costs for building permits and fees. Invest public funds in new roads, along with practical water and energy infrastructure instead of relying on rationing and renewables to power civilization in the 21st century. Alternatives to treat the homeless are also not elusive. End the housing first scam and give the homeless a choice: Either sober up and get treatment for addiction and mental illness, in a safe but inexpensive shelter constructed on inexpensive real estate, or go to jail. These solutions worked in the past, and they will work again, as soon as politicians find the courage and the character to stop taking political contributions from special interests that benefit from chaos and corruption. As for the $1.7 million toilet, Haney should apologize to the City of San Francisco and give the money back to the state. But Haney is a cog in a machine he didnt create. In the compromised world of San Francisco politics, the best we might hope for is a thorough accounting of why this toilet costs this much, and why it takes so long. That might generate public demands for a streamlined, less expensive process. There ought to be a zero-cost alternative, but the one available to San Franciscans is fraught with its own controversy. As reported by NBC Bay Area, According to the San Francisco department of public works, it has a deal with the company JCDecaux to provide self cleaning public potties for free in exchange for advertising revenue made from the units. These free public toilet kiosks are already sprinkled throughout the city, with more on the way. Nothing is perfect, unfortunately. These free toilets in San Francisco have been targets of vandals, frequently disabled, and turned into dens for drugs, sex, and even squatting. Moreover, the San Francisco bureaucrats who negotiated the deal with JCDecaux did not diligently solicit new bids when the contract with the city came up for renewal a few years ago. But these reality checks just point to even more dysfunction from the top down: corrupt bureaucrats, decriminalized crime, and unaccountable criminals. San Francisco is a beautiful city. California is a beautiful state. But its leaders, state and local, are doing everything they can to ruin it. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on Oct. 12, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) Australia Proposes Tough Penalties for Data Leaks The Australian government on Saturday proposed tougher penalties for companies that fail to protect customers personal data after two major cybersecurity breaches left millions vulnerable to criminals. The penalties for serious breaches on the Privacy Act would increase from $2.2 million (US$1.4 million) now to $50 million (US$32 million) under amendments to be introduced to Parliament next week, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said on Saturday in Melbourne. Dreyfus said big companies could face penalties up to hundreds of millions of dollars under the new law. It is a very, very substantial increase in the penalties, Dreyfus told reporters. Its designed to make companies think. Its designed to be a deterrent so that companies will protect the data of Australians, he added. Parliament resumes on Tuesday for the first time since mid-September. Since Parliament last sat, unknown hackers stole personal data from 9.8 million customers of Optus, Australias second-largest wireless telecommunications carrier. The theft has left more than one third of Australias population at heightened risk of identity theft and fraud. Unknown cybercriminals this week demanded ransom from Australias largest health insurer, Medibank, after claiming to have stolen 200 gigabytes of customers data including medical diagnoses and treatments. Medibank has 3.7 million customers. The company said the hackers had proved they hold the personal records of at least 100. The thieves have reportedly threatened to make public medical conditions of high-profile Medibank customers. We need to make sure that when a data breach occurs the penalty is large enough, that its a really serious penalty on the company and cant just be disregarded or ignored or just paid as a part of a cost of doing business, Dreyfus said. Dreyfus hopes the proposed amendments will become law in the final four weeks that Parliament will sit this year. Any new penalties will not be retroactive and will not effect Optus or Medibank. Children walk with their parents to an elementary school in North Vancouver on the first day back-to-school on Sept. 10, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward) BC Group Promoting Trustee Candidates Who Prioritize Parental Choice Has Three Candidates Elected When Marc Vella brought together 28 trustee candidates to run in eight B.C. school districts in the Oct. 15 provincial municipal elections, the leader of Parents Voice BC (PVBC) never expected they would win three seats and come close in several other races. PVBC is a group dedicated to electing independent candidates for school trustee that will put the needs of students and families first, its website says. The group had only become an officially recognized party on June 20. Getting candidates elected despite limited resources and exposure is like icing on the cake and indicates voters broad desire to see the groups concerns addressed, Vella told The Epoch Times. PVBC believes that the primary responsibility for childrens education lies with their parents, not the state, and that school trustees should represent parents rather than special interests. As well, schools should focus on preparing students for a productive adulthood, not the passing trends of the day. And what happens at schools needs to be completely transparent, it says. Daniel Albertson is one of the three PVBC candidates elected. When his kids began bringing home school material that seemed questionable, the Vanderhoof, B.C., father approached teachers and the school board with his concerns. What he found stunned him, he says. At the first board meeting he attended a year ago, four students from one local elementary school presented topics they learned the year before. After hearing their presentations on topics such as how Disney is racist and how the police are untrustworthy, he knew his concerns were justified, Albertson says. He created a petition for parents called Academics or Activism? Support for it led him to run for school trustee in the Nechako Lakes School District under the PVBC banner. Ive come to discover that in recent years our Schools have become places of indoctrination rather than educational excellence, Albertson said on the PVBC website. Supporting Independent Candidates Carroll Walker is another PVBC candidate who won a seat, in the same school district as Albertsons. PVBCs values motivated Walker after he saw a neighbourhood school take down the Canadian flag and cancel Mothers Day. The [boards] reasoning behind it was trauma informed practices, which means you dont bring up topics that will hurt childrens feelings, Walker said in an interview. I told them its not up to them to socially re-engineer our society. Its up to them to work with the home and support the home. And by cancelling Mothers Day and Fathers Day, when you start tearing those things down in a cancel culture, youre tearing the family down. Vella said he believes the concerns echoed by Albertson and Walker have been resonating for years with parents. He said one of his friends ran for school trustee four years ago as an independent, and despite coming close, lost to the established left-leaning side, which he says had the money, union support, and experience to advertise and work with party name recognition. We have to put a structure in place that can offset those strengths so it becomes a level playing field where truly, independent candidates have a chance, Vella said. Parents Voice BC supported its candidates such as by providing help with promotional materials and guidance on how to clearly define their messaging, including on social media. Richard Procee, who won his race in Chilliwack, joined PVBC because he embraced its principles and also saw it as an opportunity to be part of lasting change in B.C. With Parents Voice, I felt the strength was always that we would build a political community that would actually have parents involved, Procee said. My goal is students first. And Im hoping that will resonate and build for the future of our slate. Efforts Across Canada Concern for educational direction has spread to other areas in the country with citizens launching different initiatives to take action, such as Blueprint for Canadas efforts to encourage people to remove extremist political ideology from the classroom. And while founder Peter Wallace doesnt have the same party banner as PVBC, hes encouraged by the number of people running for school trustee positions who support Blueprint for Canadas policy positions. In an e-mail to The Epoch Times, Wallace, who is running for a trustee position with Ontarios Trillium Lakes District School Board, said he put together a campaign website for himself but changed it to focus on being a shared platform for other independents to use as well. He aims to create more exposure and to keep educating parents regardless of the Ontario election results on Oct. 24. It became apparent to me over the last couple of years that an illiberal strain of ideological political ideas rooted in what some call critical theories has gained enormous influence on school boards, particularly in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and Ottawa, Wallace said. The level of political correctness has just gotten completely out of hand. Hamilton mother Catherine Kronas created the website StopWoke.ca and a petition in opposition to Bill 67, the Racial Equity in the Education System Act, which was introduced in the last session of the provinces legislature. Controversies surrounding the bill also has the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR) publicly expressing concern that the bill would build more division than it proposed to prevent. While its proponents suggest this bill is anti-racist, our concern is that it will, in reality, further racism, FAIRs website said. The bills proposed summary convictions for racist speech, as well as its requirements for teachers and council members to have a proven commitment to racial equity or take anti-racism training, runs the risk of inviting and affirming divisive ideological frameworks. Similar to Blueprint for Canada, Christians That Care is an organization established to help train and assist Christian candidates running for government positions in B.C., Ontario, and Manitoba, the latter of which holds its civic elections on Oct. 26. Parental Rights in Education a Key Issue Progressive evolution in the school system doesnt surprise David Leis, vice-president of engagement and development with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Nor is he shocked by parents opposition to it once they realize whats happening. In Canada, people havent fully understood whats really happening in your school curriculum, Leis said. And its not just simply about the sexualization of children. It is also about parental rights to educate their children the way they see fit. This is a key issue thats still only emerging in candidates. It still has not been fully recognized by parents, he said. Whats really happening is their role is being undermined by education bureaucrats, but I think that perception is changing. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about student debt relief at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware on Oct. 21, 2022. (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Admits Concerns About His Age Are Totally Legitimate President Joe Biden on Sunday agreed that questions about his age are totally legitimate ahead of the 2024 election. In just a few weeks, Bidenalready the oldest sitting presidentwill turn 80 years old in November. If Biden were to win reelection in 2024, he would be 86 at the end of his second term. I think its a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyones age, including mine, Biden said when asked during an MSNBC interview on Sunday. Thats totally legitimate. But I think the best way to make the judgment is to, you know, watch me. Am I slowing up? Am Idont have the same pace? If voters concluded I am missing a beat, they should support some other Democrat if they decide to run, Biden added. I dont want to jinx myself. I am in good health. Everything physically about me is still functioning well, and mentally, too But I understand people want to ask that question, he added. Since he took office, numerous videos showing Biden making verbal miscues or other gaffes have gone viral, with some GOP lawmakers saying its evidence he needs to take a cognitive test. One video showed Biden riding a bicycle near his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, before he stopped suddenly and fell to the ground. In another mishap, he incorrectly called out Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), who died in a car crash weeks before. President Joe Biden falls off his bicycle following a bike ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on June 18, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Biden has previously said that he plans on running in 2024 despite poll numbers showing his support has cratered. On Friday, the president told MSNBC that he plans on doing so but no official declaration has been made. I have not made that formal decision but its my intention to run again, he said. If Biden were to make a formal announcement, he would be subject to more stringent campaign finance laws around donations. Other Details During his 2020 campaign, Biden, who made relatively few campaign appearances and often opted to give interviews from his Delaware home office, often presented himself as a transition candidate who would build a bridge to younger Democrat elected officials. Dr. Kevin OConnor, Bidens primary care physician, wrote in a six-page memo released by the White House after an exam last year that Biden was healthy, vigorous, and fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency. The doctor said he investigated Biden for increased instances of throat clearing during public remarks and a stiffening of his gait, according to the memo. OConnor also claimed that Bidens coughing was the result of gastrointestinal reflux and that the stiffened gait was the result of a new diagnosis of mild peripheral neuropathy, spinal arthritis, and compensation for a broken foot sustained shortly before he took office. But Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a former White House physician, has frequently called for Biden to take a cognitive test and called into question the soon-to-be octogenarians health. I have long said there would come a time when I was not the only one discussing Joe Bidens cognitive decline. That time is now, he said in a statement in July, noting Democrats in the West Wing and the broader Democrat Party express[ing] discontent about his age-related decline. He added, This is not a political issue, its common sense. If Joe Biden is confident in his ability to excel at a cognitive test the way President Trump did, he can easily put his fellow Democrats fears to rest with this one simple test. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Editor's Note This story has been updated to include responses from candidate Richard Hayes that were submitted after original publication. After redistricting added a fifth Texas State House district to Denton County, voters spanning east to west and some of the central county will soon decide the first representative for the newly drawn District 57. The new district includes Ponder, Dish and southern Denton along with the Lake Cities, Oak Point, Lakewood Village, parts of Cross Roads and most of Little Elm. Because it's a new district, there is no incumbent, with Republican Richard Hayes and Libertarian Darren Hamilton vying to fill the seat. Hayes, a Denton-based attorney and former judge, received 57.5% of the vote in the GOP primary election against two other candidates. No Democratic candidates filed for the seat. Hamilton previously ran as a Libertarian for District 24 U.S. representative, located in northern Dallas County, in the 2020 general election. Receiving 1.6% of the vote, he was ultimately defeated by Republican Beth Van Duyne. At the time the map for District 57 was proposed, one Democratic representative called it a textbook racial gerrymander on behalf of Texas House Republicans. On his campaign website and in an interview with the Record-Chronicle, Hamilton also expressed that the district was gerrymandered and would benefit Hayes. Darren Hamilton Darren Hamilton Age: 59 Lives in: Little Elm Experience: Data analyst Education: Not provided Online: HamiltonForTexas.com; Facebook: HamiltonForTexas24th; Twitter: @DHamilton2022 What impact, if any, do you believe District 57 being newly drawn will have on its residents, and how you represent them? Im not entirely certain that the residents of my district will notice any significant impact from state districts being redrawn except as it pertains to whom they vote for (or against) in elections. Personally, as a novice politician, Im not sure that the redrawn district would have any significant impact on how I would represent them in the Legislature either. I believe that my familiarity (such as it is) with both rural and suburban lifestyles would enhance my ability to understand and represent the interests of District 57s residents, but in the end, that is up to them to decide. On your campaign website, you said District 57 was gerrymandered with the intent to promote a specific outcome. Do you believe that will impact your chances of being elected? How so? First, thanks for reading at least part of my website and taking the time to familiarize yourself with my candidacy. To answer your question, yes, I do believe that the districts gerrymandered borders will definitely (and likely adversely) impact my chances of being elected for two reasons: First is that I believe that the district was drawn specifically to favor Republicans, and I am not a Republican; and second is that, as a Libertarian (i.e., a candidate from a lesser-known party), I knew that I would be required to work more diligently to have the citizens in my district understand that I am not just another name on the ballot, and that there really is a candidate who wants to work for them and their interests regardless of their political leanings. I will work for everyones benefit, not just for those who are Republicans or Democrats. If elected, what will your top priorities be? My most pressing priority will be to work toward a common-sense modification of abortion restrictions with an end-goal of eliminating those restrictions altogether. As both adults and Americans, we should not put ourselves into a position to be making (or, heaven forbid, actually make) someone elses decisions for them. Another priority will be to alter the portrayal of hemp/cannabis into that of being a potential cash crop in Texas rather than as the root source of a socially malignant product. The staggering number of benefits (e.g., textiles, lumber, medicine) that can be (and in some places, already are being) produced from this single crop alone should outweigh any perceived detriment by a very wide margin. Many current political issues have left Texans feeling divided. Do you intend to mitigate that divisiveness? If so, how will you ensure all Texans in your district feel represented? Yes, I do intend to mitigate that divisiveness by simply being me. In my career as a data analyst, I recognize that much of my success has been dependent on my ability to remove emotion from my task and view problems logically. And as a candidate from a lesser-known party, I am not restricted to the sedimentary ideology of either of the major parties. In other words, I have the ability (and, if I am elected, the responsibility) to compromise, to work toward solutions in which more people agree than disagree; people, not party. Darren Hamilton Denton County voting record Richard Hayes Richard Hayes Age: 69 Lives in: Hickory Creek Experience: Attorney at Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant; chief judge of the U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1978-79 Education: Law degree from St. Marys University School of Law; Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University; Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Christian University Online: hayesforhouse57.com; Facebook: richard.hayes.522 Richard Hayes Denton County voting record What impact, if any, do you believe District 57 being newly drawn will have on its residents, and how you represent them? Over the last 10 years leading up to the census, the nation grew at 6.5%, the state of Texas grew at 115%. and Denton County grew at 38.5%. Under the 2010 census, Denton County had four state representatives. Because of the growth, Denton County now has five. Adding a fifth state House of Representatives district will allow the state reps to better address the needs of their districts. A fifth House district also, under the Voting Rights Act, allows for a more even representation from state House district to state House district. It allows more direct contact with constituents and another ear to listen to the needs of the district. Your opponent claimed on his website that the district was gerrymandered with the intent to promote a specific outcome. What are your thoughts on this claim? Do you believe the district's shape will have an impact on your chances of being elected? How so? While I was not involved in the Legislatures redistricting efforts, under the Voting Rights Act, every 10 years, districts must be redrawn to better ensure one man, one vote; or, put in other words, that each House members represents approximately the same number of constituents. District 57 has all or part of 17 towns and cities and seven school districts. Some state representatives represent many counties, some up into the 20s and cover thousands of square miles. The district as drawn is compact by many standards. I dont think the boundaries as drawn make that much of a difference. I commit to represent the constituent of House District 57 and have an open-door policy. I want to hear from the residents and learn more about their needs and concerns. If elected, what will your top priorities be? My top priorities will be controlling the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants, supporting strong public safety, stopping the sexualization of children and gender modification of children, and providing superior educational opportunities for K-12 with the input and involvement of their parents. Many current political issues have left Texans feeling divided. Do you intend to mitigate that divisiveness? If so, how will you ensure all Texans in your district feel represented? There is a division in our state and country. Seems like every issue is approached as my way or the highway. Finding solutions is not easy. It is long, hard work listening to others and fashioning workable solutions. It is especially challenging in Texas (intentionally so) since the Legislature just meets for 140 days in odd-numbered years. While I have a starting point on many issues, I am willing to listen to the plusses and minuses of other ideas. I want to focus on the idea, not the messenger. I would like to turn down the dial on the politics of personal destruction. Open door. Listening ears. Fair heart. Boris Johnson Pulls Out of Race to Become UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dramatically pulled out of the race to become Conservative Party leader, leaving former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in a dominant position to win the contest and become prime minister. The former prime minister had raced home from a holiday in the Caribbean to try and secure the backing of 100 Tory MPs to enter the ballot to replace Liz Truss, who was forced to resign on Oct. 20, just six weeks after replacing Johnson in 10 Downing Street. But in a statement issued on Sunday evening, Johnson said he was pulling out, despite having secured enough nominations, because he would not be able to unite the party even if he won the contest. Not the Right Time Johnson wrote that he had been attracted to the idea of becoming prime minister again because he led the Tories into a massive election victory in 2019 and would therefore be uniquely placed to resist opposition calls for an immediate general election, which Labour is widely expected to win by a landslide. Johnson said he had secured 102 nominations, though only 57 Tory MPs have voiced their support for his bid publicly. He said there was a very good chance that he would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members and could be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do, he said. You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament. Johnson said he had reached out to the other two contendersSunak and Penny Mordauntbut failed to reach agreements on how they could come together in the national interest. Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds, he wrote, adding: I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time. Rishi Sunak poses on the red carpet on arrival to attend the World premiere of the Roald Dahls Matilda The Musical, during the 2022 BFI London Film Festival, in London, on Oct. 5, 2022. (Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images) Sunak Leads Contest Johnsons withdrawal leaves the election to replace Liz Truss as potentially a straight fight between Sunak, who has garnered 146 public declarations of support, and Mordaunt, who has so far got just 24. It could all be over a little after 2 p.m. on Monday if Mordaunt fails to get enough nominations to go forward. Her supporters will be hoping that the departure of Johnson will open up the contest, enabling her to make it onto the ballot paper. If she does, MPs will hold an indicative vote to show who they support and there will then be an online poll of Tory activists to decide the contest, unless one or other of the candidates stands down. PA Media and Reuters contributed to this report. Undated photo of Cathy Miller, owner of Bakersfield, Calif., cake shop Tastries. A Christian, Miller was targeted by gay activists. (Photo courtesy of Thomas More Society) California Judge Refuses to Force Christian Baker to Make Wedding Cake Celebrating Same-Sex Marriage A Christian baker in California has prevailed in a lawsuit that a lesbian couple filed against her for refusing to bake a wedding cake to celebrate their marriage on religious grounds. The left has been targeting Christian bakers for years for political purposes, asking religious bakers that are opposed to same-sex marriage to bake wedding cakes for gay marriages knowing that theyll be met with resistance. When the bakers refuse to make the cakes, these activists sue under anti-discrimination laws, hoping to secure favorable legal precedents. In Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018), the Supreme Court sided with a Christian baker whom a gay couple had asked to create a custom cake to celebrate their union. A state human rights commission violated Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillipss First Amendment right to free exercise of religion by ruling against him, the court found. The high court will hear a similar case, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, on Dec. 5. The new ruling (pdf) by Judge Eric Bradshaw of the Superior Court of California in Kern County came on Oct. 21 in Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) v. Cathys Creations Inc. DFEH claimed that Cathy Miller and Cathys Creations, which runs a small bakery called Tastries in Bakersfield, California, violated state civil rights law and discriminated against Eileen Rodriguez-del Rio and Mireya Rodriguez-del Rio because of their sexual orientation. The two were married in California in December 2016. Miller refused to bake a cake honoring their marriage, citing her sincerely held religious belief that marriage is intended to be between a man and a woman, but referred the couple to another bakery. But DFEH failed to prove the discriminatory intent required by state law, Bradshaw determined. The evidence also affirmatively showed that defendants offered full and equal service to [the couple] by referring them to a comparable bakery, he wrote. Millers pure and expressive speech is entitled to protection under the First Amendment. The baking of a wedding cake by Tastries is labor-intensive and artistic, according to Bradshaw. DFEH is barred by defendants right to Free Speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution from enforcing the [state law] to compel or prohibit defendants speech. We applaud the court for this decision, one of Millers lawyers, Charles LiMandri, partner at LiMandri and Jonna, said in a statement. The freedom to practice ones religion is enshrined in the First Amendment, and the United States Supreme Court has long upheld the freedom of artistic expression, said LiMandri, whos also special counsel to the Thomas More Society, the public interest law firm that acted for Millers. Theres a certain irony there that a law intended to protect individuals from religious discrimination was used to discriminate against Cathy for her religious beliefs, said Paul Jonna, whos also a partner at LiMandri and Jonna and special counsel to the Thomas More Society. Jonna said Miller has mainstream Christian beliefs that are entitled to be respected by the courts. Cathy believes in the Bible, he said in a statement. The state was actually questioning the sincerity of Cathys faith. Jonna noted that Tastries is adorned with Christian decor and plays Christian music over its sound system. The fact that they called Millers open and sincerely held beliefs into question is almost as disturbing as quibbling over her status as an artist, he said. The Epoch Times reached out to DFEH for comment but didnt receive a reply as of press time. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks in Washington on June 16, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) CDC Director Walensky Tests Positive for COVID-19 The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tested positive for COVID-19, the agency announced on Oct. 22. Dr. Rochelle Walensky tested positive on Oct. 21, according to the CDC. She was said to be experiencing mild symptoms. She is isolating at her home and will work remotely, the CDC said. Walensky didnt respond to a request for comment. Senior staffers and close contacts have been informed of the positive test and are taking appropriate action to monitor their health, the agency added. Walensky, 53, is described as up to date on her vaccines, which refers to the agencys recommendation that Americans get one or more boosters after a primary series, depending on when a person receives their initial shots. Walensky received the new bivalent booster from Moderna in Massachusetts in September, telling ABC News at the time, I think its critically important to do. All the data from this new bivalent vaccine have demonstrated that it will protect you againstmore likely protect youagainst the strains that we have circulating right now, those Omicron BA.5 strains, as well as keep you well protected, because weve seen that some of that protection can wane over time. So we are really encouraging everybody to roll up their sleeves and get this updated bivalent vaccine, she said. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization to the bivalent booster from Moderna and another like it from Pfizer, despite no human clinical data available for either shot. The only evidence of the bivalent booster efficacy is from the testing of mice, which indicated that neutralizing antibody levels were higher after vaccination. Experts believe, but dont know for sure, that antibodies help protect against COVID-19. The CDC recommended the updated boosters for Americans aged 12 and older in September, and expanded the availability to children as young as 5 years old in October. While some experts agree with the push for the new shots, others note the uncertainty surrounding a benefit and the growing awareness of side effects, including heart inflammation. If theres not clear evidence of benefit, then its not fair to ask people to take a risk, no matter how small, Dr. Paul Offit, an adviser to the FDA, said in September. Dr. Vinay Prasad, a professor of epidemiology at the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco, and a critic of the vaccination push, said that Walenskys positive test supports his position. She received the bivalent booster exactly one month ago at a CVS pharmacy. Right now, shes probably in the window where the booster exerts the greatest protective effect it could possibly exert, yet still: look what happened, Prasad wrote in an Oct. 22 blog post. Before we launch massive vaccination campaigns, we need good evidence that they actually benefit the people we are tasked with protecting and caring for. Rochelle Walenskys infection is just a reminder to the American people she doesnt know what shes talking about, because she has not asked for good evidence. Vegetable Pot Pie is a classic American comfort food, perfect for Sunday supper, or as the centerpiece for a vegetarian holiday meal to replace the meat. Read the print-friendly version of this recipe Nothing conjures up tummy comfort more than savory vegetables in gravy, covered in a flaky, buttery crust. Imagine garlic, carrots, celery, potato and peas simmered in a thick sauce, gently seasoned with salt, black pepper, oregano, and sage, then topped with crunchy pastry. Thats right. Just one crust on top. Were reducing the fat by eliminating the bottom crust for this special version of the classic vegetable pot pie. Keep reading to learn a bit about the food culture associated with pot pie, and get this vegetarians modern take on the traditional. Of course, Ive ensured that the recipe comes together fast due to the use of frozen puff pastry. No fuss. No fiddling. A North American Classic As soon as people discovered how to grind grains into flour, the idea of combining flour and water to make pastry, then filling it with meat, must have been a compelling idea. Archaeologists have identified an early iteration of pot pie (the gallette pie) as far back as 9,500 B.C., according to Wikipedia. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the chicken pot pie in particular may have originated during the Roman Empire, when live birds hidden inside the pastries surprised people at the dinner table. Wow! So how did the idea get to North America, where today a chicken pot pie is as American as apple pie? You can thank American Cookery, the very first cookbook ever written by an American. It included recipes for chicken pot pie and beef pot pie, also according to Smithsonian. The influential cooking guide was written by Amelia Simmons and published in 1796, which were very early days for the Republic. Amys Kitchen My husband did not grow up in America, therefore I was very surprised to learn that he knew about the American classic pot pieand vegetable pot pie in particularsince he doesnt eat meat. It turns out that before we met, in his bachelor days, he would buy Amys Kitchen vegetable pot pies. Amys is a vegetarian natural foods brand that literally got its start with vegetable pot pies. (Courtesy of Buttered Veg) Measure the pastry about a -inch larger than your baking dish. Amys was founded in 1987 by Andy and Rachel Berliner, whose very first vegetable pot pies were made in their family kitchen. With a focus on organics, Amys catered to people who wanted gluten-free and dairy-free options at a time when there was next to nothing of the sort on the market. Thirty years later, Amys Kitchen is everywhere, including where my husband could see it in the supermarket freezer case. The company sells 250 products, employs over 1,900 people, and reported revenues of over half a billion dollars as of August 2017, according to Wikipedia. After my hubby moved to the U.S., he wanted to learn about American food and what people here eat. Amys is a great representation of the melting pot that is American food culture. In addition to pot pies, the company sells burritos, bowls, pizza, wraps, soups, and chili. Sounds familiar right? Holiday Classic The pot pies familiarity to many as a classic comfort food is why I recommend homemade vegetable pot pie as the centerpiece for a vegetarian holiday dinner. The savory flavor of vegetable pot pie is kind of meaty too, so it is a good substitute for ham or turkey. (Courtesy of Buttered Veg) How to Make Having made this recipe many times now, I can confidently tell you that pot pie is surprisingly easy to make. Basically you saute some vegetables, then add flour and liquid to make the sauce. Simmer a bit, then transfer to a baking dish. Cover the stew-like mixture with pastry, bake, and you are set. What you end up with is a warm, comforting bite of hearty root vegetables topped with flaky, buttery pastry. Dare I say, vegetable pot pie is a healthy-ish decadence? Its perfect for a special occasion, or even a special Sunday dinner. (Courtesy of Buttered Veg) Recipe for Classic Vegetable Pot Pie Prep Time: 35 minutes Bake time: 25 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4 servings Calories: 548KCAL Author: Andrea at Buttered Veg Helpful Kitchen Tools: 8-inch round or square casserole dish Medium saucepan 3.5 quart Ingredients For the Vegetable Stew 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 leek, chopped into -inch pieces 1 cup russet potato, chopped into -inch pieces 2 large carrots, chopped into -inch pieces 2 stalks celery, chopped into -inch pieces 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt, or to taste teaspoon ground black pepper For the Gravy cup all-purpose flou 1 cups vegetable stock, or water cup whole milk 1 cup frozen peas For the Pastry 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (or homemade) , thawed (see notes) 1 egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water Instructions Prep Steps About 30 minutes before you start, take puff pastry out of the freezer and place in the fridge to thaw. Finely chop garlic. Wash and chop leeks, potatoes, carrots, and celery into -inch pieces. Chop fresh sage and get out the dried oregano and have it ready by the stove. Cook the Filling Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, leeks, potatoes, carrots, celery, sage, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Saute until vegetables start to soften and cook, about 10 minutes. Add flour and use a wooden spoon to mix it thoroughly into the vegetables. Add vegetable broth or water and stir well. After it starts simmering, add the milk and stir well. Continue stirring and simmering until the gravy is smooth. Add frozen peas and continue to cook until the mixture begins to thicken (5-10 minutes). Transfer to a casserole dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the Pastry Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and open up 1 sheet of puff pastry. Roll gently with a rolling pin to smooth any creases. Work quickly because you dont want the pastry to thaw as it becomes very soft. Use a knife to trim the pastry to about inch larger than the diameter of your baking dish. Place the pastry on top of the stew and tuck the edges gently down into it. Cut steam vents into the top of the pastry with a sharp knife. Use a brush to top the pastry with beaten egg white. Bake the Pot Pie Place your baking dish on a baking sheet if there is a chance it could run over. Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven until pastry is golden brown, and the filling is bubbling, about 20-25 minutes. Notes Pastry In the U.S. puff pastry is sold frozen in packages of two. You will need one sheet for this recipe. After defrosting you can place the pastry back in the freezer for another use. To Serve Serve immediately. Use a knife to cut into the pastry to create portions, then scoop it out with a large serving spoon. To complete the meal, add a green salad and roasted asparagus. Nutrition Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 1167mg | Potassium: 602mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 7200IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 4mg Alberta Premier Danielle Smith arrives to speak at the United Conservative Party AGM as Brian Jean (R) and Travis Toews depart the stage at the River Cree Resort near Edmonton on Oct. 22, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Amber Bracken) Cory Morgan: Cabinet Selection, AGM Tone Show That Smith Has Learned From the Hard Lessons of 2015 Commentary Nobody saw Danielle Smith coming. She had spent over seven years in the political wilderness after having led a disastrous mass floor-crossing from the Alberta Wildrose Party to the Progressive Conservative Party in 2014. The move contributed to the shattering of Albertas conservative movement and the unexpected Alberta NDP majority win in 2015. Smith lost her own party nomination and moved on to become a talk radio host. When Smith announced her intention to run for the United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership last spring, few people thought she had a realistic chance of winning the race. By the time other contenders for the United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership realized just how strong Smiths campaign was, it was too late. Smith controlled the narrative of the entire campaign with her proposed Sovereignty Act while other candidates were put into a reactive role. The campaign took a negative turn as Smiths competitors united in attacking her. Former premier Jason Kenney broke with political convention and repeatedly spoke out against Smiths campaign. It took six ballots for Smith to win a narrow victory over former UCP finance minister Travis Toews. While Smith had taken the leadership of the party, her ability to maintain unity within such a fractious party was in question. Would Alberta conservatives split again as they had in the past? Opponents of the UCP certainly hoped they would. Premier Smiths cabinet selection and the upbeat AGM the party held near Edmonton on the weekend dashed the hopes of those wanting to see the party rend itself and fall into the infighting that has characterized Canadian conservative parties of late. Premier Smiths cabinet selections kept most of Jason Kenneys top ministers in senior positions. Smith returned her top leadership rival, Travis Toews, to his position as Albertas finance minister. Five out of six of the contenders for UCP leadership were given cabinet roles as Smith made it clear she wasnt holding grudges over the tone of the leadership race. Smith carefully constructed her cabinet to maintain party unity and avoid having prominent conservatives heading out the door in the early days of her government. Premier Smiths next hurdle was the party AGM. General meetings can be minefields for political parties. Internal elections for party board positions can be divisive among the membership and outbursts from attendees can derail the gathering. The AGM went smoothly, and Smith maintained her message of party unity as she was introduced for her keynote speech by her former leadership rivals. Smith learned some hard lessons in 2015 and the importance of maintaining peace within the party is clearly top of mind for her. Smiths next challenge with be the Alberta general election scheduled to be held by May of 2023. Polls conducted since Smith took the premiership indicate she wont be enjoying a honeymoon as the new leader. While there are no viable conservative parties in Alberta that could split the vote as they did in 2015, she cant take Albertas propensity to vote for conservatives for granted. Smiths speech at the AGM made it clear she was going to stick to her platform of pursuing provincial autonomy with her Sovereignty Act being the first legislative order of business in saying Alberta will no longer ask permission from Ottawa to be prosperous and free. She received a standing ovation when she reiterated that the province will refuse to enforce any federal policies or laws considered to be unjust to the province. Smith repeatedly referenced the Trudeau/Singh alliance in Ottawa. Rather than campaigning directly against the popular former premier Rachel Notley, Smith will be keeping the focus on battling Ottawa. It will likely be an effective tactic as she will win support from Albertans regardless of whether initiatives to pursue provincial autonomy succeed or not. She will either appear as a strong premier who stared down Ottawa and won, or will have been bullied down by a federal government that wont respect provincial rights. Both scenarios will strengthen her campaign against federal authority in provincial matters. If Danielle Smith wins a majority government next spring, Canada will have the most militant premier pursuing provincial autonomy ever seen outside of Quebec. Smith will have been given a mandate from Albertan voters to stand up to Ottawa and she will be taking it seriously. Other prairie premiers will surely be watching Albertas initiatives closely as Saskatchewan and Manitoba have questioned federal initiatives such as the recent firearm bans. While Smith made unity within her party a priority, she is determined to shake up regional unity within the country. Its time that national pundits and decision-makers start taking Danielle Smith seriously. She continues to confound her doubters and cant be underestimated. Her premiership could very well set the stage to re-examine the terms of confederation for every province in Canada. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, delivers remarks alongside Vice Chairwoman Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) during a hearing in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, on Oct. 13, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Crucial Questions Left Unanswered By Jan. 6 Committee After Last Hearing After its tentative last hearing, the House Jan. 6 Committee has left many crucial questions about the events of that day unanswered, despite its professed goal of getting to the bottom of the Jan. 6 Capitol protest. Though Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) intimated that more hearings may be forthcoming, the committees ninth hearing on Oct. 13 isfor the time beingthe last meeting of the controversial panel. That hearing, which culminated in a 9-0 vote to subpoena former President Donald Trump, left many crucial questions unaddressed. The committee, which is dominated by Democrats, has long insisted that it is not a partisan panel. But only two Republicans sit on the panelRanking Member Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), both of whom are virulent Trump critics. The two were appointed over the expressed wishes of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who picked Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) to serve as ranking member. But Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), citing concerns over the integrity of the investigation, refused McCarthys picksan unprecedented violation of a tradition stretching back to the earliest days of party politics in the Republic wherein the minority leader chose the members of their caucus that would sit on congressional committees. Opponents of the panel have argued that this lack of adversarial voices has led to a one-sided investigation that tends to demonize Trump and the supporters of his America First policies, while downplaying the failings of Democrats, their appointees, and other events that go beyond the panels narrative. Ed Martin, an attorney who represents Jan. 6 defendants pro bono, told the Epoch Times that the litany of lingering questions is unsurprising in view of the composition of the committee. As an observer of Congress and politics and policy, the select committee was so one sided that you almost dont know what questions were missed, Martin said. Because with a process that has an adversarial tone to it, you would have questions generatedthats the reason you have an adversarial process is to generate tension in the fact finding area to see what comes up and what doesnt. When you have zero, as they did in this case, you dont really know what youre missing. This is one of the one of the many reasons the Jan. 6 Committee is such an affront. Questions about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of several Trump supporters that day, the role played by the FBI and other federal law enforcement agents, and the lack of preparationamong other questionsstill linger. Committee Ignores Trump Supporters Deaths One of the most notable absences from the committee investigation were the circumstances surrounding the deaths of several Trump supporters at the Capitol that day. Of the four in the crowd who died that dayAshli Babbitt, Kevin Green, Rosanne Boyland, and Benjamin PhilipsBabbitts case has been the most discussed. Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was the only member of the crowd who died directly as a result of actions by an officer. Babbitt was shot near the speakers lobby in the Capitol. Babbitts killer, Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd, is known; however, the exact circumstances surrounding Babbitts death are more ambiguous. Though it is known that Byrd was the officer directly responsible for Babbitts death, there has been no public investigation into why he felt compelled to shoot the unarmed Babbitt. I know that day I saved countless lives, Byrd told NBC News after the fact. I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And thats my job. However, it remains unclear why Babbitt in particular was singled out as a lethal threat, despite being in close proximity to many other protestors. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) told the Epoch Times that the treatment of Babbitts case was unacceptable, and mused that Byrd ought to have been brought before a grand jury. Lieutenant Byrd shot and killed Ashley Babbitt, Nehls said. He even said in his testimony [that] he couldnt even see her hands. He didnt know she had a weapon. Matter of fact, he couldnt even tell if it was a man or a woman jumping through there [into the House chamber]. That shootingthat was a bad shoot my friend, Nehls said. It was a bad shoot. He continued: That shooting should have gone to a grand jury. Why did that shooting not go to a grand jury? I tell you whybecause they swept it under the rug. Moments before being fatally shot, Ashli Babbitt confronts three police offers for not stopping the vandalism outside the U.S. House. (Video Still/Tayler Hansen) Nehls opined that any shooting anywhere in the nation ought to go before a grand jury, but accused Democrats of double standards in their treatment of Babbitts killer. Every law enforcement officer in shooting in the country should go to a grand jury because a lot of people question when theres officers that have to take the life of or shoot somebody else, Nehls said. You should take every one of those shooting to a grand jury to dispel any doubt that there could be any type of cover up where blue is protecting blue, all that other stuff. Nehls added, If that would have happened during the summer riots of 2020, where a law enforcement officer shot a protestera rioter, whether it would have been in D.C., in Seattle, in Baltimore, Chicago, wherever that would have been, there would have been an indictment and [Black Lives Matter], everybody calling for that officer to be indicted and thrown in jail. But rather than going to a grand jury, Nehls said that the Capitol Police hardly looked into the shooting at all. The officers that I have spoken to have said that was one of the quickest investigations theyd ever seen here, Nehls reported. And these are from guys that have been there 15, 20 years. So no, I believelooking at the evidence, looking at the videoLieutenant Byrd shot and killed Ashli Babbitt and it was not justified. That was at a minimum manslaughter if not murder. But Babbitt, though her case is the most well-known, was not the only protestor who died that day. Another member of the crowd, Kevin Greeson, collapsed of a heart attack on the left side of the Capitol; Rosanne Boyland was apparently trampled by a crowd of protestors fleeing from tear gas thrown in a narrow tunnel underneath the Capitol; Benjamin Philips, who founded the pro-Trump site Trumparoo, died of a stroke. The beating of Rosanne M. Boyland by a DC Metro police officer on Jan. 6, 2021, should be prosecuted as a felony assault, use-of-force expert Stan Kephart said. (Boyland family, Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshots via The Epoch Times) Though Babbitts and Boylands deaths were the clear result of actions by police, the Jan. 6 Committeewhen it discussed deaths during the rally and in its aftermath at allinstead focused on correlating deaths of officers after the fact with the events of that day. For instance, the panel pointed to the death of Officer Brian Sitnick on Jan. 7. Though a medical examiner ruled that Sitnick, who passed away after a stroke, died of natural causes, the committee tried to paint Sitnicks death as a casualty of Jan. 6. Two other officers, Jeffrey Smith and Howard Liebengood, died by suicide within a few days of each other in the aftermath of the Capitol breach. Though the link between these deaths and Jan. 6 is correlational and not causational, the committee narrative counts these as casualties of that day while ignoring the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Babbitt, Boyland, Greeson, and Philips, leaving Americans still uncertain about what exactly happened to these protestors. Ray Epps and Potential FBI Involvement Questions also linger about the potential involvement of the FBI in the events of Jan. 6, particularly in regards to the role played by a man named Ray Epps. In videos captured on Jan. 5, Epps was seen encouraging protestors to enter the Capitol the next day. Tomorrow, we need to get to into the Capitol, Epps was caught saying. Into the Capitol, he reiterated. The calls raised eyebrows among the gathered crowd, who promptly shot down Epps calls with cries of Fed! Fed! Fed! The next day, additional video caught Epps whispering into the ear of a protestor, who proceeded to begin tearing down one of the first barricades around the Capitol. Initially, Epps was identified as the FBIs number 16 most wanted person for their involvement in the events of Jan. 6, with the agency offering a cash reward for information that led to his arrest. But Epps was later mysteriously removed from the lista fact that further attracted suspicion amid the largest manhunt in the history of Department of Justice (DOJ), which saw dozens of nonviolent offenders who entered the Capitol rounded up. Suspicion that the FBI was involved in the events of that day only ramped up after Jill Sanborn, the executive assistant director for the National Security Branch of the FBI, refused to disavow agency involvement at the rally. During a Jan. 11, 2022, Senate hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) questioned Sanborn about potential FBI involvement. These questions were met with deflection by Sanborn, who avoided giving a definitive answer to the yes or no questions posed by Cruz. How many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of January 6? Cruz asked. So Im sure you can appreciate that I cant go into the specifics of sources and methods, Sanborn replied. Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of January 6, yes or no? Cruz asked. Sir, I cantI cant answer that, Sanborn said. Did any FBI agents or confidential informants commit crimes of violence on January 6? Cruz asked. I cant answer that, sir, Sanborn replied. Did any FBI agents or FBI informants actively encourage and incite crimes of violence on January 6? Sir, I cant answer that. Following these deflections, Cruz turned focus to Ray Epps, who many suspect of having been an FBI informant or asset in view of the FBIs unexplained decision to remove him from the Jan. 6 wanted list. Ms. Sanborn, who is Ray Epps? Cruz asked. Im aware of the individual sir, Sanborn said. I dont have the specific background on him. Well, there are a lot of people who are understandably concerned about this, Cruz said before describing the videos captured showing Epps attempting to incite violence. Ray Epps encourages protesters to go into the Capitol the night before the siege of January 6, 2021. (Villain Report/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) On the night of January 5, 2021, Epps wandered around the crowd that had gathered and theres video out there of him chanting Tomorrow, we need to get into the Capitol, into the Capitol. This was strange behavior so strange that the crowd began chanting, Fed, fed, fed, fed, fed, fed. Ms. Sanborn was Ray Epps a fed? Sir, I cannot answer that question, Sanborn replied obliquely. Cruz then cited the other incident caught on tape involving Epps. The next day, on January 6, Mr. Epps was seen whispering to a person and five seconds laterfive seconds after hes whispering to a personthat same person begins to forcibly tear down the barricades, Cruz said. Did Mr. Epps urge them to tear down the barricades? Sir, similar to the other answers, I cannot answer that, Sanborn repeated. Cruz noted that for a brief period, Epps was given a relatively high spot on the FBIs wanted list before being magically removed. The wanted ad was posted and then sometime later, magically, Mr. Epps disappeared from the public posting, Cruz said. Ray Epps is shown at lower left on an early FBI wanted poster, but his photo has since been scrubbed from the FBI web site. (FBI.gov/Wayback Machine) According to public records, Mr. Epps has not been charged with anything, and no ones exchange explained why a person [caught on] video urging people to go to the Capitola person whose conduct was so suspect the crowd believed he was a fedwould magically disappear from the list of people the FBI was looking at. Ms. Sanborn, a lot of Americans are concerned that the federal government deliberately encouraged illegal and violent conduct on January 6, Cruz continued. My question to youand this is not an ordinary law enforcement question, this is a question of a public accountabilitydid federal agents or those in service of federal agent actively encourage violent and criminal conduct on January 6? Finally, Sanborn answered ambiguously, Not to my knowledge sir. Martin said this exchange effectively constituted a confession that the FBI was involved. Theres admission. Theyve admitted to the American people, that Ray Epps was playing some kind of role, Martin said. What they should have said was, We were aware of Ray Epps, he was someone we work with or something and try to defend it. But by saying nothing, we just have to assume that he was playing some role. Nehls told The Epoch Times that, if he had unilateral authority over the questions explored by a GOP Congress, Epps and the FBIs role in the events of Jan. 6 would be near the top of the list. Its a question that they, the FBIthey dont want to be asked, that question about Ray Epps or potential FBI involvement, Nehls said. You dont hear much from the FBI as it relates to Ray Epps. If Epps role was given more attention, Nehls mused, he would be charged with incitement of a riot. If you look at the federal codes, the federal statutes, if you incite a riot and there are serious bodily injury or death involvedwhich there wasyou will be charged with a felony up to 10 years in prison, but hes not being held accountable, Nehls said. For Epps to be free while other Jan. 6 defendants continue to be held in the D.C. gulaga term that several Republicans have applied to the D.C. Metropolitan Jail where many Jan. 6 defendants are being heldis an injustice, Nehls said. Nehls fit the issue into larger GOP concerns over the weaponization of the DOJ and FBI against critics of Bidens Democratic administration. Republican concerns with the DOJ have grown over the past two years amid concerns over several controversial decisions made by Attorney General Merrick Garland. One such issue that Republicans have raised alarm bells over is the DOJs school board memo, in which Garland offered federal resources and support to law enforcement seeking to bring charges against parents expressing their opposition to far-left and progressive ideas being taught to their children, like critical race theory and transgender ideology. These concerns then ballooned after Garland approved an FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, Trumps Florida home. Such a raid on a former president is unprecedented, and Republicans have promised to look into the raid if they retake the majority in November. When you look at the Department of Justice under Garland, and you look at Christopher Wray, the left will say, Well, Christopher Wray was a Trump appointee,' Nehls said. That doesnt mean anythinghes a turncoat. It is a sad day, a very dangerous time in America when you have these federal agencies like the DOJ and the FBI being used as weapons, he continued. And now, we have said theyve weaponized the DOJ and the FBI, but I think there is enough evidence out there to show that the far-left and this administration will do anything to go after the opposition; to go after people, individuals, and organizations that have a dissenting point of view. Doors Opened for Protestors An Oath Keepers member gets in between a protester and a Capitol Police officer during a tense exchange in the Small House Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021. (Stephen Horn/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) Also left unaddressed by the Jan. 6 Committee during its investigation was video evidence showing protesters being beckoned into the Capitol by Capitol Police. Over the course of the committee hearings, members made their appraisal of what happened that day clear. According to the narrative theyve put forward, the breach of the Capitol was the culmination of a secret conspiracy by Trump and his supporters to overthrow the United States government. But videos circulating around the Internet reveal a less clear-cut image. Specifically, video captured on Jan. 6 shows Capitol Police officers opening the doors to allow protestors to enter the building. In the video, Capitol Police can be seen at the head of a crowd of protestors opening doors and being followed by the crowd into the building. The video shows some members expressing concern about entering the Capitol, with some fearing a trap. Theyre gonna lock us in, on protestor can be heard saying. As protestors entered, Capitol Police stood to the side of the corridor to let them pass. You can disagree with it [the election certification], but respect the building, one masked officer told protestors as they entered. Read More Timeline of Events in DC on Jan. 6 Far from the scenes of insurrectionary street violence claimed by the committee, the videos show a general attitude of confusion among protestors. Several stood to the side, or turned around, but most simply followed the crowd further into the building. Though the video seems to contradict the narrative pushed by the panel during its hearings, the committee left this and other footage showing protestors being welcomed into the Capitol out of its public hearings. Why Was Pelosis Daughter There? In its last hearing, the Jan. 6 Committee raised more questions when it showed footage of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during the Capitol breach. The video was recorded by Pelosis daughter. Because a permit is required to record the interior of the Capitol, and because these permits must be obtained in advance, some felt it suspicious that Pelosis daughter had had the forethought to get such a permit. Cynthia Hughes, founder of the Jan. 6 advocacy group the Patriot Freedom Project, told The Epoch Times that the presence of Pelosis daughter at the Capitol was an insult to voters intelligence. I mean, come on. The American people are not stupid, Hughes said. You know that there were film permits. Available information on the permits is limited. Because the Capitol Police is immune to the guidelines of the Freedom of Information Actwhich gives Americans access to many documents, emails, and communications by public officials and agenciesHughes said her organization had been unsuccessful in their efforts tried to gather information about the film permit. Asked about the timely presence of Pelosis daughter in the Capitol, Nehls sighed, Give me a break. Aside from any questions about why Pelosis daughter had chosen that day to get a permit, Nehls accused the Jan. 6 Committee of political motivations in releasing the video. The release of the video is interesting, Nehls opined. Its a few days before early voting in the midterms. Gives me a break. Why are we just hearing about this video now? Why Was the Capitol So Unprepared? Other questions linger about why the Capitol was so unprepared in the lead-up to the breach. For Republicans, the culprit is clear: Nancy Pelosi and her appointees. Specifically, Republicans have pointed to decisions by Pelosis appointees not to oblige then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sunds request for National Guard troops. Kevin McCarthy, the most likely pick for speaker of the House if Republicans retake the majority, has promised that the issue will be investigated by his party. This partisan sham committee is not focused on answering the most important questions of why the Capitol was left unprepared that day and how we can ensure this never happens again, argued Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) during a conference call on Jan. 6, 2022. The American people deserve to know what the mainstream media refuses to cover: The fact that the only office that is off-limits to this partisan sham investigation is Speaker Pelosis office. Stefaniks comments are not hyperboleJan. 6 Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) gave explicit direction that Pelosi was off limits to the committees investigations. Nehls indicated in comments to The Epoch Times that he places the blame squarely on Pelosi, who he said refused to prepare the Capitol in order to harm Trumps political prospects. I think Nancy Pelosi could have prevented all this, Nehls said. They could have prevented it but they chose not to. And now what theyre doing with this January 6 committee, theyre using it to try to keep Donald Trump off the ballot in 2024. Nehls then reported his conversations with Capitol Police officers since that day. These conversations, Nehls said, have made clear to him that the officers had no clue what to expect that day. Ive talked to the Capitol Police, Nehls said. Theres a lot of great men and women that make up that organization1,840 strong. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Cali.) speaks with U.S. Capitol Police Officers after arriving on bicycle to an event at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial as part of the Back The Blue bike ride in Washington, on May 12, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) A lot of men and women have a lot of concerns about the leadership of the Capitol police, Nehls continued. These 1,840 personnelthey had really no clue what was going to happen that day. None of the intelligence was shared with the men and women working that daythey were taken by surprise. One officer, Nehls noted, even testified that he thought that day was going to be like any other day. The leadership of the Capitol Police, the intelligence section, did not share the intelligence with the men and women [of the Capitol Police force]. Pipe Bombs One of the most significant lingering questions involves two pipe bombs that were discovered in D.C. the day of the rally. The bombs were planted in front of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) buildings. Then-Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris was even in the DNC building at the time. But curiously, this fact was left out of the Jan. 6 panels narrative, though the bombs were planted within a few dozen yards of the Capitol building. Martin opined that this is one of the most baffling oversights from the committee. The panel says things like, Oh, it was an armed insurrection, and youre not looking at the pipe bombs that were within a few 100 yards of the Capitol complex, Martin said. What are you doing? Because again, if someone had a bazooka in their car three blocks away, I would think youd be saying, Hey, lets talk about it. A suspect in the placement of two devices that the FBI said were pipe bombs is seen in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021. On right is a closeup photograph of one of the devices. (FBI) If your theory of the casewhich the select committee said it wasis that something bad was going on on the 6th, you would want to get to the bottom of all of it, Martin continued. The other thing is theres video. They have released some video of a guyI think the DNC onewhere you see a person. So were still having raids on January 6 defendants now and we havent had any kind of national manhunt for whoever puts a pipe bomb. Martin noted that the objects discovered in front of the buildings were not facsimiles of pipe bombs, but were actual armed explosives. I mean, again, no one has said it only looked like a pipe bomb, Martin said. It was a pipe bomb. According to the published accounts of the FBI, it was an actual explosive. So it wasnt a toy and it wasnt a joke. Whats Next For Jan. 6 Investigations In view of how many questions remain unanswered, a corollary question is the role that these events will have in a potentially GOP Congress. Currently, most observers expect a GOP victory in the House, with the Senate still considered a toss-up. Because a Democrat will still hold the Oval Office no matter what happens in November, Republicans will be substantially limited in their legislative potential. Rather, Republicans most substantial power would be investigative. Since the beginning of the 117th Congress, McCarthy has thrown his support behind looking into the role that Pelosi and her appointees played in leaving the Capitol unprepared for Jan. 6. But clearly, many questions beyond this one linger. Nehls told The Epoch Times that, if he were asked by McCarthy what the Republican party should look into in regards to Jan. 6, his first priority would be to speak with the intelligence section of the Capitol Police to learn why officers were left so in the dark on that day. Nehls also argued that Republicans should look further into the role played by the FBI and other federal law enforcement in the events of the day. Finally, Nehls said he would push for the party to investigate ways to bolster Capitol security so such an incident could not happen again. Ultimately, investigations made by Republicans would need the support of McCarthy in a GOP-controlled House. As the most likely pick for speaker, McCarthy would have almost total discretion over which issues are investigated and which are ignored. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 13, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Ed Martin admitted that he wished more members of the party had brought attention to these issues during the 117th Congress, but said he holds nothing against Republican lawmakers for being tight-lipped about the events of Jan. 6 up to this point. In my mind, whatever the past has been, I dont sit in judgment of it, Martin said. But as we go forward with leadership for the Republican Partyand I expect both houses to go Republican at federal levelthere needs to be more leaders that step forward and say, Lets get to the bottom of this, lets do what the select committee didnt do, and find out what really happened and then hold people accountable. Still, Martin told The Epoch Times that he is optimistic about the prospects moving forward. Im pretty optimistic because I think youre gonna see a big wave, a tsunami, Martin said. Youre gonna see a whole bunch of Republicans that are new and dont care what the past was, and theyre gonna match up with guys like [Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona] and Troy Nehls, and some others and theyre going to have enough clout to say, Hey, we want to do things differently. So I just, I start out optimistic, Martin said. A participant walks past a Google logo at a stand at an event in Berlin, Germany, on June 9, 2022. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Do Republicans Have the Guts Really to Take on Google? Commentary Axios had the scoop! The Republican National Committee is suing Alphabet Inc.s Google for allegedly putting its campaign emails in the spam folders of its millions of users. The RNC claims that Google has been doing this for 10 months, throttling their emails and costing the Republican Party a fortune in campaign donations, especially at the ends of months when they are usually most successful. They also say they have been in discussions with the search company for months to work this out, to no avail. I wouldnt doubt any of it, but compared to what Google does and has been doing in a host of areas for years through their opaque and ever-changing algorithms, this is relatively small potatoes. The timing of the suit comes, not surprisingly, just weeks before the midterm elections. And why not? Both sides are looking for an edge. Google, needless to say, denies culpability. Their spokesperson Jose Castenada provided the statement. As we have repeatedly said, we simply dont filter emails based on political affiliation. Gmails spam filters reflect users actions. We provide training and guidelines to campaigns, we recently launched an FEC-approved pilot for political senders, and we continue to work to maximize email deliverability while minimizing unwanted spam. Well, as long as the Federal Election Commission approves. Meanwhile, Alphabet Inc. stock went up 1.16 percent or 0.94 percent, depending on which offering you preferred, on the day the suit was announced. The good news for Republicans, however, is that recent polls are showing them taking over the House of Representatives and quite possibly the Senate after the Nov. 8 election. The suit, win or lose, will be nothing more than a gnat on Googles wings. But the election, the way it looks now, will be an opportunity. For years, the GOP has been whining about the unrelenting bias in Google, Facebook, and Twitter, the first two at least, more powerful with their global reach than The New York Times or NBC ever were. Google, far more than any other single entity, determines what humanity thinks is true about current events and knowledge in general. The platform continues to filter and refine its left-wing ideology through artificial intelligence, brainwashing most of the globe with a subtlety never seen in history. But Republican legislators never do anything about it other than making speeches. At least Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) wrote a book that did well on AmazonThe Tyranny of Big Tech. Will they do anything substantive if given a two-house majority? Yes, they would undoubtedly face a presidential veto, but they could at least put forth a warning that with a Republican president in 2024, things might be different, very different. It would also strike justifiable fear in the hearts of the woke capitalists running major corporations such as Disney and Coca-Cola. Skepticsthose lovers of conventional wisdom remind us that Big Tech and Big Pharma are the biggest donors to political campaigns, Democrat and Republican, and, since money is the mothers milk in politics, nothing can be done. And so far they have been proven to be correct. But wait for Nov. 8. As I type this, I am watching on my office monitor as Donald Trump speaks in Robstown, Texas, to a huge crowd that, in response to a small group of protestors, suddenly broke out in The Star-Spangled Banner. I dont think Ive ever seen such a spontaneous display of patriotism. Things are changing. If not now, when. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Earn Less Than $100,000 per Year? You Could Be Priced Out of Rentals in Americas Top 15 Cities If you earn less than $100,000 a year, you may find it difficult to secure a rental apartment in the top 15 cities in the United States. In fact, a recent report from Apartment Guide found that households need an annual income of at least $254,000 to rent an average apartment in New York City and $188,000 for a rental in Boston. Rounding out the top five expensive U.S. cities for rentals are Oakland, California, with income requirements of over $177,000, followed by San Francisco at $173,400 and Los Angeles at $158,000. Apartment Guide studied the top 50 largest cities and determined average rental costs for one- and two-bedroom apartments in each location. The average rent in New York City is a staggering $6,351, compared with $4,700 for Boston and $4,336 for San Francisco. The popular national resource that matches renters with apartments uses the widely-accepted 30 percent rule, meaning people should spend no more than 30 percent of their income on housing. The 30 percent rule is just a guideline and doesnt necessarily mean that if youre not making a huge salary, you cant afford a place to live in these locations, Brian Carberry, managing editor of Apartment Guide, told The Epoch Times. A lot of people actually spend up to 50 percent on housingit all depends on what theyre looking for and how much theyre willing to allocate for rent. Based on the 30 percent rule, a person making $100,000 should be spending no more than $30,000 a year on rent. That translates to a monthly rental of $2,500. Carberry explained that the salary needed to afford the rentals could also be divided up between a couple or roommates. A lot of younger people usually rent with roommates so that they are able to afford an apartmentespecially if they want to be in a downtown location in a major city, he said. With the current U.S. median household salary at $64,944, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a large percentage of the population may have to look beyond the 15 top U.S. cities to find an affordable apartment. Also included in the top 15 highest rent locales are Seattle, Washington, San Diego, and San Jose, California, with incomes upwards of $150,000 suggested. Chicago comes in with an income of $117,000 followed by the District of Columbia at $113,000. On the lower end of the $100,000-plus spots are Sacramento, California, Miami, Florida, and Portland, Oregon, all hovering around $105,000 income recommendations. I was actually surprised that Portland had such high rents, because that area is typically way less expensive than many locations in California, admitted Carberry. Portlands average rental is listed at $2,529 per month. A one-bedroom apartment with den in Boston, renting from $4,200 to $4,475 per month. (Courtesy of Apartment Guide) Affordable Rentals For renters seeking the best deals, Carberry points to cities in the Midwest or South. In Aurora, Colorado, for example, the average monthly rental is $1,989, where a yearly salary of $79,579 should be able cover the rent. Charlotte, North Carolina, where average rentals are $1,646 per month, requires a yearly income of $65,857. Only Arlington, Corpus Christi, and El Paso, Texas, have rentals available for those earning about $50,000 a year, and Wichita, Kansas, offers the most economical monthly rentals at $719, where $28,741 a year can secure an apartment. During the pandemic, we did see a lot of migration to the southern cities, which in turn, caused some rental prices to escalate there, added Carberry. Still, its way cheaper to rent an apartment in Dallas, as compared to New York City. The report found that rents in Seattle increased the most from just one year agoup 45.21 percent with the average rent of $3,614. Conversely, Baltimore rents saw the largest decreasedown 18.81 percentwith a current average of $1,550 per month. Not surprisingly, said Carberry, the Northeast and California have traditionally been the most expensive regions of the country, which also require the highest salaries to afford rentals. Coastal areas are always the most popular, which is why you can often get much better rental deals from the Ohio Valley through Texas to Arizona, he said. Of course, salaries also tend to be lower in those areas, and overall, a lot of people are really stretching more for their rents. A one-bedroom apartment in Witchita, renting from $1,039 to $1,059 per month. (Courtesy of Apartment Guide) A Glimmer of Hope But there could be a glimmer of good news on the horizon. Newly released data from Dwellsy, the countrys largest home rental listing platform with 13 million residential listings, reveals that some rental prices actually dropped in September. Weve seen a pattern across the country where rents are down about $15 per month from last month, Jonas Bordo, Dwellsy CEO and co-founder told The Epoch Times. While thats a small amount, it does represent a decrease for the first time since last year. The U.S. median asking rent rose by 27 percent since September 2021. Dwellsy also reports that single-family home rents are driving the overall market. Bordo credits a slight decline in the levels of household formations for contributing to the decline. With climbing rents, a lot of younger people are choosing to remain at home with their parents, or continue living with roommates instead of branching out and creating their own households, he explained. Currently, noted Bordo, about 70 percent of U.S. rental properties are owned by individuals, with the average person owning two units. The U.S. Census Bureau also estimates that renters currently comprise 36 percent of all U.S. households. Taking a look at the top cities with the fastest growing rents, Springfield, Missouri, leads the list with a September 2022 median asking rent of $1,590a 120.8 percent hike since September 2021. Anderson, South Carolina, is second, followed by Harrisburg, Virginia. Greenville, South Carolina, took the fourth spot, and Detroit, Michigan, grabbed the fifth position with a median asking rent of $1,782 per monthan 81.8 percent hike over last September. A lot of people are rethinking where they want to live, since many can now work remotely from anywhere, said Bordo. Detroit has seen a lot of changes in the last couple of years with new developments and that may be responsible for the significant increase in rents. As for the most expensive single-family rental homes, its no surprise that all top five locations are in California, with San Jose topping the list with a median asking rent of $3,600 in September. Other regions in the top five list, with similarly priced rents, include Salinas, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. Dwellsys report also indicates that 35 percent of U.S. rentals are for single-family homes. Looking ahead to 2023, Bordo predicts a stabilization of rental prices. Im not expecting a steep drop, but I do expect a much slower rate of growth, he said. Right now, rents are still outpacing peoples ability to pay. Ask someone who knows the movies to name an actor and actress who best depicted sophistication, grace, and style on the big screen, and odds are that Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant will pop up in that conversation. Sophisticated is an adjective often linked with both of these stars. In nearly all his roles, from the dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace to the suspense-filled North by Northwest, Cary Grant projected the consummate gentleman, impeccably attired, and a model of manners, wit, and masculinity. The inimitable rhythms of his voice with its practiced Mid-Atlantic accentsoftened vowels and discarded Rsbuttressed this image of poise and urbanity. Sophisticated is an adjective often linked with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, seen here in a scene from Charade. (Public Domain) Audrey Hepburn likewise brought sophistication to her acting. She may have played the Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, but in most of her roles she exhibited a style and grace that imprinted itself indelibly on audiences. Even today, the clothes and jewelry that Hepburn wore and the way she carried herself draw the attention and admiration of younger women. Just as this brand of sophistication is rare among film stars, so too among American writers. We have many fine makers of words, but rarely would we describe their prose as shimmering with the verbal worldliness and grace of a dry martini, a little black dress, or a perfectly fitted tuxedo. Miss Manners Since 1978, Judith Martin has served as the nations most prominent arbiter of etiquette. Better known by her pen name Miss Manners, Martin has written and seen published several thousand columns, many of them collected in a score of books. Critics have sung her praises as an authentically comic genius and a philosopher cleverly and charmingly disguised as an etiquette columnist. In 2005, Martin received the National Humanities Medal, our nations highest award for work done in the humanities. In addition to her gifts for humor and her crisp commentary on a broad range of subjects, Martin also brings to her writing a near-genius ability to match the style of her prose with her subject of etiquette. To the delight of her readers, her prim yet saucy tone became the hallmark of Miss Manners. In Miss Manners Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, for example, she replies to a reader asking how one politely eats a grapefruit: Gentle reader: Carefully, if at all. The grapefruit is a particularly vicious piece of work with a sour disposition, just lying in wait to give someone a good squirt in the eye. If the grapefruit sections have not been loosened with a grapefruit knife before servicing, or if you are not armed with a pointed grapefruit spoon, give up. It will get you before you get it. A college girl asks, How does a lady discreetly deal with perspiration? and receives this response: Gentle reader: A lady does not perspire. When dear Orson Welles was married to Rita Hayworth, someone spoke of her as sweating, and he replied coldly, Horses sweat. People perspire. Miss Hayworth glows. There is nothing wrong with dewy college girls. Within reason, of course. Of the elaborate ruses a gentleman often concocts to surprise his potential bride-to-be with a ring and a proposal, Miss Manners notes: If enough work is put into it, the gentleman will be exhausted enough not to mess with the wedding arrangements, thus enabling the bride to 1) have it all her way, and 2) complain that if he loved her, he would take more of an interest. Critics have sung the praises of Judith Martin (Miss Manners) as a comic genius and a philosopher cleverly and charmingly disguised as an etiquette columnist. (Open Library) This mix of formality and wit make Martin eminently quotable, especially short, succinct messages like this one: If you cant be kind, at least be vague. She also restates truisms that score a bulls-eye: Society cannot exist without etiquette. It never has, and until our own century, everybody knew that. The Queen of Feasts Writer and media personality Clifton Fadiman called her the most interesting philosopher of food now practicing in our country. Poet W.H. Auden bestowed even higher praise when he said, I do not know of anyone in the United States today who writes better prose. The subject of their remarks was Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher (19081992), better known as M.F.K. Fisher, who once summed up her gastronomical philosophy by writing: There is a communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine is drunk. And that is my answer, when people ask me: Why do you write about hunger, and not wars or love. Though the tone of their prose differs, like Judith Martin, M.F.K. Fisher composed sentences that sing to readers. In her 1941 book Consider the Oyster, for example, she begins this way: An oyster leads a dreadful but exciting life. Indeed, his chance to live at all is slim, and if he should survive the arrows of his own outrageous fortune and in the two weeks of his carefree youth find a clean smooth place to fix on, the years afterwards are full of stress, passion, and danger. Consider the Oyster is today available as part of The Art of Eating, a 784-page tome made up of four other books as well: Serve It Forth, How to Cook a Wolf, The Gastronomical Me, and An Alphabet for Gourmets. Open this hefty collection to any page, and you would be hard-pressed to find a dead sentence or a dull description. I just tried this experiment myself and dropped straight into this passage from An Alphabet for Gourmets: I have, in public places, watched women suddenly turn a tableful of human beings into scowling tigers and hyenas with their quiet, ferocious nagging, and I have shuddered especially at the signs of pure criminality that then veil childrens eyes as they bolt down their poisoned food and flee. That passage precedes, of all things, a special recipe for scrambled eggs. Fishers best-known work, How to Cook a Wolf, brings particularly pertinent encouragement to our time of skyrocketing prices in the grocery store. Originally written with the ration cards and blackouts and like miseries of World War II in mindthe title derives from the proverbial wolf at the doorHow to Cook a Wolf makes an adventure of eating well when choices and resources are limited. Referring to the postwar return of foodstuffs like butter and spices to the kitchen, Fisher writes that people may be more appreciative of plentiful food: And that is good, for there can be no more shameful carelessness than with the food we eat for life itself. When we exist without thought or thanksgiving we are not men, but beasts. Like Martin, Fisher is not only a fine writer but a cultural philosopher as well. M.F.K. Fisher makes an adventure of eating well when choices and resources are limited, in How to Cook a Wolf. (North Point Press) Ease Is a Mark of High Style The prose of both Martin and Fisher comes across to their readers, as should the sentences constructed by any conscientious writer, as having leaped effortlessly from the cranium onto the pageor today, onto the electronic screen. Like Hepburn and Grant in their movies, they perform gracefully in paragraph after flawless paragraph. Yet its safe to say that both women put their heart and soul into their writing, choosing words and punctuation with consummate care. In her introduction to The Art of Eating, for instance, Fisher tells of a young man who once read aloud to her from a chapter in one of her books, which had been pointed out to me as a good bit of writing by several people. But then she comments: The mean, cold fact remains, though, that on page one of the chapter, there is a use of one word which I shall never point out to anyone, but which offends me gravely. Ill regret until the day I die that I know it is there. Now, theres a writer. When visiting Judith Martin, readers may find themselves, as I did, bursting into laughter at her sharp witticisms. When in the company of M.F.K. Fisher, those same readers may not laugh quite so much, but they may feel, as I did, as if they were running their fingers through a chest filled not with rubies, sapphires, and gold doubloons, but with the glittering jewels of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. And so, heres a flute of champagne raised to you, good ladies, for having shared your treasures with the rest of us. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis displays the signed Parental Rights in Education bill flanked by elementary school students during a news conference at Classical Preparatory school in Shady Hills, Fla., on March 28, 2022. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP) Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Floridas Parental Rights Law PUNTA GORDA, Fla.A federal judge has dismissed another lawsuit challenging Floridas parental rights law in an order issued on Oct. 20. The decision is the second time in about a month that a judge has declined to block the law, which protects the rights of parents to make decisions about the upbringing and control of their children, restricts school districts from withholding information about children from parents, and, among other provisions, prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity to children in kindergarten through the third grade. Attorneys for a group of parents, students, and a nonprofit group had filed for a preliminary injunction in July against the school boards of Orange, Indian River, Duval, and Palm Beach counties. They argued the law discriminates against LGBT students and families. The plaintiffs also argued that the law violated the rights to free speech, equal protection, and due process. Loudoun County mother Meggan Jenkins, a member of the parental rights group Moms for Liberty, at a rally outside the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) administration building in Ashburn, Va., on Sept. 13, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times) U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger, a Trump appointee, denied the request for a preliminary injunction and dismissed the lawsuit. On Sept. 29, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed a separate case, indicating that the plaintiffs could file a revised lawsuit. Berger, like Winsor, said the plaintiffs could file a revised version. Critics have labeled the law, formally known as the Parental Rights in Education Act, as the Dont Say Gay Bill. In addition to preventing instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade, the law requires that such instruction be age-appropriate in accordance with state academic standards in higher grades. Attorney General Ashley Moodys office and the school boards had previously said that Berger should reject the motion for a preliminary injunction, in part because the plaintiffs did not have legal standing. Bergers Oct. 20 decision denied the injunction on the basis of a lack of legal standing. The judge described the lawsuit as a shotgun pleading and said that the plaintiffs failed to specify what policy or custom of each defendant supports liability under the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs include Orange County residents Jennifer and Matthew Cousins and their four children, including their seventh grader, whom they identified as S.C. They asserted that the law would prohibit speech at school and could result in increased bullying of their child. However, Berger found they hadnt shown standing. Plaintiffs have not pointed this court to any policy or procedure from Orange County that they allege has resulted in any increase in bullying that S.C. might experience at school, Berger wrote. While the court is sympathetic to the Cousins fear that their child may be bullied, it is simply a fact of life that many middle school students will face the criticism and harsh judgment of their peers. S.C. is not alone in this regard. Indeed, middle school children bully and belittle their classmates for a whole host of reasons, all of which are unacceptable, and many of which have nothing to do with a classmates gender identity. Berger gave the plaintiffs until Nov. 3 to file a revision. Simone Chriss, director of transgender rights initiative at Southern Legal Counsel, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement, The courts order disregards the experiences of our plaintiffs, and disrespects the experiences of all LGBTQ+ youth in Florida public schools. Florida Democrat Governor Candidates Top Staffer Arrested for Domestic Violence Austin Durrer, campaign manager for Democrat Florida gubernatorial contender Charlie Crist, has been arrested on charges of domestic violence. On Oct. 20, the Crist campaign said that Durrer would depart to deal with a family issue. Durrer was arrested a few days prior in Cambridge, Maryland, on second-degree assault charges, Fox News reported. The case is classified as domestic violence, and he was released on a $10,000 bond. The court asked Durrer to vacate his home and surrender his firearm. The Crist campaigns Thursday announcement of Durrers departure did not mention the domestic violence arrest. According to the probable cause affidavit read to NBC News by the prosecutor in the case Amanda Leonard, Jackie Whisman, the mother of his child, alleged that an argument with Durrer turned physical. Signs of physical injury on Whismans face were consistent with her accounts, the affidavit said. The police who arrived at the scene arrested Durrer on the spot as officials are empowered to do in case a domestic violence-related call involves signs of physical injury, Leonard said. Whisman has also been charged with second-degree assault. Both Whisman and Durrer are now looking to drop charges. Very sadly, an incident took place this week at our home that we both regret. We are both working to drop legal charges and move forward. Our primary focus at this time is our daughter, our greatest joy, and we appreciate privacy and respect as we navigate this as a family, the duo said in a statement to CBS. Previous Work With Democrats, Crist Campaign Durrer had earlier worked for the Department of Commerce subagency Economics and Statistics Administration during the Obama administration as well as for former Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) In December 2016, he was hired by Crist to act as his chief of staff in Congress. This year, Durrer was assigned to lead Crists gubernatorial campaign. Crist resigned from the U.S. House on Aug. 31 to prepare for his gubernatorial bid against current Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Crists campaign has failed to generate the necessary support to be a threat to his opponent, with most polls showing DeSantis with a substantial lead. A debate between the two was scheduled for Sept. 28 but was then canceled due to Hurricane Ian. The debate is now set for Oct. 24 when early voting begins in many parts of Florida. Meanwhile, Dave Kerner, a top Democrat from Palm Beach County who is also its commissioner, has extended support for DeSantis for the post of Governor in the 2022 midterms, according to a Sept. 22 tweet. Gov. DeSantis Dem opponent has called for reallocation of resources away from law enforcement, Kerner said. FL cannot afford people like Charlie Crist who wants to defund the police & make our communities less safe. A French soldier with his dog Sparcel stands at attention during a ceremony in Suippes, eastern France, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Christophe Ena/AP Photo) France Honors Hero Dogs, Highlighting Their Achievements SUIPPES, FranceFrom tracking down suspects in the 2015 Paris terror attacks to fighting extremists in Africas Sahel region, dogs have helped French soldiers, police officers, and rescue teams save lives for more than a century. In recognition of the four-pawed partners, France this week inaugurated a memorial paying tribute to all civilian and military hero dogs. It features a sculpture by French-Columbian artist Milthon depicting a World War I soldier and his dog huddled together. The monument is located in front of the town hall in Suippes, part of an area of northeast France that saw major battles during World War I. The placement acknowledges the important role dogs played in the U.S. and European armies of the time. Suippes is also home to the largest military kennel in Europe, where members of the French armys 132nd canine infantry regiment train dogs for military duty. The regiment currently consists of 650 army personnel and 550 dogs. The monument in homage to hero dogs was an initiative of the French kennel club, the Centrale Canine. Animals from the army regiment attended Thursdays ceremony inaugurating the memorial wearing their military medals. A French soldier with his dog Olaf stands at attention during a ceremony in Suippes, eastern France, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Christophe Ena/AP Photo) Its very important [recognition] because dogs, like human beings, carry out missions, but we dont ask them for their opinion. So to me, its fair to give them back a medal, Johann, an adjutant in a combat unit, said. He and other human members of the unit could only be identified by their first names for security reasons related to their military status. The regiment in Suippes is preparing dogs for combat zones where they would be tasked with sniffing out and chasing a potential enemy. Some are also trained to detect explosives and drugs. Each dog is paired with a soldier. Johann, a member of the regiment for 12 years, is now paired with a Dutch shepherd named Nasky. He has not lost a dog in action, though has colleagues who have. Its significant from a psychological point of view and very hard for the handler. But in those moments, we take upon ourselves [to continue] and when we dont have our dog anymore, we still are infantry soldiers and we must be able to continue our missions, he said. The regiments recruits are involved in French operations abroad, including in Africas Sahel region, West Africa, and the Middle East. They also are sent on domestic missions and to work in French territories overseas, such as combating gold trafficking in French Guiana. The dogs selected for training sometimes are recruited when they are puppies, but most are 18-months-old. Many come from France, others from the Netherlands, Germany and countries in eastern Europe. They go through a series of tests to see whether they are enthusiastic about biting, willing to play and not easily startled in a stressful environment. The most important quality required is bravery, the regiments soldiers said. We use a lot their olfactory sense, their sight, their physical abilities. Thats why we have lots of Belgian, German shepherds, dogs who can run, who are resistant to heat and cold, canine unit member Audrey explained. They are very good working dogs. When they no longer can fulfill their missions, the dogs are retired. Audrey plans to keep her partner, Moocki, with her at home when the time comes. She explained the handlers are the ones in best position to choose families for retired dogs. Were trying, as handlers, to do this the best we can depending on the dog, the character. Some dogs may also have post-traumatic stress disorder, she said. France created its first department to train dogs for active duty during World War I. They searched for wounded soldiers, warned sentinels, and carried messages, food, and ammunition on the front lines of the 1914-1918 war. Thursdays ceremony in France notably paid tribute to Diesel, a police dog killed in a raid targeting the mastermind of the Paris attacks in 2015, and to Leuk, an assault dog of the French military killed by an extremist in Mali in 2019. A poll worker talks to a voter before they vote on a paper ballot in Georgia. (Brynn Anderson/AP Photo) Georgia Sees Record Early Voting Turnout for 2022 Midterms A relatively high number of Georgia residents have cast their ballots during the states early voting phase of the 2022 midterm elections, the Secretary of States office said in a statement. Fridays total marks a 51 percent increase from day five of 2018 midterm Early Voting and is only 18 percent less than the total of day five of Early Voting in the 2020 Presidential election, officials said. Georgia has had record Early Voting turnout since the first day of Early Voting this year, surging to nearly twice the number on the first day of Early Voting in 2018. As of Oct. 21, about 660,000 Georgians have cast ballots during the in-person early voting phase, the office said. Another 68,000 people have cast absentee ballots. By the same point in the 2018 midterms, about 397,000 in-person ballots had been cast, according to the office. Last week, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger applauded the relatively high turnout in a statement. Were extremely pleased that so many Georgians are able to cast their votes, in record numbers and without any reports of substantial delays. This is a testament to the hard work of Georgias election workers, the professionals who keep our elections convenient and secure, he said. Voter Suppression? A Georgia election official fired back at Democrats claims that a 2021 law is tantamount to voter suppression, since a record number of Georgians have cast ballots early for the 2022 midterms. How many turnout records do we have to break before Stacey Abrams and President Biden apologize to Georgia? Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer of the state secretary of states office, asked in a statement over the weekend to Fox News, He was referring to criticisms that were levied against voting initiatives enacted last year. Georgias Election Integrity Act of 2021 ushered in reforms that include requiring photo or state-approved identification to vote absentee by mail, and mandate that secure drop boxes be placed inside early voting locations, with constant surveillance, while early voting was expanded across the state. When it was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp in March 2021, SB 202 drew praise from backers of elections security upgrades and criticism from those who claimed the bill amounted to voter suppression. Abrams, a Democrat, repeatedly criticized the law as racist and tantamount to voter suppression. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has echoed her allegations by calling the legislation Jim Crow 2.0. Sterling and Raffensperger both drew criticism from former President Donald Trump for not doing enough to deal with alleged voter fraud in the immediate aftermath of the November 2020 election. Tom Ozimek contributed to this report. Growing Number of Governors Reject COVID Vaccines for School Entry After CDC Vote The GOP governors of several states indicated they will not implement mandates for children to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to enter school after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel voted last week to recommend adding the vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule. Governors in Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, Montana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Missouri, South Dakota, and Arkansas have already said that their states would not put in place requirements for children to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for school entry. The National Academy for State Health Policy includes about 20 states that have already barred COVID-19 vaccines from being included in mandates for schools and students. Those include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia, according to the groups website, which was updated months before the CDC panels vote. Responses Under my watch, there will be no COVID vaccine mandates for kidsperiod, said Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa last week. In fact, we signed a law that prevents it. Its the parents decision, not the governments. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Nov. 16, 2020. (Kelsey Kremer/Des Moines Register/Pool) Noting that many parents are concerned about the CDCs vote, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that there is fear that schools could potentially mandate your child to get a COVID shot, even if thats not something that you want to do. So I just want to let everyone be clear. You know, as long as Im around and as long as Im kicking and screaming there will be no COVID shot mandates for your kids. That is your decision to make as a parent, DeSantis, a Republican, said in public remarks several days ago. He added that Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo does not recommend this for young kids, for kids under 18. And basically as reason for that, theres not really been a proven benefit for that. I mean, we can get into some of the potential side effects. You dont even really need to do that. Not been a proven benefit, he said. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks in a neighborhood impacted by Hurricane Ian at Fishermans Wharf in Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) GOP Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, meanwhile, shared a tweet from the Ohio Department of Health saying it does not mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for school attendance. The ACIP vote does not change Ohio law. The states list of required vaccines can only be changed through legislation. Wyomings 33rd governor, Mark Gordon, said his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine has not changed and that children should not be forced to take it before entering class. Since COVID-19 vaccines were first made available, I have always maintained that vaccination for this virus is a personal choice based upon personal circumstances. I opposed efforts by the federal government to mandate this vaccine for healthcare workers and service personnel, the Republican governor said. Added Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican: I trust parents to raise their kids and do whats best for their kids health. On my watch, the State of Montana will not mandate the COVID-19 vaccine. Democrat Responses Some Democrat governors might not add COVID-19 vaccines to the immunization schedule in their states. A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a possible 2024 Democrat presidential candidate, told news outlets that the CDC advisory panels vote was a recommendation to the CDCs leadership and not a mandate. The main impact of the CDC recommendation is that health insurance companies will be required to cover the cost of the immunization and that the federal government can continue to provide it for free to low-income families, a spokesman for the governor said. Its interesting that Republican states are criticizing this as schools already require vaccinations for chickenpox, polio, measles and more. Numerous states, however, allow for religious and personal exemptions to school-mandated vaccines. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills of Maine said she wont ask the Maine Legislature to adopt the mandate. Maine has one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation. Any COVID-19 vaccine requirement for Maine children would need the approval of the state legislature, a spokesman for Mills told Fox News last week. Nearly every day there is a report of a young, fit individual, usually a man, who suffers unexplained sudden death now termed sudden adult death syndrome. Because COVID-19 vaccination is highly prevalent and linked to the development of heart inflammation and myocarditis, it is a conservative and reasonable conclusion that unless otherwise ruled out, sudden adult death syndrome is a consequence of myocarditis. The differential diagnosis could include other vaccine related serious adverse events including fatal pulmonary embolism, multisystem inflammatory disorder, and vaccine induced thrombocytopenic purpura. Unlike sudden death, most of the other conditions give patients and doctors a chance at making a diagnosis, hospitalization, and treatment. Because half or more of COVID-19 vaccine induced myocarditis is asymptomatic,[i] the first manifestation can be collapse due to an abnormal heart rhythm and unless promptly resuscitated, the pathway to death is rapid and final. With > 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts on the topic, there are some emerging patterns: 1) deaths do not occur randomly across vaccine manufacturing lots but rather tend to occur in hot lots[ii] that may be a proxy for more viable mRNA or adenoviral DNA delivery and greater Spike protein deposition in the heart, 2) genetic predisposition has been reported by Ittiwut et al (SCN5A mutation),[iii] and almost certainly more risk alleles will be discovered, 3) acute presentations within 30 days of the first and second injections if detected are usually hospitalized and undergo testing with cardiac MRI being conclusive, 4) if diagnosed there is an opportunity for rest, therapy, and risk stratification for implantation of a defibrillator. For those of you who know someone in your circles who has died unexpectedly since the advent of COVID-19 vaccination, encourage the surviving family members to reassure the world publicly if they were unvaccinated. If families, school, and employers remain shamefully silent, assume the cause of death is attributable to the vaccine. This is a safe and reasonable inference since COVID-19 vaccine induced myocarditis is a proven cause of death in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.[iv] [v] Fatal myocarditis should be sobering for those who encouraged and pressured victims into vaccination including doctors, family, school, employers, military, and others. They should reflect upon their actions that resulted in the loss of life, and carry on in self-reproach, seeking forgiveness. On a practical basis, life insurance companies will need to rely upon a working diagnosis and cause of death to re-calculate actuarial risk groups and post-vaccine premium rates. Finally, for the rest to remain alive without heart damage or risk of sudden adult death syndrome, the current products must be recognized as a public health threat, recalled from global markets, and discardedall of them. Reposted from the authors Substack [i] Mansanguan S, Charunwatthana P, Piyaphanee W, Dechkhajorn W, Poolcharoen A, Mansanguan C. Cardiovascular Manifestation of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescents. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 19;7(8):196. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed7080196. PMID: 36006288; PMCID: PMC9414075. [ii] Latypova S. Hot Lots of Covid-19 Vaccines Evidence of Different Formulations? TrialSite News, Jul. 16, 2022 [iii] Ittiwut C, Mahasirimongkol S, Srisont S, Ittiwut R, Chockjamsai M, Durongkadech P, Sawaengdee W, Khunphon A, Larpadisorn K, Wattanapokayakit S, Wetchaphanphesat S, Arunotong S, Srimahachota S, Pittayawonganon C, Thammawijaya P, Sutdan D, Doungngern P, Khongphatthanayothin A, Kerr SJ, Shotelersuk V. Genetic basis of sudden death after COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand. Heart Rhythm. 2022 Aug 5:S1547-5271(22)02266-4. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2022.07.019. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35934244; PMCID: PMC9352648. [iv] Choi S, Lee S, Seo JW, Kim MJ, Jeon YH, Park JH, Lee JK, Yeo NS. Myocarditis-induced Sudden Death after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination in Korea: Case Report Focusing on Histopathological Findings. J Korean Med Sci. 2021 Oct 18;36(40):e286. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e286. PMID: 34664804; PMCID: PMC8524235. [v] Gill JR, Tashjian R, Duncanson E. Autopsy Histopathologic Cardiac Findings in 2 Adolescents Following the Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2022 Aug 1;146(8):925-929. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2021-0435-SA. PMID: 35157759. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here. Dr. Peter A. McCullough MD Follow Dr. McCullough is a practicing internist, cardiologist, epidemiologist managing the cardiovascular complications of both the viral infection and the injuries developing after the COVID-19 vaccine in Dallas TX, USA. He has dozens of peer-reviewed publications on the infection, multiple US and State Senate testimonies, and has commented extensively on the medical response to the COVID-19 crisis in TheHill, America Out Loud, NewsMax, and on FOX NEWS Channel. Why hasnt your doctor told you about this, and why havent public health agencies shared the good news? Nebulized hydrogen peroxide diluted with saline, with or without iodine, can also be safely used by most people for prevention of respiratory infections and in cases of active infection Other research also supports the use of nasal irrigation as a useful add-on to first-line interventions for COVID-19 Only 13% of those who used nasal irrigation still had symptoms at day 28, compared to nearly 50% of those in another study Among people with COVID-19 who used nasal irrigation twice daily, 80% had zero or one mild symptom, compared to 42% of those who irrigated less often Rinsing your nasal passages with a saline solution within 24 hours of a COVID-19 diagnosis could reduce your chances of being hospitalized by 8.5-fold Rinsing your nasal passages with a saline solution within 24 hours of a COVID-19 diagnosis could reduce your chances of being hospitalized by 8.5-fold.1 Why hasnt your doctor told you about this? And why havent public health agencies shared the good news with the public that they can significantly reduce their risk of severe COVID-19 with a simple nasal wash? The practically free solution is just too inexpensive. Unlike Pfizers Paxlovid, which was granted emergency use authorization to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in December 20212 and is slated to make the company $22 billion in profits in 20223 theres little money to be made by promoting the ancient practice of nasal lavage. Further, if its benefits are confirmed, widespread usage could have drastically altered the course of the pandemic, rendering the entire pandemic response completely unnecessary.4 Simple Way to Reduce Your Risk of COVID Hospitalization Nasal irrigation, sometimes referred to as nasal lavage, is a relatively popular method for relieving cold symptoms, often via the use of a neti pot. The practice is an ancient technique with roots in the traditional Indian health care system, however. Irrigating the nasal passages with saline is used in traditional yoga practice, where its known as jala-neti.5 It involves the use of a saline solution in teapot-like device, used to flush out the nose and sinus cavities. After inserting the end of the pot in one side of your nose, the solution moves through your sinuses and out the other nostril. A bulb syringe or squeeze bottle can also be used. In the U.S., nasal irrigation continues to be an adjunctive therapy for upper respiratory conditions and is currently prescribed after nasal and sinus surgeries.6 The featured study, which was published in the Ear, Nose & Throat journal in August 2022, involved 79 participants 55 and older who were diagnosed with COVID-19.7 They were randomly selected to use either one-half teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (alkalinization) with an isotonic normal saline (0.9% saline) rinse twice a day for 14 days or to include 2.5 milliliters (roughly a half-teaspoon) of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) 10% solution (antimicrobial) for the same period. The researchers then followed up with each group 14 days after their final intervention. Those who used nasal irrigation were more than 8.5 times less likely to be hospitalized compared to the national rate, the study found. A dose-response relationship was also found. Among those who irrigated twice daily, 80% had zero or one mild symptom, compared to 42% of those who irrigated less often. Further, only 13% of those who used nasal irrigation still had symptoms at day 28, compared to nearly 50% of those in another study, who had continued symptoms for 21 days or more.8 According to the researchers:9 Our results support that pressurized nasal irrigation reduces the likelihood of hospitalization in high-risk COVID-19 + outpatients, suggesting a safe and over the counter measure with potentially vital public health impact. The reduction from 11 to 1.3% as of November 2021 would have corresponded in absolute terms to over 1,000,000 fewer older Americans requiring admission. If confirmed in other studies, the potential reduction in morbidity and mortality worldwide could be profound. Senior study author Dr. Richard Schwartz noted, We found an 8.5-fold reduction in hospitalizations and no fatalities compared to our controls. Both of those are pretty significant endpoints.10 In addition to the featured study, other research also supports the use of nasal irrigation as a useful add-on to first-line interventions for COVID-19.11 Nasal Wash Findings Render COVID Response Useless Dr. Amy Baxter, featured study author and emergency medicine physician at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, said she got inspiration for the study from visits to Southeast Asia, where nasal irrigation is used daily as part of personal hygiene. She explained:12 What we say in the emergency room and surgery is the solution to pollution is dilution If you have a contaminant, the more you flush it out, the better you are able to get rid of dirt, viruses, and anything else One of our thoughts was: If we can rinse out some of the virus within 24 hours of them testing positive, then maybe we can lower the severity of that whole trajectory. That indeed turned out to be the case, a finding that should not come entirely as a surprise. In 2019, researchers with Khon Kaen University in Thailand similarly found that nasal irrigation was an effective treatment for nasal disease, helping to clear nasal secretion, improve nasal congestion and improve sinus pain, headache, taste and smell, and even sleep quality.13 Steve Kirsch, executive director of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, took it a step further, explaining that the impressive effectiveness of nasal irrigation for reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations renders the pandemic response unnecessary and harmful:14 All the pandemic mitigations were unnecessary. Simply telling newly infected people to rinse their nose with a saline rinse if they got sick would have reduced the hospitalization rates to levels comparable to the flu. The CDC is still not telling people to do this today even though there is no risk to anyone This would apply to any other virus or bacteria as well, based on the mechanism of action. Its also extremely safe This treatment is still being ignored by every mainstream medical institution Universities should mandate students do nasal washes after getting COVID instead of taking vaccines. Mouth and Nose Spray Shields Against COVID-19 Nasal irrigation is just one tool to help protect against COVID-19. A simple mouth and nose spray containing povidone iodine (PVP-I), a microbicidal agent with a virucidal efficacy of 99.99%,15 could also act as an effective shield to protect against COVID-19. A study in the Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, recommended the PVP-I oro-nasal spray for health care workers and anyone else to help prevent COVID-19,16 echoing a number of other studies that have also found benefits to gargling, nasal irrigation and nebulization of PVP-I and other compounds, including Lugols iodine, saline and hydrogen peroxide.17 In this case, the spray formulation was particularly effective because it allowed the active ingredient to diffuse further and reach deeper into the nose and nasopharynx, which is the upper part of the throat behind the nose. The oro-nasal spray acts as a protective layer, coating the nasal and oral mucosa. Typically, if youre exposed to SARS-CoV-2, it will enter your body through your nose and mouth, remaining there for a time before binding with ACE2 receptors and entering cells. Once inside your cells, the virus has an opportunity to multiply. By creating a protective shield, oro-nasal spray helps prevent SARS-CoV-2 from binding with ACE2 receptors and gaining entry into your cells. In a clinical trial that has not yet been published,18 researchers got positive results using 0.6% PVP-I oro-nasal spray in 189 patients with COVID-19. The 0.6% solution had an efficacy rate of about 81.5%, which was greater than that of other concentrations (0.4% and 0.5%) and produced almost no mucosal irritation.19 Nebulized Hydrogen Peroxide for Respiratory Infections It was impressive to see that the simple normal saline nasal irrigations had such a dramatic impact on reducing COVID hospitalizations. My favorite intervention for COVID involves nebulizing normal saline but adding a very small amount of hydrogen peroxide. Most over-the-counter peroxide has a concentration of 3%, but I recommend diluting it 30-fold to 0.1%. Remember, the study above shows simple saline nebulization is useful. You dont need much peroxide to enhance the effect of the saline. The video above goes into great detail on how to prepare and implement the hydrogen peroxide solution and how to use the nebulizer. The KEY here is to have the nebulizer and peroxide solution locked and loaded. You need to have it in your home BEFORE you get sick. Waiting several days to obtain it, if you even can, could radically reduce its effectiveness. I recommend using nebulized peroxide for any suspected respiratory infection, and the earlier you start, the better. There is no danger in doing it every day if youre frequently exposed, and there may even be additional beneficial effects, such as a rapid rise in your blood oxygen level and optimization of your microbiome. Since early treatment is vital, ideally on day one, you want to have the nebulizer and materials already in your house ready to go. I would avoid using a battery powered hand held nebulizer and rather opt for a unit you plug into the wall. Ive embraced nebulized peroxide since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and have received many anecdotal reports from people who have successfully used it, even at more advanced stages. Dr. David Brownstein also successfully treated hundreds of COVID-19 patients using immune-boosting strategies such as intravenous or nebulized hydrogen peroxide, iodine, oral vitamins A, C and D, and intramuscular ozone. In a case report of 107 confirmed COVID-19 patients that he treated, 91 (85%) used nebulized peroxide diluted with normal saline, plus Lugols iodine.20 Based on Brownsteins experience, I also recommend adding iodine when nebulizing, as it appears to make it even more effective. Tips for Effective Nasal Irrigation Traditionally, slightly warm saline water a solution of 2.5 grams of salt in 500 milliliters of water is recommended for nasal irrigation.21 For additional antimicrobial action, povidone iodine (0.5% to 1%) can be added to the saline solution. A study published in the Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery advised that using saline and PVP-I as irrigation solution can combine and enhance the protection against COVID-19 and this can be an important armor in the fight against COVID-19.22 If you want to try nasal irrigation with a neti pot or other device, and youre thinking of making your own saline solution, its important to remember to use only distilled, sterile or cooled, boiled water. Tap water can contain bacteria and protozoa that can be harmful if they receive access to your nasal passages,23 so unboiled tap water should not be used for this purpose. Originally published Sources and References The field compete during the Breeders's Cup Classic race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on November 02, 2019. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Horse Dead, Jockey Injured After Collision at Santa Anita Park ARCADIA, Calif.A 3-year-old gelding has died after he was bumped by another horse at Santa Anita Park, dumping his jockey, who was taken to a hospital for evaluation, state horse racing officials told City News Service. Heavens Music had 17 career races, including a first-place finish at Santa Anita in May. He was hit by Mighty Matt, also a 3-year-old gelding, near the eighth pole of Oct. 21s fourth race, with both horses unseating their jockeys. Mighty Matt walked off, but Heavens Music suffered an ankle injury and was later euthanized, according to Mike Marten, spokesman for the California Horse Racing Board. Jockey Erick Garcia, who was thrown to the ground, was transported to a hospital for evaluation, Marten told CNS. Neither horse officially finished the race. An official stewards inquiry into the collision was conducted and no change was made. Heavens Music is the 11th horse to die from a racing or training injury at the Arcadia track this year alone. No Ice Cream, another 3-year-old gelding, suffered a sudden death during training on Oct. 6, according to the California Horse Racing Board. After the completion of Santa Anitas winter-spring season in June, track officials hailed what they called major improvements in horse safety, and called the facility the safest track in North America compared to those with similar racing and training activity. California Horse Racing Board records show a total of nine equine deaths at the track during the winter-spring season. Park officials called the safety record a 63 percent improvement over the previous year and a 74 percent improvement since the spring of 2019. A total of 42 horses died at the facility in 2019, sparking widespread debate about safety issues at the track and about horse racing in general. The uproar led to procedural and veterinary oversight changes at the park. The Fungi Future Is Here at an Urban Mushroom Farm Just South of Downtown L.A. By Steve Rosen From Tribune Content Agency The biggest traffic jam in my community occurs like clockwork every fall in late October. Thats when hundreds of high school students and parents descend upon a local high school for a college clinic night. Its an opportunity to meet face to face with college admissions recruiters from all over the country to ask questions about what their school has to offer. Its sort of like a giant shopping bazaar with balloons, signs, and lots of free water bottles, lanyards, and other stuff, except college recruiters are the ones showing off their wares. If you have an event coming up in your areaor youre planning a campus visithere are some questions to consider asking so youll use your time wisely and come away with more than business cards and brochures filled with colorful tree-leafed photos. The Money Piece Start with the financials, which ultimately will impact the bottom line price youll pay freshman year and beyond. For question prep work, I turned to Mark Kantrowitz, author of How to Appeal for More Financial Aid, and Kevin Ladd, chief operating officer at Scholarships.com. Among their suggested questions to ask: How does the mix of scholarships and grants offered by the school rather than loans change after freshman year? Is the free money front-loaded before becoming top-heavy with loans by junior or senior year? Does the school meet a students full demonstrated financial need, or does it leave students with a gap of unmet need? If theres a gap, what is the average amount uncovered, and does the school count student loans, which must be repaid, as meeting the financial need? Remember loans add to the cost of attending. What is the average amount of student loan debt at graduation, and what percentage of students graduate with debt? Whats the schools policy for appealing for more college financial aid? What percentage of incoming freshmen graduate in four years? How important are admissions tests, such as the SAT or ACT, in college admissions? What about Advanced Placement test results and International Baccalaureate classes? Get context on academic performance? College Life? What types of non-financial support does the college provide, such as tutoring, writing centers, academic advising and mental health services? Is the college pet-friendly? Can you bring Fluffy or Fido to campus? Does the college bring puppies and kittens on campus before finals? Bringing a car to campus freshman year is generally not recommended, but if you intend to do this, ask about the cost of parking and the location of lots. How up-to-date are the freshmen dorms? Are they air conditioned? And what about strong internet connections? How up-to-date is the student fitness center? Ask about clubs and activities of interest to you. Whether attending college night meet and greets or taking campus tours, be a skeptical shopper, said Steven Blank of College Financial Aid Consultants in Cheshire, Conn. Blank said he tells his clients that when visiting a school talk to students beyond the tour guide who is there to promote the school, see how many instructors respond if trying to talk to them, and if the school has a newspaper, get current and back issues to look for complaints that might be important, including campus crimes, meal plans, and dorm complaints. (Questions, comments, column ideas? Send an email to sbrosen1030@gmail.com.) 2022 Steve Rosen. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Epoch Times Copyright 2022 The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided. A Kinney County sheriffs deputy searches a man during his arrest for smuggling illegal immigrants from the U.S.Mexico border, through Brackettville, Texas, on Aug. 26, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Illegal Immigrant Arrests at Border Soar in September, Set New Fiscal Year Record President Joe Biden is facing fresh criticism after his administration released illegal immigrant apprehension numbers from September, showing the number of arrests soared to a record high. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) made 227,547 arrests in September at the U.S.Mexico borderthe most in history. That was by far the highest number for a September, coming in at some 35,000 more than the first September under Biden, the previous record, and up 12 percent from August. It was also one of the highest numbers in fiscal year 2022, despite September traditionally being one of the months in which illegal immigration slows because of weather and other patterns. The number reflects an accelerating pace of apprehensions when they should be declining seasonally, Steven Kopits, president of Princeton Policy Advisors, said in a statement. This speaks to both a strong U.S. labor market and deteriorating enforcement at the border. Biden, a Democrat, reversed or weakened various Trump-era border policies, including halting construction of the border wall. His administration has also curtailed the deportation of illegal immigrants. Over the past 21 months, we have witnessed the devastating harm wrought by a rogue administration that is asserting near-dictatorial powers in a relentless effort to keep our borders open, R.J. Hauman, head of government relations and communications for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said in a statement. The endless flow of illegal immigrants and the incursion of lethal narcotics pouring across our border will not end until this administration demonstrates a willingness to secure the border and enforce the law. Fiscal year 2021 already set a new record of apprehensions, 1.7 million, despite including nearly four months of below-average illegal immigration under former President Donald Trump. Fiscal year 2022 apprehensions reached more than 2.3 million. The new fiscal year started on Oct. 1. In September, some 182,700 illegal immigrants were captured. Some were arrested more than once. The figure was a 15 percent jump from August. Neither the White House nor Biden has reacted to the latest numbers, which dont include gotaways, or illegal immigrants who evaded capture after entering the United States. CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, a Biden appointee, blamed the wave of illegal immigrants on failing regimes in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua but said the administration has been taking action with Mexico in a bid to slow the illegal immigration and create a more fair, orderly, and safe process for people fleeing the humanitarian and economic crisis in their country. Of the illegal immigrants arrested in September, 42 percent were from Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua. About half of the rest were from Mexico or northern Central America. About three-quarters of those arrested were single adults. The rest were family units or unaccompanied children. According to CBP figures, the number of Venezuelans trying to enter the United States dropped more than 80 percent after additional joint enforcement actions with Mexico, Magnus said. CBP is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). CBP and DHS will continue to work with our partners in the region to address the root causes of migration, expand legal pathways, facilitate removals, and take thousands of smugglers off the streets, Magnus said. No matter what smugglers say, those who do not have a legal basis to remain in the country will be removed and people should not make the dangerous journey. ARITON Two Blues legends were honored in their hometown of Ariton Saturday with streets named in their respective honors. Family and friends of the late Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton and J.W. Warren gathered with Ariton and Dale County officials and Wiregrass Blues Society members at Ariton Baptist Church to pay tribute to the musical duo before heading to town to rename Sweet Gum and Poplar streets to Big Mama Thornton Circle and J.W. Warren Alley, respectively This is a historic day not only for the town of Ariton but also for the music industry, and especially Rock and Roll and the Blues, said Blues radio host and Wiregrass Blues Fest co-founder Gil Anthony, who along with retired Ariton Postmaster Debra Alums spearheaded the recognition project years ago. This is a dream come true, said Dr. Jeneve Brooks, co-founder of the Wiregrass Blues Fest and producer of historical documentaries on Thornton and Warren that were played for those attending Saturdays ceremony. I thank you for your persistence in making this happen, said Ariton Mayor David Walsh, who is also pastor of Ariton Baptist Church. We need to recognize the people who have made a huge difference in our town and, to the families, I apologize on behalf of the town for not recognizing them sooner. Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis in 1984 and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2020, Thornton was known as a trailblazer for women in Blues. She recorded Hound Dog years before Elvis Presley. She also wrote Ball and Chain, which was ultimately recorded by Janis Joplin. Thornton was the daughter of a Baptist minister, George Thornton, and his wife, Mattie, of Ariton. She was a self-taught musician with little formal academic education because she assumed the role of caretaker for family at the age of 13 when her mother died. Faced with finding a job, Thornton had the opportunity to work with Sammy Greens Hot Harlem Revue which began a musical career that lasted until her death in July 1984 at the age of 57. Warren was a songwriter, acoustic guitarist and harmonica player born in Enterprise June 22, 1921, and worked as a sharecropper. He served a stint in the military and in 1989, he moved into a housing project in Ariton where he lived until his death in August 2003. Warren played both original and traditional gospel and blues songs. His guitar style was fingerpicking and slide using a pocketknife. Some of his original compositions are Hoboing into Hollywood and Rabbit on a Log. Christine lives in Sylvania, Ohio. She reads this column weekly and shared the following: In the newspaper today you said youre addressing topics that can save homeowners money. In my community many have water pressure issues, myself included. She then gave me a full report about her particular water-pressure problems. Often, when readers get in touch with me they share the key that unlocks the mystery without me having to ask any questions. In Christines case, it was when she mentioned having pressure issues in different parts of the house, while other faucets are fine. Bingo. Theres your smoking gun. Do you have this problem in your home? If so, Ive got such great news for you. Within a few hours you can restore the full flow of water in all your faucets. You can do this yourself using a simple tool and some simple chemicals you may already have. You may spend less than a dollar to restore your water pressure. Mineral deposits and grit in your faucet aerators might be the only reason you have dismal water pressure. (Tim Carter/Tribune Content Agency) First, allow me to explain Christines problem. Its hard for many people to understand water pressure in their homes because the water lines are hidden from view. Its not hard to understand how pressure can vary if you compare your water supply to a tree with many branches. Think what would happen if you were to cut a band around the entire circumference of the trunk at a depth of a couple inches beneath the bark. Since life-giving water, minerals and nutrients travel up from the roots and down from the leaves in the xylem and phloem just under the bark, the tree would soon die, as youve cut off the pressure completely. But what if you made the cut not around the trunk but just around one major branch? Just the leaves on that branch would die and the rest of the tree would be fine. You may have poor pressure in one or more faucets simply because of a localized issue at that faucet, not an issue within your main water line. In fact, I had the same thing happen here at my own home over the past few months. Living in a rural area, I have my own well. I also have a water-conditioning system that has a whole-system pre-filter. The filter helps protect the filtration media that treat my water. The 5-micron paper filter needs to be changed every three to four months for optimal performance. Believe it or not, I forgot to change the filter. The first sign of trouble was iron staining, as the filter had become clogged with tiny iron deposits and now some was getting past the filter. I gradually started to notice that the flow of water from my kitchen faucet was less than satisfactory. However, when Id go to use my laundry sink to fill the bucket to wash my truck, Id not see any water flow issues. Keep in mind, the laundry tub faucet doesnt have an aerator. Aerators are huge money makers for plumbers. Aerators are put on the ends of kitchen and bath faucets to tame the flow of water. If youve not looked at one up close, you should because theyre primarily miniature filters. I removed my kitchen faucet aerator and, lo and behold, there were visible pieces of grit sitting on top of the top screen. Who knows what smaller things could be deeper inside? I also saw severe iron staining and felt that iron deposits could have started to restrict the flow within the aerator. I opened my refrigerator and got out my bag of oxalic acid. I heated up four ounces of water in a small glass container, dumped in a teaspoon of oxalic acid powder, stirred it, and dropped in the aerator into the solution. Then I walked away for 30 minutes. When I came back, the aerator looked like new. I rinsed it and then started phase two of the cleaning process. I wanted to make sure I removed any and all hard-water deposits. I threw out the oxalic acid solution outdoors on some crabgrass, rinsed the container and put in four ounces of white vinegar. I heated the vinegar up in the microwave for one minute so the chemical reaction would occur faster. If you recall your high school chemistry class, you know that white vinegar is a weak form of acid and that hard water deposits are alkaline. The weak acid dissolves the deposits. I dropped the aerator into the hot white vinegar and let it soak for several hours. Once I put the aerator back on the faucet, the flow was back to normal. If you dont want to go through this multi-step cleaning process, you can often just install a new aerator. Take your existing one to a neighborhood hardware store and they should offer a suitable replacement. What can I help you with? What issues around your home worry you? What do you want me to discuss in my upcoming columns? Go here and tell me. Be sure to type the word GO in the URL: https://GO.askthebuilder.com/helpmetim Bodies are disembarked on the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, on Oct. 21, 2022. (David Lohmueller/AP Photo) Italian Coast Guard Finds Bodies of 2 Minors on Migrant Boat ROMETwo minors were found dead Friday on a migrant boat carrying nearly 40 people in the Mediterranean Sea and a search was under way for a woman reported missing from the vessel, Italys coast guard said. A coast guard statement said 36 people were found alive on the boat, which had been reportedly disabled by an explosion, in waters off Malta. It was not immediately clear how the minors had died or what the passengers nationalities were. Italian state TV said the migrants, including many from sub-Saharan Africa, had sailed from the Tunisian port of Sfax. The coast guard statement said a Tunisian fishing boat informed the coast guard earlier Friday that the migrants were in difficulty within Maltas search-and-rescue zone. In accordance with Maltese authorities, the Italian coast guard dispatched a motorboat to their aid. The statement said the fishing boat had told rescuers there had been an explosion on the migrants boat. A coast guard aircraft and vessel were searching for the woman reported missing. The ages of the two dead minors were not made public. Doctors examining the migrants said several had suffered burns. The survivors were brought to Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island south of Sicily, which has a residential center for rescued migrants where initial documentation can be done ahead of asylum requests. Many of the migrants who reach Italy by sea from Africa, the Middle East or Asiaeither on their own boats or aboard rescue vesselsare fleeing poverty, not war or persecution, and their asylum bids are rejected. A person casts their voting ballot during the June Primary Election at Brooklyn Museum in N.Y. on June 28, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Judge Strikes Down Controversial Clause in NYs New Election Laws A New York state court judge on Friday struck down one controversial sentence in New Yorks new election laws. New York Supreme Court Justice Dianne Freestone, in a 28-page decision, said the sentence deprived the rights of courts to rule on disputed ballots. The last sentence in Article 9-209(8)e of the 2022 Election Lawwhich has been amended recently by the Democrat-led state legislaturesays: In no event may a court order a ballot that has been counted to be uncounted. Freestone said the clause violated the Constitution and abandoned a long-time bipartisan tradition. [It] abrogates both the right of an individual to seek judicial intervention of a contested qualified ballot before it is opened and counted, and the right of the Court to judicially review same prior to canvassing, she wrote. The justice also said that the amendment de facto suspended a long-standing practice: that a questioned ballot should be preserved for three days while awaiting judicial review. The Epoch Times has reached out to the New York State Board of Elections for comment. Jennifer Wilson, the spokeswoman of the state election authority, told the State of Politics that their office is still reviewing the ruling to share its view on the impact to the upcoming election. Nick Langworthy, chairman of the New York Republican Party, applauded the ruling. Today is another good day for free and fair elections in New York, he said in a statement. The Constitution has been on our side and we will continue to fight to uphold the will of the voters and to ensure honest elections in New York. The ruling is likely to be challenged in a higher court. Timing of Ballot Contesting Changed In New York election law, preservation and review of ballots are allowed in at least several circumstances, including election result audits and ballot contests. The law clearly states that disputed ballots should be preserved for judicial review. The supreme court, by a justice within the judicial district, or the county court, by a county judge within his county, may direct the examination by any candidate or his agent of any ballot or voting machine upon which his name appeared, and the preservation of any ballots in view of a prospective contest, upon such conditions as may be proper, reads Article 16-112 of the election law. However, the disputed clause could, in its current wording, be argued to suggest that ballots can be challenged only before canvassing. The timing of the ballot contest and accompanying judicial review could be re-extended to beyond ballot tabulationas has long been standard election procedure until the changes slipped through with the new lawif the state appeal court upholds the ruling. Extending Absentee Voting Provisions Is Orwellian The Republicans who challenged the election law in this case have also asked the court to rule against the states new expanded absentee voting provisions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democrat-majority state legislature expanded absentee voting access in August 2020 to allow any voter who is afraid of the risk of contracting or spreading a disease to use absentee voting. Before the law was amended, voters could justify the usage of absentee ballots only because of actual illness. In January this year, the legislature extended the expiration date of the amendment to the end of 2022, which covers the Nov. 8 midterm elections. Justice Freestone said she couldnt overturn the rule because the issue had already been ruled on by the state appellate courts and is being appealed in the states appellate courts and the highest court. However, she said the expanded absentee voting was against the will of the New York people and gave rise to opportunities for fraud, coercion, and other types of mischief. Despite the express will of the People against universal absentee voting by the defeat of Proposal 4 in 2021, the Legislature appears poised to continue the expanded absentee voting provisions of New York State Election Law forward ab infinito in an Orwellian perpetual state of health emergency and cloaked in the veneer of voter enfranchisement,' she concluded. Actor Kevin Spacey leaves United Sates District Court for the Southern District of New York on Oct. 20, 2022. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images) Kevin Spacey Wins in Civil Sexual-Abuse Case Kevin Spacey on Thursday defeated a sexual abuse case against him after jurors in a Manhattan civil trial found his accuser, Anthony Rapp, didnt prove his claim that the Oscar winner made an unwanted sexual advance on him when he was 14. The verdict followed a three-week trial in Manhattan federal court and came roughly two hours after jurors began deliberating. Spacey, the former star of the Netflix political drama House of Cards, emerged in the hall outside the courtroom briefly but went back inside. He declined to answer reporters questions upon leaving. Spaceys lawyer, Jennifer Keller, told reporters her client was grateful jurors saw through these false allegations. Whats next is Mr. Spacey is going to be proving that hes innocent of anything hes been accused of, Keller said. Spacey faces a criminal trial in London next year after pleading not guilty to five sex offense charges over alleged assaults between 2005 and 2013. The trial in Manhattan federal court began on Oct. 6, just under five years after Spaceys career was upended by sexual misconduct allegations. Spacey has denied any misconduct. Man Arrested For Alleged Bomb Threat at Laguna Niguel Train Station LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.A suspect was arrested Oct. 22 for allegedly threatening to ignite an explosion at the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Metrolink station, authorities said. The suspect was taken into custody at about 1:30 p.m., according to spokeswoman Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriffs Department. While at the station at 28200 Forbes Road, the suspect called authorities at about 8:30 a.m. to say that he was planning to do some intentional harm at the location, prompting a response by deputies, a SWAT team, a bomb squad, and the Orange County Fire Authority, Braun said. The station was shut down and about five nearby businesses were also closed as a precaution, she said. It was not immediately clear if any incendiary devices were found. Military Whistleblowers Sound Alarm on Devastating Consequences of Pentagons Vaccine Mandate Whistleblower service members are speaking out on behalf of thousands of service members whose careers have been jeopardized for objecting to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austins 2021 military COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Theyve expressed concern over the vaccine mandates legality, as well as its health effects. Alongside three members of the Armed Forces, attorney and former Marine Corps Capt. Dale Saran participated in a live-streamed military whistleblowers press conference on Oct. 18 to highlight concerns about the military vaccine mandate. The video has garnered more than 40,000 views, to date. Saran once defended service members involved in a fight against the Pentagons mandatory anthrax vaccination program. He is also challenging the Pentagons vaccine mandate in a class-action lawsuit. He noted in the press conference the current case bears striking similarities to the legal battle against the anthrax vaccine program almost 20 years ago. Saran said that at the heart of most of the legal claims against todays military COVID-19 vaccine mandate is the fact that there is no licensed vaccine available to service members. The attorney and many service members argue that the Pentagons vaccine mandate, which covers COVID-19 vaccines that receive full licensure from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in accordance with FDA-approved labeling and guidance, does not apply to any vaccines issued under emergency use authorization (EUA), such as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They say that the military has mainly offered service members EUA Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, rather than the FDA-approved Cominarty vaccine, and thus cannot compel personnel to take them. They also argue that a Pentagon policy that says the Cominarty and EUA Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are interchangeable is illegal. Saran said the continued push to vaccinate service members is done just to break them. At the press conference, Air Force First Lieutenant John Bowes, an F-16 student pilot, pointed out various reports that have been sent to congress concerning the military vaccine mandates effect on military readiness and the health of service members. We were there to advocate for the 80,000 service members who arent being heard, Bowes told The Epoch Times after the conference. Were making a call for help to both Congress and the American people to stand up for us and give us some protection from the Department of Defense so that we can continue to servewhich is all we want to do, he said. The press conference allowed active-duty service members and an exceptional lawyer to speak out against the military vaccine mandate, Bowes said. And according to him, each is risking their career in order to bring awareness to the absolutely dire problem that were facing right now. Like Saran, Bowes considers the current COVID-19 vaccine mandate to be almost a carbon copy of what happened with anthrax nearly two decades ago. He added that anthrax ended up being ruled as a vaccine that couldnt be forced on service members because it was experimental. Its shocking to see this exact same thing happen 20 years later. Bowes added that the whistleblower service members involved in the press conference will continue to respectfully bring up the devasting consequences [of the vaccine mandate] to both national security and the health and safety of our force at every opportunity they are given. The officer emphasized that his views do not reflect those of the Department of Defense or Air Force. Continued Concern Navy Cmdr. Olivia Degenkolb, who has served for 20 years, also participated in the press conference. Early on, Degenkolb had significant concerns regarding the vaccines effect on fertility and its carcinogenicity prior to the military vaccine mandate, which she said were dismissed by military medical staff, she told The Epoch Times, emphasizing that her views do not represent those of the Department of Defense or Navy. She pointed out that the Comirnaty package insert reads: COMIRNATY has not been evaluated for the potential to cause carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, or impairment of male fertility. In a developmental toxicity study in rats with COMIRNATY there were no vaccine-related effects on female fertility. In addition to health concerns, Degenkolb also raised concerns with military leadership about the legality of mandating EUA products, as well as the legality of compelling COVID-19 testing, and mask wearing. These EUA products are not formally licensed by the FDA and by federal law, they cannot be mandated, she said. She said the Navy ignored those concerns. Degenkolbs initial religious accommodation request was denied in December 2021, but her appeal is still pending. Her religious and legal objections have resulted in the loss of an assignment in China, denial of leave, loss of training opportunities, lack of access to her familys belongings, and other family hardships, she said. On top of that, I received a career-ending performance evaluation in August 2022 and have been recommended for a show cause board to terminate my service with the Navy, Degenkolb said. Like others who oppose the vaccine mandate, Degenkolb said that the policy has harmed military readiness, at a time when the United States faces increased threats. Demand for a robust military force is increasing worldwide due to countries such as Russia and China, which are engaging in increasingly aggressive activities, she said. Therefore, mandating EUA products is not only dangerous and illegal, but it also undermines national security, she added. During the press conference, Army Capt. Grant Smith said that concerns about the vaccine have fallen on deaf ears. Smith said this vaccine is unsafe and ineffective for active-duty service members, while agreeing with the others that the mandate has been a disaster for readiness. He emphasized that his views are not reflective of the Department of Defense or the Army. The Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Army officials did not return requests for comment from The Epoch Times. New South Wales (NSW) Transport Minister David Elliott will quit state politics next year, opting to pull out of a preselection race after his seat was abolished. The transport, veterans and western Sydney ministers Baulkham Hills seat will be scrapped and renamed to Kellyville at the 2023 March election. Elliott, who announced his retirement on his LinkedIn profile on Saturday evening, had instead hoped to take the safe Liberal seat of Castle Hill. The shift would have required support from inside the Liberal party, who are nominating their preferred candidates for each electorate at the upcoming election. I made some inquiries over the course of the past couple of days, and it was quite clear there was no support for me in Castle Hill, Elliott said on Sunday. He described contemporary politics as transactional and said he couldnt spit the dummy because of factional deals inside the party. I wasnt conscripted into this game, so I accept the circumstances, he said. Premier Dominic Perrottet spoke to Mr Elliott on Saturday night. Ultimately, I think David should stay; hes been a very strong minister of the government, Perrottet said. But he also said it would be a healthy thing for Macquarie Street to have new blood come through. If you look at the parliaments of 10 or 20 years ago, people stayed there until they were 60, 70, 80 years of age, the premier said. I dont think that is in the best interests of a strong, robust democracy. Castle Hill, a safe Liberal seat in Sydneys northwest, is held by Ray Williams. Williams is contesting Kellyville, the newly created seat that takes in much of Elliotts Baulkham Hills seat. Elliott wouldnt promise to campaign for whoever got the Liberal partys nod to run in Castle Hill. Im not going to be a hypocrite and be campaigning for people I dont think are fit for public office, Elliott said. Elliott joins a long list of retiring NSW coalition MPs, including Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes, Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, and Corrections Minister Geoff Lee. The 52-year-old, who has previously served as minister of the police, emergency services, counterterrorism and corrections portfolios, has courted controversy since entering NSW parliament in 2011. He told a P-plate driver he worked for the cops during an alleged road rage incident in 2019, defended the strip-searching of minors, was photographed firing two prohibited guns, and publicly scorned for taking an overseas holiday during the Black Summer bushfires while emergency services minister. Elliott has more recently been locked in a protracted dispute with NSWs rail, tram and bus union over a new enterprise agreement. Reflecting on his 12 years in NSW parliament, Elliott said he had been controversial but active. I think Ive taken every advantage of every opportunity. I think Ive made people know where I stand, Mr Elliott said. Ive made some mistakes I want to reflect on my political career as one thats made a contribution. He planned to return to the private sector but did not rule out a federal tilt. The coalition will be vying for a historic fourth term at the March election. Protesters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. A judge ruled on April 8, 2022, that the conspiracy case against 10 Oath Keepers will be split into two trials, one in July and the other in September. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Oath Keepers Trial Reaches End of Third Week WASHINGTONThe third week of the Oath Keepers trial ended on Oct. 21 with a prosecutor giving a prepared presentation to the jury accompanied by a former FBI special agent on the witness stand. Government prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler displayed an animated map with the locations of Oath Keepers and their affiliates. Nestler also showed phone call records, Signal messages, social media communication, Zello audio recordings, and video footage from Jan. 6, 2021. FBI Special Agent Whitney Drew accompanied Nestler from the witness stand. She worked for the bureau for six years before going on maternity leave. Drew started to investigate the Oath Keepers on Jan. 17, 2021. Drew has a background in counter-terrorism and served in the Army. Drew reviewed hundreds of pictures, videos, and messages including CCTV footage, body camera footage, social media interactions, chat logs, data from defendants phones, and news footage. Drew said she was able to recover call records from the defendants phone providers since those calls didnt appear on their devices anymore. In most of the communications, the Oath Keepers spoke about their unsatisfactory opinions about the 2020 presidential election, Antifa, and what was happening on Jan. 6. Throughout defendant Stewart Rhodes and other members messages, they often referred to the people who went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 as patriots. All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything. So the patriots are taking it into their own hands. Theyve had enough, Rhodes wrote in a message to a Signal chattoom titled DC OP Jan 6 21 at 1:38 p.m. on Jan. 6. Actual Patriots. [Expletive] off patriots, Rhodes wrote in a chat room titled Jan 5/6 DC Op Intel team at 2:01 p.m. The government implied that when Rhodes and others spoke about patriots, they meant Oath Keepers. Prosecutors then connected the messages to the Oath Keepers entry into the Capitol. The video clips with the Oath Keepers used in the governments presentation focus on various members and locations around the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In some videos, the audio is unclear about who speaks. Judge Amid Mehta instructed the jurors that it would be up to them to determine whose voice was in the video footage. Drew testified in cross-examination that she did not put the presentation together or contribute to it. Throughout her direct testimony, she mostly confirmed and validated attorney Nestlers questions. In a video with defendant Jessica Watkins inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, she appears to have said, Push, push, push, get in there. They cant hold us. In another recording from a Metropolitan Police Department officers body camera, a woman says, Sorry, theyre pushing, theyre pushing, suggesting that Watkins and the crowd were pushing her. Defense attorney James Bright said that due to the high volume of communications on Jan. 6, 2021, some messages and phone calls did not go through immediately and were delayed by over five hours. Drew said she was unaware of this during her investigation and only learned of the delay recently. Drew also confirmed that Rhodes did not enter the Capitol or give any related orders. In cross-examination with defense attorney Stanley Woodward, Drew read messages that were not included in the government presentation. We must stick to the objective and protect those in the building from violence, including members and staff, one Oath Keeper wrote. Woodward said that Kelly Meggs, a defendant on trial, was in the Capitol for about 20 minutes. Drew concurred. In the CCTV footage, Meggs appeared to have normal interactions with law enforcement inside the Capitol. In further cross examination, Drew confirmed that Kenneth Harrelson, another defendant on trial, hasnt had Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts since 2014. He joined the Signal group chat on Jan. 3, 2021. Rhodes, Watkins, Meggs, Harrelson, and Thomas Caldwell are charged with seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties, destruction of government property, civil disorder, and tampering with documents. Nestler told the court that the government plans to rest for the upcoming week and not bring any new witnesses. Judge Mehta said the trial could last until Nov. 7 or longer. Michigans Macomb County Republican Party holds a weekly Sunday Our Freedom Rally at the Shelby Township, Michigan. The Epoch Times will livestream the rally starting at 12 p.m. ET on Oct. 23. Access the livestream on this page, and also at EpochTV. As a nonpartisan public charity, The Epoch Times does not endorse political statements and takes no position on political candidates. * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. Follow EpochTV on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/EpochTV Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@EpochTV Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Gab: https://gab.com/EpochTV Telegram: https://t.me/EpochTV Supporters at the "Rally to End Child Mutilation hold up signs as about 2,000 gathered at War Memorial Plaza in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21, 2022. (Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times) Rally Against Child Mutilation Draws Thousands of Supporters NASHVILLE, Tenn.Some 2,000 people turned out for the Rally to End Child Mutilation held in downtown Nashville Friday as a host of conservative speakers vowed to make gender transition for children illegal. The mainly conservative crowd gathered at the War Memorial Plaza near the state capital in support of stopping surgery and chemical castration of minors. A group of protesters favoring transgender rights for children tried to shout down the speakers by chanting, screaming profanities, and using sirens. Protestors with megaphones yell at supporters of Matt Walsh and The Daily Wires Rally to End Child Mutilation in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21, 2022. (Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times) Matt Walsh, a conservative commentator for The Daily Wire, was greeted like a rockstar as he took the stage to give the keynote speech. He called the group of protestors cowards because they didnt want anyone to hear the truth about the cult of gender ideology. Walsh said attempting to shut down those speaking up for children wouldnt work. Were still here, he shouted. We are fighting for truth. He said that if parents dont take a stand, Americas children will be subjected to hormones and genital mutilation. Were not going to rest until every child is protected from this madness, he added. Walsh said the woke culture preys upon children and tries to cover their actions with lies, adding that this battle is one of good versus evil. Matt Walsh speaks at War Memorial Plaza during the Rally to End Child Mutilation in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21, 2022. (Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times) Walsh first drew attention to a doctor at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville touting the profitability of transgender procedures for minors with gender dysphoria. The expose caused an uproar among conservatives nationwide. On Oct. 7, Vanderbilt announced it would temporarily pause gender surgeries on patients under 18 after Tenn. Republican Gov. Bill Lee called for an investigation into the clinic. Walshs appearance was followed by 11 speakers, including detransitioners and GOP lawmakers. Detransitioners are people who came to regret going on the irreversible path of chemically and surgically altering their bodies. Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) and state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said they planned to introduce legislation to ban gender surgeries on minor children. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said she would work to stop the practice on the federal level. Blackburn said she asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to launch an investigation into the long-term effects of hormone replacement therapy. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting to vote on Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 4, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images). We are going to carry this movement. We are going to take it to every state in the country, she said. Scott Newgent, a woman who transitioned to appear like a man, told the crowd that gender surgery for children has nothing to do with human rights but everything to do with money. Newgent said surgery could not change people from one sex to another. The truth is Im a woman and will never be a man, Newgent said. Photo provided by Scott Newgent, man who told his story in What is a Woman movie by Matt Walsh in 2022 (Courtesy of Scott Newgent) Newgent said the medical establishment was putting children on puberty blockers and butchering them for money. Once they start transitioning, they become patients for life, he added. He said that the transgender industry is expected to hit $5 billion by the end of the decade. California detransitioner Chloe Cole captivated the audience with her cautionary tale. Cole said she loved being a girl until she got older and began associating more with boys. By the time she was 11, she was bombarded by transgender content on the internet and began transitioning at 13, she said. She remembers her parents taking her to a therapist for help. Instead, the therapist told her parents if they didnt go along with her desire to become a boy, she was in danger of suicide. It effectively silenced the people who cared most about her. These doctors and therapists were just butchers and liars, she said. Chloe Cole, center, poses with supporters after Matt Walshs rally in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21, 2022. (Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times) Christians and patriots carrying flags were on one side, while protesters with brightly colored hair and signs gathered on the opposite side. Most people stood quietly, waiting for the speakers. Luke Teague, 19, came from Dallas because hes a fan of Walsh and wanted to support him. He said something needed to be done to protect children from transitioning. A 34-year-old nonbinary man who declined to give his name said he grew up in Nashville and remembers feeling alienated growing up with gender dysphoria. So he decided to come out to support children who may feel alone. Protesters at a Matt Walshs Rally to End Child Mutilation hold signs in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21, 2022. (Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times) Amy Dickinson Campbell of Bruceton, Tennessee, sees things from both sides. She is against children transitioning and has told teens to wait and see how they feel when they are adults. On the other hand, her 21-year-old daughter is nonbinary and wants to be called they or them. Campbell said worse things could happen and loves her daughter regardless. Im 51. I couldnt imagine being a kid in todays society, she said. An employee pumps gasoline into a motorbike on October 11, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung Major southern suppliers Nam Song Hau and Xuyen Viet Oil were suspended from importing fuel in the third quarter due to tax debts and insufficient equipment, according to the Ministry of Finance. Nam Song Hau failed to install equipment to report fuel inventory data directly to customs authorities and therefore was suspended, the ministry stated Friday. Xuyen Viet Oil had a tax debt of VND684 billion ($27.49 million) and therefore was suspended from July-end to mid-September, it added. "Because of the suspension my company only bought from two domestic refineries Nghi Son and Binh Son. If big suppliers like us and Nam Song Hau are not allowed to import, it is certain that 13 southern localities will report shortages," Mai Thi Hong Hanh told Lao Dong newspaper. Fuel shortages have been plaguing Ho Chi Minh City and southern localities in the last several weeks. The HCMC Industry and Trade Department ascribed the shortage to suppliers being suspended from importing. Gasoline imports in the third quarter fell by 40% from the second quarter, and diesel by 35%. Only 19 out of 33 suppliers imported gasoline. The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that another reason for the shortage is rising costs of transporting fuel to Vietnam, while suppliers have been struggling to access bank loans amid a lack of credit quotas. The finance ministry, which together with the trade ministry oversees gasoline matters, said that suppliers need to report all transportation costs, and that the trade ministry needs to clarify "unusual" cost surges. Amid a tension of supply, nationwide supplier Petrolimex said Friday that it plans to ensure 80% of demand in November, while still looking for other sources to cover the remaining inventory for this year. The state-owned company proposed that its southern storage facility Nha Be be upgraded to ensure energy security for southern localities. A view shows buildings damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 19, 2022. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters) Russia Warns of Dirty Bomb False Flag Plot in Series of Phone Calls With Western Leaders Russias Ministry of Defense on Sunday warned that Ukrainian forces would use a dirty bomb and blame Moscow in a significant escalation of the monthslong conflict, which Ukraine has denied. In phone calls with French, UK, and Turkish counterparts Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned about about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a dirty bomb,' according to the Russian Ministry of Defense in a statement. Later, the ministry warned about a possible Ukrainian false-flag attack on its own civilians to accuse Russia of killing the civilians. A dirty bomb uses conventional explosives laced with radioactive material. Russias Defense Ministry did not provide evidence for its claims against the Kyiv government. Reports indicated that Shoigu also held a phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the second such phone call since the start of the conflict in February. Hours after the call, Austin told Shoigu that he rejected any pretext for Russian escalation, according to a Pentagon statement. And the White House National Security Council also rejected Shoigus claims. The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation, read a statement from the Council. Britains Defense Ministry, in a statement, said it denies claims that Western nations want to escalate the conflict and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation. Ukraine Denies After Shoigus statement was issued, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied the dirty bomb claims and accused Russia of staging a provocation. And theres only one subject who can use nuclear weapons in our part of Europe, and this subject is the one who ordered comrade Shoigu to call somewhere, the Ukrainian leader said Sunday. Ukrainian service members prepare to transport a Russian tank captured during a counteroffensive operation in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, in a photo released on Sept. 11, 2022. (Press service of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters) Hours before on Saturday, Zelenskyy escalated the rhetoric by saying that Western powers need to strike Moscows command center if Russia hits the Ukrainian presidential office with airstrikes. Ukraine is neither a member of NATO nor the European Union. It comes as strikes continue to rain down on the Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytsky, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Rivne, Volyn, and Zaporizhia regions, it has been reported. We continue eliminating the aftermath of todays terrorist attacks on our infrastructure, Zelenskyy stated. The geography of this new massive strike is very wide. Russian troops have withdrawn from parts of the front in recent weeks and occupation authorities are evacuating civilians deeper into Russian-held territory before an expected battle for Kherson, the regional capital on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Kherson is a gateway to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The situation today is difficult. Its vital to save your lives, Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said in a video message. It wont be for long. You will definitely return, he added of the evacuation. At the same time, Russian officials confirmed that Moscow has hit Ukraines power grid and military command centers, according to the state-run TASS news agency. Russian forces have continued to deliver strikes with long-range high-precision air-launched weapons on the military command and energy systems of Ukraine. All designated targets were hit, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Reuters contributed to this report. Marine biologists have discovered that when fish are faced with the dilemma of developing an itch offshore in the open ocean, yet with no hands, plants, or animals to help them scratch it, they have a curious solution of seeking out their predatorssharks. Viewing thousands of hours of video footage, Australian marine ecologist Chris Thompson and marine biologist Jessica Meeuwig found that fish can usually scratch their itch against rocks, corals and animals like turtles, but in their absence, they found the large surfaces of sharks to be the most suitable texture for relieving their itch. Shark skin is made up of small tooth-like structures called dermal denticles. It feels like sandpaper (and in pre-industrial times, it was used for that purpose), making it a particularly suitable surface against which to scratch, co-author of the study Thompson said. Despite the risky behaviour, the researchers have yet to witness a fish fatality, although smaller fish are less likely to scrape on bigger sharks, perhaps due to the risk of being eaten. He noted that the footage of the behaviour was taken using chum, so the sharks may have been focused on the bait in the water. Hosts to Parasites, Dead Skin, Irritants The researchers found that fish tended to scratch their heads, eyes, nostrils, and sides more than other parts of their body, as this is where many of the areas were most heavily impacted by parasites. Parasites can negatively affect the fitness of their hosts by draining resources and diverting energy from growth, reproduction and other bodily functions, Thompson said. Their new research, published in PLOS One, examined and recorded the scraping behaviour of tuna, blue sharks, and mako sharks in the three ocean basinsthe Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic. They observed that different species had differing scratching methods. For instance, yellowfin tuna approach sharks from behind and rub against their tails, while rainbow runners bump against the sharks body. Thompson said the continued decline of shark populations could have an effect on other fish populations like the ones they observed. The reduction in many species may limit these interactions, eroding possible fitness benefits associated with this behaviour and consequently placing more pressure on already highly targeted and vulnerable species, he said. Dutch near-death-experience (NDE) researchers have compiled more than 70 cases of people whove purportedly left their bodies and observed scenes they could not have perceived with their physical senses. The details of what they sawfor example, actions performed by people in the hospitalcould be verified, providing perhaps some of the strongest evidence for the minds ability to exist outside the brain. Titus Rivas, Anny Dirven, and Rudolf Smit published this compilation in a book titled Wat een stervend brein niet kan (What a Dying Brain Cant Do). They are seeking funding to translate the book into English from Dutch. In the meantime, Epoch Times has translated some of the cases for presentation. In one case, reported by cardiac surgeon Lloyd W. Rudy (1934-2012), a patient declared dead for at least 20 minutes shockingly returned to life. Not only was his revival unusual; what he had to say about the time he was dead defied conventional explanation. Dr. Rudy graduated from the University of Washington Medical School; he was dean of the Heart Program at the University of Georgia School of Medicine; and a member of the first heart transplant team at Stanford University. One Christmas Day, Rudy and his assistant Roberto Amado-Cattaneo performed surgery to replace an infected heart valve. The patient suffered an aneurism caused by the infection and, when the surgery was complete, would not have survived without life support. Inset: Dr. Lloyd W. Rudy (Screenshot/DentalMastermindGroup.com/YouTube); Background: A file photo of a patient in a hospital (Edwin Verin/Hemera/Thinkstock). After the patients situation became seemingly hopeless, the surgeons wrote a death certificate, informed the mans wife of his death, and shut down the machines. For one reason or another, they had forgotten to switch off the machine that measures body functions such as blood pressure, the researchers wrote. Also, before they had proclaimed the patient to be beyond cure, they had lowered a long tube with a microphone at the end into his body to get a precise impression of certain body functions, such as his heartbeat. Rudy and his assistant were already changing. They both took off their jackets, gloves, and masks and stood in the door opening. They talked about what they could have done and which medicines they could have administered to save the patient. About 20 to 25 minutes had passed since the patient had been pronounced dead. Suddenly, there seemed to be some sort of electrical activity Rudy and his assistant thought it to be some kind of heart convulsions, but the activity increased and resulted in a heartbeat, first slow then quicker. No one had done anything to revive the patient since he was declared dead; the revival was spontaneous. It took the patient a couple of days to regain consciousness, but he made a full recovery without any sign of brain damage. Amado-Cattaneo said, I have experienced a few times that people recovered from a deep and long shock, but these people were still alive, whereas in this case the man had died. As with many who have been reported leaving the body during an NDE, the patient described a bright light at the end of a tunnel. Its the happenings he observed within the hospital, though, that intrigue those looking to scientifically verify NDEs. He saw Rudy and Amado-Cattaneo talking; he accurately described their position in the room and how they stood with arms folded over their chests; he saw the anesthesiologist enter the room; but most interestingly, he saw a nurses computer monitor with a row of post-it notes lined up one over the other. Indeed, the nurse had taken telephone messages for Rudy on post-it notes and stuck them up in this arrangement. The authors wrote: Rudy points out that the patient could not have seen the notes before the operation, since there had not been any unanswered calls [at that time]. Obviously, the way the post-it notes were stuck up on top of each other on the monitor was not common, and the patient could not have randomly guessed how [the nurse] had stuck up the notes in this case. Rudy concludes that the patient really must have been positioned above his body, because he could not have described the room and such otherwise. He thus conjectures that coincidence or normal foreknowledge could not be realistic explanations. Amado-Cattaneo also could not explain the phenomenon. He confirmed that the patient accurately described events he could not have seen, because his eyes were taped shut to protect the cornea during the operation. The machines monitoring his life signs were not malfunctioning, his heart had stopped, and he showed no signs of respiration for at least 20 minutes. Amado-Cattaneo could not remember the patients name, however, and Rudy had already died when Rivas and his fellow researchers looked into the case further. In a paper published in the Journal of Near-Death Studies, Rivas and Smit wrote of this case: Of course, this case would be complete if the identity of the patient could be established so that medical records could be examined, but unless Amado-Cattaneo recalls his name, such further investigation is not feasible. However, in our view, this imperfection only slightly reduces, but in no way negates, the case as serious evidence for AVP*. Rivas and Smit concluded in the paper: We believe that the accumulation of such anecdotal evidence is making it increasingly difficult to dismiss this type of case out of hand. *AVP stands for apparently non-physical veridical perception, a term given to perceptions that should have been impossible based on the condition and position of the experiencers physical body. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Taliban Kill 6 ISIS Members in Raid in Afghan Capital: Spokesman KABULTaliban security forces killed six ISIS terrorists in an overnight operation in the Afghan capital, Kabul, a spokesman for Taliban said on Saturday. The ISIS members killed in the raid on their hideout were involved in two major attacks in recent weeks, one on a city mosque and the other on a tutoring institute in which dozens of female students were killed, said the spokesman, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi. They were the attackers of the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque and also of Kaaj Institute, said Ahmadi, who said one Taliban security force member was killed in the operation. No group claimed responsibility for either attack. The blast at the female section of the Kaaj Institute education centre on Sept. 30 killed 53 people, most of them girls and young women. On Sept. 23, at least seven people were killed and more than 40 wounded in blast near a mosque in Wazir Akbar Khan, a heavily fortified neighborhood once home to a Green Zone of embassies and foreign force bases. Since the Taliban terrorist group took over in 2021, they say they have focused on securing the country after decades of war. However, a series of blasts have rocked the capital and other urban areas in recent months and the United Nations has said security is deteriorating. The Afghan affiliate of the ISIS terrorist group, known as ISIS-K, after an old name of the region, are enemies of the Taliban. Fighters loyal to ISIS first appeared in eastern Afghanistan in 2014, and later made inroads in other areas. Teen Suspect in Michigan School Shooting to Plead Guilty, Prosecutor Says A Michigan teenager accused of killing four students and injuring seven other people in a school shooting in 2021 will plead guilty to murder charges in a court appearance on Monday, a local prosecutor said on Friday. Ethan Crumbley, 16, is accused of opening fire in Oxford High School outside Detroit on Nov. 30, 2021. In January, Crumbleys lawyers wrote in a court notice that he would mount an insanity defense, but those plans appear to have changed, according to Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams. Ethan Crumbley and his defense attorneys Amy Hopp and Paulette Loftin attend a placement hearing at Oakland County circuit court in Pontiac, Mich., on Feb. 22, 2022. (David Guralnick/Pool via Reuters) Three attorneys defending Crumbley did not immediately return calls seeking comment. We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism and the prosecutor has notified the victims, Williams said in a statement. There have been no plea deals, no reductions and no sentencing agreements. Crumbley is expected to enter the plea in court at 8:30 a.m. local time on Monday. Among the dozens of charges is a count of terrorism causing death and four counts of premeditated murder by a juvenile, according to the prosecutor. Four students were killed in the rampage and six other students and a teacher were wounded in the attack. Oxford High School is located in Oxford, Michigan, about 30 miles north of Detroit. Follow Mark Twain's footsteps through the Quad Cities, home of John Deere and Rock Island's historic military base As the plane taking me home rose and banked to the west, it crossed the Mississippi River. Just a few days before, this striking landscape held little meaning. Now, looking down, I recognized the great span of bridges connecting the Illinois towns of Rock Island and Moline with Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowaknown collectively as the Quad Cities. And there between them, flanked on either side by the forked channel of the mighty river, was one of Americas most historic military arsenals: Rock Island. Youre going where? people had asked. The Quad Cities. Wheres that? Illinois and Iowa on the Mississippi River. Why? Now, after some enlightening days of explorationsampling food, visiting museums, and strolling the fireweed crimson shores of the riverI had the answer. There are a lot of reasons to visit the Quad Cities. During my visit, I also helped Moline celebrate its 150th birthday, and from the rooftop Skybar in Davenport, I watched the mighty paddlewheel American Queen make a stately entrance into port, evoking memories of Mark Twain and his journal of life on the Mississippi. I have to admit that I thought The Rock Island Line was just a folk song. I had no idea there really was a Rock Island or that it had played such a significant role in American history. It was a railroad hub and prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, and their graves here are separated from those of Union troops. Its museum (currently under renovation) is the oldest of its kind after West Point, and the island first served as a fur-trading outpost established by the British-American sailor and frontiersman Col. George Davenport. The 1833 home where he was killed by robbers still stands and makes for a fascinating tour. You can take a self-guided tour of Rock Island, but since its an active-duty military base, youll need to check in first and get a government clearance card, which is good for a year. A colorful sign welcomes visitors to the Quad Cities of Rock Island and Moline, Ill., and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa. (Courtesy of Jim Farber) Like most port and railroad cities on the Mississippi River, Davenport, Rock Island, Moline, and Bettendorf evolved from trading outposts and riverboat docks into major industrial manufacturing centers primarily focused on farm equipment. One of the early innovators and industrial giants of the region was John Deere, a former blacksmith whose 1845 invention of the self-scourging steel plow changed the course of American agricultural history. The Quad Cities became a manufacturing center for John Nothing runs like a Deere tractors, and any visit to Moline has to include a visit to the John Deere Museum, where you can actually sit in the high-tech cab of one of the companys monster combines. It was here that I encountered John Deere himself (in the form of re-enactor Mischa Hooker), standing proudly next to his plow that broke the plains. John Deere re-enactor Mischa Hooker demonstrates the plow that broke the plains. (Courtesy of Jim Farber) Like many of Americas industrial manufacturing centers, the Quad Cities have experienced hard times with plants closing and jobs lost. But through a concerted effort to create civic projects and the inspired creative reuse of abandoned spaces, a new incarnation of the Quad Cities downtown centers is emerging. Scenic parklands and riverwalks abound, and theres a thriving restaurant, cocktail, and craft brewery scene. Gathering spaces for outdoor festivals, a world-class art museum (the Figge) in Davenport, and an abundance of historic architecturefrom Beaux Arts to ultramoderncomplete the picture. And then, theres LeClaire, Iowa, about 25 miles upriver from Bettendorf. Unlike its industrial neighbors, LeClaire was home to the legendary river pilots of the Mississippi River who navigated paddlewheel steamers up and down what was then a dangerous section of rapids. What they left behind was a picturesque riverside community of stately captains homes, a quaint Main Street now dotted by antique shops, a craft distillery, and the Buffalo Bill Museum and River Pilots Pier. You can also indulge your inner Twain by stepping aboard the Riverboat Twilight for a cruise on the mighty Mississippi. Its a perfect way to end the dayand another reason to get to know the Quad Cities. If You Go For general information: VisitQuadCities.com Riverboat Twilight: RiverboatTwilight.com Recommended accommodations: Axis Hotel, Moline: TheAxisMoline.com To arrange a tour of Rock Island: ArsenalHistoricalSociety.org The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Scott Medwid) Thorium Innovators Vie for Success Experts skeptical of China's reported progress More than half a century after physicist Alvin Weinberg first demonstrated a thorium molten-salt reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a global thorium renaissance may be underway. At least thats what the Thorium Energy Alliance (TEA) hopes. TEAs eleventh conference, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, brought together engineers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts who believe thorium reactors could become a safer, generally superior alternative to conventional light-water nuclear reactorsthough not overnight. The crowd listens at the 2022 Thorium Energy Alliance Conference in the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Scott Medwid) TEA and its allies argue that the light-water reactor industry and Cold War-era pressures to focus on weapons slowed early progress on thorium. Later on, according to Department of Energy veteran Ed McGinnis, tight federal budgets forced that agencys leaders to focus on uranium and kick thorium to the curb. The choice was a difficult if not Machiavellian decision, McGinnis told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 13 interview. Appropriately enough, the men and women seeking to resurrect a technology from mid-twentieth century America met in a shrine to the nations first Atomic AgeAlbuquerques National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. The Sandia Peak Tramway takes visitors high above dramatic terrain. Sunset is especially beautiful from the observation deck atop Sandia Peak. (The Image Bank/Getty) The museum lies near the foot of the Sandia Mountains, where subdivisions and fast food joints start giving way to the vast Chihuahuan Desert. Its also just a mile down the road from Sandia National Laboratories, still a hub of nuclear weapons research. (The museum used to belong to Sandia.) TEAs attendees ranged from professors and nuclear industry professionals to online content creators and thorium megafans (the sort of people that legacy publications now casually disparage as nuclear bros). Depending on how the next few years play out, they may also have included people who will create the first functioning thorium molten-salt reactor since Oak Ridge shut theirs down in 1969. A Texan With a TED Talk, a Dane With a Dream One such innovator is Rusty Towell, a physics professor at Texass Abilene Christian University who spent time in the nuclear Navy. Earlier this year, Towell and his team applied for a permit with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We are saying we can go critical in 2025 if we get a timely review, he told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 14 interview. He and his colleagues want to place a molten-salt research reactor underneath a future Science and Engineering Research Center, now under construction at Abilene Christian. Towell said he first became interested in thorium about 10 years ago; a faculty colleague, physics professor Charles Ivey, recommended he read Thorium: Energy Cheaper than Coal by Robert Hargraves. Inspired, he eventually delivered a TEDx talk about thoriums untapped potential at Abilene Christian. That got a group of local donors and supporters excited, he said. Towell was ready to go. By 2019, the Department of Energy had committed to providing fuel for his prospective reactor. The Department of Energy building in Washington, on July 22, 2019. (Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images) Although his molten-salt project has received government grants, most funding comes from third-generation Texas oilman Doug Robisons Natura Resources. Natura Resources is also behind a larger nuclear research alliance that brings together Abilene Christian, Texas A&M University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Texas at Austin. Yet, thorium-based fuels are not limited to molten-salt reactors. Towell said his platform was not necessarily at odds with a non-molten salt thorium reactor design presented at TEA 11, a Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor being developed by a Chicago-based company, Clean Core. Mark Nelson, who spoke on behalf of Clean Core at the meeting, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 13 that profitable thorium reactors are not likely to appear within the next decade except in the form of a heavy-water reactor like CANDU. Theres space in the world for more than one reactor design, Towell said before outlining some differences between CANDU and his platform: They [CANDUs] dont produce high-[temperature] process heat that industries need. By contrast, a big selling point of thorium molten-salt reactors is that they may also enable large-scale heating. Towell believes the barriers to deploying thorium reactor technology are chiefly regulatory rather than scientific or technological. After all, Oak Ridge already did it. An aerial view of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory campus in a file photo. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory via The Department of Energy) They built one of these reactors in the 60s. Im very confident that we can do better things now than we could over 50 years ago, Towell said. He admits that the culture in the field may have also hampered the translation of theoretical advances to real-world tools. With science on the mind, it can be hard to think like an engineer. Its very easy as a researcher to get sidetracked by all the fun little R&D projects, he said. Thomas Jam Pedersen, the co-founder of Copenhagen Atomics in Denmark, shares much of Towells optimism, as well as his perspective on the impediments to thorium today. Its definitely regulation, he told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 14 interview. Theres actually lots of money out there that wants to get into this area, but the investors are saying, Hey, I dont want you to spend my money educating politicians,' he added. They want to remove all that regulatory risk and political risk. People are seen at the Graabroedre square in Copenhagen on April 22, 2020 (Thibault Savary/AFP via Getty Images) Pedersen, an engineer, was skeptical when he first heard about thorium. I was like, this is some crazy internet story or something, he said. Yet he returned to the topic, performing calculations that satisfied his sense of the possible. Over time, and after attending a few conferences, he realized that real progress could be made in a small company, as long as you have some clever people who know what theyre doing. Like Towell at Abilene Christian, Pedersen is building a molten-salt reactor. Yet his company does not have a direct tie-in with any university or government. (It has, however, received grants from the Danish government and the European Union.) Its not a university product, Pedersen said. So far, his company has specialized in producing molten salts, particularly fluoride salts. Theyre using them for early-stage testing of their reactor. Once they reach the point of testing a chain reaction, they wont be running their experiments in Denmark. One reason: the country lacks a state agency to approve that sort of research. I dont know exactly which country will be the best for us, he said. Canada, the United States, and other European countries are all on the table. Copenhagen Atomics aims to launch its first reactor in 2025. Attendees of the 2022 Thorium Energy Alliance Conference at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Scott Medwid) Looking south to Germany, Pedersen sees the need for thorium all the more clearly. The countrys actions on energy, including its flight from nuclear, have set the stage for a frigid winter. The political leaders in Germany have done all the wrong things for 30 years and, of course, theyre gonna get their butts smacked now, he said. Pedersen does not dream small. He hopes to supply thorium energy to a billion people. How many years will that take? It might happen just before I die, he said. Industry Reaction and Skepticism Kati Austgen of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a Washington-based nuclear trade association, was also in the crowd at TEAs conference. She pointed out that alternatives to conventional reactors could potentially supply energy beyond electricity, a key concern for people hoping to curb the use of natural gas and other hydrocarbons that are currently essential for heating and similar applications. There is great ongoing work to revisit additional non-light-water reactor designs to meet not just our electricity needs, but also process heat for industry and combined heat and power for district energy users. Molten salt reactors, including some fueled by thorium, are among those designs seeing renewed interest, Austgen told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 21 email. She anticipates the earliest molten-salt reactors in widespread use will rely on uranium rather than thorium. Thorium is still met with skepticism by many nuclear researchers and engineers. Some experts voiced their doubts after 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang praised thorium on the campaign trail. Writing in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, University of Tennessee nuclear engineering professor Nicholas Brown offered a fact check of Yangs claims about thorium. (Thorium advocates have responded to that fact check, including through a July 2022 blog entry on the Thorium Network.) The Epoch Times reached out to Brown for comment on some of the claims advanced by thoriums staunchest supporters. He responded in an Oct. 18 email by stating that he has dozens of publications on nuclear fuel cycles, including a couple highly cited papers on thorium, before declining an interview with The Epoch Times. Brown also told The Epoch Times that uranium-233, a major isotope in the thorium reactors fuel cycle, is not less risky than plutonium or uranium-235. Absolutely not! wrote John Kutsch, of the TEA, in an Oct. 20 email to The Epoch Times. The Thorium Energy Alliances John Kutsch speaks at the groups 2022 conference at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Scott Medwid) U-233 decays into U-232, which produces a hazardous, gamma-ray-emitting daughter, thallium-208. U-233, Kutsch argued, is bad for bombs, great for non-proliferationuse a tiny bit in your reactor, and everyone in the world will be able to keep an eye on your inventory. Uncertainty Clouds Chinas Thorium Claims Americas shifting attitude on nuclear power, thorium-based power possibly included, comes at a time of escalating competition with China. China is believed to be building scores of new nuclear reactors at home and in other countries, such as Pakistan. Researchers there are thought to be developing various advanced reactor designs, including a thorium molten-salt reactor. Some reporting has suggested the country is making very rapid strides with an experimental platform in Wuweilike Albuquerque, a desert city (in its case, the Gobi rather than the Chihuahuan.) Local women pave straw before planting trees in the desert at Mingqin county on March 28th, 2019 in Wuwei, Gansu Province, China. (Wang HE/Getty Images) Yet, some experts raise an eyebrow at the headlines heralding Chinas thorium energy achievements. Its hard to know exactly whats going on in China, said Towell, of Abilene Christian. I am also skeptical of some of the news that comes out, said Pedersen, of Copenhagen Atomics. He described some of the statements from the country as incoherent from a nuclear engineers perspective. I think this is state propaganda, he added, speculating that bureaucrats are writing it instead of scientists. Pedersen believes the Chinese are probably dealing with the same logistical problems as everyone else vying for success with thorium. (Other interested countries include India, which may have the largest thorium reserves on the planet.) All the other groups around the world have had problems getting their pumps working and getting their seals working and purifying the salts. And, of course, the Chinese have the same problems, no doubt about it, he said. Mark Nelson, of Radiant Energy Group, speaks at the 2022 Thorium Energy Alliance Conference at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Scott Medwid) In an Oct. 17 message to The Epoch Times, Nelson said he thinks China is doing a lot right regarding nuclear technology. He speculated that the thorium molten-salt reactor could simply prove inferior to other options. Well see, he added. Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly conveyed that CANDU reactors cannot produce medical isotopes. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Then-President Donald Trump looks on after a news conference with then-Vice President Mike Pence in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Feb. 26, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) Trump Suggests Hell Run in 2024, Says Pence Bid Would Be Very Disloyal Former President Trump announced Saturday that he would probably have to run for president again, setting up a possible matchup between he and President Joe Biden for 2024, while declaring that former Trump administration officials who make a White House bid would be very disloyal. During a rally in Robstown, Texas, Trump told a crowd: I ran twice. I won twice. I did much better the second time than I did before. And now, in order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again, he added during the rally, which was being held for candidates in the Lone Star State. As soon as he made that statement, the crowd cheered and indicated they wanted Trump to run again. The former president has not made any definitive statements on whether he would run for the nations highest office, but he has strongly suggested that he would in numerous speeches and interviews after departing office in January 2021. The reason why, according to Trump, is due to what he described as antiquated campaign-finance laws around presidential announcements. The silent majority is back stronger than ever before, Trump said Saturday. My fellow citizens, this incredible journey we are on together has only just begun. If Trump were to make an announcement, it would likely trigger action by the Federal Election Commission in regards to his finances, limiting how much he could pull in from donors. More Details Two days before the rally, Trump also weighed in on if former Vice President Mike Pence or other cabinet members run for president. Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have also signaled they might run for president. Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Save America rally in Robstown, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Many of them have said they would never run if I run, so well see whether or not that turns out to be true, the former president told Fox News on Oct. 20. I think it would be very disloyal if they did, Trump added. It comes as the House Jan. 6 committee formally sent Trump a subpoena on Friday for alleged involvement during the breach at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A week before that, during the final public hearing on the Capitol breach, the panel voted unanimously to subpoena the former president. The subpoena requests communications between Trump and staff, aides, and colleagues from the encrypted messaging app Signal. It also seeks documents from the 45th president. Its not clear if Trump will comply with the subpoena. But after the vote, he issued a lengthy memo to the committee and declared that he told protesters on Jan. 6 to peacefully and patriotically make their voices heard. Trump and former White House officials said the subpoena is a politically motivated charade designed to influence the 2022 midterms. If President Trump was central to the January 6th Committees proceedings, why are they ending with him rather than starting with him? former top Trump administration aide Kellyanne Conway told Fox News on Oct. 21. With a few weeks before the midterm elections and a few months until Republicans assume majority control of Congress, reasonable people can be excused for thinking this subpoena is somewhere between symbolic and suspicious. Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (L) speaks at a rally for Republican congressional candidate Yesli Vega (R) in Fredericksburg, Va., on Oct. 22, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times) Tulsi Gabbard Joins Virginia Republican Challenger Yesli Vega on Campaign Trail for Parental Rights, Government Accountability PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va.Virginia Republican congressional candidate Yesli Vega held two rallies on Oct. 22 with former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who recently left the Democratic Party for disagreeing with so-called woke Democratic Party ideologues. I dont know about you all, but Im sick and tired of the government getting bigger and bigger! Vega told a crowd of about 200 people in Fredericksburg. Im sick and tired of a government that is telling me how to lead my life, how to spend my money, and most importantly, how to raise my children! A daughter of El Salvador immigrants, she vowed to protect freedom in the country. If we lose freedom here, we have no other place to go, Vega said. Gabbard echoed her sentiment by criticizing the elites in Washington. They have created a government of, by, and for the elites serving themselves, she said. I cannot wait. I cannot wait to see her [Vega] bring her fire [to Washington]. Nothing matches the fire that burns in the heart of a mom trying to protect her kids. Vega, a current member of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors and a former police officer, is challenging two-term incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) in Virginias most competitive congressional race. Virginias 7th Congressional District, which mainly spans Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties, has become slightly more Democrat-leaning after redistricting in 2021. According to Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit organization connecting Virginians with nonpartisan political information, the total spending on political ads for the race is more than $20 million. Republican 7th District candidate Yesli Vega at a campaign event in Fredericksburg, Va., on Oct. 17, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times) Both candidates have won the support of a former legislator of the opposite party. Former Virginia Rep. Denver Riggleman, a Republican until June, endorsed Spanberger. However, veteran Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth is skeptical about Gabbard or Rigglemans influence. Voters in that district are not waiting to have those people tell them what to do, Holsworth told The Epoch Times. However, he said the U.S. Chamber of Commerces endorsement of Spanberger is a real sign of bipartisan support and will have far more impact than Gabbard or Riggleman. Holsworth doubts whether the parental rights issue would cause people to switch. I dont see a lot of people switching, he said. On these issues, I think maybe they mobilize people who are already on your side. Former GOP state Sen. Richard Black attended a Vega rally at her campaign headquarters in Triangle, Virginia. Complimenting the tremendous energy in the campaign, he told The Epoch Times, I think having Tulsi Gabbard here is a signal that this is a candidate who really cares about the people. Black doesnt think the U.S. Chamber of Commerces endorsement will have a significant effect. The Chamber of Commerce has never really affected ordinary voters. It didnt in the 20 years of my career, he said. Black says that at this point in the campaign cycle, its all about turnout rather than trying to sway independents. Anne Salas, a sixth-grade history teacher in Stafford County, was at Vegas rally in Fredericksburg. The top three issues for her are the life rights of the unborn, parental rights, and economics. She said shes worried more about longer-term issues, having cut nonessential spending, and is well-prepared for the economic downturn. She said she wanted Vega to be in Congress to vote on legislation that would influence the Department of Education. The Biden administration, working through the Department of Education, has the power to withhold money going down to the states if states are noncompliant on certain issues, she told The Epoch Times. Competing for Hispanic Votes Hispanic voters make up 15 percent of the voting-age population in Virginias 7th District. And since 2016, Democrats nearly 40-point lead among registered Hispanic voters is predicted to have dwindled to 27 points, according to a recent Washington Post-Ipsos poll. If Vega wins, shell be the first Latina congresswoman in Virginias history. She co-led the Hispanic outreach efforts for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who stumped for her in Fredericksburg on Oct. 17. He said the red wave movement that propelled him to victory in last years gubernatorial race is happening again. The future of our children depends on us winning elections, he said. He also told the crowd to put up signs, go vote, and tell their friends to vote and volunteer as poll watchers. Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin (L) and Republican congressional district candidate Yesli Vega at a campaign event in Fredericksburg, Va., on Oct. 17, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times) Calling Spanberger one of the best Democratic candidates in the state, Holsworth said she has more bipartisan credentials than Vega, while noting that Vega could potentially win some Latino votes over to the Republican side. Until recently, Virginia Del. Elizabeth Guzman, a Democrat, has led some Hispanic outreach efforts for Spanberger; her efforts were discontinued after she told the media on Oct. 13 that she wanted to propose legislation that might penalize parents who disagreed with their childrens gender identity. The Democrat leadership in Virginia said later that Guzman had no intention of introducing such legislation. On Oct. 22, scores of members of CASA in Action, the political arm of the nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization CASA, and Moms Demand Action, a gun control advocacy group, attended Spanbergers Spanish language canvass launch event in Woodbridge. Ivania Castillo, diversity outreach lead for the 7th Congressional District Democratic Committee and event organizer, said Guzman wasnt involved. We love her and respect her, but this event is for congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, Castillo told The Epoch Times. At the event, Spanberger encouraged her supporters who were going to knock on doors in Hispanic neighborhoods in Prince William County. When we are asking our neighbors to vote, when we are explaining to them why this race matters, why this campaign matters, why you are spending this beautiful Saturday supporting our campaign, that gets people excited, she said. And it reminds people that this democracy is ours. We have to work hard to protect it. Silvia Ramirez (L), a member of CASA in Action, the political arm of the immigration rights nonprofit, with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) in Woodbridge, Va., on Oct. 22, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times) Silvia Ramirez, a Hispanic member of CASA in Action, told The Epoch Times through an interpreter, We just want the same rights that everybody else has. Theres a lot of discrimination and racism in this country. CASA supports Hispanic immigrants regardless of their legal status. There exists a lot of racism within our communities, Ramirez said. Its not to say that she [Yesli Vega] is a racist, but our communities feel more supported by somebody like Abigail. Speaking about the Hispanic community, Vega told The Epoch Times after her rally in Fredericksburg, Im a Hispanic woman. So it doesnt matter what they say; whether they like it or not, I represent the Hispanic community. And Ive been doing so for the last three years. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) (C) with supporters in Woodbridge, Va., on Oct. 22, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times) She said Democrats wanted people to believe that the Hispanic community is about getting government handouts. In Vegas view, the community is, on the contrary, about realizing the American dream. Hispanic voters are not monolithic. And I think thats where the Democrat Party has made a big mistake, Vega said. We are going to win the Hispanic vote in 17 days. "In Praise of Dangerous Universities calls for a return to the rules of open discourse in which students can seek a fuller understanding of their world through critical inquiry and the free exchange of ideas, writes William Brooks. (Jannis Tobias Werner/Shutterstock) William Brooks: To Defend Academic Freedom, a Canadian Professor Calls for Dangerous Universities Commentary Mark Mercer is a professor of philosophy at Saint Marys University in Halifax, who has served as president of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship since 2015. SAFS is a Canadian organization whose members are devoted to academic rigour, scholarly inquiry, open discourse and free universities. Academics like these appear to be in short supply on present-day college campuses. Over the past several years, Mercer and other SAFS members have witnessed an intensifying challenge to the principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom. Woke Administrators Condone Proxy Reprisals Today, the vision of a safe campus is no longer a bucolic learning place where students and faculty can think, study, and speak freely while feeling relatively secure in their persons and property. The modern safe university has essentially become an intellectual sanctuary for the lunatic left. More than a decade ago, Mercer pointed out that: Canadians came to understand what it means to be part of a safe university when the controversial American media pundit Ann Coulter felt obligated to decline an invitation to speak at the University of Ottawa. Coulter cancelled her engagement on the advice of her security chief who judged that those demanding safety (in the new sense) were actually threatening peoples safety (in the old sense). Writing in the September 2022 edition of the SAFS Newsletter, Sinclair McRae, associate professor in the Department of Humanities at Mount Royal University in Calgary, pointed out that the free academy is not only under threat, but as in Lucille Fletchers classic radio drama Sorry, Wrong Number, the menacing calls are coming from inside the house. McRae argued that academic freedom is under indirect threat from university administrators who condone proxy reprisals by woke professors who seek to silence dissident colleagues. The professors in question, McRae writes, advocate oversight under the guise of protecting academic freedom from the dangers of free speech. Mercer has described administrators at Canadian universities as cowards and careerists who have no idea what a university is for. To quote University of Toronto professor emeritus Jordan Peterson from his book Twelve Rules for Life: If you think tough men are dangerous, wait until you see what weak men are capable of. A Call for Scholarship Over Activism Mark Mercers new book, In Praise of Dangerous Universities published by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, is primarily a collection of essays in defence of what he refers to as academic freedom and other hopeless causes. In his tongue-in-cheek reference to hopeless causes, Mercer is not recommending a pre-emptive surrender to orthodox woke culture. His book is a forthright wake-up call for freedom-loving teachers and scholars throughout the country. In Praise of Dangerous Universities calls for a return to the rules of open discourse in which students can seek a fuller understanding of their world through critical inquiry and the free exchange of ideas. Mercer stands firmly against teaching political activism. He was outspokenly critical when Dalhousie University introduced an academic course in which students were to be taught how to protest. He argued that taking sides in social causes is inconsistent with a universitys commitment to educate its students. Mercer contends that: When a course takes a particular position or side on an issue, it cheats students out of the experience of investigating the matter seriously, dispassionately, and open-mindedly, with a concern to appreciate various perspectives. Reading Mercers objections to teaching political activism, I couldnt help thinking about a history and political philosophy course I taught some 20 years ago at McGill Universitys Faculty of Education. At the end of term several class members invited me join them at a nearby pub. The students wanted to know where I positioned myself on the political spectrum. I said: Since you couldnt tell, I must have fulfilled my proper role as a dispassionate educator. I went on to suggest they might try to do the same when they became teachers. Given the political indoctrination underway in 21st-century schools, its doubtful that any of them took my advice. Dangerous Circumstances Produce Courageous Thinkers Oscar Wilde once wrote: An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all. Mercer applies this same standard of value to the idea of a university. Dangerous ideas are not necessarily the ones that that will divide us. More often, it is the ideas that educational authorities insist we must agree on that limit our capacity for thought. Bold ideas are seldom conceived in safe spaces. Over the past couple of years in Canada it has become glaringly apparent that there are more free thinkers driving long-haul 18-wheelers than there are attending classes in the humanities at universities. Confronting dangerous ideas involves taking risks. Without taking risks, human advancement and the survival of liberty may be virtually impossible. Thats why Mercer argues throughout his book that a democratic society of free and equal citizens needs universities that prize their academic mission above the maintenance of politically correct behaviour. Throughout the history of mankind, dangerous circumstances have produced the most courageous thinkers. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Xa Mat International Border Gate officials verify identities and background of rescued Vietnamese citizens before returning them home. Photo by Vietnam Border Newspaper The Vietnam Consulate General in Cambodia has coordinated with Cambodian authorities the return of 171 Vietnamese citizens rescued from a gambling firm in the neighboring country. The Vietnamese citizens who were coerced into working for an online gambling company in Samrong City, Oddar Meancheay Province, were rescued by Cambodian authorities between October 11 and 17 upon the request of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Battambang Province. After receiving the rescued Vietnamese citizens, authorities at the Xa Mat International Border Gate Saturday coordinated with police in the Vietnamese border province of Tay Ninh to review and verify their identities, background and complete other procedures before returning them to their respective localities. Of late, the border gates in Tay Ninh, Long An and An Giang provinces have received many citizens and workers rescued from fraudulent companies and casinos in Cambodia. Most of these people were lured to Cambodia and forced to scam Vietnamese people online. According to the Vietnam Consulate General in Cambodia, so far this year, more than 600 Vietnamese citizens have returned home after escaping or being rescued from illegal establishments in the neighboring country. Anglican Bishop of Afikpo Diocese, Ebonyi State, Rev. Paul Udogu, has decried the alarming rate of insecurity and communal clashes in some parts of the state, saying the Church is worried over the incessant loss of lives. Udogu also said that the church was uncomfortable with the recent assassination and wasting of innocent blood in Isu community, Onicha local government area of the state. Udogu spoke at the church Cathedral, Afikpo, Afikpo North local government area of the state during his charge at the 6th synod of the church. He noted with displeasure that the traditional ruler of Isu community in the state, HRH Ambrose Ogbu was kidnapped six months ago and has not been released till today. He lamented that President General of the community, palace Secretary of the community and some other prominent members of the community have been assassinated. "The people of Isu living in serious fear as many people have migrated to safer areas. Nobody can say exactly what is happening at Isu. "We call upon the Dave Umahi led Ebonyi State government to use her instruments of power to discover the remote and immediate causes of the Isu trouble and profer solution to the problem. We also appeal to the perpetrators of this act to lay down their arms and use dialogue to resolve whatever is the problem. "The Isinkwo- Abaomege crises is still lingering. We are happy that soldiers are stationed there now. However, there is still need for government to profer a lasting solution and bring reconciliation between the warring communities of Isinkwo and Abaomege",said. The Bishop described 2023 general elections as crucial to the survival of Nigeria as a nation. "This election is not a matter of party or tribe. Nigeria electorate must be ready to vote for imtergrity and character, vote for people who have record of godly leadership and who have the capacity to handle the mess in our community, vote for people who are sensitive to the suffering and oppression of Nigerians. "We a National rebirth, we need a new Nigeria. These we can achieve by voting out of power corrupt politicians. "Therefore, we charge all our members and Nigerians in general to make sure they collect their PVC, come out en mass to vote the right candidates. Do not sell your vote and mortgage our future and the future of our children. This is the time to fix Nigeria by voting credible leaders to oversee the affairs of our nation. Say no to money politics", Udogu stated. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has again approached Appeal Court to counter the judgement of National Industrial Court of Nigeria which ordered its members to return back to schools after eight months strike. The counsel for ASUU, Femi Falana, SAN, who made this known in an exclusive interview with Punch, noted that the date for the official hearing of the appeal is yet to be fixed. Mr. Falana also shared the official documents of the appeal with journalists, while noting that the union was still awaiting the official hearing date from the appellate court. The Nigerian Voice understands that this move may result in another academic strike if the Appeal Court grants ASUU its prayers. Recall that justice Hamman Polycarp of the Industrial Court ordered the striking lecturers back to work. ASUU had filed an appeal before the Appeal Court in Abuja, but the appellate court held that it would not hear ASUUs appeal should the union fail to obey the ruling of the lower court. In line with the ruling, ASUU called off its strike on October 13, 2022. The appeal was filed on October 14, 2022. However, no date for hearing yet, Falana had said Speaking on Ngiges advice for ASUU to take CONUA to court over registration, Mr Falana said, The minister knows that he deliberately committed illegality. He should have gone to court to find out the legality of his proliferation of unions among academic staff in the universities. Industrialist, Philanthropist and founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has been conferred with the prestigious Nigerian National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic as well as the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS) by TBS. These awards were presented by President Muhammadu Buhari recently on two different occasions to Abdul Samad Rabiu for his exemplary philanthropy, and interventions in the tertiary education sector in Nigeria. Whilst 53 other Nigerians were honoured with the CFR Award, Abdul Samad Rabiu is the only individual from the private sector recognized by President Buhari at the Excellence in Public Service Awards alongside 43 other prominent Nigerians drawn from the public sector on Friday in Abuja. President Buhari commenting on the award to Abdul Samad Rabiu, said, I want to also specially recognise Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA International Limited for his interventions in Education through the BUA Foundation, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa), and his other philanthropic initiatives. This initiative funds tertiary education institutions in Nigeria from its yearly $100 million ASR Africa Fund for Social Development and Renewal. I am happy that five universities have so far benefited with many more to come," he said. President Buhari urged leaders in the private and public sectors to be more mindful of their positions as trustees of the people, urging them to always work toward leaving a legacy that will be long remembered. I wish that leaders will arise and stand up to be counted among leaders who have distinguished themselves to do the right thing and leave their footprints on the sands of time, he said. The president also urged public servants to make accountability and integrity their watchwords. This award is a recognition of the giant strides you all have made towards the transformation of Nigeria and you have consistently put hard work and dedication at the centre of your initiatives." Commenting on the national honour and excellence in public service award, Abdul Samad Rabiu thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians for the recognition and restated his commitment to sustainable development and impact initiatives through his businesses and philanthropy that will be of benefit to all Nigerians. The Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service was set up to recognize distinguished public service to Nigeria, either contributions to individuals, state or local community, or the public through excellence in leadership, service, or humanitarianism. To be eligible, the recipient must be a living Public Official or a private citizen excelling consistently in a given sphere of influence, in good character standing, and must also be at the forefront of service and innovation. The Federal Government of Nigerian has evacuated 542 stranded Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The returnees returned to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja aboard a Max Air Chartered flight operated with the Airlines Boeing 747. On board the plane, which touched down at 4:29 a.m, were 79 males, 460 females and 3 infants. This was disclosed in a statement signed by Head, Press Unit, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Manzo Ezekiel. The evacuees were received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and airport officials, security agencies including National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs service, Port Health Services amongst others. He said the returnees were screened by the health officials, profiled by various relevant agencies and cleared by Nigerian Immigration Service before given a token of transport fare by NEMA. Receiving them on behalf of the Federal Government, Director General, NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed urged the returnees to learn from their experiences and be law-abiding citizens. Represented by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Alh. Sani Ahmed Jiba said the Federal Government approved the evacuation as well as a token for the returnees to support their movement back to their homes. On her part, the Consul General of Nigeria in Dubai, Amb. Atinuke Taibat Mohammed, who accompanied the returnees back on the flight, appreciated the Federal Government for the special intervention in safe evacuation of the stranded citizens back home. This evacuation is coming 24 hours after UAE suspended visa issuance to Nigerians visiting Dubai, a decision that has triggered several missed flights and caused travel chaos in the industry. United Nigeria Airlines has flown relief materials to Yenagoa for distribution to victims of the devastating flood disaster in Bayelsa State. Chief Operating Officer of the airline, Mazi Osita Okonkwo, said the donations were made in fulfillment of the airline's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The flood experienced this year has been very devastating. Lives have been negatively impacted by the flood. Families have been separated. Homes and properties were destroyed. Businesses have also been negatively affected. More than half of the state is under water. We hope for the immediate receding of the flood so that people can return to their normal lives. What we have done is in line with our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is also in response to the call for help. The impact of the flood is huge and it will cost a lot to fix. We have only contributed towards ameliorating the sufferings of the people many of who cannot even find a place to cook for their families. We put ourselves in the shoes of those who have been negatively impacted by the flood. We feel their pains at this time and keep praying that succour will come their way sooner, he said. Receiving the items for onward transfer to the State Government, the Station Manager of United Nigeria at the Bayelsa International Airport (BIA), Mrs. June Bells-Opara, expressed joy saying that is who we are; flying to unite. She said, I am very happy and proud of United Nigeria Airlines for reaching out to the host communities at this point in time. Mrs. Bells-Opara said the items will be officially handed over to the State government on Monday. Items donated include rice, milk, noodles, salt, sugar, cooking oil, and potable drinking water among others. Meanwhile, United Nigeria will resume regular scheduled daily flights to the state on Monday. Nigeria has been hit by the worst of flood disasters in its history. The entire world has been terrified by the graphic media reports of the flood that has hit over 30 out of the 36 states of Nigeria yet the rest of Nigerians who have been spared the have been ensconced in the comfort of their world of escape without caring much to take actions to support the victims of the disaster especially in states like Bayelsa, Benue, Delta and Kogi that have been worst hit. Many Nigerians are probably enjoying the spectacle of how the victims of the floods are suffering while thinking of themselves, how privileged and fortunate they are. That's the way the world is becoming. A man is drowning and instead of the onlookers offering a helping hand, they prefer to make a live video of the happening event just to savour the fact that the misfortune did not happen to them. No help and support to the victims of the flood disasters can be too much at this time. We as a people seem to be waiting too often for the government to act when its officials have not yet figured out how they would use the disaster to make money for themselves and enhance their own personal wellbeing and pockets. The rich business and political class are currently too engrossed in the politics of 2023 to be dashing money to victims of the flood disaster. Such an intervention may have for them failed the "what's in it for me" test. But thanks to Arise News crew of Dr Reuben Abati, Rufai Oseni, Emmanuel Efeni and the backroom producers who have consistently kept the narrative of the plight of the flood victims in the air. They were the first to call on the presidential candidates to halt their 2023 campaigns and turn attention to the victims of the floods. So far only Peter Obi has heeded the call to suspend campaigns to give attention to the devastation caused by the floods. The man is appearing too good to be a Nigerian in the eyes of many. He even went as far as to give 5 million Naira each in donation in some of the states he visited. Probably being afraid of being afraid of being accused of vote buying, he chose to give such a paltry sum compared to his wealth as a "clean billionaire". Contrary to a false but widely held opinion that Peter Obi is stingy, he has a record of extreme generousity. He once caught my attention by giving 100 million Naira to a cause of the Catholic Church. So I believe Peter Obi could have donated more than 5 million Naira each and he does have the absolute right to advertise his generosity to show he is better than the rest candidates. If the other candidates want to join in the generosity contest, they should also go and donateeto the flood victims and make sure to they also advertise it. That would in the end be in the interest of the victims. Ordinary Nigerians and businesses can make a huge difference with an attitude of generosity and responsibility to care for one another. Nothing stops business and religious organisations across Nigeria to begin fundraising campaigns for the victims of the floods. We cannot be worse people than we were. In the aftermath of the Ikeja Military Cantonment bomb blast of 2002, Nollywood and Nigerian broadcast community gathered on radio and television to raise funds for the victims. Trust me, if the floods affected places like Afiesere and Agbarho in Ughelli Local Government Area or my immediate vicinity in Abuja being my spheres of influence, given the reported scale of suffering by the victims, I would immediately take action. I would call Otunba Gbenga Onayiga, the chairman of CASER and urge him to let us hold a fundraising gala. I would approach Tony Ojukwu, SAN, the ES of the National Human Rights Commission and beg him profusely to use his influence to get support for the affected people. I would call Toyin Dawodu in California endlessly for nights, urging him for financial help. I would force all my rich clients to "drop" money to support the victims. That is how I carry out my humanitarian responses as an individual citizen and they have helped many people. But I am just an individual. I want other individuals and businesses connected to the various places affected by the floods to take action by at least adopting my model of local social response in times of crises. A few of us set on positive attitudinal change can make a whole lot of difference. Those great places that our compatriots are fleeing to were developed by the active implementation of the principles of sacrifice and commitment to the wellbeing of the human being. Frank Tietie is a Development Lawyer, Media Commentator & Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER), Asokoro, Abuja. Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force have killed some members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Ebonyi State. The members of the separatist group lost their lives when the security joint force stormed their hideout in two separate areas in the state. The Ebonyi state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Chris Anyanwu, said this in a statement issued on Sunday. He said three IPOB suspects already in their net provided the evidence to the command, which aided the security agencies raid of the hideouts of the gang in the state. He said, The operation, spearheaded by the Commands Tactical teams and assisted by the Military and DSS in the State, was prompted by quantum pieces of reliable evidence, professionally elicited from the interrogation of Nnamdi Ngwuta Obaji aka State Commander No. 3 and another operative of the outlawed group, Felix Ogudu who were earlier arrested. While accessing/cordoning the Camps, the combined teams were ambushed by the criminal elements with rains of sporadic shooting in their direction and without hesitation, the allied team swiftly responded and engaged them in the same manner and of course, their superior firepower subdued the miscreants, who chanted morale-boasting war songs, dived into the Opeke River and swarm to different directions as they scampered for safety. However, a good number of them were neutralized while many escaped with bullet injuries. Also, after dislodging the criminal elements and taking over the ground, the camp, which they christened IGBO BU IGBO TRAINING SCHOOL CAMP, was ransacked and destroyed. Equally, a wooden bridge under construction intended to aid the miscreants in their coming and going was dismantled. Items recovered from the gang were 11 bullet-proof jackets, eight sets of Military camouflage uniforms, two camp-gas cookers, 110 rounds of FNC live ammunition, 40 rounds of GPMG live ammunition, and two PRO electronics scanners (EOD equipment). Other items include five empty canons, five single-barrel guns, nine assorted GSM handsets, three locally-fabricated revolver pistols, one white Toyota Hilux vehicle, a bunch of keys, three NIN slips bearing different names, one exercise book with coded names/GSM numbers of the suspects, one voters card, three hammers, two assault rifle butts, 25 camping mosquito nets, and fetish substances suspected to be charms. Also, one Mercedes Benz 190 car with Reg No. SKA 306 AA, one Biafran-map calendar and other things, were recovered. However, a good number of them were neutralized. Anyanwu added that the gang was also suspected to have taken part in the attack of the Provost of Federal College of Education, Isu Onicha along Agba axis a few days ago. A Meal With... the Inspiration Tina Hall Inspiration is a quality many in the Andaman region are seeking in these challenging times. Having recently returned from three months in the UK, my first impression of Phuket was a feeling of rather gloomy resignation to the current difficulties. While the pandemic seemed to be under control and had been officially re-branded as a communicable disease, the touristic life-blood of the island is still very much a hoped-for dream. Community By Baz Daniel Sunday 23 October 2022, 11:00AM In need of emotional sustenance, I decided to contact Tina Hall, the Director of Operations for the wonderful Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation. Over the years Id heard so much about their inspirational work helping and nurturing hundreds of underprivileged kiddies in Phuket and of Tinas dedication. Days later, as we tucked into fresh healthy salads and energy drinks at the excellent We Cafe, Tina explained that the foundation was the brainchild of legendary Phuket restaurateur, and owner of the Baan Rim Pa Group of iconic eateries, Tom McNamara. After the devastation and hardship caused by the 2004 tsunami, Tom went to the local Thai community and asked how he could help them recover. The Thai respondents were united in their desire for their children to learn English as the key to their offsprings chances of a better life. However, Tom knew that organising English teachers alone would not be enough. The schools that needed help could not afford fluent English-speaking teachers and it soon became clear that he needed to create an organisation that would make this education available to the children for free. In 2006, Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation was launched as a charity and has since worked relentlessly improving the economic opportunities and life chances of local youngsters by funding and implementing high quality, practical English language education in government schools in Phuket. The foundation creates vocational opportunities by developing English skills through a variety of methods, including formal education plus after-school and non-curricula activities. In 2015, an English Integrated Studies programme was introduced teaching Science and Maths in English, as well the language itself. In addition to classes, the foundations teachers also run an extracurricular programme called Coconut Club for the 200-plus children who actually live at the Rajaprajanugroh School in Kamala. These students are resident there because they are orphans, or their families are unable to look after them. Monday to Thursday after school and on Saturdays, the kiddies enjoy activities such as swimming lessons, cooking classes, sports, and arts and crafts, and they all enjoy a birthday party, complete with cake and present, on their special day. I thought that a truly inspirational story, which transcends the incredibly tough times weve all been through these past two years, and I wanted to see for myself the positive energy of the Coconut Club, so on a steamy September afternoon, I headed over to meet Tina at the gates of Rajaprajanugroh School overlooking the beguiling sands of Kamala Beach. It was 4pm and the time when classes are finished for the day and the kiddies unleashed their boundless enthusiasm into the supervised play of the Coconut Club for an hour. That days activity was skateboarding and great energy, balance and expertise were on display in riding the boards coupled with laughter and excited screams of enjoyment. It was notable how many of the kiddies spontaneously came over to say hello and introduce themselves, strong testament to the confidence-building and sociability which this form of play-learning engenders. After growing up in the lovely English county of Worcestershire, Tina completed a Business Degree with Honours at East London University, including a years work experience in Brussels, but it was her passion for scuba diving instruction and oceanography which took her to such exotic locales as Honduras, the Andaman Islands, the Great Barrier Reef and finally to Phuket. She explained, My husband and I had visited Phuket on holidays and in 2010 we decided to take an extended break on the island. I heard about Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation and I guess Im the sort of person who cant really say No when I see that others less-fortunate than myself are in need. I got involved and ended up with the job of Director of Operations. I would say that its more of a calling than just a job, which the inspirational Tina has been executing with exemplary skill and dedication ever since. I asked how readers of this article can help the many deserving kiddies being taught and cared for by the Foundation. The pandemic was incredibly tough for us and funding is the major issue at present, but Im delighted to say that our Melbourne Cup fund-raising event is back on Tuesday, November 1 this year at the stunning poolside Firefly Restaurant at the Pavilions Resort, with sumptuous cuisine, fashion events, free-flow tipples, live-screening of the race and lots more. Its inspirational indeed that this great island event is back on Phuket this year and truly a sign that the inspirational Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation and Tina Hall are leading us all back to happier and helping times. Please book your tickets at kitchen.phuket@pavilionshotels.com Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks as the new Politburo Standing Committee members meet the media following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 23, 2022. Photo by Reuters/Tingshu Wang Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong congratulated Xi Jinping Sunday on his re-election as the General Secretary of the Community Part of China (CPC) Central Committee. Trong said he highly appreciated Xi 's contributions to Vietnam-China relations and expressed his desire for the relationship and strategic cooperation partnership between the two countries to reach new highs, in the interests of both sides and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its first plenary session Sunday to select 24 members of the Politburo and seven Politburo Standing Committee members. Xi continued to hold the position of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and was re-appointed as the Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission. Vietnam is China's biggest trade partner in Southeast Asia and sixth biggest globally. China is Vietnam's biggest trade partner. Their bilateral trade topped US$165.8 billion last year, up 24.6% from 2020. Green Thoughts: Scraping the barrel A cautionary tale for our times Ever since I started to write for the late-lamented Phuket Gazette, I have endeavoured, from time to time, to address what I consider to be the burning issue de nos jours namely the continuing and, as I see it, irreversible destruction of our planets natural resources. EnvironmentGreen-Thoughts By Patrick Campbell Sunday 23 October 2022, 02:00PM The plot now boasts an assortment of banana palms as well as tamarind, coconut, mango, cashew, mangosteen, neem, rambutan and papaya, among other local plants, but it will take many years for the land to recover from the topsoil scraped from its surface. Photo: Patrick Campbell Sadly we are all culpable, whether it be my Thai partners insistence on putting everything edible in plastic bags, apparently to discourage armies of invisible ants, my new neighbours construction of a six-storey condo on a postage stamp of land next to my house, or the indiscriminate fly-tipping of garbage down each and every by-way. Am I holier than thou? Alas, no. Confession time looms I have a piece of land next to my house which I bought, under duress more than a decade ago, because a developer was eyeing it covetously. The envisaged apartment block would have obliterated my sea view. The fallow plot, unsold and now left to its own natural devices, went through the usual tropical transmogrifications first, neat grass, then coarse bunch grasses, sedges and low ground-hugging weeds such as wedelia. These were in turn supplanted by evergreen shrubs that included calotropis, wrightia and thevetia, and then by scrubland trees such as acacia, macaranga, leptospermum and saraca. In next to no time, the whole area had been annexed by trees, themselves hosts to tropical vines and lianas, a dense drapery over the burgeoning sylvan outlines. In the tropics, vegetation riots. I had to decide. I could either leave the whole area to its own devices, continue to abandon it to nature and allow it to become a fully-fledged jungle, or I could take drastic action. After much soul-searching, I summoned the backhoe. I hate hacking down trees for all sorts of reasons, from the aesthetic to the practical. Trees not only look good, they do good and they do you good by sequestering carbon, pumping out oxygen, storing water in their roots and preventing erosion by binding the topsoil. I put all that to the back of my mind. So the man came with the backhoe and grubbed up all the trees, some already four metres tall, and unceremoniously dumped them, roots waving goodbye, in the back of waiting lorries. And heres the rub. I had anticipated some loss of top soil, but nothing on the scale I witnessed. As each tousled and mangled root system was deposited, it was accompanied by a liberal quantity of precious topsoil. The operator made no attempt either to shake the roots free of clinging topsoil, or to avoid shovelling up loads of loam with each giant scoop of the backhoe. At the end of the operation and it took 14 truck loads to carry away the spoil my land, probably untilled for centuries, had been scoured and scraped. Topsoil is a precious commodity anywhere, but especially on islands such as Phuket. Why? Because there is so little of it around. In part, that is because it is naturally sparse in these locations. Look at any excavation and you will see a tell-tale layer of dark topsoil a mere eight to 10 centimetres thick. To compound the problem, this earthy veneer has endured a number of assaults: first from tin miners who gouged the surface, then by rubber planters who replaced 60% of the virgin jungle with neat rows of havea brasiliensis, and more recently by tourists who have flocked to this once emerald isle. The result a rash of resorts and apartment blocks. However, the main reason why topsoil is so valued is because it contains almost all the elements essential for healthy plant life. It is where earthworms tunnel away, churning out nutritious casts, it is where the macro-nutrients of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and magnesium are all normally present as assimilable salts. And rich in organic material, topsoil is normally friable and workable. Unlike the denser substrate of sand, clay or rock, it allows delicate plant rootlets to invade its pores. It takes 500 years to replenish one inch of this miraculous loam. At a stroke, I had obliterated four or five centimetres of this fragile, life-enhancing layer. What transpired literally in my own backyard is a microcosm of a problem that besets our planet. This process of erosion, this abrading of topsoil, has been going on all over the world. Such a harsh process not only scrapes off the top layer of earth, it dries out and exposes to the elements what little is left. Dust bowls around the world are testament to this. To take one notorious example. In the 1930s a combination of severe droughts and farming malpractices motivated by greed, led to the erosion of vast acreages of land in the American Prairies. Farmers not only destroyed what trees were there, but more crucially, and aided by new and efficient farm machinery , they tractored and deep-ploughed existing grasslands that had been grazed by bison for aeons. No longer anchored by tree or tough grass roots, exposed to desiccating winds, the churned-up soil was blown away in vast clouds. On April 14, 1935, and on a day afterwards known to locals as Black Sunday, 20 black blizzards swept across the Great Plains, obliterating the sun and reducing visibility to a few feet. What remained was a lunar landscape which could support only minimal crops. Families see Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath were forced to jump in their jalopies and migrate west to California. In all, 500,000 Americans were rendered homeless. What have we learnt? Not enough. Maybe less dramatically than in 30s Oklahoma, homo sapiens have inexorably created similar problems in other parts of the globe. A map of the worlds loss of primal vegetation shows Brazil, Indonesia and equatorial Africa as ongoing offenders. In these developing countries, the predicament has been largely caused by wholesale and unscrupulous clearance of land, especially virgin jungle, often by burning, and the consequent leaching away of the exposed soil by heavy tropical rains. Climate change, the harbinger of both floods and droughts, has not helped. So what is being done to avoid a cataclysm, a world famine of more than biblical proportions? The answer, perhaps a surprising one, is more than you might expect. As cultivable land disappears as a consequence of chronic misuse and urbanisation, new land, reclaimed from the wild, is pressed into service. Between 1960 and the late 1990s for example, land supporting cultivable crops increased by about 11%. In addition, the yield of these crops was massively increased, thanks not only to the use of pesticides and herbicides, but to the development of genetically modified strains. These so-called GM varieties have doubled or even trebled yields. More resistant to insect damage or viral depredation, they have helped, at least in theory, to arrest the indiscriminate over-use of toxic chemicals, and to control plant diseases. In Hawaii, the papaya industry was on its knees, threatened by a virus which had already decimated output. Scientists developed a new GM papaya called the Rainbow. It stopped the virus in its tracks. Now Hawaii exports papayas. But the writing is still on the wall and in mile-high letters. By 2050, the worlds population is expected to have grown from a current 7.7 billion to 9.1bn. Down on previous estimates, it is still an extremely alarming figure. There is still far too little sustainable agricultural practice, too much land being exploited for short-term gain, and then cast away like a well-worn glove. Despite GM crops and more efficient husbandry, we are still using far too many chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, 90% of which end up polluting our rivers and oceans, poisoning fish, creating algal blooms and upsetting the precarious balance of nature. How well are we dealing with a plastic glut so severe that the stuff will bulk larger in our seas than fish by mid-century? There has been no concerted global response to climate change. Perhaps most worrying of all is the obliteration of our forests and jungles, our natural habitats. How long does it take to replace 10 towering teak trees ? Or 1,000 mahoganies? Or just one Javan rhinoceros? I come back to my own little tale. What happened to me in Phuket is a tiny instance of what is happening, and will continue to happen, worldwide. And it is a truly global concern. In the past, civilizations came, flourished and declined usually as a result of their own excesses without the rest of the world being much bothered, much less directly affected. The issues were not global issues. Today they are. It is no longer a case of saying: That is none of my business or It doesnt affect me. It does I have since tried to redress the balance in my own neck of the woods. How? By replanting my denuded plot with fruit trees and edible plants. It now boasts 18 banana palms, as well as tamarind, coconut, mango, cashew, mangosteen, neem, rambutan and papaya. There are clumps of lemon grass, herbs and sweet potatoes. And the grass in between is regularly mowed. And yet I cannot avoid the naked truth. I am supposed to be an environmentalist, a nature lover. Yet I tore down trees and destroyed the top soil like an Oklahoma bullyboy, or a Brazilian Bolsonaro. I have tried to make amends of a sort, but the land will not fully recover in my lifetime, or that of my grandchildren. Mea culpa. Dr Patrick Campbell can be contacted at his home Camelot, located at 59/84 Soi Saiyuan 13; Rawai; Phuket 83130. Tel:66 076613227 (landline), 065-5012326 or 085-7827551 (mobile). His book The Tropic Gardener, an indispensable guide to plants and their cultivation in Thailand, is available from Seng Ho bookshop in Phuket Town or Delish in Rawai, or arrange a copy to be delivered by emailing him at drpaccampbell@gmail.com Phuket flood victims receive Royal donations PHUKET: Deputy Secretary-General of the Royal College of Chulabhorn Wanlop Thammadamrong visited Phuket yesterday (Oct 22) to hand over survival bags to Phuket flood victims on behalf of the Royal Family. disastersweathercharity By The Phuket News Sunday 23 October 2022, 09:00AM The first official ceremony took place at Kathu Municipal School 2 with Governor Narong Woonciew and other Phuket top-ranking officials present. It total 1,000 survival bags were handed over for distribution among people affected by recent floods, the Phuket provincial office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) reported. Another ceremony was then held in Mueang Phuket district where 1,000 more life bags were handed over for distribution among people. Phuket Vice-Governor Phichet Panapong led local officials to receive the Royal donations. As said in the report by PR Phuket, torrential rains caused floodings in all three districts of the province, namely Mueang Phuket, Kathu and Thalang. Overall 17 tambons, 88 villages, 39 communities and hundreds of households were affected. Major landslides were recorded in five areas with the worst one badly damaging the road linking Patong and Kathu (Route 4029). Official are yet to publicly announce the ammount of damage. Phuket honours Chulalongkorn day PHUKET: Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew this morning led local officials to honour the life and achievements of King Chulalongkorn, Rama V. culture By The Phuket News Sunday 23 October 2022, 02:20PM Governor Narong presided over the ceremony, held at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial in front of Phuket Provincial Hall. Present to pay their respects were many other senior provincial officials. Thai people celebrate the life and reign of King Chulalongkorn on the anniversary of his death in 1910, the day known to Thais as Chulalongkorn Day or Piyamararaj Day. King Chulalongkorn is a much-loved king and was the fifth king of the Chakri Dynasty. Rama V is recognised for the abolition of slavery in Thailand, the implementation of European-style currency, reforming the banking system and introducing the modern form of government administration throughout the country. Government officers were to wear their full dress white uniforms at the ceremony. Other attendees were pink in honour of the colour for the day of the monarchs birth. As Chulalongkorn Day this year fell on Sunday, next Monday (Oct 24) will be a substitute holiday. Most government offices will be closed, including Phuket Immigration, Phuket Land Transport Office, all three District offices, local municipalities and administration offices. Main bank branches are normally closed as well on Chulalongkorn Day, but bank branches inside shopping malls are open as usual. There is no ban on the sale of alcohol by law for this public holiday. Search for missing Russian tourist continues PHUKET: The search for missing Russian tourist Elena Radchenko continues today (Oct 23) with officers from various agencies checking both land and sea in the northern part of Phuket. tourismRussianSafety By The Phuket News Sunday 23 October 2022, 11:33AM Russian tourist Elena Radchenko was last seen on Naithon beach on Oct 20. Photo: Real Phuket Telegram Russian tourist Elena Radchenko was last seen on Naithon beach on Oct 20. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Russian tourist Elena Radchenko was last seen on Naithon beach on Oct 20. The full-scale search started on Oct 22. Photo: Phuket Info Center and Eakkapop Thongtub Ms Radchenko, 53, was last seen at around 10am on Thursday morning (Oct 20) when she went to Naithon beach with a friend, the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) confirmed. The Russian woman was swimming alone when her friend left the beach and went back to the hotel where both stayed. The friend later tried to contact Ms Radchenko but her phone was in her hotel room while she was still away. It is not clear when the alarm was first raised. PR Phuket explains that Ms Radchenkos friend tried to look for her on his own and with hotel personnel, but all the efforts failed. Only her shoes and towel were found under the trees on Naithon beach. The case was then reported to Tourist Police at Phuket International Airport and later to Sakhu Police. The news of a missing Russian tourist went public at around 6pm on Oct 21, when the information was shared on Russian-language social media, starting with Real Phuket channel in Telegram. Full-scale search began on Saturday morning (Oct 22) with officers from Tourist Police, Tourist Assistance Center, Sirinat National Park, Royal Thai Navy and other agencies mobilised to scoure both the beach, the rocks and the coastal area of the sea. According to Phuket Info Center, over 100 officers and volunteers joined the operation. As of end of day Oct 22, no traces of Ms Radchenko were found. The search and rescue effort continues today. Taweechai Kamnon, a local security guard at Naithon Beach, told reporters that Ms Radchenko was in the water among other tourists when a storm began on Oct 20. Mr Taweechai said he asked the tourists to leave the water and waited patiently until there were none left [in the water]. Ms Radchenko also got to the shore but did not go to pick up her belongings. Instead she went the other way looking absent-minded, Mr Taweechai said. CCTV cameras in the area did not record Ms Radchenko returning to her hotel. Previously Phuket Info Center provided the following list of phone numbers of agencies involved in the search: Sakhu OrBorTor : 076 328 146, 082 535 0069 ; 076 328 146, 082 535 0069 Sakhu Police Station : 076 328 121 ; 076 328 121 Sirinat National Park : 076 328 226; 076 328 226; Thalang District Office : 076 311 046; 076 311 046; Phuket Tourist Police : 076 223 891; 076 223 891; Phuket Office of Tourism and Sports : 076 327 100; 076 327 100; T ourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket Office : 076 211 036. Alternatively, people can call the following Russian phone numbers to share what they might now about the missing woman: Alexander: +79852007216; +79852007216; Manuela: +79122280900 . Additional reporting Eakkapop Thongtub remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. In addition to sightseeing, visitors here can also learn about the lifestyle, customs and habits of the Bru ethnic minority. The Bru are hospitable, and every year they host traditional events like the rice-harvesting and new season festivals. Huong Hoa District People's Committee said the district is calling for investment in this location. A hiking route to the waterfall is also in the works. This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Westerly, RI (02891) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. High 56F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Clearing skies after some evening rain. Low 48F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. ELKO Elko County Clerk Kris Jakeman has a new plan to expand election trust in answer to public concerns, and she and County Manager Amanda Osborne came up with cost and worker estimates for hand-counting ballots in answer to public comments and a petition calling for hand counts. Jakeman told Elko County Commissioners about the plan on Oct. 19. The county clerk said her proposition is that Elko County do its own audit of the Nov. 8 general election on Nov. 14 and were hoping to broadcast that and have one county commissioner involved. She said random voting machine numbers would be pulled and audited, and a separate group with another county commissioner would do a similar audit of paper ballots. These are the thoughts weve had to be more transparent, Jakeman said. Commissioner Rex Steninger thanked Jakeman and said he shared the concerns over our voting system, including whether voting machines can be hacked. He said a representative of Dominion voting machines shows up with a program and it takes a leap of faith to trust that programming. He said locally roughly 300 signatures have been gathered on the petition urging the county to do something, and he would like to keep the discussion going and somehow restore confidence in our elections. Steninger said he understood it was too late to do anything before the November election, but in the meantime, we need to develop some sort of system to verify what the machines are telling us. Chairman Delmo Andreozzi said he has a lot of confidence in our staff here, and he believes the commissioners are all in agreement that they need to restore confidence in the elections. I think this is a great discussion and that it is great we can live in a country where you can have this discussion, Commissioner Cliff Eklund said, echoing Andreozzis confidence in the clerks office in Elko County. Clerks research Jakemans and Osbornes research on hand-counting shows that as of Oct. 6 there were 27,525 active voters in Elko County, 7,853 inactive voters eligible to vote, and 35 trained election workers that handle elections. If the county went to all paper ballots, they estimate that there would need to be 40 or more additional election workers. Eight teams of five people each working 10 days for eight hours per day would cost roughly $36,000, according to their memo to commissioners. Jakeman and Osborne also wrote that it may be difficult to ensure that the groups are bipartisan. Workers also would need training, which would cost roughly $1,500, or $25 per day per election worker plus mileage, they said. Additionally, they wrote that there would need to be a secure facility for 30 days to count ballots, such as a vacant building with separate rooms for counting teams, and the 42 precincts would need security to transport ballots, Jakeman and Osborne said. Storage would be needed for retention of ballots after elections, they said. Paper ballots also may not be possible because the Nevada Secretary of States Office had to issue temporary regulations for hand counting for lack of any guidance in the state statutes, and there is an active lawsuit challenging the temporary regulations, the memo states. They additionally pointed out the lawsuit against Nye County over paper balloting. Steninger said Jakeman is an elected official, so the county commissioners have no direct authority over her office, but they have budget authority and can choose to do away with the Dominion voting machines, citing an earlier finding of Chief Civil Deputy District Attorney Rand Greenburg. ERIC system Steninger also had a question on a related election issue the dependability of voting lists, and he said his concern was based on reports of bloated lists, such as Nevada being at 101% of possible voters. Deputy Secretary of State Mark Wlaschin said the Nevada Secretary of States Office has used the ERIC system since 2021 to help counties and states update voting lists. Wlaschin told commissioners by phone the system is secure, with encryption so that the ERIC organization doesnt see the names, and it falls on states and counties to clean up voting rolls. Its a daily process that requires an extreme amount of effort at the state and local level. ERIC stands for Electronic Registration Information Center, which is a nonprofit organization that uses data matching technology. Although commissioners didnt take any action on the paper balloting, they heard from several proponents of going to paper ballots, including Mike Smith of Spring Creek, who said he signed the petition favoring paper ballots and as a former computer programmer believes sometimes we over-automate. Vernon Hatch reiterated what he has said at earlier county commissioner meetings -- that there is no trust in the Dominion voting machines. Cliff Gardner said he wants the county to go back to the old system that worked for over 200 years, which would be counting paper ballots at the precinct level. Tom Freeman said he knows many people who would volunteer to count, if the county went to paper balloting, and Mary Ann Weldin also said counting could be done at the precincts, and there would be volunteers to count. Weldin has approached commissioners at prior meetings and provided a new letter in September reiterating petitioners concerns about the integrity of our election process and the lack of trust in the security and technology of the Dominion voting machines. [October 23, 2022] Changemakers innovating in sustainability honored at The Tech for Global Good Celebration From climate-friendly bacteria factories to harvesting seaweed to reduce carbon emissions, these entrepreneurs may save the world. SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tech Interactive honored entrepreneurs using technology to create a more sustainable future tonight at The Tech for Global Good celebration. Hundreds of Silicon Valley tech leaders, educators and community members gathered at the Signia by Hilton San Jose to meet the changemakers. "Our laureates are not only making the world a better place, but will inspire the next generation of leaders to think bigger and bolder about the impact they can have on our world," said Katrina Stevens, President and CEO of The Tech. The 2022-2023 Tech for Global Good Laureates MicroByre, Berkeley, CA MicroByre engineers bacteria that could help transform bio-waste into life-saving cancer drugs, jet fuel, fertilizer, and other chemicals. Their process has the potential to break our reliance on petroleum and radically reduce our carbon emissions. Presented by Barbara and John Glynn Blue Ocean Barns, Kalaoa, HI Blue Ocean Barns is solving agriculture's biggest sustainability challenge by working with dairy and beef producers to remove greenhouse gas emissions directly from their supply chains. By the end of this decade, they will be growing enough of the algae to supplement all 100 million cattle in the US, reducing methane emissions from cattle by 80%. Presented by Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Goodr, Atlanta, GA Goodr is on a mission to end food waste, fight hunger and feed communities by using intuitive technology and logistics to track and recover surplus food. They have served nearly 30 million meals to people in need while diverting almost 4 million pounds of food away from landfills. Presented by NetApp Strawcture Eco, Delhi, India Strawcture Eco provides 100% biobased composite building panels made from agri-residue (straw that would otherwise be burnt or disposed of) to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. Presented by The Swanson Foundation Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn and Partner at Greylock, was also honored with the James C Morgan Global Humanitarian Award, presented by Applied Materials, Inc. for his commitment to social responsibility, belief in human-centered technology, and curiosity as a life-long learner. "This is an amazing time to be alive. We're inventing so many powerful tools to save the planet," said Hoffman. "We're trying to figure out how to become better humans and technology plays an important role in enhancing our humanity." The honorees will be featured in educational materials, workshops and in an exhibition at The Tech Interactive, impacting thousands of students, parents and educators. The Tech Interactive | Inspiring the innovator in everyone. | thetech.org View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/changemakers-innovating-in-sustainability-honored-at-the-tech-for-global-good-celebration-301656683.html SOURCE The Tech Interactive [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A political mailer supporting a prominent Missouri Republican uses a group photo featuring dozens of Kansas City police. The pose raises important questions about ethics & equal treatment for law enforcement across the Show-Me State. One of our favorite people and BAD-ASS TKC TIPSTER tells us . . . "Wonder if the interim chief is going to suspend any of these people???" The reference and context . . . Remember that KCPD launched a CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION into a police captain because his squad car was unknowingly featured in an advert for former Missouri Guv Eric Greitens. At the time a statement from the Interim Police Chief's office claimed the car appearing online qualified as "prohibited political activity" . . . Meanwhile, this advert seems to far more egregious. More context . . . The Kansas City, Missouri [sic] Police Department is an apolitical organization, the KCPD Board of Police Commissioners said in a statement two months ago announcing the investigation. It does not promote or support political candidates. Even worse . . . Later . . . The police captain resigned after a suspension that lasted weeks. Here's a better look at the advert that is raising eyebrows amongst local law enforcement . . . The backside . . . Let's be clear about where TKC stands . . . Honestly, we don't see anything wrong with the advert from Senator Tony Luetkemeyer - It's junk mail that's tossed in the garbage within 5 seconds after a resident receives it. Moreover, it's a file photo that's probably public domain. However . . . THE ADVERT HIGHLIGHTS THE HORRIFIC TREATMENT SUFFERED BY A KCPD CAPTAIN WHO WAS BASICALLY FORCED INTO RETIREMENT DURING A STAFFING CRISIS!!! SHOULDN'T THE RULES APPLY EQUALLY??? THIS ADVERT SEEMS TO PROVE OTHERWISE!!! This isn't the last place you'll hear about it . . . But we wanted TKC readers to know first. Developing . . . Police are appealing to the public for help in finding a missing woman who was last seen in North York. The enemy is trying to hold temporarily captured territories, concentrating efforts on restraining the actions of the Ukrainian defense forces in certain areas. At the same time, the enemy is still attempting to conduct offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said this in its morning update, Ukrinform reports. "In the past 24 hours, units of the Defense Forces repelled occupiers' attacks outside the settlements of Bakhmut, Bakhmutske, Ivanhgrad, Marinka, Soledar, Ozarianivka, Odradivka in the Donetsk region and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region," the report said. The enemy is shelling the positions of Ukrainian troops along the contact line and conducting aerial reconnaissance. On October 22, the Russian occupiers again resorted to massive shelling of critical infrastructure and civilian housing, violating the norms of international humanitarian law, the laws and customs of war. More than half of the cruise missiles and attack UAVs launched by the enemy were shot down by the defense forces of Ukraine. In total, over the past day, the invaders launched 32 missile and 25 air strikes and carried out more than 80 attacks using multiple launch rocket systems. The enemy launched strikes on energy and critical infrastructure facilities in the Volyn, Rivne, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Mykolaiv regions. Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, at a meeting with Germany's First Lady, Elke Budenbender, raised the issue of Germany providing Ukraine with air and missile defense systems, as well as combat weapons. That's according to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports. "I am forced to raise the topic of providing weapons to Ukraine. This should not be a topic of protocol communication between first ladies. However, in the situation of Ukraine, we are forced to use every chance to be heard. It is about saving lives and about human rights. We must close the sky and stop this deliberate missile terror by Russia," Zelenska said. Photo credit: Office of the President of Ukraine In Russias Irkutsk, a Su-30SM fighter jet crashed in a residential area, destroying a household during a flight test involving a pair of such planes. This was reported by a local news site, according to Ukrinform. During the tests, the crew of one of the planes was silent on radio for 20 minutes. As another plane approached the rogue aircraft, its pilots saw that the crew were sat with their heads visibly down presumably, the pilots had suffocated in the cockpit. After the fuel ran out, the plane crashed in Novo-Lenino district of Irkutsk. The crew died in the crash. Eyewitnesses claim that the plane hit a five-storey residential building. Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev confirmed the report in general, while noting that the plane fell on a two-storey house, As reported earlier, on Monday, a Su-34 military plane crashed into a nine-storey residential building in the Russian city of Yeisk, Krasnodar Territory. The pilots ejected. Fuel caught fire at the crash site. Fifteen civilians were killed on the ground. Saudi-based Arriyadh Development Company (ARDCO) has announced that it has reached an agreement with Burj Al Balad Company to acquire an office building on King Fahad Road in Riyadh for SR168 million ($44.7 million). ARDCO is a Saudi Joint Stock Company set up by Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Prince of Al-Riyadh region and Honorary President of the Board of Directors. The company is a major player in the infrastructure services sector as well as a developer of retail, residential, and office buildings. The property, located in Al Malga Area north of the capital city, has two basements in addition to a ground and a mezzanine floor and 12 floors, stated Arriyadh Development Company in its filing to Saudi bourse Tadawul. The expected annual revenue from the property is anywhere between SR12 to 14.3 million, it added. In Russia, propagandists and representatives of the authorities are spreading disinformation about Ukraine allegedly preparing to detonate a "dirty bomb." That's according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports. In particular, Russia's Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, held phone calls with Defense Ministers Sebastien Lecornu of France, Hulusi Akar of Turkey, and Ben Wallace of Britain. According to Russia's Ministry of Defense, in all three conversations, Shoigu "expressed concern" in connection with the alleged possible use of a "dirty bomb" by Ukraine. Prior to that, Russia's state propaganda news agency RIA Novosti published an article (the article has a double date: "September 23" in the text and "08:00 23.10.2022" in the original data, i.e. 8 o'clock in the morning on October 23), which, citing "credible sources in various countries," states that the alleged work on the bomb "is already at the final stage" and that allegedly "secret contacts are being made with British representatives regarding the possible transfer of nuclear weapon components to the Kyiv authorities." Russia's Ministry of Defense, reporting on the Shoigu-Lecornu call, said both parties discussed the situation in Ukraine, "rapidly deteriorating and trending towards uncontrolled escalation." According to French Ministry of Defense, Lecornu said that Paris is in favor of a peaceful settlement of the conflict and that France will not be involved in any escalation in Ukraine, in particular with the use of nuclear weapons. Lecornu confirmed that Shoigu had spoken to him about a "dirty bomb." Akar and Wallace have not yet commented on their calls with Shoigu. Accusations from Russia come amid reports that Russian troops may leave the right-bank part of the Kherson region. A "dirty bomb" is a conventional bomb that contains radioactive material. Ukraine needs the most effective air defense system to reduce the number of Russian missiles hitting energy infrastructure facilities. Energy Minister German Galushchenko emphasized this in an interview with the "We are Ukraine" TV channel, Ukrinform reports "At the onset of this war, we turned to NATO as an organization that could help close the sky over Ukraine. Now we are talking about air defense systems. We need to have the most effective air defenses. We will restore (energy facilities, - ed.), but the intensity of the strikes at the moment is such that the damage is not commensurate with the restoration efforts," said the minister. Galushchenko clarified that the protection of critical infrastructure from Russian aggression is currently one of the main topics being discussed by the government and president with international partners. As reported, since October 10, Russia has been launching massive strikes employing missiles and kamikaze drones on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine. As a result, more than 45 energy facilities were damaged. Ukrenergo has already introduced power supply restrictions in the countrys central and northern parts. Earlier, Energy Minister German Galushchenko spoke with his U.S. counterpart Jennifer Grenholm, discussing steps to tackle Russian terrorism in the energy sector. The top U.S. energy official assured Galushchenko that the United States would keep providing maximum assistance and support Ukraine at all levels as long as latter needs it. Norwegian authorities and experts suggest that Russia could likely go for acts of sabotage on the nations oil and gas objects. Thats according to the Associated Press, Ukrinform reports. With Norway replacing Russia as Europes main source of natural gas, military experts suspect the unmanned aircraft spotted in sensitive areas are Moscows doings. Espionage, sabotage, and intimidation could be possible motives for the drone flights, they believe. The Norwegian government has sent warships, coastguard vessels, and fighter jets on patrol missions around the offshore facilities, while te national guard deployed soldiers around onshore refineries. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre has invited Britain, France, and Germanys navies to help ensure security of the energy infrastructure amid fears that sabotage could target Norway as the largest gas supplier to Europe. Closures of airports, and evacuations of an oil refinery and a gas terminal last week due to drone sightings caused huge disruptions. But with winter approaching in Europe, there is worry the drones may portend a bigger threat to the gas pipelines. The value of Norwegian gas to Europe has never been higher, Stale Ulriksen, a researcher at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, said. As a strategic target for sabotage, Norwegian gas pipelines are probably the highest value target in Europe. Amund Revheim, who heads the North Sea and environment group for Norways South West Police force, said his team interviewed more than 70 offshore workers who have spotted drones near their facilities. The working thesis is that they are controlled from vessels or submarines nearby, Revheim said. Norwegian police have worked closely with military investigators who are analyzing marine traffic. Some platform operators have reported seeing Russian-flagged research vessels in close vicinity. Revheim said no pattern has been established from legal marine traffic and he is concerned about causing unnecessary, disruptive worry for workers. But Ulriksen said the distinction between Russian civilian and military ships is narrow and the reported research vessels could fairly be described as spy ships. The arrest of at least seven Russian nationals caught either carrying or illegally flying drones over Norwegian territory has raised tensions. On Wednesday, the same day a drone sighting grounded planes in Bergen, Norways second-biggest city, the Norwegian Police Security Service took over the case from local officers. We have taken over the investigation because it is our job to investigate espionage and enforce sanction rules against Russia, Martin Bernsen, an official with the service known by the Norwegian acronym PST. He said the sabotage or possible mapping of energy infrastructure was an ongoing concern. While Russias Embassy in Oslo hit back Thursday, claiming that Norway was experiencing a form of psychosis causing paranoia, naval academy researcher Ulriksen thinks that is probably part of the plan. Several of the drones have been flown with their lights on, he said. They are supposed to be observed. I think it is an attempt to intimidate Norway and the West. The wider concern is that they are part of a hybrid strategy to both intimidate and gather information on vital infrastructure, which could later be targeted for sabotage in a potential strike against the West. I do not believe we are heading for a conventional war with Russia, Ulriksen said. But a hybrid war I think we are already in it. In recent years, the German government has underestimated the importance of countering Russian hybrid influence. Today, as hybrid threats from the Russian Federation are posing a serious challenge for Germany and other Western democracies, Germany must provide funding to counter them. A number of German lawmakers addressed the issue in their comments for Guildhall, Ukrinform reports. A member of the Foreign Relations Committee Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU/CSU) said: "Russia is a beast and sees us precisely as its victim. The public society in Germany is not yet fully aware what Russia's hybrid influence is. Yes, there are special services that see and understand the threat, there are also organizations, for example, Carlo Mazala, a professor at the University of the Bundeswehr in Munich, the Adenauer Foundation, the German Marshalls Fund, there are others, but we are in the minority. A critical mass of people has accumulated." As for the threat, for example, during the pandemic, we had the movement which calls Querdenker, which means think against the mainstream. These thinkers they are nor thinkers, but they are the speakers of Russian propaganda. And Russia has influenced them with the Alternative for Deutschland party and Die Linle, and playing on the claviatura, escorting their work, trying to gather supporters. These are the enemies of the state, they act and carry out activities against Germany. I also note that the main communication tool is Telegram. We must inform the public and counteract such processes. After all, society is already divided between some regions, and if we get fascists and communists in the Bundestag, a serious mess will begin in our country," the legislator added. In turn, Bundestag deputy with the Greens, Robin Wagener, said that the German government underestimated the role of hybrid threats from the Russian Federation. The politician calls to realize that a deliberate strategy of destabilization is being employed against Germany and Western democracies, which must be countered. Yes, the problem of Russian hybrid threats is huge, but it is huge not only for Germany, but for Western democracies as a whole. Dictatorships are targeting of our weak points, what they identify as our weak points as a democracy such as freedom of speech and trying to push them. First, it is necessary to see that such activities are being carried out against us. That this is not an accident, but a strategy and coordinated action to destabilize us. The problem in Germany is that our government has not taken such threats from Russia seriously enough in recent years. There was a big discussion in the Bundestag on this matter, and we are now resolving the issue of funding to counter such threats. After all, we have allocated one billion euros to support the army, but now there is a question of funds to counter hybrid threats, he said. Another Bundesparmentarian with the CDU/CSU, Marcus Koob, believes that Russia will intensify hybrid attacks on Germany and it is necessary to be ready to effectively counter them. I recognize the importance of hybrid threats to us today and they are not new. I am convinced that Brexit was a Russian hybrid operation, the influence on the elections in France and in the US, cyber attacks on German business and the Bundestag, all this is very closely tied with Russia. Today, the threat is growing, the threat to critical infrastructure is growing, and we must find answers to these challenges. We reacted very poorly to the poisoning of the Skripals, the murder in the Tiergarten, and so on. We must be prepared for more serious attacks in the future and be able to effectively counter them, the lawmaker said. It should be recalled that the leaders of the Federal Intelligence Service, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and military counterintelligence service of Germany warned about the threat of the Kremlin plotting political assassinations in Germany. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Italy will always be on the side of the brave people of Ukraine amid Russia's full-scale aggression. According to Ukrinform, she said this on Twitter in response to the Ukrainian president congratulating her on taking office as Italy's new prime minister. "Many thanks, Volodymyr Zelensky. Italy is and will always be on the side of the brave people of Ukraine that is fighting for its freedom and for a rightful peace. You are not alone!" Meloni said. On October 22, the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, 45-year-old Giorgia Meloni, officially took the oath of the head of the Italian government, becoming the first female prime minister in the country's history. President Volodymyr Zelensky wished the new Italian government to successfully respond to all present challenges and expressed hope for fruitful bilateral cooperation. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Reinsalu coordinated efforts on urging partners to send more air defense systems to Ukraine. In our call, Urmas Reinsalu and I welcomed EU Councils support for the need to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Discussed next steps toward a relevant special tribunal. Coordinated efforts on urging partners to send more air defense systems to Ukraine, Kuleba posted on Twitter. As reported, Russia has been launching massive strikes on Ukraines energy infrastructure using missiles and kamikaze drones since October 10. More than 45 energy facilities have been damaged by enemy fire. Power supply restrictions have been introduced in the center and north of Ukraine. After another Russian massive attack on Ukrainian cities on October 22, minister Kuleba called on partners not to hesitate about making a decision on air defense systems supplies to Ukraine. ol In view of the atrocious Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine needs humanitarian aid to help the most vulnerable in Ukraine to get through upcoming winter, so the EU is ready to provide assistance to Ukraine to cope with this task. Having seen in the last days the atrocious and deliberate attacks of Russia against civilian infrastructure, Ukraine has other needs that have to be addressed. For example, the mobilisation of humanitarian aid to help the most vulnerable in Ukraine to get through this winter in particular the more than 11 million internally displaced people, by now, who need support; who need access to water, electricity, heating; who need shelter. We have announced this week that we will provide a further EUR 175 million for food, for shelter, for health support and for education. And we will provide emergency shelters in the Rivne, Bucha and Kharkiv regions, Ursula von der Leyen said following the European Council meeting, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. As noted, the European Commission is in very close contact with the Ukrainian authorities to address the humanitarian needs. For that purpose, Commissioner Lenarcic arrived in Ukraine this week to assess the situation on site and activate the Civil Protection Mechanism and to look at how best and quickly the EU can support Ukraine to deal with these vicious and atrocious attacks on the civilian infrastructure As reported, on October 20-21, a two-day meeting of the heads of state and government of the European Union was held in Brussels to find solutions to the current energy crisis provoked by Russia. In the international bloc, the leaders of the EU member states considered the situation in Ukraine and confirmed their readiness to continue supporting it in its fight against the Russian invasion. ol First Lady Olena Zelenska visited Ukrainian refugees in the German town of Kelsterbach. "Evacuating, fleeing from war is always a challenge. Evacuating with a disability is an even greater challenge. But they did it. 120 Ukrainian citizens found shelter in a hotel in the German town of Kelsterbach. Most families have a child or an adult with a disability," Zelenska posted on Telegram. She notes that she was glad to visit Ukrainians during a visit to Germany. The First Lady also added that she had heard from her compatriots words of thanks to the people of Germany for the warm welcome. The President's wife thanked the town and the Consulate General of Ukraine in Frankfurt am Main for sheltering Ukrainians. ol China's modernization provides an example and model for the developing world, said Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations. "China's model of development is a success story. The lifting of 700 million people out of poverty is an economic miracle. It is both an example as well as a model that can be followed by many developing countries," the permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, Munir Akram, told China Daily on Wednesday. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened in Beijing on Oct 16. After China had accomplished its First Centenary Goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Xi Jinping outlined the full meaning of Chinese modernization during that day's opening session. "From this day forward, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization," Xi said in a report at the opening session of the 20th CPC National Congress. Xi said Chinese modernization is "the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all". Akram, who is also chairman of the Group of 77 and China coalition, said the developing world is watching the Chinese experience of poverty alleviation with great interest. The coalition, which got its name from 77 founding members of the group, now comprises 134 developing countries at the UN. China's experience is most relevant for the developing world, Akram said. "It is of great interest to most developing countries who are close friends of China, and also have good economic and trade relations with China." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once said that China's great achievements in poverty reduction constitute "the biggest contribution to the dramatic reduction of poverty". In his report, Xi said Chinese modernization is "the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature". Akram said the international community needs a model of development which can address both the structural challenges of economic and social growth, as well as the challenges posed by climate change. "China's example of pursuing development in harmony with nature is an essential model for the entire world," he added. China has cut its carbon emission intensity by 34.4 percent over the past 10 years. And the country pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. "We need to promote mitigation in terms of lowering carbon emissions through renewable energy and other forms of sustainable energy. We also need to have adaptation to the impact of climate change. And many developing countries are feeling the impact of climate change, like Pakistan, with the floods that we've had," Akram said. "The Chinese proposal of promoting development in harmony with nature is an essential principle that will need to be followed in all development activities in the future," he added. On its path toward modernization, China has also been sharing its development opportunities with the rest of the world. As Xi said in his report, "Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development." China is in a position to help many developing countries grow because China's capacity now as the second-largest economy also involves many developing countries having close trade, investment and other relationships, Akram said. "China is in a good position, both as an example and as an opportunity for developing countries to accelerate (growth) in a balanced and clear direction," he added. Global observers believe China's modernization path inspires other countries to seek their own development paths, and it also inspires the world to seek a better future together. Akram said he sees the Chinese path to modernization as its unique economic model. China has been able to combine both a State-led model of development with a market-oriented model. And this is the unique feature of the Chinese economic model it combines the positive factors from State-led growth with market-oriented growth, Akram said. Chongqing "I came as a single person to China. Now, I have a family here, and we just had our daughter. Life here is fascinating and full of opportunities," said Raphael Zumsteg-Yuan from Switzerland. Raphael originally came to China as a student at Peking University, majoring in law, and has been in China for four years now. In 2019, he moved to Chongqing with his wife, a Chinese lady from Henan province. Now, Raphael works as the legal manager of Fenshare Holding's Sino-Swiss Technopark. Not only due to the love but also the potential development of China, he decided to settle down in Chongqing city. Regarding the specific reason he picked Chongqing as his occupational base, he showed his optimistic attitude toward the development in southwest China. "In general, the southwest of China is very dynamic now, especially with the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle." He talked about the advantages of the southwest, especially its close connection with the ASEAN region. China's legal system keeps pace with the social development As an ex-pat with a law background, he specially mentioned the progress of China's legal system. What impressed him most was the promulgation of China's Civil Code. Moreover, he expressed his delight with the visible commonalities of the legal system between China and his home country, Switzerland. This July, he had a baby, after which he spoke highly of the evolution of China's policy on having children and labor protections. "Maternity leaves now in China are pretty long. Based on the new rule from last year, women in Chongqing get up to half a year of maternity leave, which was not the case before, and then men get maternity leave of 20 days." He thought it was decisive proof that China's legal system and protection kept pace with the changing society. The miracle of public transportation is ongoing. China's public transportation is another thing that excited him. It is known that people in Switzerland are fond of public transport and they always use trams or trains to move around. This lifestyle can be continued in China, especially in Chongqing. "It is possible to use the monorail and buses to take me around now, including the highspeed connections, Raphael said. Blessed are he and his wife for the entire operation of the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed rail. "Before this year, when we returned to my wife's hometown in Henan, we had to take a train that took more than 10 hours to reach. And now it takes us about five hours for a distance of 1200 kilometers." He added that this kind of change has been ongoing with the opening of new lines and new projects. A firm determination to promote cooperation between China and Switzerland Raphael highlighted the close relationship between Switzerland and China from different perspectives. The two countries have a free trade agreement, which is a significant advantage for both sides for deep cooperation. There are currently more than 1000 Swiss companies in China, among which more than 14 are in the southwest. Also, there are rich cultural exchanges. He took the famous jazz festival as an example. "There was a famous jazz festival from Switzerland called the Montreux Jazz Festival, which has started organizing concerts in China." Based on these vantages, he was full of hope and expectation for the future of Switzerland and China. "I really think there's huge potential on both sides," he added. As a Swiss, he shows a strong will to be the bridge of communication and cooperation between China and Switzerland. "That's actually really what I wanted to do: act as a bridge between the two cultures and bring the two cultures closer together. If it's in the arts, music, work, or business, thats my wish," said Raphael. "My dream is to work for the embassy of Turkmenistan in China. I want to become a bridge between the two countries," said Aylale Garatayeva, a graduate student from Chongqing university. Aylale Garatayeva, or Lily, has been in China for nearly seven years, with three years in Chongqing, where she studies international trade for her master's degree. Asked about how her story with China began, she told iChongqing that Turkmenistan and China are good partners in the energy sector. Young students are encouraged to study in China. As a language lover, Lily likes exploring new cultures. She couldn't resist the chance to explore Chinese culture and learn mandarin, which is acknowledged as the most difficult language in the world. Plus, China, the fast-growing economy in the world, is home to numerous excellent universities that provide generous scholarships. "The transportation in China is amazing, particularly the high-speed train and the metro system, which are so convenient." Lily marveled at what had impressed her most in China. She added that the technologies such as WeChat and Alipay have made her life here so easy. "I also appreciate that Chongqing university offers us international students opportunities for internship in China," said Lily, "Experiencing work culture in China makes the whole journey more meaningful." This year marks the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between Turkmenistan and China. "At present, China's Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) and Turkmenistans strategy to revive the Silk Road are gaining more and more synergy," explained Lily, whose masters thesis also focuses on BRI. Turkmenistan enjoys massive potential in the energy sector, while China sees a growing demand spurred by its expanding economy. In this regard, "exporting oil and natural gas to China has boosted our economy, and the cooperation in this sector keeps momentum," told Lily. Speaking of the career plan, Lily said, with determination in her eyes, "Having been in China for years, I can speak fluent Chinese, and I know about Chinese culture. In the future, I would like to work in China, serving as a bridge connecting the two countries in the area of energy." Click here to watch the video. (@FahadShabbir) The graduates of Business Incubation Center (BIC), set up at the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK), have earned 4.5 million rupees from their small-scale startups in a short period of time MUZAFFARABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Oct, 2022 ) :The graduates of Business Incubation Center (BIC), set up at the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK), have earned 4.5 million rupees from their small-scale startups in a short period of time. This was disclosed at a briefing given to UAJK Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi by BIC Director Mohsin Pervaiz Banday, Manager Tayyab Khalid, Business Leads Umm-e-Aimen and Khizar Riyaz here on Thursday. It was informed that under the National Expansion Plan (NEP) of NICs, over 100 students and youth recently passed out in two batches from UAJK received complete technical support, office space, internet facility and other equipment along with Rs 15,000 per month for each member of the business team. They disclosed that 20 successful business startups earned a total profit of over 4.5 million rupees in a short span of time, which is a great success story at the national level. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kaleem Abbasi said: "This is a matter of great satisfaction and pride that UAJK is focusing on the promotion of entrepreneurship, equipping students with practical skills, and awarding them degrees in relevant disciples." He said business centers could help youth achieve their dreams. "UAJK will continue to encourage all such initiatives that help address unemployment in the region and engage students in constructive activities." Congratulating the officials of the BIC for the success of their program, he said students must be provided opportunities to interact with successful local businessmen who started from scratch with scant resources and later got a prominent place in the industry. "Such interactions would be helpful for the entrepreneurs to get inspiration and learn from their experiences", the VC observed. He underlined the need to establish a strong and effective link between these startups and the industry for their further growth and expansion. Dr Kaleem also emphasized that the researchers should also focus on the problems of small and medium business startups so that those starting new businesses are well aware of these problems in advance and could formulate appropriate strategies to solve them in time. The VC was told that NEP of NICs was being run successfully in the selected public sector universities of Pakistan, and UAJK was the only university implementing this vital national project in AJK in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology board (PITB) and the Ministry of Information Technology (MoITT). They observed that the objective of the initiative was to encourage innovation amongst youth by incubating startups and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. The officials of the BIC thanked the VC for his wholehearted support and patronage to the important project being successfully continued in UAJK. (@ChaudhryMAli88) RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2022 ) :Cantonment Executive Officer of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB), Imran Gulzar has said that anti-dengue campaign in Cantonment areas was in full swing. He said the board had initiated efforts as dengue had become a major issue and all available resources were being utilized to eradicate it completely. He said, dengue larvae had been found in houses where water remains choked like in water tanks, used and old tyres, and uncovered utensils and accumulated rainwater, adding, the RCB management was utilizing all its resources to eradicate the disease, including clearing away stagnant water, nullahs, carrying out spraying indoors and outdoors, conducting daily door-to-door surveillance and improving the drainage system. According to RCB spokesman, the authorities concerned of RCB had been directed to utilize all available resources to control dengue and accelerate the ongoing anti-dengue campaign besides strictly monitoring anti-dengue activities in all Cantt areas as September and October were very important regarding control of dengue. The authorities had also been directed that strict action in accordance with the law should be taken against negligent officials, he added. He informed that 105 FIRs were registered against SOPs violators during this season while several shopkeepers were also issued warnings. Fines were also imposed for violating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the government to control dengue, he added. He said, September and October were very important regarding control of dengue as most of the cases were reported during this period so the teams must focus activities to ensure elimination of dengue larvae. The CEO said that anti-dengue surveillance activities, elimination of larvae, IRS Spray and fogging were being carried out in Cantt areas while special teams on emergency basis had also been constituted. He informed that anti-dengue teams visited different areas and issued notices to the violators. Anti-dengue spray was also being conducted in houses, he added. The CEO urged the residents to play their due role and remove stagnant water from rooftops and other places besides cooperating with the anti-dengue teams. He said the citizens were also being educated and informed about importance of sanitation, cleanliness and preventive measures against dengue. Lady health workers during door-to-door campaign were visiting houses to educate the community particularly females about preventive measures against the disease, he added. The main focus of the campaign was on public health education, he said and informed that the sanitary staff had been directed to ensure timely cleanliness and proper solid waste disposal in all areas. The RCB teams were also visiting hotels, restaurants, workshops, tyre shops and junkyard godowns and apprising the citizens about dengue and adoption of maximum precautionary measures against dengue, he said adding, the teams were also removing stagnant water and dengue larvae from several breeding sites. The vulnerable points were regularly being checked and special inspection was being conducted to check dengue mosquito larvae, he said. The CEO urged the citizens to adopt precautionary measures and remove stagnant water from their homes and roof tops as most of dengue larvae and adult mosquito is found in air coolers water drums and scrap items. 395 MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) The Central African Republic (CAR) understands and supports Russia in the current situation, there are no misunderstandings between the leaders of the two countries, relations are developing at a high level, speaker of the Central African parliament, Simplice Sarandji, told Sputnik on Sunday. "People in the Central African Republic are well aware of the situation in which Russia finds itself, and sympathize with Moscow, just as the Russian authorities once supported the car in a difficult situation. If there had not been such mutual understanding, Russia would not have come to the rescue at a difficult moment to maintain security in our country," Sarandji said. The politician stressed that the high level of relations between the presidents of the two countries contributes to the quality of bilateral relations. "I have to note the high level of relations between our presidents there are no misunderstandings between them, and our peoples can only benefit from this. Our countries support each other on the global arena, the situation in our relations is very good, cooperation is developing," Sarandji added. Earlier this month, the CAR, among other countries, abstained from voting on a resolution against Russia in the UN General Assembly that does not recognize referendums in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Observers from the CAR were also present at referendums in Russia. (@ChaudhryMAli88) ASTANA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2022) The Kazakh National Security Committee (NSC) said on Saturday it has detained a foreign citizen on suspicion of forging passports for Afghan nationals fleeing the country. "On October 13, 2022, the Border Guard Service of the NSC and the prosecutor's office of the city of Almaty stopped a flow of illegal migration of Afghan citizens through the territory of Kazakhstan," the committee's press office said in a statement. The office added that the Border Guard Service has detained a foreign citizen while he was exchanging $1,500 for a fake passport of one of the countries of Central Asia. The office added that the seals of several Kazakh organizations, 20 Afghan passports, birth certificates, and other documents necessary for obtaining citizenship of Kazakhstan, residence permits, and extension of stay in the country have been seized during the search. The detained foreigner has been placed in a pre-trial detention center of the Police Department of the Almaty city. (@ChaudhryMAli88) UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) Gabon, which currently holds presidency in the United Nations Security Council, has granted Russia's behest to bar representatives of Lithuania and Romania from taking part in a session on Ukraine due to an excessive number of EU delegates already on board, a source in the UN told Sputnik. "The President denied representatives of Lithuania and Romania participation in the meeting yesterday at Russia's insistence," the source said, adding that Russia's reasoning was that too many EU delegates were already taking part. On Friday, the UN Security Council held yet another session on Ukraine, dedicated to the humanitarian situation. Ukraine, the European Union, Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Greece were taking part besides UN Security Council members. Over the course of the session, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia shared his puzzlement over the large number of speakers, given that the meeting was a briefing, not a debate allowing an unlimited number of countries. He noted that the Russian delegation was wondering "what added value" Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Greece would bring to the table other than extending the time of the meeting. Russia is "well aware" of the stances of these countries, which, as Nebenzia said, "could be summarized well enough by an EU representative." The Russian envoy asked the Security Council president to exercise more discernment when compiling the lists of speakers at UN sessions on Ukraine. The press service of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said that the country's Permanent Representative to the UN, Rytis Paulauskas, made a protest to Gabon for not giving Vilnius an opportunity to speak on behalf of the three Baltic states and the Czech Republic. At week-long 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which concluded on Saturday in Beijing, a blueprint for China's future development has been mapped out. As the world economy is facing a tough situation this year, with probably tougher prospects for the next, China's economic outlook carries global significance. Voicing their confidence in China's future growth, business communities worldwide believe that China's modernization stride and innovation-driven growth will inject more certainty into the global economy. QUALITY DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS ALL China will accelerate creating a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development, said Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, while delivering a report at the CPC congress. "We must fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy, promote high-standard opening-up, and accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows," Xi said. Deeply impressed by the remarks, Wichai Kinchong Choi, senior vice president of the leading Thai bank Kasikornbank, said he can see China's future development direction focus more on high-quality and sustainable development. "This is good news for Thailand and other neighboring countries," he said. In the past few years, many Chinese high-tech enterprises have set up factories in Thailand, which is exactly what Thailand needs, he noted, saying that they have helped the Thai economy to transform and upgrade, and enhance its competitiveness. Over the past decade, China's gross domestic product has come to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy. It has become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions, leading the world in total volume of trade in goods. Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China, which has managed to coordinate pandemic control and economic development, still maintains a stabilizer of the global supply and industrial chains, and is keeping driving the world economic recovery. Moreover, its development is not achieved at the expense of the environment. Instead, China is striving to make its development greener and more sustainable. In pursuit of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, the country has cut its carbon emission intensity by 34.4 percent over the past 10 years, and pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. In the eyes of Chenhong Huang, global executive vice president of the German multinational software company SAP SE and president of SAP Greater China, China's green development will profoundly change the global energy, environment and economic landscape. "Chinese enterprises are using digital technology to make carbon emission data transparent and quantifiable, and promote a balance between green development and commercial development," Huang said. Meanwhile, China renewing its commitment in the CPC congress report to promoting a high-standard opening-up also strikes a chord with the international business community. U.S. automaker Tesla's success in China speaks volume for Beijing's determination to further opening-up. Thanks to the efforts of the Chinese government to facilitate foreign investment, Tesla became the first wholly foreign-owned auto enterprise in China, Vice President of Tesla Tao Lin said, adding that the U.S. company is seeking to further expand its presence in the Chinese market. German heat exchanger company Kelvion (China) has started operations in China over 20 years ago. Cheng Wenwu, general manager of the company, said doing business in China is becoming easier. Mentioning an effective market mechanism and a convenient and fast standardized administrative process in China, Cheng said the changes over the past years have lowered the costs of companies, facilitated market access and helped firms to adapt to international rules, benefiting the companies' operations. CHINESE MODERNIZATION MEANS OPPORTUNITIES Chinese modernization, a key term defining China's journey to national rejuvenation and another buzzword in the CPC report, has spurred a heated discussion in business communities both domestic and abroad. It contains elements common to the modernization processes of all countries, but more importantly, it features the Chinese context. It is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature and of peaceful development. For business leaders in many parts of the world, Chinese modernization means more opportunities. Jose Antonio Hidalgo, former president of the Ecuador-China Chamber of Commerce, said Chinese modernization will generate a positive impact in the global context, especially for the agri-food sector of Ecuador. "It is an opportunity for us because the middle-class consumers (in China) are going to need excellent quality agrifood and they are going to look for it in countries like ours," he said. In 2021, China announced that after eight years of strenuous work between late 2012 and late 2020, the country had lifted the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line out of poverty, and removed all 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages from the poverty list. Now the country boasts the world's biggest middle-income group -- 400 million people. That means huge potential for consumption. Hamdi Al-Tabbaa, president of the Jordanian Businessmen Association, also sees opportunities in the Chinese path to modernization. China's consistent efforts to improve people's living standards mean a significantly expanded middle-income group and upgraded consumption structure, which will offer more development opportunities for global enterprises, said Al-Tabbaa. From initiating the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank to taking the lead in implementing the UN sustainable development agenda, China has always been sharing its development dividends with the rest of the world. Woody Guo, senior vice president and managing director of Herbalife Nutrition in China, said the CPC report underlines the certainty of the Chinese market against the uncertainties of the global market, and makes foreign enterprises feel reassured about their development in China. The Chinese modernization "will provide more chances and opportunities, not only from the growing of markets, but also from an employment point of view," said Sara Vermeulen-Anastasi, head of group communication at Swiss technology group Oerlikon. "We will be able to attract more engineers and have more choices of new technologies," Vermeulen-Anastasi said. INNOVATION INSPIRES NEW MOMENTUM While invigorating its economy, China has made innovation a top priority in its planning. The country rose to 12th place on the Global Innovation Index 2021, up from 34th place in 2012, said the World Intellectual Property Organization. It ranked first among middle-income economies. "We must regard science and technology as our primary productive force, talent as our primary resource, and innovation as our primary driver of growth," Xi said in the report. "Everything is about innovation," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club. China is very forward-looking, as in every sector, China has the dynamic about "wanting to know where the world is going," he added. Amid the innovation drive, the number of Chinese companies on the Fortune Global 500 list has grown. In 2021, 145 Chinese companies made it to the list, climbing from 95 in 2012 and increasing for 19 consecutive years. In terms of telecommunication infrastructure, the country has built the world's largest 5G network, with a total of 1.43 million 5G base stations installed across the country by the end of 2021, accounting for over 60 percent of the world's total. Backed by technological advancement, China has accelerated the construction of high-speed transportation networks. With the world's most developed high-speed rail network, China now has more than 40,000 km of high-speed rail lines in operation. Oswaldo Navarro from Jalisco, an agriculture-producing state in Mexico, has purchased several pieces of agriculture and farming equipment from China. He told Xinhua that the seed cleaning machine he imported from China has a daily capacity two to three times that of the equipment from other countries, saving much time and cost. China's increased efforts in science and education will help turn scientific and technological achievements into productivity, said Navarro. Hichem Chorfi, an Algerian businessman working for a consulting firm in industrial technology and innovation, said China shares advanced development models and achieves economic complementarity with other countries, improving the well-being of people in various countries through advanced technologies. Chinese innovation will be featured in many important areas of human society in the future, he said. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) The first convoy of French armored vehicles will arrive in Romania on Sunday evening to strengthen the NATO combat group stationed in the country, the Romanian Defense Ministry said. "The first French military convoy consisting in armoured vehicles in order to complete the technical means of BGFP (NATO Forward Presence Battlegroup) deployed in Cincu will enter on Sunday, 23 of October, aprox. 21:00 hours (18:00 GMT), in Romania through Nadlac crossing point, Arad county," the statement read. A second convoy is expected to arrive in November, the ministry said. "A second convoy consisting in one Leclerc squadron will enter in Romania during November," the statement said. The BGFP in Romania was established in May and consists of troops from France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The combat group's purpose is to deter and defend the alliance's eastern flank. Its current armaments include light armored vehicles and tanks. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) A gunman has shot and killed two employees of Methodist Dallas Medical Center, located southwest of downtown Dallas, Texas, NBC news reports citing hospital officials. The shooting occurred at around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday (16:00 GMT). "The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members," the system's executive leadership said in a written statement quoted by NBC on Saturday. A Methodist Health System police officer confronted and shot the suspect, who is now in custody, according to hospital officials. "The suspect was detained, stabilized, and taken to another local hospital," NBC quoted Methodist officials as saying on Saturday. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. LUHANSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) Ukrainian forces have targeted the city of Svatove in the Luhansk region using the US-supplied multiple rocket launcher HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), the Luhansk People's Republic's (LPR) mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination on the ceasefire regime (JCCC) said. "Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine: 00:30 (21:30 GMT on Saturday) at Svatove, with the use of MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) HIMARS (one missile)," the LPR mission said in a statement on Telegram. There has been no information on damages or casualties. Late on Thursday night, Ukrainian forces launched an attack targeting a civilian crossing near the Antonivka (Antonivskyi) bridge in the Kherson region using the US-supplied HIMARS. At least four people were killed and over a dozen were injured in the attack, according to Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the regional administration. Stremousov stressed that Ukrainian troops deliberately targeted journalists during the shelling. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared martial law in the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The upper house of the Russian parliament approved Putin's decree later in the day. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) Ukrainian forces have shelled the town of Novoaidar in the Luhansk region using the US-supplied multiple rocket launcher HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), the Luhansk People's Republic's (LPR) mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination on the ceasefire regime (JCCC) said. "Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine: 02:50 (23:50 GMT on Saturday) at Novoaidar, with the use of MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) HIMARS (six missiles)," the LPR mission said in a statement on Telegram. Earlier, the LPR mission to the JCCC said that the cities of Svatove and Zolote in the Luhansk region were also shelled by Ukrainian troops overnight using HIMARS. There has been no information on damages or casualties. Late on Thursday night, Ukrainian forces launched an attack targeting a civilian crossing near the Antonivka (Antonivskyi) bridge in the Kherson region using the US-supplied HIMARS. At least four people were killed and over a dozen were injured in the attack, according to Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the regional administration. Stremousov stressed that Ukrainian troops deliberately targeted journalists during the shelling. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared martial law in the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The upper house of the Russian parliament approved Putin's decree later in the day. Assisted by young Portuguese university students presenting a tablet for him, Pope Francis at the Angleus on Sunday registers for the forthcoming World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugual, August 2023. By Vatican News staff writer Read also 12/09/2022 Pope's message for WYD: 'Young people must go in haste to others, just like Mary' Pope Francis releases a third message for World Youth Day 2022 - 2023, to be held in Lisbon in 2023, after being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and urges young people to ... At the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis registered for the next World Youth Day to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in August 2023. Assisted and accompanied by Portuguese university students studying in Rome, the Pope tapped his way to becoming the first officially registered pilgrim for World Youth Day. He encouraged young people around the world to now register for the international celebration of faith. The Pope said that after a long period, especially due to the pandemic, "we will rediscover the joy of fraternal embrace between peoples and between generations, which we need so much." At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis appeals to political leaders to find solutions for lasting peace in Tigray, and prays for victims of floods affecting various countries in Africa. By Christopher Wells Pope Francis called on political leaders to put an end to the suffering of the defenceless population in Ethiopia, and to find equitable solutions for a lasting peace throughout the country. The Tigray region of Ethiopia has been racked with violence since war broke out almost two years ago. Earlier this month, the UN expressed grave concerns over a surge in violence beginning in August, after a five-month humanitarian truce. Read also 23/10/2022 Humanitarian crisis spreads in Ethiopias northern Tigray state Violence continues in Ethiopias northern Tigray state, where aid agencies say around a million people face famine. Pope Francis on Sunday said he is following the confict in Ethiopia with trepidation, and repeated with heartfelt concern that violence does not resolve disagreements, but only increases the tragic consequences. He expressed his hope that the efforts of the various parties in the conflict for dialogue and the pursuit of the common good might lead to a concrete path of reconciliation. The Holy Father concluded his prayer with the hope that our prayers, our solidarity, and the necessary human aid not fail our Ethiopian brothers and sisters, who are so sorely tried. Prayers for flood victims An aerial view shows the aftermath of the flooded landscape of Yenagoa, the capital town of Bayelsa, Nigeria Pope Francis also expressed his distress at floods that have caused death and destruction in many countries in Africa. I pray for the victims and am close to the millions of displaced persons, the Pope said, and I wish for a greater common effort to prevent these calamities. A new report from the UN World Food Program says that above-average rainfall and devastating flooding have affected five million people this year in 19 countries across west and central Africa. Archive photo of protest march in Quito by indigenous peoples and social organizations (AFP or licensors) A round table of discussions in Ecuador has been squaring up to the challenges the country faces and how to move forward in tackling them. The latest Accord has been signed in conjunction with the Episcopal Conference with the Bishops as guarantors. By James Blears Talks have included indigenous communities, the Ecuadorian government, as well as representatives and experts of social groups, with the Catholic Church mediating, and follow the nationwide unrest in June after the imposition of fuel price increases. That event led to nationwide protests and a State of Emergency being declared. The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador and the Government then agreed to dialogue. Special meeting The special meeting and its conclusions highlight various important fundamentals. It acknowledges responsibility for how the multicultural society functions and that reasoned dialogue is the best way to resolve outstanding issues. The parties to the talks also acknowledge that colonialism and elitism must be forever be banished from Ecuador in favour of total inclusion. The State must be meet and fulfil its constitutional obligations concerning education, welfare, human rights in accordance with the Peace Agreement signed on 30 June, which the Church mediated. Church mediation and help of bishops The latest Accord has been signed by the Bishops' Conference of Ecuador, with the Bishops as guarantors. The agreement points out that indigenous communities and the government must continue to seek the well-being of the country together. "When it comes to peace, justice and aspiring to a new country, no one should hide or exclude themselves for fear of losing prestige. We've taken the first step," reads the Accord. "Ecuador needs us to continue working together." One million people are at risk of famine in Ethiopias northern Tigray state Violence continues in Ethiopias northern Tigray state, where aid agencies say around a million people face famine. By Nathan Morley Ethiopian government forces have been involved in fighting with the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels since late 2020. Over the last two years, the conflict has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions. The Tigray region has been largely isolated since the war broke out leaving over five million people without basic needs such as electricity. Medicines, baby care products and food often run low. As violence continues in Ethiopias northern Tigray state, aid agencies say around a million people face famine. Read also 23/10/2022 Pope prays for peace in Ethiopia, victims of flooding in Africa At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis appeals to political leaders to find solutions for lasting peace in Tigray, and prays for victims of floods affecting various countries in ... The World Health Organisation has blamed the conflict for causing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. And, as it stands, the circle of violence shows no sign of abating. Earlier this week, the Ethiopian military took control of three towns from rebel forces in the northern Tigray region. The gains came amid growing alarm about the resurgent conflict pitting federal forces and their allies against Tigrayan rebels. On Tuesday, the Ethiopian National Defence Force took control of the towns of Shire, Alamata and Korem. As this was happening, the head of the African Union called for a ceasefire and urged the resumption of humanitarian services. At the same time, the U.S. development agency USAID joined the call for the joint offensive by Ethiopian federal forces to stop. AU-led peace talks were expected to take place in South Africa, but no date has been fixed for the meeting after it was postponed, ostensibly due to logistical problems. The event is among activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea. Overview of the Bac Ninh - Gumi business forum. (Photo: nhandan.vn) Standing Vice Chairman of Bac Ninh Peoples Committee Vuong Quoc Tuan said that the forum would open up opportunities for bilateral partnerships in investment, trade, tourism, health care, education, culture and communications. He overviewed the provinces socio-economic development in recent years with many indicators among the top in the country, especially in attracting foreign investment. So far, Bac Ninh has attracted foreign investment capital from 39 countries and territories, investing in 16 industries and fields with a total investment of nearly 23 billion USD. Among them, the Republic of Korea invested the most capital in Bac Ninh with 951 projects, worth 14.25 billion USD, accounting for 62% of the provinces total foreign investment capital. Some Korean investors in the province are Samsung Group, Intops, Hanwha Techwin, and Amkor. The mayor of Gumi, Kim Jang-ho said among 44 Gumi companies investing in Vietnam, 20 are based in Bac Ninh, which showed the provinces investment attraction policy is effective. He expressed a hope that the two sides will continue to boost joint work in all aspects. At the forum, the authorities and business representatives of the two localities exchanged, discussed and introduced the activities of enterprises of Gumi and Vietnam; introduced industrial parks, investment attraction potential in Bac Ninh; preferential policies for enterprises; and tax policies, solutions to promote the development of logistics and freight./. South Africa will overhaul its anti-corruption strategy and ensure the independence of prosecutors, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday, responding to recommendations from a state inquiry into alleged corruption under his predecessor. A judicial commission of inquiry was established to examine allegations of high-level graft during former President Jacob Zuma's nine years in power from 2009 to 2018. "The people of South Africa are tired of corruption and want it to end," Ramaphosa said in a live television broadcast. "As a country, we are emerging from a dark and difficult period." The inquiry found Zuma had allowed businessmen close to him - brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta - to plunder state resources and influence policy, commonly known as 'state capture' in South Africa. The Guptas deny any wrongdoing and have left the country but face extradition proceedings in Dubai. Zuma denies wrongdoing and at one stage refused to cooperate with the inquiry, leading to his imprisonment in July 2021 for contempt of court. Inquiry reports said investigations, which implicated ANC politicians and company executives, found rampant graft across key economic sectors including state-owned companies such as power utility Eskom and freight and logistics group Transnet. Evidence uncovered by the inquiry can be used by authorities to pursue criminal charges. Ramaphosa said of plans to overhaul South Africa's anti-graft strategy: "Through the implementation of the actions contained in this response, we can start a new chapter in our struggle against corruption." In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ramaphosa said his response outlined steps government will take to catch suspects and other reforms. Ramaphosa, who served as deputy state president under Zuma, testified at the inquiry that he chose to "remain but resist" rather than resign when allegations surfaced. Norwegian oil and gas workers normally dont see anything more threatening than North Sea waves crashing against the steel legs of their offshore platforms. But lately they have noticed a more troubling sight: unidentified drones buzzing in the skies overhead. With Norway replacing Russia as Europe's main source of natural gas, military experts suspect the unmanned aircraft are Moscow's doings. They list espionage, sabotage and intimidation as possible motives for the drone flights. The Norwegian government has sent warships, coastguard vessels and fighter jets to patrol around the offshore facilities. Norway's national guard stationed soldiers around onshore refineries that also were buzzed by drones. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre has invited the navies of NATO allies Britain, France and Germany to help address what could be more than a Norwegian problem. Precious little of the offshore oil that provides vast income for Norway is used by the country's 5.4 million inhabitants. Instead, it powers much of Europe. Natural gas is another commodity of continental significance. The value of Norwegian gas to Europe has never been higher, Stale Ulriksen, a researcher at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, said. As a strategic target for sabotage, Norwegian gas pipelines are probably the highest value target in Europe. Closures of airports, and evacuations of an oil refinery and a gas terminal last week due to drone sightings caused huge disruptions. But with winter approaching in Europe, there is worry the drones may portend a bigger threat to the 9,000 kilometers of gas pipelines that spider from Norway's sea platforms to terminals in Britain and mainland Europe. Since the start of the war in Ukraine in late February, European Union countries have scrambled to replace their Russian gas imports with shipments from Norway. The suspected sabotage of the Nordstream I and II pipelines in the Baltic Sea last month happened a day before Norway opened a new Baltic pipeline to Poland. Amund Revheim, who heads the North Sea and environment group for Norway's South West Police force, said his team interviewed more than 70 offshore workers who have spotted drones near their facilities. The working thesis is that they are controlled from vessels or submarines nearby, Revheim said. Winged drones have a longer range, but investigators considered credible a sighting of a helicopter-style bladed model near the Sleipner platform, located in a North Sea gas field 250 kilometers from the coast. Norwegian police have worked closely with military investigators who are analyzing marine traffic. Some platform operators have reported seeing Russian-flagged research vessels in close vicinity. Revheim said no pattern has been established from legal marine traffic and he is concerned about causing unnecessary, disruptive worry for workers. But Ulriksen, of the naval academy, said the distinction between Russian civilian and military ships is narrow and the reported research vessels could fairly be described as spy ships. The arrest of at least seven Russian nationals caught either carrying or illegally flying drones over Norwegian territory has raised tensions. On Wednesday, the same day a drone sighting grounded planes in Bergen, Norways second-biggest city, the Norwegian Police Security Service took over the case from local officers. We have taken over the investigation because it is our job to investigate espionage and enforce sanction rules against Russia, Martin Bernsen, an official with the service known by the Norwegian acronym PST. He said the sabotage or possible mapping of energy infrastructure was an ongoing concern. Stre, the prime minister, warned that Norway would take action against foreign intelligence agencies. It is not acceptable for foreign intelligence to fly drones over Norwegian airports. Russians are not allowed to fly drones in Norway, he said. Russias Embassy in Oslo hit back Thursday, claiming that Norway was experiencing a form of psychosis causing paranoia. Naval academy researcher Ulriksen thinks that is probably part of the plan. Several of the drones have been flown with their lights on, he said. They are supposed to be observed. I think it is an attempt to intimidate Norway and the West. The wider concern is that they are part of a hybrid strategy to both intimidate and gather information on vital infrastructure, which could later be targeted for sabotage in a potential strike against the West. I do not believe we are heading for a conventional war with Russia, Ulriksen said. But a hybrid war I think we are already in it. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said Sunday a hacking group broke into a subsidiary's network and had free access to its email system. A statement issued Sunday described the content in the emails as "containing technical messages and routine and ongoing everyday exchanges." The comes after an anonymous hacking group calling itself Black Reward claimed responsibility for the breach and said it had released images of Irans nuclear facilities and at least 50 gigabytes of information from Iran's atomic energy organization. Black Reward also published what it says are identity details and pay stubs of engineers and employees of the Iran Atomic Energy Production and Development Company, in addition to passports and visas of Iranian and Russian specialists working in the Bushehr power plant. The group has demanded Tehran release political prisoners arrested in the recent nationwide protests. The nationwide protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. She was arrested in mid-September by Irans morality police and died in their custody three days later. Amini, 22, was arrested for allegedly breaching the country's strict dress code for women. Irans government has claimed Amini suffered a heart attack and was not mistreated. Her family said she had no history of heart trouble and that her body bore bruises and other signs of beating and mistreatment. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Editor's note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Canadian High Court Weighs Immigration Agreement With US Canadas highest court is deliberating whether to overturn a nearly 20-year-old immigration agreement with the United States on the grounds that asylum-seekers cannot safely be returned to Canadas southern neighbor. The story by Craig McCulloch and VOAs immigration reporter Aline Barros. Venezuelan Migrants in Mexico Protest New US Border Policy Venezuelan migrants hoping to enter the United States from Mexico protested over the weekend a new U.S. program granting legal entry to 24,000 people from the crisis-wracked country while deporting all those who cross the southern border illegally, Agence France-Presse reports. US Policy Prompts Some Venezuelan Migrants to Change Route Venezuelan Gilbert Fernandez still plans to cross the dangerous Darien jungle into Panama and head toward the United States over land, despite a U.S. announcement that it will grant conditional humanitarian permits only to 24,000 Venezuelan migrants arriving by air, The Associated Press reports. New York City Opens Tent Shelter for Hundreds of Migrant Men New York City Wednesday opened an emergency tent shelter to alleviate some of the strain the city has felt recently from the steady stream of migrants who have arrived on buses sent by officials in Texas and other southern U.S. states. The Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center on Randall's Island, east of Manhattan, will be the temporary home for 500 single migrant men who arrived in the city after their long journeys that began in Venezuela and other places south of the U.S. border, The Associated Press reports. Migration around the world New Arrivals: Afghan Refugees Camped in Brazilian Airport About 150 refugees from Afghanistan are camped out in the main airport of Sao Paulo, Brazil's financial capital and most populous city. Many more are expected to arrive in the coming months, but aid workers say the government has no plans for a wide-scale response to the growing crisis. For VOA, Yan Boechat has this report from Sao Paulo, Brazil, with Heather Murdock in Istanbul. Migrants Caught in Middle as Turkey-Greece Tensions Escalate A photograph of migrants found exposed, without clothing, along the border of Greece and Turkey last week shocked the world and is raising international concerns that migrants and refugees are becoming the latest victims of a growing dispute between Turkey and Greece. From Istanbul, Dorian Jones reports both nations blame each other for the incident. Botswana Expresses Concerns Over Influx of Asylum-Seekers Botswana has expressed concern over an influx of asylum-seekers who fled from countries where they had been granted refugee status. Nearly 700 refugees have arrived from neighboring Zimbabwe, citing poor conditions at the refugee camps, while others have come from South Africa, driven out by xenophobic attacks. Mqondisi Dube reports for VOA from Botswana. News Brief The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced updates to remove barriers to naturalization for applicants with disabilities. A new asylum process for Venezuelans is now online. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a new report following its initial review of the Afghan special immigrant visa (SIV) program. The OIG made nine new recommendations that are intended to further improve the Afghan SIV program including revising the Standard Operating Procedures for Quarterly Congressional Reports, develop and implement procedures to establish ongoing interagency coordination until the Afghan SIV program concludes, and implement an updated staffing plan to adjust resources for all Department of State offices involved with the Afghan SIV program, among others. India launched a rocket carrying 36 private internet satellites on early Sunday, stepping in to keep the orbital constellation growing after a monthslong interruption related to the war in Ukraine. The liftoff from southern India was the first launch for London-based OneWeb since breaking with the Russian Space Agency in March because of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. We have accomplished the orbit very accurately, now the rocket is in its intended orbit, said S. Somanath, the chairperson of Indias space agency. He said 16 satellites were put into orbit and expressed optimism that "the remaining 20 satellites will get separated as safely as the first of the 16. OneWeb now has 462 satellites flying more than 70% of what the company said it needs to provide broadband services around the world. Despite this year's disruption, OneWeb said it remains on track to activate global coverage next year with a planned constellation of 648 satellites. It's already providing service in the northernmost latitudes. Each OneWeb satellite weighs about 330 pounds (150 kilograms). It was the 14th launch of OneWeb satellites and relied on India's heaviest rocket, normally reserved for government spacecraft. All of the previous OneWeb flights were on Russian rockets; the first was in 2019. The launch is important for India and reflects the gradual opening of its space agency to private customers, said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a director specializing in space and security at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. Rajagopalan said India is an expert at launching smaller satellites and has been trying to corner this market, pitching itself as a satellite launch facility. With the war in Ukraine still raging, it could open an opportunity for India as many countries shun Russian launch services. It could spur that trend in a big way, she said. Iran released security footage Sunday that it said came from its notorious Evin Prison the night a fire broke out that killed at least eight inmates, an effort to clarify the government's narrative amid growing international pressure. The purported CCTV footage of the mayhem last weekend only added to the mystery of what happened the night of the blaze at the detention facility. Evin Prison is known for holding political prisoners, including protesters from the demonstrations that have convulsed throughout the country over the past five weeks. Rights groups estimate that thousands have been swept up since the unrest began over the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman in police custody for allegedly not adhering to the countrys strict Islamic dress code. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency aired an interview with an unnamed top prison guard who claimed a riot broke out as prisoners convicted of financial crimes tried to escape. However, no unrest or violence is visible in the released CCTV footage. The quick glimpses show crowds of detainees rushing through cell doors. Some men appear panicked as smoke fills the ward and a siren wails. A prisoner tries to break his cell lock with a fire extinguisher, while another tries with a mop. A man tries to damage a CCTV camera. The cryptic video and shifting explanations for what happened last Saturday night at Evin Prison have sown doubt about the government's version of events. Officials first said the unrest was stoked by enemy agents" and some inmates who attempted to escape. They also claimed inmates set a sewing workshop on fire. But in numerous videos shared on social media, gunshots, explosions and protest chants can be heard. Iran's nationwide protests first focused on Irans state-mandated hijab, or headscarf, for women but transformed into one of the most serious challenges to the countrys ruling clerics. Protesters have clashed with police and even called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic itself. Security forces have fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse demonstrations, killing over 200 people, according to estimates by rights groups. Meanwhile Irans leading teachers association reported that sit-ins canceled classes at multiple schools across the country in protest over the governments crackdown on student protesters. The union shared photos of teachers holding protest signs saying Woman, Life, Freedom" instead of teaching in classrooms in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj, Marivan, Kermanshah and Saqez, as well as in the West Azerbaijan and mountainous Hamadan provinces, among others. Schools have become barracks and tear gas is thrown in the faces of elementary school students, one teacher wrote in a letter shared by the union. Campuses have long been a flash point for unrest in Iran, including during the 1953 student protests under the Western-backed shah and during the 1999 pro-democracy demonstrations under former reformist President Mohammad Khatami. Scattered demonstrations continued at universities across the country Sunday, footage showed. At the prestigious Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, the scene of an hourslong siege by security forces earlier this month that ended with dozens of students arrested, protests erupted as students tore down the barrier dividing men from women in the campus cafeteria, a students' association said. Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! the massive crowd shouted at the top of their lungs, footage showed, pumping their fists in the air. Russias military leadership has withdrawn its officers in the Russian-annexed city of Kherson across the Dnieper River in anticipation of an advance of Ukrainian troops, the Institute for the Study of War think tank said Sunday. To delay the Ukrainian counteroffensive as the Russians complete their retreat, Moscow has left newly mobilized, inexperienced forces on the other side of the wide river, it added. The troop movements come as the Ukrainian military said its forces have continued their counteroffensives in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. On Saturday, Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine told all Kherson residents to leave immediately ahead of the expected action by Ukrainian troops to take back the city. Kherson has been in Russian hands since the early days of the eight-month-long war in Ukraine. The city is the capital of a region of the same name, one of four that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month and put under Russian martial law on Thursday. On Friday, Ukrainian forces bombarded Russian positions across the province, targeting pro-Kremlin forces resupply routes across the Dnieper River and preparing for a final push to reclaim the city. The ISW think tank also said Sunday that Russias latest war strategy of targeting power plants in recent days appears to be aimed at diminishing Ukrainians will to fight and forcing Ukraines government to spend additional resources to protect civilians and energy infrastructure. It said the effort was unlikely to damage Ukrainian morale but would have significant economic impact. The Ukrainian military said Sunday that Russian forces are now mostly on the defensive but are keeping up offensive attacks on Ukraines energy infrastructure and on several towns in the eastern Donbas area. Nine regions across Ukraine, from Odesa in the southwest to Kharkiv in the northeast, saw attacks again targeting energy and other critical infrastructure over the past day, the Ukrainian general staff said. It reported a total of 25 Russian air strikes and more than 100 missile and artillery strikes around Ukraine. Ukrainian counteroffensive forces in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, meanwhile, targeted Russian-held facilities, notably in the town of Nova Kakhovka, and carried out 17 air strikes in the overall campaign, according to the Ukrainian general staff. In a Telegram post Sunday, the Ukrainian military claimed to have destroyed 14 Iranian-made Rian drones over the past day. Russian S-300 missile strikes overnight hit a residential neighborhood in the city of Mykolaiv, injuring three people, according to the Ukrainian militarys southern command. Two apartment buildings, a playground and a warehouse were damaged or destroyed, it said in a Facebook post. The reports could not be immediately verified. The general carrying out President Vladimir Putin's new military strategy in Ukraine has a reputation for brutality for bombing civilians in Russia's campaign in Syria. He also played a role in the deaths of three protesters in Moscow during the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991 that hastened the demise of the Soviet Union. Bald and fierce-looking, Gen. Sergei Surovikin was put in charge of Russian forces in Ukraine Oct. 8 after what has so far been a faltering invasion that has seen a number of chaotic retreats and other setbacks over the nearly eight months of war. Putin put the 56-year-old career military man in command following an apparent truck bombing of the strategic bridge to the Crimean Peninsula that embarrassed the Kremlin and created logistical problems for the Russian forces. Russia responded with a barrage of strikes across Ukraine, which Putin said were aimed at knocking down energy infrastructure and Ukrainian military command centers. Such attacks have continued daily, pummeling power plants and other facilities with cruise missiles and waves of Iranian-made drones. Surovikin also retains his job of air force chief, a position that could help coordinate the airstrikes with other operations. During the most recent bombardments, some Russian war bloggers carried a statement attributed to Surovikin that signaled his intention to pursue the attacks with unrelenting vigor to pound the Kyiv government into submission. I dont want to sacrifice Russian soldiers lives in a guerrilla war against hordes of fanatics armed by NATO, the bloggers quoted his statement as saying. We have enough technical means to force Ukraine to surrender. While the veracity of the statement couldnt be confirmed, it appears to reflect the same heavy-handed approach that Surovikin took in Syria where he oversaw the destruction of entire cities to flush out rebel resistance without paying much attention to the civilian population. That indiscriminate bombing drew condemnation from international human rights groups, and some media reports have dubbed him General Armageddon. Putin awarded Surovikin the Hero of Russia medal, the countrys highest award, in 2017 and promoted him to full general. Kremlin hawks lauded Surovikin's appointment in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire businessman dubbed Putin's chef who owns a prominent military contractor that plays a key role in the fighting in Ukraine, praised him as the best commander in the Russian army. But even as hardliners expected Surovikin to ramp up strikes on Ukraine, his first public statements after his appointment sounded more like a recognition of the Russian military's vulnerabilities than blustery threats. In remarks on Russian state television, Surovikin acknowledged that Russian forces in southern Ukraine were in a quite difficult position in the face of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. In carefully scripted comments that Surovikin appeared to read from a teleprompter, he said that further action in the region will depend on the evolving combat situation. Observers interpreted his statement as an attempt to prepare the public for a possible Russian pullback from the strategic southern city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Surovikin began his military career with the Soviet army in 1980s and, as a young lieutenant, was named an infantry platoon commander. When he later rose to air force chief, it drew a mixed reaction in the ranks because it marked the first time when the job was given to an infantry officer. He found himself in the center of a political storm in 1991. When members of the Communist Party's old guard staged a hardline coup in August of that year, briefly ousting Gorbachev and sending troops into Moscow to impose a state of emergency, Surovikin commanded one of the mechanized infantry battalions that rolled into the capital. Popular resistance mounted quickly, and in the final hours of the three-day coup, protesters blocked an armored convoy led by Surovikin and tried to set some of the vehicles ablaze. In a chaotic melee, two protesters were shot and a third was crushed to death by an armored vehicle. The coup collapsed later that day, and Surovikin was quickly arrested. He spent seven months behind bars pending an inquiry but was eventually acquitted and even promoted to major as investigators concluded that he was only fulfilling his duties. Another rocky moment in his career came in 1995, when Surovikin was convicted of illegal possession and trafficking of firearms while studying at a military academy. He was sentenced to a year in prison, but the conviction was reversed quickly. He rose steadily through the ranks, commanding units deployed to the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, leading troops sent to Chechnya and serving at other posts across Russia. He was appointed commander of Russian forces in Syria in 2017 and served a second stint there in 2019 as Moscow sought to prop up President Bashar Assad's regime and help it regain ground amid a devastating civil war. In a 2020 report, Human Rights Watch named Surovikin, along with Putin, Assad and other figures as bearing command responsibility for violations during the 2019-20 Syrian offensive in Idlib province. He apparently has a temper that has not endeared him to subordinates, according to Russian media. One officer under Surovikin complained to prosecutors that the general had beaten him after becoming angry over how he voted in parliamentary elections; another subordinate reportedly shot himself. Investigators found no wrongdoing in either case. His track record in Syria could have been a factor behind his appointment in Ukraine, as Putin has moved to raise the stakes and reverse a series of humiliating defeats. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has repeatedly called for ramping up strikes in Ukraine, praised Surovikin as a real general and a warrior, well-experienced, farsighted and forceful who places patriotism, honor and dignity above all." The united group of forces is now in safe hands, the Kremlin-backed Kadyrov said, voicing confidence that he will improve the situation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made veiled comparisons Sunday between the Soviet troops that attacked Hungary during the 1956 revolution and the institutions of the European Union today. Marking the 66th anniversary of that crushed uprising, Orban suggested that the EU, which has sought to rein in democratic backsliding in Hungary, would end up like the Soviet Union, which dissolved more than three decades ago. Lets not bother with those who shoot at Hungary from the shadows or from the heights of Brussels. They will end up where their predecessors did," Orban said in a speech to a select group of guests in the rural city of Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary, breaking with a tradition of giving a speech in Budapest on the anniversary. His absence from the capital on one of Hungarys most important national holidays came as tens of thousands of people protested in Budapest, demanding higher wages and better working conditions for educators. The demonstration Sunday was the latest in a sustained wave of protests by Hungarian teachers and students. Money is spent on unnecessary things, on new stadiums, on never-finished projects, on irrelevant investments, and in the meantime the whole education system is being bled out," said one protester, Adam Botos. Vince Buzas, another protest participant, said, Lets not forget that it is not only the teachers who are oppressed by the government. The LGBTQ community, ethnic minorities and endless other groups could be mentioned." Orban, who characterizes his form of government as an illiberal democracy, is facing the threat of cuts to EU funding over his democratic record and perceived corruption. Seeking to salvage some funding, the Hungarian parliament recently passed new anti-graft legislation. But the country still risks losing billions of euros as punishment for perceived breaches of democratic practices, causing the national currency and economy to weaken recently. We were here when the first conquering empire attacked us, and well be here when the last one collapses, Orban declared Sunday. We will bear it when we must, and we will push back when we can. We draw swords when there is a chance, and we resist when long years of oppression come. We are victorious even when we are defeated, Orban said. The Oct. 23 national holiday commemorates the beginning of a 1956 popular uprising against Soviet repression that began in Budapest and spread across the country. After Hungarys Stalinist leader was successfully ousted and Soviet troops were forced out of the capital, a directive from Moscow sent the Red Army back into Budapest and brutally suppressed the revolution, killing as many as 3,000 civilians and destroying much of the city. The holiday, which looms large in Hungarys historical memory as a freedom fight against Russian repression, comes as war rages in neighboring Ukraine where Moscow has occupied large swaths of the country and illegally annexed four regions. Orban, widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in the EU, has vigorously lobbied against the bloc imposing sanctions on Moscow, though the nationalist leader has ultimately voted for all sanctions packages. Protesters in Hungary's capital Sunday carried a banner depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin hugging Orban. A Palestinian militant group accused Israel on Sunday of killing one of its top fighters in a targeted attack deep inside a West Bank city, promising to unleash a fierce response. The Den of Lions, a group of young Palestinians that was formed out of frustration and disillusionment with the Palestinian leadership and its tight security ties with Israel, said Tamer al-Kilani was killed when an explosive device planted on a motorcycle exploded as he walked by. The Israeli military declined to comment. The military has been conducting nightly raids in the occupied West Bank since the spring in what it says is a bid to dismantle militant networks and thwart attacks. The raids have ratcheted up tensions in the area and have been met by a series of Palestinian shooting attacks. An Israeli military official said al-Kilani was connected to a deadly shooting attack last week that killed an Israeli soldier, as well as several other shooting attacks in the northern West Bank. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details with the media. Two videos provided by Den of Lions showed a person on a motorcycle parking and exiting the frame. The second video showed a man, seemingly al-Kilani, walking by a motorcycle and then what appears to be a blast. Sunday's killing happened in Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank where, along with the militant stronghold Jenin, the Palestinian Authority has less of a foothold. Israel accuses the Palestinians, with which it coordinates to clamp down on militants, of being unwilling to rein in lawlessness in the area. The Palestinian Authority, created under interim peace agreements in the 1990s, rules parts of the West Bank semi-autonomously. Many Palestinians oppose the security coordination, viewing it as a sign of the PA's weakness and as a betrayal of the Palestinian people. Widely disenchanted with the PA, which is widely seen as undemocratic and corrupt, young Palestinians are flocking to an array of militant groups to seek weapons. Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said Den of Lions has no more than 30 members and has promised that their days are numbered. But shooting attacks in the area have been on the rise and in recent weeks have turned deadly. The military raids in the West Bank began in the spring after a spate of Palestinian attacks aagainst Israelis killed 19 people, while more recent attacks have killed several more. More than 120 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, making this year the deadliest since 2015. The Israeli army says most of the Palestinians killed during the raids have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state. Xi Jinping presides over the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is fully confident and capable of creating new and even greater miracles on the new journey of the new era, Xi Jinping said as the 20th CPC National Congress came to a conclusion Saturday. The CPC congress has realized its goals of unifying thinking, fortifying confidence, charting the course and boosting morale, Xi told 2,338 delegates and specially invited delegates present at the closing session of the weeklong congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. "This has been a congress of holding our banner high, pooling our strength, and promoting solidarity and dedication." At the closing session presided over by Xi, the congress elected a new CPC Central Committee, with 205 members and 171 alternate members, and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) consisting of 133 members. The congress passed a resolution on the report of the 19th CPC Central Committee, a resolution on the work report of the 19th CCDI, and a resolution on an amendment to the CPC Constitution. The congress noted that the establishment of Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has set the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on "an irreversible historical course." The report of the 19th CPC Central Committee charts the course and establishes a guide to action for the new journey for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for realizing the Second Centenary Goal, Xi said. Hailing the report "a guiding Marxist document," Xi said it is a political declaration and a program of action for the CPC to rally and lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in securing new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics. The CCDI work report underscores the significance of using the Party's own transformation to steer social transformation, and declares the Party's firm resolve to keep improving conduct, promoting integrity and fighting corruption with sober-minded determination to make this an unceasing endeavor, Xi said. On the revised CPC Constitution, which came into effect as of the date of adoption, Xi said it encapsulates the theoretical, practical and institutional innovations made by the Party. The revised CPC Constitution sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership, promoting the Party's full and rigorous self-governance, continuing and improving Party building, and advancing the Party's self-reform, he said. The new developments in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era since the 19th CPC National Congress have been incorporated into the Party Constitution. Advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization has been designated as the central task of the Party on the new journey of the new era at the 20th CPC National Congress. This central task has been included in the revised Party Constitution. Also added to the Party Constitution are statements on gradually realizing the goal of common prosperity for all, pursuing high-quality development, developing a broader, fuller and more robust whole-process people's democracy, elevating the people's armed forces to world-class standards, resolutely implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems, and resolutely opposing and deterring separatists seeking "Taiwan independence." Holding dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom was also included in the Party Constitution. On the newly elected CPC Central Committee, Xi said it is a broadly representative and well-structured body with highly qualified members who meet the standards for Central Committee membership, match the expectations of ordinary officials and the general public, and reflect the realities of the Party's leadership teams and contingent of officials. The new CPC Central Committee will definitely be capable of shouldering the historic mission of rallying and leading the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and in advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts, he said. "We believe that all the decisions and plans set out at the congress and all its outcomes will play a significant role in guiding and underpinning our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects, advance national rejuvenation on all fronts, and secure new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics," Xi said. Xi called on the delegates to firmly keep in mind the Party's original aspiration and founding mission and the country's most fundamental interests, and firmly keep in mind that "this country is its people; the people are the country." During the congress, the central committees of other political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce as well as public figures from all ethnic groups and all sectors in China offered their congratulations, as did members of the public through various means. Political parties and organizations in many countries around the world also sent congratulatory messages. "The presidium of the congress wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them," Xi said. Having come through a century of great endeavor, the Party is once again embarking on a new journey on which it will face new tests, Xi noted. "We are fully confident and capable of creating new and even greater miracles on the new journey of the new era -- miracles that will amaze the world." Xi urged all Party members to stay closely rallied around the CPC Central Committee and hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics. "We must remain confident in our history, exhibit greater historical initiative, and have the courage to fight and the mettle to win," he said. Xi called on the Party to stay focused, determinedly forge ahead, and unite and lead all Chinese people in striving to fulfill the goals and tasks set out at the 20th CPC National Congress. Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng, Wang Qishan and Hu Jintao attend the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Editor: WXY Somali security forces say they have ended a seven-hourlong siege on a popular hotel in the coastal town of Kismayo. Brigadier General Yusuf Hussein Osman Dhumal, the regional security minister, told VOA Somali that the siege at the Tawakal hotel ended after security forces shot and killed three well-armed al-Shabab attackers. He said a fourth attacker was a suicide bomber who blew himself up at the start of the incident. He also said nine people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed and 47 others injured. Sundays attack started with an explosion outside the hotel, followed by the storming of the facility by the armed men. The blast was heard around 12:15 p.m. local time. Most of the guests were rescued. Farhan Abdi Afdhub, a local politician, was among those rescued. An explosion occurred; I am not sure whether it was a car bomb or someone blowing up, he said. I was at the lobby when I saw four attackers with their faces covered, wearing [army] uniform[s], entering the hotel. I run to the room next to the reception. I opened the window, tore the window net, and jumped out. I was rescued by the rescue and ambulance teams. Afdhub said he does not know the number of people who were inside the hotel at the time. The hotel is frequented by local elders and business community leaders. Also Sunday, the Somali government reiterated a directive to the business community to reject paying extortion money to the militants. Government officials warned the businesses that al-Shabab will use the funds to make bombs and detonate them in public places, as well as carry out assassinations. Deputy Information Minister Abdirahman Yusuf Al-adala urged the business community to report if al-Shabab calls them demanding extortion money. Al-adala said the government has set up two hotlines where people can call to report such incidents. He said information about the callers will be protected. The system will be protecting your information and your safety, he said. You are not required to tell us your name and your location. All you have to do is share the information about the person seeking the collection of the extortion. The United States says al-Shabab generates $100 million per year from various sources. Al-Shabab has been fighting to topple the internationally recognized Somali government for more than 15 years. Somali government forces supported by local militias, with the backing of African Union forces are currently engaged in a counterinsurgency offensive mobilizing against the militant group to defeat it. Southeast Asian foreign ministers will hold a special meeting in Indonesia on Thursday to discuss the Myanmar peace process, Cambodia's foreign ministry said on Sunday. The talks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta will cover the implementation of a five-point peace "consensus" agreed with Myanmar's military rulers last year to try to end conflict in the country, ministry spokesman Chum Sounry told Reuters. Myanmar has been trapped in a cycle of violence since the army ousted Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021, detaining her and thousands of activists and launching a bloody crackdown on protests and dissent. The meeting will seek to come up with recommendations on how to push forward the peace process ahead of an ASEAN summit next month, he said by text message. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN. ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, has been leading peace efforts but some countries in the 10-nation bloc have become increasingly exasperated by the lack of progress by the junta implementing the plan, which includes engaging with opponents and a cessation of hostilities. Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said last month ASEAN needed to decide by November whether the peace consensus was still relevant. Afghanistans ruling Taliban have sharply reacted to reports a U.S. military officer had forcibly taken a child away from an Afghan couple who arrived in the United States as refugees. The couple filed a federal lawsuit against Marine Corps Attorney Major Joshua Mast and his wife last month, accusing them of allegedly abducting their baby girl, accusations Mast has denied. Mast argues that he and his wife are the childs legal guardians. The Taliban Foreign Ministry said Sunday it considers this case as worrying, far from human dignity and an inhumane act, and will seriously pursue this issue with American authorities so that the said child is returned to her relatives. The baby, now 3-and-a-half years old, had been rescued in 2020, two years ago from the rubble of a U.S. military raid that killed her parents and five siblings. She had gone to live with her cousin and his wife after spending months in a U.S. military hospital before they were flown to Washington by Mast along with tens of thousands of Afghans during the chaotic U.S.-led foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. Court records say Mast, an active-duty Marine officer, took the baby from the couple five days after they arrived in the U.S. The couple hasn't seen the child since. The marine and his wife had adopted the child in a Virginia court, according to court documents. "After they took her, our tears never stop," the Afghan woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Associated Press. "Right now, we are just dead bodies. Our hearts are broken. We have no plans for a future without her. Food has no taste, and sleep gives us no rest, she added. The Taliban Foreign Ministry renewed its criticism of mass evacuation of Afghans, saying they were inappropriately taken out of the country by the United States and its allies. It went on to allege that many of the evacuees are now kept in various camps in a state of legal limbo and deprived of basic human rights. The statement urged the host countries to safeguard the human and legal rights of Afghan refugees in line with international laws and through consular services. The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021 when the U.S.-backed government in Kabul collapsed, and foreign forces withdrew after nearly 20 years of war with the then-Islamist insurgency. The Taliban takeover prompted a chaotic evacuation by the United States and other Western allies of Afghans who feared retribution for siding with the international forces against the insurgency. The U.S. alone airlifted more than 120,000 people to safety. Many of the evacuees were flown to third countries to be processed for resettlement in the U.S. but they have yet to be resettled and reportedly face housing issues as well challenges in sending their children back to school. No country has yet formally recognized the Taliban governments legitimacy, citing terrorism and concerns over human rights, particularly those of Afghan women and girls. The radical group has placed restrictions on women, undermining their access to education and work. While public and private universities across Afghanistan are open to females, teenage girls are banned from attending secondary schools from grades seven to 12. Thomas West, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, told VOA last week that his delegation held a fresh round of talks with the Taliban earlier this month in Qatar and renewed Washingtons concerns over human rights issues. I think both sides brought a constructive attitude to those talks. I think we are on our way to rebuilding trust, West noted. I made very clear that it is my view that nothing would improve the Taliban standing domestically in Afghanistan or internationally more than were they to allow over a million girls who are currently denied secondary education, the fundamental right they have to pursue those studies, and also for women to work, the U.S. envoy stressed. The Taliban defend their rules for women, saying they are in line with Islamic injunctions and Afghan culture. They say arrangements are being made to enable secondary school girls to return to classes but insist their government will not do so under international pressure. Some information in this report was provided by The Associated Press. Witnesses in Sudan's Blue Nile region say more than 150 people have been killed this week in communal violence triggered by a land dispute. Blue Nile governor Ahmed al-Omda Badi declared a night curfew in Wed al- Mahi locality, Wednesday, after the renewed communal fighting between the Hausa and local Berti tribes. According to an eyewitness, the three days of clashes have killed more than 150 people, injured scores of others and displaced thousands. Speaking to VOA from al-Damazine town early Friday, local activist Abdulatti Ahmed al-Fekki says the fighting continued for a third day, displacing families, including women and children. Al-Fekki says according to a report from Wed Al Mahi, houses have been burned to the ground and property is being looted. He describes the situation as horrible. "The preliminary death toll up to this morning is more than 160 and up to this moment, there are uncounted wounded individuals from Madina villages, two and three who are unable to be taken to the hospital. I am quite sure that in such a situation, there will be victims who have yet to be identified," he said. VOA could not independently verify the casualty figures. Inter-communal clashes erupted between tribes in July due to a land dispute. Al-Fekki says all health facilities in the town of al-Russairis are filled with injured people, and that about two thousand displaced people have gathered in a nearby village. The Sudanese national government has deployed more troops to the area to de-escalate tensions between the two rival communities. Al-Fekki said he saw additional troops being sent to the area Friday morning to end the cycle of violence. "As I speak, I could see some military Land Cruiser pick-ups, full of armed Sudanese Armed Forces, heading to the conflicted area. Apart from this, he adds, I can confirm that there are some forces that went yesterday to the conflict area to contain the clashes, he said. The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Eddie Rowe, expressed concern at the renewed inter-communal fighting in Blue Nile and West Kordofan, appealing for an end to the violence. At least 1,200 people have been displaced and an unconfirmed 170 people have been killed and 327 have been injured, Rowe said in a statement published Thursday. Rowe urged all parties in the conflict to enable the free and safe movement of affected people in search of safety and assistance. He said humanitarian organizations in Sudan stand ready to aid people affected by the conflicts. The international charity organization, Save the Children in Sudan, also expressed deep concern about renewed violence in Blue Nile. We urge authorities and community leaders to do everything possible to end violence affecting innocent civilians, it said. In the last, brief conversations Viktoria Skliar had with her detained boyfriend, the Ukrainian prisoner of war was making tentative plans for life after his release in an upcoming exchange with Russia. The next time Skliar saw Oleksii Kisilishin, he was dead one of several bodies in a photo of people local authorities said were killed when blasts ripped through a prison in a part of Ukraines Donetsk region controlled by Moscow-backed separatists. For months, Skliar had held out hope she would reunite with her partner, who had been one of the defenders of the Azovstal steel plant, the last holdout of Ukrainian fighters in the besieged city of Mariupol. Now, she has retrained her focus on getting his body back. Against enormous odds, Ukraine has now received the remains of dozens of prisoners who were held at the prison in Olenivka. But with experts still needing months to identify all the bodies and no guarantee Kisilishin is among them Skliars quest is far from over. That she even knows her boyfriend is dead is remarkable. She recognized his tattoos in a photo shared on social media following the July 29 blasts. It showed him laid out, semi-naked, on the ground in a line with eight other bodies. When I saw the photo, my eyes did not go beyond Oleksiis body, Skliar told The Associated Press. I didnt have time to cry. I cried all my tears when they were in Azovstal. My first thought was to get the body back somehow. Skliar said she contacted representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told them about the photo and gave them his name in the hopes that theyd be able to arrange for him to be brought home. The humanitarian organization couldn't tell her much the group had to wait for official lists of prisoners and agreements from politicians before it could help repatriate any bodies. While she waited, Skliar feared her loved one would end up in a mass grave. Kisilishin, who died at 26, was called back to the Azov Regiment, part of the Ukrainian National Guard, where hed served until 2016, two weeks before Russias invasion of Ukraine in February. The animal caregiver and activist had chosen to return to defend his hometown of Mariupol, rather than stay in Kyiv, where hed met Skliar at an equestrian club a year before. When Kisilishin was holed up at the Azovstal steel mill during a three-month siege of the city, they spoke every day until Russian forces encircled the plant. In May, he was captured when the last Azovstal defenders were told by Ukraines military to turn themselves over to Russian forces. From captivity, Skliar continued to have phone calls from him, though they never lasted longer than a minute. Her boyfriend said little about himself, responding only its OK or bearable when she asked him how he was. Then, Skliar said she received a call from Kisilishin and his voice was cheerful. "He said that they will be taken somewhere. He hoped for an exchange, she said. She believes he was taken to Olenivka that day or soon after. Later, she said she heard from the Red Cross that he would be part of an upcoming prisoner exchange. But three weeks after that, he was dead. Authorities at the prison and Russian officials have said 53 Ukrainian POWs died in the blasts and another 75 were wounded. On a list of the victims released by Moscow and published in Russian media, Kisilishin was number 43. What exactly happened in Olenivka remains unknown. Russia claims Ukraines military hit the prison with rockets. The Ukrainian military denied launching any strikes and accused Russia of mining it. Kyiv alleges that the Kremlins forces tortured prisoners held in Olenivka and that the blasts were meant to cover up any evidence of those crimes. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights raised concerns recently about reports that prisoners in Olenivka and elsewhere were subjected to beatings, electrocution and other abuse. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Ukrainian allegations of what happened in Olenivka. Russia and Ukraine agreed in August to a U.N. fact-finding mission, but U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said just over a week ago that the appropriate security guarantees were not in place for the work to start. When other Ukrainian POWs returned in September, the photos showed emaciated but smiling faces. Skliar believes Kisilishin was supposed to be among them. Instead, he probably returned to Ukraine in a bag labeled Olenivka with 62 other bodies that were exchanged Oct. 11. Relatives of soldiers have given DNA samples, and experts are now working to identify the remains, said the representative of the Patronage Service of the Azov Regiment, Natalia Bahrii. Its not clear why there were more than 60 bodies in the exchange, even though authorities put the death toll from the blasts at just over 50. Kisilishin's father, Oleksandr who himself was captured as a POW and released has given a sample. To honor his son, the father, working with the NGO UAnimals, plans to arrange grants for animal shelters continuing the work that Kisilishin devoted his life to. The older Kisilishin and Skliar don't talk much about their loved one. We cant have him back anyway, Skliar recounted the father once said to her. Still, Skliar hopes she will one day be able to bury him. He fought for the free people of a free country; he defended his city, Mariupol, Viktoria said. He is a warrior. And he has the right to be buried in the land he defended." Russia has launched new, wide scale missile strikes on Ukraines civilian energy sites, causing power outages nationwide, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his regular video address late Saturday. Zelenskyys comments come as the war approaches its eight-month mark on Monday, October 24. Ukrainian authorities say nearly 1.5 million households across the country have been left without electricity. But Zelenskyy said most of the Russian missiles and drones were being shot down, reiterating an earlier statement by the Ukrainian military that it had downed 18 out of 33 cruise missiles launched from the air and sea on Saturday. Of course we don't yet have the technical ability to knock down 100 percent of the Russian missiles and strike drones. I am sure that, gradually, we will achieve that, with help from our partners," Zelenskyy said. Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine's power stations, water supply systems, and other key infrastructure over the past two weeks. The areas targeted by the latest strikes include Khmelnytskiy and Lutsk in the countrys west and the central city of Uman. Khmelnytskiy, which was home to some 275,000 people before the war, was left with no electricity, shortly after local media reported several loud explosions on Saturday, regional officials said. Uman, which had some 100,000 residents before the war, was also plunged into darkness after a rocket hit a nearby power station. In Lutsk, a city of 215,000, electricity had been partially knocked out after Russian missiles slammed into local energy facilities, according to local officials. Authorities in Khmelnytskiy and Lutsk urged residents to store water, in case its also gone. Air strikes and power disruptions were also reported from Odesa in the south, the central city of Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia in the countrys southeast. The national energy company, Ukrenerho, continued to urge all Ukrainians to conserve energy. In his address later on Saturday, Zelenskyy said authorities had managed to restore power in multiple regions where electricity had been cut off as a result of the attack. "The main target of the terrorists is energy," he said. In the capital, Kyiv, and surrounding regions rolling blackouts came into effect on Saturday in response to the reduced power supplies. Ukrainian officials said about 40% of the country's electric power system has been severely damaged since Russia increased attacks on Ukraines civilian infrastructure. Zelenskyy had earlier said 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been destroyed by Russian strikes since October 10. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal warned that the intensifying missile and drone strikes will create a new wave of refugees from Ukraine. "If there is no more electricity, no more heating, no more water in Ukraine, this can trigger a new migration tsunami," he told the Sunday edition of Germany's broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Chinese President Xi Jinpings success in securing an unprecedented third term this weekend has fueled speculation on whether he will try to forcefully reunify with Taiwan the self-ruled island seen by Beijing as a part of China in the next few years. Some analysts speculate that China will try to achieve unification by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. A U.S. Navy official, meanwhile, has warned that Xi may attempt to take back Taiwan by 2027, the Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) 100th birthday. And a Taiwanese official this week said Beijing could coerce Taiwan into accepting unfavorable terms for unification as early as next year. Partly fueling the speculation is that Xi, the strongest leader China has had in years, has often called for achieving Chinas rejuvenation, which includes reunifying with Taiwan. However, Xi has not mentioned a timeline, at least not publicly. And he offered no clues during his opening speech at the 20th party congress last weekend. He said the same things he had said before, but emphasized that faced with gross provocations of external (U.S.) interference in Taiwan affairs, China will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort, but will never promise to renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary. Analysts differ in their assessments of Xis intentions. Chang Wu-yue, director of Taiwans Tamkang University Cross-Strait Relations Research Center, says Xi will not try to unify in the next five years because the cost will be high. Beijings current plan is to achieve unification no later than 2049, Chang said. By then, Xi would be 96 years old, so its unclear whether its his plan or Chinas plan, or if theres even a plan. Simon Chen, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, says theres a sense of urgency in Xis speech. In 2019, he said the reunification issue cannot be delayed from one generation to another, but this year, he said unification of the nation must be achieved and can definitely be achieved, Chen said. At the end of the party congress Saturday, the Communist Party also approved an amendment to its charter opposing Taiwan independence for the first time. Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have risen in recent years, further fueling speculation of an impending attack. From 2008-16 when Taiwans former ruling party the Kuomintang (KMT) was in power, relations between Beijing and Taipei reached their best level since the end of the civil war in 1949, but they quickly deteriorated to the worst in decades after President Tsai Ing-wen from Taiwans pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2016 and U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year later. Tsai refused to accept a compromise agreement previously accepted by both sides, which allowed them to put aside the touchy issue of Taiwans sovereignty and reduce tensions. Under the agreement, called the 92 Consensus, both sides agreed there is only one China, with the KMT interpreting that to mean each side can define what that China is the Republic of China (Taiwans official name) or the Peoples Republic of China. Tsai and her party have argued that the agreement was not written down, and Beijing has never accepted the KMTs interpretation. But Chinas leaders also have never publicly rejected it, leaving room for the two sides to work together. At the heart of the matter is that the DPP and its supporters dont want Taiwan and the mainland to be part of one China, regardless of how its defined. They prefer to work toward achieving international treatment and inclusion of Taiwan just like other countries get, even if its not officially recognized as one. Analysts say even though Beijing doesnt want to go to war to reunify the two sides, it may feel forced to do so if the current trend of U.S.-Taiwan relations continues. Under former President Donald Trump and now President Biden, the U.S. has sold more weapons to Taiwan in six years than former President Barack Obama did in his eight years in office. There have also been numerous visits from high-level U.S. officials to Taiwan, including by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August. And U.S. lawmakers from both parties are on the verge of passing yet another pro-Taiwan act. The Taiwan Policy Act, while considered necessary by U.S. lawmakers seeking to support Taiwan, is alarming to Beijing. According to the Senates website, it aims to bolster Taiwans defense capabilities, providing almost $4.5 billion in security assistance to Taiwan, and designates Taipei as a Major Non-NATO Ally. It also obligates U.S. administrations to promote Taiwans participation in international organizations, and to set up a sanctions regime to deter further PRC aggression against Taiwan. Victor Gao, a Beijing-based scholar who understands the Chinese leaderships mindset, says Xi has no timeline, prefers peaceful unification and can wait a millennium for it to happen, but actions such as passage of the Taiwan Policy Act, will break Sino-U.S. agreements and cross Beijings red line, leaving China no choice but to break off diplomatic ties with the U.S. and/or take Taiwan by force to protect its sovereignty. The ball right now is in Washington, D.C.s court. If Washington doesnt promote the independence of Taiwan and if Tsai Ing-wen doesn't push for independence, the status quo can last a millennium. There's no rush. Why rush? said Gao, vice president of the research group Center for China and Globalization. But he says if the U.S. takes actions that violate the One China policy and Sino-U.S. agreements, it will trigger a war that will devastate both sides. Some 1,500 kilometers of coastal area in China is fully covered with missiles. If the U.S. (in coming to Taiwans defense) bombs Chinese coastal cities and Beijing, do you think anywhere in the U.S., such as New York and Washington, D.C., will be safe? Gao asked. He warned when Xi said China will take all measures necessary, it means it could use nuclear weapons. In a nuclear age, if one country tries to attack another, there will be mutually assured destruction, that country will be destroyed at the same time, Gao said, adding that all sides should therefore promote peace in cross-strait relations, not war. Photos of Zarghoona Wadood sightseeing in Egypt with two other wheelchair-using women went viral last year in Pakistan, becoming a symbol of what women with disabilities can do. Wadood was just 7 months old when polio paralyzed her legs. Her parents didnt know to get her vaccinated. I cant even move from my bed unless the wheelchair is near me the wheelchair is a part of me now, Wadood, now 38 and employed with the U.N. World Food Program, told VOA. She is one of thousands of Pakistanis disabled by polio, an incurable and highly infectious viral disease that can infect a persons spinal cord, causing muscles to stop working. The invention of polio vaccines in the 1950s and 1960s wiped the disease from the industrialized world, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative launched in 1988 largely eliminated the disease through mass vaccination campaigns in the developing world as well. As the global health community marks World Polio Day on Oct. 24, only Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to grapple with the wild polio virus. In Pakistan After 15 months without any reported cases of the wild polio virus, Pakistan has recorded 20 cases since April 17 in the former tribal region of North Waziristan that borders Afghanistan and three from nearby areas. Dr. Shahzad Baig, who leads Pakistans Polio Eradication Program blames a poor security situation, migration patterns, harassment of polio teams, mistrust of the vaccine, and complicity among members of local communities and polio workers to find ways to circumvent vaccination enforcement. They are not confident that [the vaccine] is safe for the children," Baig told VOA. "They think that the government is forcing this vaccine on the children, [so] there is some hidden agenda. Despite Pakistan's decades-long Polio Eradication Program, many Pakistanis still believe the vaccine will make their children infertile or that it contains pork-based ingredients forbidden by Islamic scripture. In 2019, a rumor that the vaccine was making children sick caused a spike in refusals. That year ended with Pakistan recording 149 cases, significantly more than the year before. And the vaccine has become a bargaining chip used to pressure the government to meet a communitys needs. So, the roads, the bridges, you know, electricity and anything they want there, when the campaign comes, they will say, You do that and that is when we will accept the vaccination, Baig said. Local customs also leave children vulnerable to the virus. Often male health workers cannot enter homes in the absence of a male member of the household. In more conservative communities that don't allow women to work, the lack of female polio workers further limits access to children. Baig told VOA that less than 1% of polio team members in former tribal areas are women. Saira Abid, a polio worker from North Waziristan, told VOA it breaks her heart that most of the polio cases were recorded in her ancestral village. Displaced by the military operation against terrorists in 2014 and forced by financial hardship to break tradition, Abid has been working as a community health worker in Peshawar since 2015. Whenever I go to my village, I see the word 'locked' chalked on the wall because men are not allowed to go inside, Abid said. During a mass-vaccination campaign, polio workers mark the vaccination status of each household on a wall by the main door. While Abid feels comfortable working in Peshawars urban setting, she says its not safe for her to work in her village because of strict local customs and the presence of militants. In June, three members of a polio team were killed and another injured in North Waziristan. Safety is a long-running issue for polio workers in Pakistan. Many have been killed by either militants who see vaccination as part of a Western agenda or attacked by parents angry at being pressed to vaccinate their children. In Afghanistan Polio worker safety is also an issue across the border in Afghanistan, where eight polio workers were killed in separate attacks in February. Remarkably, Afghanistan has recorded only two cases of wild polio virus so far this year, indicating the lowest level of the virus in the countrys history, according to the World Health Organization. However, Afghanistan's cases of vaccine-derived polio stand at 43. The vaccine uses a weak form of the polio virus, which can sometime infect a separate, unvaccinated person. If we succeed to implement the planned polio campaigns with high coverage of 95%, we can interrupt the circulation of polio virus by the end of 2022, Kamal Shah Sayed, a UNICEF spokesperson in Afghanistan, told VOA earlier this year. The Taliban pledged support for polio campaigns after taking control of Afghanistan last August, but for three years before that, they banned vaccination drives in areas under their control. Since November 2021, at least seven campaigns have been conducted in Afghanistan. World Polio Day On World Polio Day, Afghanistan is wrapping up an immunization campaign while Pakistan is launching one. From 3.6 million children inaccessible in Afghanistan in 2018, a WHO statement in August said the number of children missing vaccination had fallen to 700,000. In Pakistan, despite frequent anti-polio drives, more than 400,000 children are missed every year, according to the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Baig of Pakistan's Polio Eradication Program is concerned that the summers massive flooding has increased the risk of polio spreading via unsanitary conditions, and flood victims unhappy with government relief efforts may boycott the campaign to pressure authorities to provide them better facilities. Zarghoona Wadood, who toured Egypt last year, is also a disability rights activist. She wants parents to learn from her experience and vaccinate their children against polio, just as her parents did for her three younger siblings. No matter what I am, I still have a disability, everybody cannot have the same strength that I have," Wadood told VOA. "A lot of people give up and they isolate themselves so why are you doing this to your children? Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy said during his nightly address Sunday that only Russia was capable of using nuclear weapons in Europe. His criticism comes as a response to claims by Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu that Ukraine could detonate a dirty nuclear bomb. So when today the Russian Minister of Defense [Shoigu] organizes a phone carousel and calls foreign ministers with stories about the so-called dirty nuclear bomb, everyone understands everything well. Understands who is the source of everything dirty that can be imagined in this war," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video message. Wherever Russia has brought death and degradation, we are restoring normal life, Zelenskyy said. Wherever Russia comes, it leaves behind mass graves, torture chambers, destroyed cities and villages, mined land, destroyed infrastructure and natural disasters. Russia's defense ministry said Shoigu voiced concern to his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey about possible Ukrainian provocations involving a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb is a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. It doesnt have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination, The Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had a follow-up call Sunday with Shoigu, the Department of Defense said. This is the second call between them in three days. According to the Pentagon, Austin rejected any pretext for Russian escalation and reaffirmed the value of continued communication amid Russias unlawful and unjustified war against Ukraine. The White House National Security Council also issued a statement rejecting as false Shoigu's allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory. "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation," it said. White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told VOA: "We reject reports of Minister Shoigus transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory. The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation." Also Sunday, a Russian missile attack smashed into a suburb of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine. While two apartment blocks were destroyed, no one was killed because most residents had already moved away after a similar attack in the vicinity six months ago, Reuters reported. "All of the people who had small children decided to leave immediately" after the April attack, Svitlana, 46, told Reuters as she salvaged belongings from her glass-and-plaster strewn apartment. "The pensioners had also decided to leave." The explosions in the Karabelnyi district of Mykolaiv, a ship-building center at the confluence of the Southern Buh and Dnipro rivers, continued a weekslong Russian aerial offensive that has targeted civilian infrastructure, Reuters reported. Also Sunday, Zelenskyy said the electricity supply has been restored in all regions that were hit but Russian missiles Saturday. The Russian attacks cut electricity to over 1.4 million Ukrainian households Saturday, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a deputy chief of staff for Zelenskyy. The attacks cut off power supplies to 672,000 households in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, 188,400 in Mykolaiv Oblast, 102,000 in Volyn Oblast, 242,000 in Cherkasy Oblast, 174,790 in Rivne Oblast, 61,913 in Kirovohrad Oblast, and 10,500 in Odesa Oblast, Tymoshenko said. Zelenskyy said most of the Russian missiles and drones were being shot down, reiterating an earlier statement by the Ukrainian military that it had downed 18 out of 33 cruise missiles launched from the air and sea Saturday Of course, we don't yet have the technical ability to knock down 100% of the Russian missiles and strike drones. I am sure that, gradually, we will achieve that, with help from our partners," Zelenskyy said. Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine's power stations, water supply systems, and other key infrastructure over the past two weeks. The areas targeted by the latest strikes include Khmelnytskyi and Lutsk in the countrys west and the central city of Uman. Khmelnytskyi, which was home to about 275,000 people before the war, was left with no electricity, shortly after local media reported several loud explosions Saturday, regional officials said. Uman, which had about 100,000 residents before the war, was also plunged into darkness after a rocket hit a nearby power station. In Lutsk, a city of 215,000, electricity had been partially knocked out after Russian missiles slammed into local energy facilities, according to local officials. Authorities in Khmelnytskyi and Lutsk urged residents to store water, in case its also gone. Airstrikes and power disruptions were also reported from Odesa in the south, the central city of Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia in the countrys southeast. The national energy company, Ukrenergo, continued to urge all Ukrainians to conserve energy. RFE/RLs Ukraine service, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. KYIV (Associated Press) - Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine told all residents of the city of Kherson to leave immediately Saturday ahead of an expected advance by Ukrainian troops waging a counteroffensive to recapture one of the first urban areas Russia took after invading the country. In a post on the Telegram messaging service, the pro-Kremlin regional administration called on civilians to use boat crossings over a major river to move deeper into Russian-held territory, citing a tense situation on the front and the threat of shelling and alleged terror attacks by Kyiv. Kherson has been in Russian hands since the early days of the nearly 8-month-long war in Ukraine. The city is the capital of a region of the same name, one of four that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month and put under Russian martial law on Thursday. On Friday, Ukrainian forces bombarded Russian positions across the province, targeting pro-Kremlin forces' resupply routes across the Dnieper River and inching closer to making a full assault on Kherson city. Ukraine has retaken some villages in the region's north since launching its counteroffensive in late August. Russian-installed officials were reported as trying desperately to turn Kherson city a prime objective for both sides because of its key industries and ports into a fortress while attempting to relocate tens of thousands of residents. The Kremlin poured as many as 2,000 draftees into the surrounding region to replenish losses and strengthen front-line units, according to the Ukrainian army's general staff. The Dnieper River figures prominently in the regional battle because it serves multiple critical functions. It provides crossings for supplies, troops and civilians; drinking water for southern Ukraine and the annexed Crimean Peninsula; and power generation from a hydroelectric station. Much of the area, including the power station and a canal feeding water to Crimea, is under Russian control. Kherson's Kremlin-backed authorities previously announced plans to evacuate all Russia-appointed officials and as many as 60,000 civilians across the river, in what local leader Volodymyr Saldo said would be an organized, gradual displacement. Another Russia-installed official estimated Saturday that about 25,000 people from across the region had made their way over the Dnieper. In a Telegram post, Kirill Stremousov claimed that civilians were relocating willingly. People are actively moving because today the priority is life. We do not drag anyone anywhere, he said. Ukrainian and Western officials have expressed concern about potential forced transfers of residents to Russia or Russian-occupied territory. Ukrainian officials have urged Kherson residents to resist attempts to relocate them, with one local official alleging that Moscow wanted to take civilians hostage and use them as human shields. Elsewhere in the invaded country, hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine awoke Saturday to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire. In its latest war tactic, Russia has intensified strikes on power stations, water supply systems and other key infrastructure across the country. Ukraine's air force said in a statement Saturday that Russia had launched a massive missile attack" targeting critical infrastructure, adding that it had downed 18 out of 33 cruise missiles launched from the air and sea. In a Telegram post published later Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referenced 36 missiles, most of which were shot down. The reason for the discrepancy in numbers was not immediately clear. Air raid sirens blared across Ukraine twice by early afternoon, sending residents scurrying into shelters as Ukrainian air defense tried to shoot down explosive drones and incoming missiles. Several rockets targeting Ukraine's capital were shot down Saturday morning, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging service. The president's office said in its morning update that five suicide drones were downed in the central Cherkasy region southeast of Kyiv. The governors of six western and central provinces, as well as of the southern Odesa region on the Black Sea, gave similar reports. Ukraine's top diplomat said the day's attacks proved Ukraine needed new Western-reinforced air defense systems without a minute of delay. Air defense saves lives, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Telegram that almost 1.4 million households lost power as a result of the strikes. He said some 672,000 homes in the western Khmelnytskyi region were affected and another 242,000 suffered outages in the Cherkasy region. Most of the western city of Khmelnytskyi, which straddles the Bug River and had a pre-war population of 275,000, was left with no electricity, shortly after local media reported several loud explosions. In a social media post on Saturday, the city council urged local residents to store water in case its also gone within an hour. The mayor of Lutsk, a city of 215,000 in far western Ukraine, made a similar appeal on Saturday. Power in Lutsk was partially knocked out after Russian missiles slammed into local energy facilities, Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said. He later added that a civilian suffered burns when a shockwave from the strike hit his house, and that one power station had been damaged beyond repair. The central city of Uman, a key pilgrimage center for Hasidic Jews with about 100,000 residents before the war, also was plunged into darkness after a rocket hit a nearby power station, regional authorities said on Telegram. Ukraine's state energy company, Ukrenergo, responded to the strikes by announcing that rolling blackouts would be imposed in Kyiv and 10 Ukrainian regions to stabilize the situation. In a Facebook post on Saturday, the company accused Russia of attacking energy facilities within the principal networks of the western regions of Ukraine." It claimed the scale of destruction was comparable to the fallout earlier this month from Moscow's first coordinated attack on the Ukrainian energy grid. Both Ukrenergo and officials in Kyiv have urged Ukrainians to conserve energy. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy called on consumers to curb their power use between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. and to avoid using energy-guzzling appliances such as electric heaters. Zelenskyy said earlier in the week that 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been destroyed since Russia launched the first wave of targeted infrastructure strikes on October 10. In a separate development, Russian officials said a shelling attack on a frontier town just kilometers north of the Ukrainian border killed two people and wounded 12. Andrey Ikonnikov, the health minister for the southern Belgorod region of Russia, said a 14-year-old boy and an older man died on the spot after shells hit civilian infrastructure in Shebekino, which is home to about 44,500 people. Earlier social media posts by the regional governor, Vladislav Gladkov, blamed the attack on Ukraine. Russia has previously accused Ukrainian forces of numerous strikes on civilians in the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk. Kyiv has not formally responded to these accusations. Wu Gang, chairman of Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology Co, talks with an engineer at a factory of the company in August. XINHUA The fierce gales in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region were once considered bad for business. Today, however, the gales have become big business itself, harvested by hundreds of giant turbines and transformed into electricity to power up the country. Also thanks to the gales, Dabancheng of Urumqi, capital of the region, has turned itself from an arid plain into a pioneer in the Chinese wind industry that has been leading the world for years. Wu Gang, chairman of Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology Co, also a pioneer in the Chinese wind industry who has been elected as a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, helped make that happen. Wu quitted his job as a teacher back in the late 1980s to help set up Dabancheng wind farm, braving the cold and ferocious gales to measure the wind at Dabancheng. Captivated by the idea that energy could be produced by wind, Wu joined Xinjiang Wind Energy, one of China's pioneering wind companies, in 1987. Together, Wu and their team persisted in their vision of wind power and built Dabancheng wind farm. Wu and a group of colleagues founded Goldwind in 1998. The goal was "establishing Xinjiang as the birthplace of China's domestic wind energy industry". Fast-forward to 2013, Wu's Goldwind was China's largest manufacturer of wind turbines and the world's second largest, with more than 10 percent of the global market share. It had installed more than 14,000 turbines and had a presence on every continent except Antarctica. Today, Goldwind ranks second only to Denmark's Vestas among global wind turbine makers, with its business covering 38 countries and regions across the world. Wu attributed the success and rapid rise of China's wind power industry to strong engineering skills, and an ability both to acquire technology from other companies and develop its own technology. The rapid growth of the wind industry at home and abroad has provided a critical boost, together with the backing of Chinese national policies, he said. Thanks to the joint efforts of Goldwind and its peers, China's wind turbine output now accounts for two-thirds of the world's total due to its large-scale production and technological breakthroughs. The turbine industry used to be dominated by foreign manufacturers, including Vestas of Denmark, Gamesa of Spain and GE of the United States. However, according to the Global Wind Energy Council's annual supply-side data, Goldwind is the second-largest global turbine supplier with 11.8 percent, after only Vestas with 17.7 percent of new installations in 2021. Out of the global top 15 wind turbine suppliers last year, 10 come from China, and two Chinese companies made the top 5, it said. An analyst said China has risen from being a novice to a pioneer in the wind power industry, with huge progress in localizing wind power technology. Wind power has developed in leaps and bounds in China over recent years, as it plays a crucial role in fulfilling the Chinese government's pledge to achieve peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, said Wei Hanyang, a power market analyst at research firm BloombergNEF. Editor: WJH Linda Givetash JOHANNESBURG South Africa's scandal-embroiled former president, Jacob Zuma, addressed the media Saturday for the first time after completing a 15-month jail term for contempt of court, alleging the country's justice system is unjust and infiltrated by foreign interests. Zuma, who has faced myriad corruption allegations, also had failed to appear in front of an inquiry into state graft locally called state capture that occurred under his nearly decadelong tenure. Yet, Zuma told the press he had been unfairly imprisoned without a trial, despite the fact he was summoned and failed to appear before the inquiry. Analysts say Zuma is refusing to acknowledge the validity of the inquiry, essentially attempting to portray the presiding judge as leading a witch hunt for the former leader. Zuma said the countrys justice system has been infiltrated by both international interests and the interests of sympathizers of the former racially segregated apartheid regime. Zuma also claimed the judge presiding over the inquiry, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, had unfairly targeted him and his allies to distract the public from the countrys real issues. At the time of his arrest in July 2021, protests led by his supporters in his home province of KwaZulu Natal spiraled into riots around the country that resulted in millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure and stolen goods. Police said earlier this week that one of Zumas daughters remains under investigation for inciting the unrest. Zuma spent just three of the 15 months behind bars, and he was released on medical parole for an undisclosed condition. On Saturday, Zuma didnt provide any evidence of so-called infiltration of the countrys courts which are viewed by many as the strongest institution for averting otherwise widespread corruption. Instead, Zuma blamed, but didnt name, the countrys leadership for selling out the judiciary and the constitution to global commercial interests. The allegations come just two months ahead of the convention of the ruling African National Congress party, where current President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is politically at odds with his predecessor, Zuma, is expected to face fierce competition to retain party leadership. Ukrainian forces pressing an offensive in the south have zeroed in on Kherson, a provincial capital that has been under Russian control since the early days of the invasion. The possible fall of the city would deal another humiliation to Moscow after a string of battlefield defeats and other setbacks, further cornering Russian President Vladimir Putin and setting the stage for a potential escalation of the nearly 8-month-old war. A look at the military and political importance of Kherson: WHY IS THE CITY SUCH A PRIZE? Kherson, which had a prewar population of 280,000, is the only regional capital to be captured by Russian forces. The city and surrounding areas fell into Moscow's hands in the opening days of the conflict as Russian troops quickly pushed their attack north from Crimea the region illegally annexed by the Kremlin in 2014. Its loss was a major blow to Ukraine because of its location on the Dnieper River, near the mouth of the Black Sea, and its role as a major industrial center. Ukrainian resistance fighters have challenged Russian troops for control of the city ever since, with acts of sabotage and assassinations of Moscow-appointed officials. Kherson also sits at a point where Ukraine can cut off fresh water from the Dnieper to Crimea. Kyiv blocked those vital supplies after the Crimean Peninsulas annexation, and Putin mentioned the need to restore them as one reason behind his decision to invade. During the summer, Ukrainian troops launched relentless attacks to reclaim parts of the province, also called Kherson and one of four regions that Russia illegally annexed after sham referendums last month. Ukraine has used U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers to repeatedly hit a key bridge on the Dnieper in Kherson and a large dam upstream also used as a crossing point. The strikes have forced Russia to rely on pontoons and ferries, also targeted by Ukraine. This disrupts supply links to Kherson and the group of Russian forces on the west bank of the Dnieper and makes them vulnerable to encirclement. The shortages were exacerbated after an Oct. 8 truck bomb blew up part of the strategic Kerch Bridge linking Russias mainland to Crimea, which has served as a major supply hub for the Russian forces in the south. WHAT HAS BEEN RUSSIA'S RESPONSE? Putin blamed the Kerch Bridge attack on Ukraines military intelligence and responded by ordering a bombardment of energy infrastructure across Ukraine. He also declared martial law in Kherson and the three other annexed regions in a bid to cement Moscows grip. But as Ukrainian forces stubbornly pressed its offensive to the southwest alongside the Dnieper, Russian troops have found it increasingly difficult to stem their advance. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the newly appointed Russian commander in Ukraine, appeared to set the stage for a possible withdrawal from Kherson, acknowledging the situation in the region was quite difficult for Moscow and noting that the combat situation there was still evolving. Russian authorities, who initially dismissed talk of evacuating the city, sharply changed course this week, warning that Kherson could come under massive Ukrainian shelling and encouraging residents to leave but only to Russian-held areas. The Kremlin-installed regional administration added a note of urgency on Saturday, saying that all civilians should leave immediately "because of the tense situation on the front, an increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terror attacks." Authorities said an estimated 25,000 people had left by Saturday. Officials of the Moscow-appointed regional administration also pulled back, along with other civil servants. Moscow has warned that Ukraine might try to attack the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant about 50 kilometers (30 miles) upstream and flood broad areas, including the city of Kherson. Ukraine denies that and, in turn, accused Russia of planning to blow it up to cause catastrophic flooding before its retreat. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged the dam already was mined by Russia and urged world leaders to make clear to the Kremlin that blowing it up would mean exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction. WHAT WOULD LOSING KHERSON MEAN FOR RUSSIA? A retreat from Kherson and other areas on the Dnieper's west bank would shatter Russian hopes to press an offensive west to Mykolaiv and Odesa to cut off Ukraines access to the Black Sea. Such a move would deal a devastating blow to its economy. It would also allow Moscow to build a land corridor to the separatist Transnistria region of Moldova, home to a major Russian military base. The loss of Kherson will turn all those southern dreams by the Kremlin into dust, said Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov. Kherson is a key to the entire southern region, which would allow Ukraine to target key supply routes for the Russian forces. Russians will try to retain control of it using all means." For Ukraine, capturing Kherson would set the stage for reclaiming the Russia-held part of the Zaporizhzhia region and other areas in the south, and eventually pushing back into Crimea. Ukraine just needs to wait until Kherson falls into its hands like a ripe apple, because the situation with supplies for the Russian group of forces keeps exacerbating by the day, Zhdanov said. Ukraine hopes to quickly double the number of U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers that could strike targets 80 kilometers (50 miles) away with a deadly precision, he said. Reclaiming control of Kherson would also mean Kyiv could again cut off water to Crimea. After the deoccupation of Kherson, the Russians will again have problems with fresh water in Crimea, Zhdanov added. He said Putin could up the ante if faced with losing Kherson. The Russians would be ready to wipe Kherson off the face of the Earth rather than give it to Ukraine, Zhdanov said. Destroying the dam to cause massive flooding in the mostly flat area would be one way for Moscow to do that. The Russians want to show that a Ukrainian counteroffensive will face a tough response by the Kremlin that declared the region as part of Russia, and its scary to even think what that response could be, Zhdanov added. Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta Center independent think tank, noted that controlling the Kherson region and other southern areas was a major prize for Russia and their loss would have painful consequences for Putin at home and abroad. If the Russians leave Kherson, the Kremlin will face another wave of fierce criticism of the military command and the authorities in general from ultra-patriotic circles, Fesenko said, adding that the fall of the city would further demoralize the armed forces and possibly fuel opposition to the mobilization effort. He also said China and India. which are carefully watching Russias action in Ukraine, will see the fall of Kherson as a sign of Kremlin weakness. Putin will face reputational losses not only inside the country, but also in the eyes of China, and that could be particularly dangerous for the Kremlin, Fesenko said. ___ Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed. President Emmerson Mnangagwas grandson, Yasha, has died. In a statement, Information Secretary Nick Mangwana said five-year-old Yasha Mafidi, the son of Sean Mnangagwa, died of respiratory complications today at a Harare hospital. Mangwana said, It is with a great sense of sadness that we inform the nation that His Excellency, President Cde E.D. Mnangagwa and the First Lady Dr. A. Mnangagwa have lost their beloved grandson Our condolences to the family who deserve their privacy at this difficult time of bereavement. Sean Mnangagwa is among people highlighted in some documentaries and books as having played a critical role in facilitating Mnangagwas escape from Zimbabwe when he was sacked by then President Robert Mugabe in 2017. Mnangagwa teamed up with the Defence Forces to topple Mugabe, who appealed, in vain, for the African Union, Southern African Development Community and others to stop the defacto military coup. There are high hopes among Zanu PF strongmen that Mnangagwa will be elected for another five year-term at the forthcoming ruling partys Congress. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. The Ukrainian Court of Cassation has finally banned all 12 political opposition parties. The last on the list was the Socialist Party of Ukraine. These groups are accused of having acted in accordance with the Minsk Agreements (2015), recognized by the United Nations Security Council (resolution 2202). In March, the Ukrainian Security Council adopted a decision to ban them. A law was passed by the Rada on 3 May, and signed by President Zelensky on the 14th. As the Russian Federation has decided to intervene in order to protect the victims resulting from the violations of the Minsk Agreements, any reference to these Agreements is regarded as high treason. Only the Transcarpathian Oblast (close to Hungary) refuses to remove from office the local representatives of the political parties concerned. According to NATO, Ukraine is a great democracy (sic). A male gibbon forages in the rain, on January, 2019. [Photo by Huang Songhe/cpanet.org.cn] As one of the rarest and most critically endangered primates in the world, eastern black crested gibbon is immortalized through photos by photographer Huang Songhe. Huang has spent three years in recording this precious species in Guangxi province with his lens, and published the first specialized book of its kind referring to the eastern black crested gibbon. Eastern black crested gibbons were believed to become extinct in the 1980s, until they were rediscovered along the border line between China and Vietnam in the southwestern part of Guangxi province in China in 2006, and there were only 19 eastern black crested gibbons left. In order to save and protect this primate, the local government set up Bangliang Gibbon National Nature Reserve in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. After more than a decade's effort, the number of eastern black crested gibbon has increased to 33 in China. However, it is still critically endangered and needs more attention. In ancient China, gibbons symbolized ideals of poets and philosophers, connecting human beings and the mysterious nature. It could be found in literature works as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c.16th century - 256 BC). Gibbon also appears a lot in many Chinese ancient poems, showing its high status in Chinese culture. 7 1 Editor: WJH Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share The world might not want to hear it, but Kim Jong Un might be right. There will never be such a thing as our abandonment of the nuclear weapons or denuclearization, Kim declared last month. The position of our state as a nuclear nation has become irreversible. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Decades of pursuing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula has failed. After North Korea last month declared itself a nuclear weapons state, its time for the US and its allies to accept this reality and learn to live with it. Thats the first step to reducing the risk of accidental confrontation that could lead to all-out nuclear war. The idea is reaching the mainstream. Jeffrey Lewis, a leading nuclear weapons expert, has called on Washington to contemplate the unthinkable and accept North Koreas nuclear statehood, citing the increasing risks of a flashpoint as South Korea and Japan talk up first-strike capability. Advertisement Washington should think about the return were seeing on our stubborn continued insistence on denuclearization as the desired near-term end-state, agrees Ankit Panda, a senior fellow in the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. We have a far more acute interest on the Korean peninsula, which is averting the use of nuclear weapons by North Korea. A rethink is needed. For one thing, the US administration has already shown an admirable willingness to abandon the failed policies of previous administrations. From ending the war in Afghanistan, casting off decades of naive Democratic party China policy or de-escalating the War on Drugs with a reform of cannabis policy, President Joe Biden has discarded ideas he previously promoted. And to describe the goal of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula as a bust would be generous. Beyond condemning millions to poverty after 30 years, the US has little to show for its punishing economic sanctions. Pyongyang has built itself a formidable arsenal: enough fissile material for dozens of nuclear bombs, and a demonstrated capacity for its missiles to hit US bases in Guam or the American mainland itself. More nuclear tests are feared soon, which would be the first in five years. Kim said last month he wont budge even after 100 years of sanctions. Advertisement Absent a very dangerous policy of regime change, Kim is going to remain in charge, and in any event doesnt have a way to climb down from nuclear weapons. The window for military action against North Korea closed during the Clinton administration, when the US considered a preemptive strike. It chose negotiation instead, which Pyongyang used as cover to speed development of its nuclear and missile programs. North Koreas new nuclear doctrine, unveiled in September, has further upped the ante, pledging automatic nuclear strikes on its enemies if its command-and-control leadership is threatened. Such a doctrine is a logical reaction to South Korea talking up its ability to deal a fatal blow to the Norths leadership, Panda says. Indeed, far from the stereotype of the crazy North Korean leader, Kim is being perfectly logical in seeking to keep his regime in one piece. Russias invasion of Ukraine has put that in stark relief. Ukraine famously agreed to give up the nuclear weapons on its territory (though they were not under its control) after the fall of the Soviet Union, in exchange for security guarantees from the US, UK and Russia. Time has shown how valuable those assurances were. Iraqs Saddam Hussein and Libyas Moammar Al Qaddafi are other examples of leaders who abandoned their nuclear pursuits, only to meet gruesome ends. Advertisement Kim could not be sure of any guarantee that Washington might give in return for denuclearization especially when its US policy that has been most inconsistent. Flipping between dovish Democratic and hawkish Republican positions on Pyongyang (or in the case of Donald Trumps administration, between fire and fury and love letters in the space of a few years) has resulted in head-snappingly inconsistent carrot-and-stick approaches. Meanwhile, through a cycle of bait-and-switch negotiations and threats, Kim has managed to keep the US and South Korea distracted enough to complete his nuclear state. Hes on his fourth South Korean leader and third American president. Hes less than half Bidens age; time is on his side, assuming he can avoid the heart problems that felled his father and grandfather. Of course, there are significant risks. Pyongyang has proven not to be a trustworthy negotiating partner. Being seen to reward its obstinacy might embolden rogue regimes elsewhere. Even a tacit acceptance of North Koreas position could also lead to another bout of proliferation. The South Korean public is already roundly in favor of also possessing nuclear weapons. Japan is understandably far more opposed but how might it react surrounded by four nuclear-armed states? Advertisement But doggedly pursuing a failed policy that has only become more unrealistic over the years isnt getting the US and its allies anywhere and the risk of accidental confrontation is only running higher. More From Bloomberg Opinion: The Race for Missiles in Asias Danger Zone: Gearoid Reidy Xis Wrong Lesson From Century of Humiliation: David Fickling Putin Is Making Nuclear Warfare the New Normal: Andreas Kluth This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia, and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Not merely for the past few decades, but for the past several centuries, Western leaders have grappled with an intractable problem: How to understand what Russia, the growling bear, thinks it is doing? Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Most conspicuously, on the morning of Oct. 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy and his advisers racked their brains at the Cabinet Room table over the motivation for the Soviet Unions deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba. Well, its a goddam mystery to me, said Kennedy. I dont know enough about the Soviet Union, but if anybody can tell me any other time since the [1948-49] Berlin Blockade where the Russians have given us so clear a provocation, I dont know when its been. A large part of the story of the 12 days that followed, which are at the heart of my new book on the Cuban Missile Crisis, is that of some of the smartest people in the US were struggling to figure out the Russian game plan, and mostly getting it wrong. Many guessed, for instance, that it might be a diversionary ploy before Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev made his big move against West Berlin. Advertisement When a Soviet anti-aircraft missile downed an American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft over Cuba on Oct. 14, the White House assumed it represented a deliberate escalation by the Kremlin, instead of what it really was: a rogue initiative by a local commander. Even two weeks later, as Khrushchev announced his humiliating retreat withdrawal of the ballistic missiles from Cuba the chiefs of staff insisted that this was a Soviet trick ahead of diplomatic blackmail. They renewed their demands for an immediate invasion of the island. Which brings us to the here and now. On the publicity round for the book, I am constantly asked to compare the threat in 1962 to what the world faces 60 years on, in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. The proper response is, of course, that nothing is quite the same twice. There is today no direct confrontation between Russia and the US. Nobody believes that President Joe Biden will launch a nuclear strike against Russia unless the continental US faces such an attack, which remains mercifully unlikely, as did not seem the case to Westerners in 1962. Advertisement In some respects, the 2022 situation is more intractable. In the missile crisis, there were few casualties: the U-2 pilot, Rudolf Anderson, along with the accidental deaths of several aircrew. Today, by contrast, tens of thousands have already perished due to Putins aggression in Ukraine. Next, while Khrushchevs missile deployment in Cuba was seen by the US as an outrageous provocation, there was no more valid legal objection to the Cubans choosing to host Soviet missiles than to the Turks, British and Italians accepting American ones. In 2022, however, Putin has not a shred of legal or moral justification for his unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Whereas Kennedy was able to offer Khrushchev a deal for removing his missiles, it is much harder to see what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine or Biden can today concede to Putin without rewarding his atrocities (except possibly Russian retention of Crimea, which it annexed after the 2014 invasion). Advertisement Whereas none of the players in the missile crisis suffered significant material loss, Russia has inflicted upon Ukraine hundreds of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure damage, not to mention economic havoc. It is unrealistic to suppose that even a successor Kremlin regime, should Putin fall, will pay cash reparations. It is also tough to see how the West, never mind Ukraine, can return to business as usual, even if Russias surviving tanks go home. Yet I see one important common theme between 1962 and 2022: the mindset that causes Russia to launch reckless overseas adventures that destroy trust in its word and rationality, in its prestige and the interests of its own people. Remember Kennedys expression of bafflement on the first morning of the missile crisis. Just as it was then hard to imagine how Khrushchev expected to get away with his Cuban deployment, who in 2021 imagined that Putin would launch an assault in which Russia was certain to become a principal economic and political victim, if not a military one? Not me, for one. Advertisement Western intelligence chiefs point with pride to the fact that they flagged in advance not only the Russian capability to invade Ukraine, but also Putins intention and yet no Western leader did much about it until it was too late to stop him. In the same fashion, in 1962, Central Intelligence Agency boss John McCone insisted from August onward, with repeated warnings to the White House, that the Russians were installing nuclear weapons in Cuba. Yet those intelligence successes must be measured against the background that the CIA and the UK Secret Intelligence Service get much wrong recall the historic catastrophe of their 2002 belief in Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Plenty of wolves get cried by spooks on both sides of the Atlantic, and our political leaders deserve sympathy for treating all intelligence briefs with caution, if not skepticism. McCone, in the months before the missile crisis, had urged the White House to launch a faked Cuban assault on the US base at Guantanamo Bay, to justify taking out the Castro regime. I am among those who believe that it was right and honorable for Kennedy to seek detente with the Soviet Union before Khrushchev double-crossed him, and honorable likewise for Western leaders since the end of the Cold War to have attempted to treat both China and Russia as fellow members of the civilized international community even if such efforts are now seen to have failed. Our statesmen, instead of being denounced as useful idiots, should be respected for having been seen to try. Advertisement Rapprochement with Moscow has foundered upon the reef of Russian grievance, victimhood and brutish cruelty which since the 17th century have impeded the nations foreign relationships, especially with Europe. It was knowledge of his own nations weakness, and rage against Western success, that underpinned Khrushchevs desperate gamble in Cuba. The same forces influence Putins conduct today. Both men sought a status for their nation on the world stage that its economic and social achievements could not earn. In the absence of affection, trust or respect, they have striven to generate fear through extreme violence. The British writer Orlando Figes, author of a succession of brilliant works on Russian history, recently published a new book, The Story of Russia, which explores the manner in which the nation has for centuries sought to invent and revise the narrative of its own past. The first tsar, Ivan the Terrible, who assumed power in 1547, professed to trace his descent from the Roman emperor Augustus. Advertisement Russia has no natural frontiers of land or sea, which causes each of its successive leaders to make an arbitrary selection about where the nations border should stand, heedless of the wishes of local peoples. Peter the Great, who became tsar in 1682, conceived that Russia had a civilizing mission in Asia. Catherine the Great, who was born in Germany, decreed in 1767: Russia is a European state, and expected to exercise hegemony over swathes of its near neighborhood. Long before the Bolshevik revolution, successive regimes dealt harshly with dissidents and historians who questioned the Kremlins version of either its national narrative or declared entitlements. Geography is unsurprisingly influential in influencing Russias ability to dominate its own periphery, and in limiting the ability of those localities nationalist movements and the Western powers to contain its ambitions. For long periods, Moscow or St. Petersburg each has served as the nations capital claimed Poland, Finland and the Baltic States as integral parts of the nation, just as today Putin claims Ukraine. Advertisement Last week, I chanced upon a letter the young Winston Churchill wrote to a friend in 1896, discussing the Irish nationalist movement. He asserted cheerily that Britain was no more likely to surrender hegemony over Ireland than was Germany to yield Alsace-Lorraine, Austria to give up Hungary or Russia to relinquish Poland. Today, of course, none of those four possessions he cited still belongs to its then-owner. Frontiers are not immutable. None of the above is intended for a moment to justify Putins monstrous conduct, merely to set it in context. An astonishing number even of Russian liberals believe that Ukraine rightfully belongs within their polity. This helps to explain why Putins war still commands substantial domestic support, even if that is faltering since he ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists. Many Russians hate and resent the West for its perceived condescension. Likewise, in November 1962, when we saw Kennedy as having secured victory by forcing withdrawal of the Soviet missiles, a 28-year-old Moscow diarist named Romen Nazirov wrote defiantly: Khrushchev has saved the world from the threat of a nuclear war. American newspapers reported his decision to withdraw the bases with headlines like Reds are Retreating from Cuba, etc. They are even mocking us. But Khrushchevs moral victory is obvious. As for prestige well let them laugh. Then he quoted the French phrase for, He who laughs last laughs best. Advertisement The West is nonetheless in little doubt that Kennedy was the big winner in 1962, for reasons of which we should remind ourselves. First, he knew that the Kremlin knew that the US possessed overwhelming nuclear superiority in the event of a showdown. Next, Khrushchev launched his huge gamble on an island just 90 miles from the North American continent, in a region where the US possessed almost absolute sea, air and potential land dominance. Kennedy, unlike his almost insanely bellicose military commanders, was willing to strike a bargain with Moscow to get the missiles out. He gave a public assurance, which holds to this day, that the US would never again launch military action against Cuba. He also gave a private assurance that if the Soviet weapons went home, Americas Jupiter missiles in Turkey would likewise be repatriated. The Kennedy administration went to immense lengths to preserve the secrecy of the latter, which would have enraged conservative America. Kennedy even lied to his presidential predecessor, assuring Dwight D. Eisenhower that he had made no undisclosed concessions to Moscow to secure Soviet surrender. Finally, nobody in the Kremlin doubted that the US possessed both the means and the will to go to war unless the missiles were removed. This confronted Khrushchev with the starkest possible choice. On the morning of Sunday, Oct. 28, he told an emergency meeting of the Soviet Presidium at a dacha outside Moscow: We find ourselves face to face with the threat of war and nuclear catastrophe, as a result of which human civilization may perish. To save humanity, we should retreat. The Presidium endorsed Khrushchevs public declaration of surrender, though the comrades never forgave him. When they ousted him from power two years later, a procession of speakers at the decisive meeting cited the humiliation he had forced on the Soviet Union by his actions in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, Putin appears to wield greater untrammeled power than Khrushchev in 1962, and also to be a less stable and rational personality. I doubt that any national leader or intelligence chief in the West feels confident of what the Kremlins tenant, with his back to the wall, will or will not initiate. An informed military friend offers me only one prediction: that if Putin falls which is certainly plausible, if not yet probable we should not assume that his successor will prove a more congenial negotiating partner, or make Russia a less threatening neighbor to Zelenskiy and his people. It is a strategic difficulty for the West that whereas Cuba lay next to America, Ukraine lies beside Russia. While the Soviet Union in 1962 was vastly outgunned by the US in the weapons that mattered most, today Russia owns the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. We all live daily with the fear that, the more humiliating Putins predicament becomes, the greater the risk that he will continue to escalate. None of us can predict the outcome of this murderous clash, which is likely to be much further protracted before it reaches any sort of outcome. The only certainty is that Putins monstrous act of aggression has banished, perhaps for decades, any prospect that Russia can resume normal relations with the West. Putin, in the latest of many Russian attempts catalogued by Figes to fantasize the countrys past, now embraces as its founding father the figure of Grand Prince Vladimir, the 10th-century ruler of Kievan Rus. He has caused hundreds of statues of this hitherto obscure figure to be erected and revered. It is questionable whether Putin himself believes this tale. He finds it serviceable, however, and thus it is promoted as part of the national narrative adopted in every Russian school. Figes wrote, even before the invasion of Ukraine: Russia appears to be trapped in a repeating cycle of its history. Slowly, [it] is retreating from Europe. An outcast from the European world it sought to join for much of its past, it must now find a new role as a large but fossil-fuel-dependent regional power between Europe and China. Mankind has a duty to be optimistic, and thus we should cheer ourselves by recalling that three decades after the Cuban Missile Crisis took the world to the brink of catastrophe, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia enjoyed a brief, albeit chaotic, period of democracy and relative freedom. Perhaps our children will look back on the Ukraine war as marking the beginning of the end of Putinist tyranny. I, however, am not so ardent a believer in fairy tales that I can foresee Russia living in comfortable community with the West any time soon. Our success and its relative failure will continue to dog the relationship. Moscows nuclear arsenal will continue to represent its only poisonous claim on parity with or even superiority over us. More From This Writer at Bloomberg Opinion: Sixty Years Later, the Bay of Pigs Remains a Cautionary Tale: Max Hastings The West Is Ceding Africas Promise to Chinas Exploitation: Max Hastings Russias Beauty and Brutality Remain an Enigma to the West: Max Hastings This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Max Hastings is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A former editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph and the London Evening Standard, he is author, most recently, of Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share A federal judge overseeing Baltimore Polices reform efforts called officers last Sunday and reported that a pair of squeegee workers gave him the middle finger, spat on his car and wrote racist in suds on the windows. Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. ArrowRight No property was damaged, no one was injured, and neither squeegee worker was charged in the incident, according to a police report. But U.S. District Court Judge James K. Bredars run-in with squeegee workers, and the ensuing police response, has renewed focus on squeegeeing and raised questions about the necessity of having law enforcement respond to certain situations. The fact of the matter is not every challenge should be met with policing and prosecution, said Dave Jaros, who heads the University of Baltimore School of Laws Center for Criminal Justice Reform. Bredar and his wife were stopped last Sunday afternoon at the intersection of North Avenue and Mount Royal Terrace when two squeegee workers approached their SUV and offered to clean the windshields, according to a police report. Bredar and his wife refused them, and the pair became hostile, with one of them giving the middle finger to Bredars wife, the report said. Advertisement Bredar, who was a passenger in the SUV, took a photo of that man, age 20, who then proceeded to spit on the car, the judge later told police. Bredar, who is White, reported that the other worker used his squeegee to spell out the word racist on the SUV windows. After the couple drove off, Bredar called Baltimore Police, asking the department to send officers to the intersection. Once there, the worker who apparently gave the middle finger spoke with officers, who gave him a warning and told him to stop squeegeeing at that intersection. Only one of the workers was named in the police report. Neither Bredar nor the named worker returned calls and texts seeking interviews. A spokesperson for the U.S. District Court in Maryland confirmed that Bredar called the police but offered no comments. The Baltimore Banner, an online news site, originally reported the interaction. Advertisement After this summers fatal shooting at an intersection in the Inner Harbor reignited the debate about whether squeegeeing should be allowed, Baltimore States Attorney-to-be Ivan Bates said he would have police get the workers off the intersections and into court-ordered diversionary programs meant to connect them with social services and vocational training. Activists feared Batess plan marked the possible return to a clear the corners style of enforcement that plagued Baltimore for years, culminating in the police departments having to reach a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice because of its unconstitutional policing of poor, Black neighborhoods. Bredar, who presides over enforcement of the decree, addressed squeegeeing in the context of the decree in August, saying it did not prohibit vigorous enforcement meant to curtail such workers. Generally speaking, city leaders will decide whether enforcement action should be taken with respect to the squeegee issue, he said, adding that the terms of the consent decree will regulate how that enforcement action is carried out. Advertisement While Bredar didnt weigh in directly on what he thought the city should be doing about squeegee workers, his decision to call police Sunday indicates that he thinks law enforcement should play a role, activists said. The judge has clearly shown that he is not a neutral party and believes that the solution to the challenges our city faces are solved by calling the police on Black men and boys the key issue that forced the consent decree to exist, said DeRay Mckesson, founder of the nonprofit Campaign Zero, which works to eliminate police violence. Mckesson called for Bredar to be removed from oversight of the consent decree, saying he no longer has legitimacy. Mayor Brandon Scott earlier this summer formed the squeegee collaborative, a group of local business, nonprofit and youth leaders and elected officials who are working to develop solutions to the squeegee issue. The group has met several times and will announce its strategy in the coming weeks, said Monica Lewis, a spokeswoman for Scott. Advertisement Any enforcement strategy must strike a balance between the rights of all individuals soliciting and the governments interest in public safety, Lewis said Tuesday. The Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 this week pointed to the incident involving Bredar as another example of city residents feeling unsafe. Judge Bredar, why do you travel through that intersection? You should go around it like most of us do every day. Glad you and your wife were unhurt, the FOP posted on Twitter. Sgt. Mike Mancuso, the union president, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Leaders of the police officers union have complained that the departments leadership is focused on the consent decree and not enough on reducing crime, and that officers feel discouraged from engaging in proactive policing measures. Advertisement A mainstay of major city intersections for decades, Baltimores squeegee workers are typically young, Black people experiencing severe poverty. Many see it as the best way to provide for their basic needs. The squeegee debate reached a fever pitch this summer when Timothy Reynolds, a White, 48-year-old resident of Hampden in North Baltimore, got out of his car with a bat and confronted a group of Black workers at the Inner Harbor intersection of Light and Conway streets. The altercation ended with one of the workers shooting and killing Reynolds. One of the workers, who turned 15 the next day, is charged with first-degree murder; his attorneys have said he acted in self-defense. Many drivers and downtown business owners consider the workers a nuisance, and a handful have described fearful interactions resulting in vehicle damage or being tricked out of thousands of dollars. But such negative interactions are the minority, with thousands of drivers passing each day without incident. Advertisement Defense attorney Warren Brown, who is representing the teenager charged with murder in Reynolds death in July, said he understands how the workers presence can make many motorists, especially White ones, feel nervous, especially when theyre aggressively seeking tips. People understandably feel hostage when caught at the light and swarmed by squeegee kids, he said. Theyd probably feel less threatened if these kids were dressed in their blue blazers and striped ties. Brown, who is Black, said he sometimes avoids squeegee intersections because constantly tipping can be a hassle. However, he said he is disheartened when he is out in Baltimore County, where he lives, and hears people say part of the reason they avoid coming into the city is the workers. They view squeegeeing as an extension of crime, Brown said. Baltimore Sun GiftOutline Gift Article Newsletter WEEKDAYS The 7 DMV Catch up weekday mornings with a briefing of the seven most important and interesting stories from D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Sign up Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The key to enjoying James Bond is pretty simple, says John Rouse, whose passion for the films dates back to the 1960s. Dont take it seriously, the avid collector of 007 memorabilia says. Every now and then people do these academic books and I think, Oh, youre taking all the fun out of it. Buy yourself a martini and go and watch the ridiculous stunts, some awful dad jokes particularly in the Roger Moore era and some great scenery. This month marks the 60th anniversary of the first Bond movie Dr No was released in the UK on October 5, 1962 and to mark the occasion 14 of the 25 films in the official lineage are screening as part of the British Film Festival. The line-up includes something from each of the Bonds Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Australian George Lazenby in his one and only outing, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig running from Dr No to Skyfall. Rouse, 62, has been working in the film business since the late 1970s. In 1992 he co-founded Melbournes beloved Cinema Nova with Natalie Miller and Barry Peak. The many faces of James Bond. Credit: He first saw a Bond film on a family outing when he was just seven years old. It was You Only Live Twice, the fifth of the movies starring Connery as Ian Flemings spy, and the Japanese island hideaway of supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Donald Pleasence) figured large. Take a former ASIO spy, a special services soldier medically discharged with PTSD after numerous tours to Afghanistan, a submariner and a Royal Australian Navy legal officer. Put them together in a rowing boat with a bucket as lavatory and set them off on a journey of 3000 nautical miles across the wild Atlantic Ocean. Thats what faces Alisdair Putt, a former ASIO agent who has also worked in tough areas of the world as a war crimes investigator and a prosecutor in Australian jurisdictions; Royal Australian Navy submariner Ade Richardson, Navy legal officer Stuart Moore and a retired Australian special forces soldier whose identity is protected for security reasons, but who is calling himself Alastair Horton. The groups ocean rowing boat, recently built in the UK at a cost of $140,000. Their voyage, from the Canary Islands off Africa to Antigua in the Caribbean, is expected to take about six weeks to complete. Egypts presidency of COP27 submitted on Saturday three draft documents to the countries participating in the conference in order to accelerate the pace of negotiation and reach a unanimous agreement in the final statement of the conference. RFN: Yes. I was very freelance in my teenage years, before I became a Christian. But I helped the SP bookies up at Kings Cross, and even later, when my father bought a grocery shop at Mascot, we used to collect bets there, too. FITZ: The mind boggles. Did you ever get a kick up the backside by the legendary Kings Cross copper Bumper Farrell? RFN: No, no. He never caught up with me! FITZ: So what caused your conversion to Christianity? RFN: Well, I had decided not to be a religious person. But God had other plans. I started to attend the local church at Revesby, but Id just sit at the very back because I didnt want to be involved. But I felt God speaking to me and challenging me and saying, Now youve come this far, Fred, youve got to go all the way. And it got to the point where I was compelled by Gods Holy Spirit to actually get up and walk to the front. And that was a transformation of me from being a secular person to becoming a committed Christian. FITZ: So committed that you quickly rose in the ranks to be assistant director of the 1968 Billy Graham crusade at Sydney Showgrounds. Was that iconic American preacher the inspiration for your subsequent career? RFN: He was a wonderful caring person and I loved to be with him. And it was from organising his crusades, I realised I was good at it and I thought I could use my skills to do something like him, here. A crowd of 65,000 people attend the evangelist Billy Grahams crusade at the Sydney Showground in 1959. Credit:Alan Kemp FITZ: So then you embarked on your own crusade? I remember your Festival of Light being a fairly big deal back in the 70s. RFN: Yes, in some ways that was similar to the Billy Graham crusade I used the same technique. FITZ: Which is going from town to town and standing on a fruit box and giving the word of the Lord? RFN: Yes. But in the shopping centres. And we had a great response. I got a lot of experience from that time and built on that. FITZ: A question without notice: what do you think of Hillsong Church? Have you ever been to one of their services? RFN: Yes, I have. And I was not very impressed with it. Their approach an extreme Pentecostal service appeals to some people but not too many others. FITZ: Do you view them as arriviste upstarts? RFN: To a degree. I never really had an attraction to them. They did some strange things. They spent a lot of money and a lot of time talking about raising money and were very, very single-minded in that direction, which Ive never done. And I was a bit disappointed. FITZ: As the times change, I think most of us look back on positions weve previously held, even public positions, and realised we got it wrong. Does that describe you at all? Are there significant things you have changed your position on? RFN: No, to be honest, I cant think of any single belief or activity where Ive had that feeling that I was wrong. I pray a lot and I believe that I get Gods guidance on my life, and so its kept me on track. FITZ: But lets go through it. You were one of the great opponents of same-sex marriage. Now that weve had it for five years, can we not agree, Reverend Nile, that same-sex marriage is no big deal, that love is love, life goes on much as it ever did, and the world is not in fact going to hell in a handcart as you and your Christian lobby warned it would? RFN: That was my conviction and I dont resile from that. I believed it was the right thing at the time, but people have their own free society, people make their own choices, do what they want to do, and ... I accept that. FITZ: But we know that you have had two loving relationships with, first, your late wife Elaine and, now, Silvana. So, after being in two very loving relationships, when you see happy gay couples, dont you think theyre just like you? At the 1989 Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence prepare to march with their papier mache Fred Nile head on a platter. Credit:Palani Mohan RFN: To a degree ... but I still think, as a Christian, I believe that marriage is between a male and a female. Thats what marriage is, but I dont have any hatred or revenge against those who are in a same-sex relationship. FITZ: But back in the day, I remember a lot of news stories where you and your fellow Christians would pray for rain to wash away the Sydney Mardi Gras. RFN: And God sometimes sent it. Sometimes even hail. FITZ: But looking back, in the spirit of reconciliation, in the spirit of getting mellow as you get older ... Can you tell me that might have been a bit on the mean side of things? RFN: Yes, probably was, and upsetting their lives. FITZ: Well, could you say sorry? Come on! RFN: Im sorry. FITZ: Good on you for your grace, seriously. Youve also opposed halal food products being available in Australian stores. Looking back, isnt that as ludicrous as Islamic-Australians saying, Listen, Fred, we dont want stores selling Vegemite? RFN: Yeah, I understand that. That may have been a bit extreme, but I felt at that stage we were trying to keep Australia as a Christian country and not to have the promotion of Islam in Australia. But I love our Muslim brothers and sisters and I meet with them regularly and many of them support me in my meetings. FITZ: That is fantastic. Can you throw me a headline? Ive got the typesetter ready to go: Reverend Fred Nile: I was wrong about halal foods! And I love my Islamic brothers and sisters. Can you throw me that? RFN: Yes. And I apologise. And Ive since been working with the Muslim community very closely in supporting many of the things that they do. FITZ: Were on a roll! Something else that pleasantly surprises me is that, as detailed by my colleague Alexandra Smith this week, Despite his vocal opposition to many progressive issues, Nile has been working with First Nations people for decades, and particularly since 1983 when he backed the Aboriginal Land Rights Act that passed parliament. When so many of your other positions have been that of, respectfully, a conservative curmudgeon, can you tell us what placed you on that side of the debate? RFN: Worshipping God taught me from the very beginning to love our Aboriginal brothers and sisters as Gods children, and as founders of Australia, the bedrock of our society of Australia. Fitz: Do you support the Voice? RFN: Of course, I support the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and will be voting yes in the coming referendum. My earnest prayer is that the majority of Australians will as well. FITZ: And Alexandra Smith also notes that your last big push in parliament is forming an unlikely alliance with NSW parliaments most effective same-sex marriage campaigner, Alex Greenwich, to pass legislation that will help protect and promote Indigenous culture and heritage. You and Greenwich do not strike me as a match made in heaven. The unlikely pairing of Reverend Fred Nile and Independent MP Alex Greenwhich. Credit:Oscar Colman RFN: I think God made that match. I get on with him very well and Im happy to work with him and with others like him. The bill weve put up recognises their cultural rights, their religious rights and so on, and that bill will pass. I dont have any hatred for people who disagree with me, or have other beliefs, whether theyre Muslim or a Hindu or whatever it is. I love them as people and work with them. So many of them have become my good friends. FITZ: Youll be gone from NSW parliament in March of next year. When youve gone, Im going to take a chisel down to your political tombstone, and Ill personally carve in your epitaph: Here lies the Reverend Fred Nile. He was in this parliament for 41 years and he ... What? What do you want me to chisel? RFN: Provided love and acceptance for all people. FITZ: Not quite ... But Ill tell you what, youve certainly come a long way good in your old age, the very Reverend Fred! RFN: Thats good. Thank you. Thats a lot of praise coming from you. Quote of the week Truss has become a pointless prime minister an empty vessel with no policies or power. -The Sunday Times in an editorial. Tweet of the week Sometimes it is difficult to be moving through those stages of grief if youre reliving the pressures that were the reasons that you separated in the first place because youre still under that one roof. For the past six years, Brinsmead was a stay-at-home dad, who worked part-time at a market, while his ex was the main breadwinner. He is now working full time making retractable fly screens but says its so far been impossible to find somewhere close by to live on his $900-a-week salary. Brinsmead is grateful to his ex, who pays two-thirds of the rent and all the bills. But that doesnt make it easy. He initially found it tough when she started dating, although he says he is fine with it now, and he has started doing things for himself, like going to the gym. It was hard for me to move on because I was very dependent on her. The former couple sleep in separate rooms, have separate meals and take it in turns to look after their six-year-old daughter. Its had its ups and downs, Brinsmead says. So many aspects of my life are on hold. I met a girl I really liked but after a couple of really nice dates, she said, I cant do this, you live with your ex-wife, this feels wrong. Brinsmead has children from another relationship. He told them not to come and stay during school holidays because he didnt want to impose on his ex. I feel really trapped, but I know its not going to be that way forever. Relationships Australia, which provides support services to families and individuals, is also seeing more separated couples living together because of the pandemic, financial pressures and lack of housing. Were seeing people who are having to stay together and they have to stay in the one bed because theres nowhere to go, said Relationships Australia NSW CEO Elisabeth Shaw. Thats really hard as well, especially if youre not entirely resolved about the separation, it can be very bittersweet to be in bed with the person that youre having to separate from. Shaw recommends separated couples agree to time frames for remaining living together and commit to activities such as actively looking at other properties or going to the bank. She also suggests making clear rules for as long as both individuals remain in the house. Some couples agree that they will not date during that time, for example, or not doing things that are openly inflammatory to the others, and perhaps distressing for the children, like suddenly staying out all night without notice, Shaw says. Benjamin Hale and his ex meet for 90 minutes every Tuesday to have the difficult discussions around their separation. Other couples who may have separate bedrooms and even separate entrances to the house can obviously go a bit further around beginning to have a separate social life. Shaw says it is important for people to remember that how they end the relationship can set up what happens for the rest of their lives, especially if they want to remain on good terms for their children. If you harm each other further when youre already under a lot of stress and distress, the pain can be greater and it can have a lasting legacy that you dont intend. Benjamin Hale and his former partner of 22 years have remained living together in Noosa after separating 10 months ago. Exploding property prices have just made it incredibly difficult to figure out the financial separation and living arrangements to go from one household to two, Hale says. Another major reason is to just to keep some continuity of family life for the kids so the process of separation is not so wrenching. Hale said he and his ex-wife had a project management approach to the separation, setting aside every Tuesday from 10.30am to 12pm to discuss finances, their legal rights and living arrangements. What I found was that whenever we talked about any small issue, the underlying anxiety would bubble up and things would just explode, which wasnt very functional, he said. So now all the difficult discussions that separated couples have to have are corralled into that hour-and-a-half every Tuesday. We agreed this discussion will be very adult and well try and keep emotions out of it. Hale said their relationship was now like one of flatmates. They equally shared the housework and childcare, which made him appreciate the greater burden his ex-wife had taken on in the past. Both Hale and his ex now see other people, although they tend not to bring other partners into the home. You cant invite someone into your home to share your space with them, which is I think, a critical part of establishing a new relationship. Hale said a lot of pragmatism was required to make living under the same roof work when separated. Im a child of three divorces, so I know the damage that acrimonious divorces can do, he says. Loading When she turned up in the town of Thargomindah in western Queensland, she knocked on the door of the shearing contractor and said: I am here to fly your plane. The man replied: You? He didnt believe I could even fly a plane, Ley says. She met her future husband in the shearing sheds of Thargomindah, before they had three children and settled on a family farm in north-east Victoria. At the age of 30, while still working full-time on the farm and with a one-year-old child, Ley started studying economics at university before getting two masters degrees and working at the Australian Tax Office. She was preselected for the Liberal Party in the seat of Farrer in 2001, winning it from the Nationals after the retirement of former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer. Sussan Ley now has to work closely with Liberal leader Peter Dutton. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But it wasnt all smooth sailing. After serving as health minister in the Abbott and Turnbull ministries, she was forced to resign in 2017 when it was revealed she bought a property on the Gold Coast during a taxpayer-funded trip. Ley, now 60, says she could have become bitter and twisted after being dumped from cabinet, but decided to double down on work in her electorate. I went to the backbench which is good for the soul. And I was fortunate enough to return to the Morrison cabinet, she says. I accept that politics can deal you some tough hands But for me, it was about saying: Right, what do I do now that adds value to my role? She also showed a maverick streak during this period, threatening to vote for a ban on the trade of live sheep exports. She credits this resilience to her upbringing. Born in Nigeria to British parents, Ley spent her early years in the United Arab Emirates where her father worked as a spy for MI6. When she was 10, she was sent to boarding school in England while her parents remained in the UAE. After three years, the whole family moved to Australia where her parents bought a hobby farm outside Toowoomba. After the family moved to Canberra, Ley became a rebellious high school student and self-confessed punk. She walked around with no shoes, black lipstick, spiky purple hair, a dog collar, and a nose piercing connected to the razor blade in her ear. Sussan Ley was elected to parliament in 2001. Credit:ALEX MASSEY It was this rebellious streak that led her to put an additional s in her first name as a young adult. It wasnt very popular with my mother at the time. She still thinks it should be removed, Ley says. Those close to Ley describe her as a spontaneous person who is one of the most laid-back politicians in federal parliament. On many nights she can be found in the front bar at pubs in her electorate having a chat with locals. Loading The pubs are where you hear the wisdom from ordinary people, she says. Ley has also, on occasion, been seen dancing shoeless at the pub. Not for many years, she insists. But, like, who shouldnt dance shoeless? While the challenges for women may have changed since she faced rampant sexism in the workplace back in the 1980s, Ley believes it is no less challenging today. There are still expectations and views of women that people dont express because they are aware that they are restrained from expressing them, she says. But maybe they still hold them. And maybe they still hold them in the workplace. And maybe they subliminally impart those views to women, and they feel it. So, its different, but its still a challenge. After being elected Liberal deputy leader following the Coalitions defeat at the May election, Ley wants to use her diverse life experiences to help the party better connect with women across the country. But she has given herself the specific responsibility of winning back the six seats which fell to female teal independents. She accepts that issues like integrity, climate and the economy played a huge part in women deserting the party at the election. But she also cautions not to view women as some homogenous political grouping. The pitch to doubtful MPs is simple: Johnson still has a mandate from the 2019 election, and he alone can save the Tories from electoral wipeout. Beyond his band of parliamentary supporters, Johnson has an even more formidable weapon an army of keyboard warriors in the Tory base. His defenestration back in July prompted a vigorous grassroots campaign to get his name on the ballot for the contest eventually won by Truss. A petition organised by the Lord Cruddas and the Conservative Post website got thousands of signatures. His camp have sought to harness this infrastructure to put pressure on MPs to get him to 100 nominations. A Back Boris campaign group on WhatsApp has been set up to provide a link between the MPs and the activists. One member of the group told The London Telegraph: Ive never seen anything like it. Its got organisations in every constituency, region and nationally. Loading Claire Bullivant, the founder and editor of ConservativePost, claims to have contact details for about 65,000 party supporters, of which at least 10,000 are confirmed members, giving the website the largest database of members outside of Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ). The MPs might be hating us, she said. But they are just spamming them with emails saying, support Boris, support Boris. The website has made it easy for diehard supporters to lobby their MP too. Weve given them letters that they can send, all they have to do is press click and it zips off, she added. A Tory peer and ally of the former prime minister claimed this pressure could prove crucial. I personally think that if MPs are in their constituencies over the weekend, theyll find a lot of Anyone But Sunak Syndrome and more enthusiasm for Boris than they might have expected. On Friday, the campaign was buoyed by a string of cabinet endorsements, and on Saturday Priti Patel, the former home secretary, added her backing. However, endorsements remain well below those of Sunak, with the pace of public nominations also appearing to slacken yesterday. If Johnson does scrape through, he will feel confident in facing Sunak in a vote of members. But if he only carries a minority of MPs, he will almost certainly face calls to step aside rather than risk another occupant of No.10 presiding over an ungovernable parliamentary party. His allies accept this will be a challenge, but insist it is manageable. One confidante said: Ninety per cent of the party is absolutely fine, but there is an element and I dont think this is particularly a Boris problem, its a Rishi problem as well whove got very entrenched views. The party has got to be quite ruthless about them. Another ally said the former prime minister had to come back and impose some discipline. They said that if a small number of MPs are expelled from the party or even defect to Labour it would be a price worth paying in the long run. The other preoccupation is how he can draw a line under his chaotic exit from No 10. One former adviser said: His great challenge will be how he explains hes not going to repeat those errors. If he does that, that will reassure a lot of people. If he can manage it, the great Johnsonian boulder could soon be rolling its way through British politics again. One Tory MP who has publicly endorsed Johnson said the campaign to secure him the nominations has been fluid. Would you expect anything to do with Boris to be that structured? Its mainly done on WhatsApp, they said. Loading Nigel Adams an MP who has supported Mr Johnsons leadership bids since 2016 is coordinating the campaign. Ross Kempsell and David Canzini, two former senior aides, are also helping run the show. Nadine Dorries, his most outspoken disciple, is providing encouragement in the way that only Nadine can do. So far, the campaign has focused on getting Johnson the numbers. He doesnt want to be humiliated, the MP said. He doesnt want to be in the situation that he was when Michael Gove abandoned him [in 2016]. Rome: Giorgia Meloni, whose party with neo-fascist roots finished first in recent elections, has been sworn in as Italys first far-right premier since the end of World War II, pledging to work to help Europe and the United States with common challenges. Meloni, 45, recited the oath of office before President Sergio Mattarella, who on Friday (Europe time) formally asked her to form a government. She is the first woman to serve as premier. Far-right politician Giorgia Meloni became Italys first woman prime minister at the swearing-in ceremony. Credit:Getty Images Her Brothers of Italy party, which she co-founded in 2012, will rule in coalition with the right-wing League of Matteo Salvini and the conservative Forza Italia headed by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, whose parties did not perform as well in the countrys September 25 election. Meloni signed a pledge to be faithful to Italys post-war republic, and Mattarella counter-signed it. As head of state, the president serves as guarantor of the Italian constitution, drafted in the years immediately after the end of World War II and the demise of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The NBB Group, in partnership with the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), has launched an internal Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Academy for its employees. The group comprises the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) and Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB). The ESG Academy aims to spread awareness about sustainability themes and practices amongst the groups internal stakeholders, in line with its ambitious sustainability roadmap. The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Dr Mohamed bin Dainah, Minister of Oil and Environment, Special Envoy for Climate Affairs; Farouk Al Moayyed, NBB Chairman, and representatives from both entities. Bin Dainah expressed his appreciation to the NBB Group for signing this agreement, stressing the councils support towards the launch of the academy, which aims to enhance the level of public awareness on the environmental affairs and objectives of Bahrain. He also reiterated this is a vital step towards building basic knowledge and achieving collective cooperation between the Kingdoms various sectors, in line with the strategy and goals set by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, at COP26, to enable the Kingdom to reach its net-zero goals. Bin Dainah added that the academy will train NBB Groups employees and members of NBBs Sustainability Committee on various areas of ESG practices. He explained that this partnership with the Supreme Council for the Environment comes in line with the directives of Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the personal representative of His Majesty the King and Chairman of the Supreme Council for the Environment, to build bridges of communication between the government, private sector and civil agencies to support all programmes and activities related to the new generation of technology that benefits the Kingdoms environment. He further noted that the NBB Group is partnering with several entities such as the Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance (BIBF), the Sustainability Knowledge Group, and Bahrain Bourse to develop a set of programmes focused on ESG for its employees. Dana Buheji, Group Chief Human Resources and Sustainability Officer at NBB, expressed her contentment with the partnership between the NBB Group and the Supreme Council for the Environment to launch the ESG Academy. Buheji also explained that since the inception of the Banks 3-year sustainability roadmap, NBB has been on a steadfast journey towards implementing ESG practices across multiple business and operational verticals. She also expressed that the collaboration with the Supreme Council for Environment is a vital step in elevating the ESG knowledge of the banks most valuable asset, its employees, who ultimately are the main drivers of the sustainability journey and will help the bank meet its ESG mandates. The NBB Group has taken several steps to shed light on ESG, while ensuring that the Group has a solid foundation to support these efforts and endeavours, most notably the launch of the ESG Academy. Through its partnership with the SCE, the NBB Group will leverage the Supreme Councils knowledge and expertise in the ESG field through a series of awareness and knowledge-building seminars. A range of topics will be covered related to the Kingdom of Bahrains sustainability development goals, the national sustainability projects, and the Groups necessary alignment and contribution to help achieve the vision and strategic goals of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and its candidacy represented in the ESG field globally. The SCE-led programmes will also touch on Adaptation Action in Bahrain, Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss, Bahrains Road to Net-Zero by 2060 and the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol.-TradeArabia News Service Forty Burundian rebels have been killed in a joint offensive by the militaries of Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi in eastern DRC, a Congolese army spokesman said on Sunday. Available for Roku, Fire TV, AppleTV WFMZ+ STREAMING NEW WAY TO WATCH! Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. Ukraine prepared for more Russian strikes on Monday and warned of the possibility for a new round of evacuations from the capital during a relative lull from the airstrikes on energy facilities and other key infrastructure in recent weeks. NORTHAMPTON, Pa. -- "We learned to know him. I learned to know a stranger." That "stranger" is Edward Reiter, a Korean War veteran from Northampton. At 17 years old, he died following his deployment. "My sadness comes from the life he didn't have," said Crystal Prickler, a relative of Reiter by marriage. For 73 years, the military was unable to identify Reiter. But with the help of his family's perseverance, DNA, medical records and modern technology, this was finally the year they waited so long far. "We're honored, we're really, really truly honored," said Prickler. A proper funeral was held at Queenship of Mary Catholic Church in Northampton, the church that Edward and his family belonged to. "Seventy-two years as an MIA, coming back home was a profound gift for us in the borough," said Tony Pristash, mayor of Northampton. Family members from all over joined the procession, and headed to Our Lady of Hungary Cemetery, the place where Edward Reiter's gravesite sat empty for seven decades. "His final resting place is here in Northampton," said Pristash. There are 546 Pennsylvanian veterans still missing from Korea, and 89 from Vietnam. Reiter's family says this day is not only for their own family, but for the thousands of others still looking for loved ones. "We had a sense of duty that we had to do this," said Prickler. A service member was killed in a crash between two military vehicles Saturday at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County. One service member died and three others were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania National Guard. The name of the service member killed is being withheld until the family is notified. The National Guard said the accident is under investigation and "further details cannot be released until the investigation concludes." POTTSTOWN, Pa. -- There are new developments surrounding a shooting in Pottstown that left two teenagers dead. Authorities have identified a second suspect in connection to the Monday night shooting. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said an arrest warrant has been issued for 23-year-old Deonte "Taz" Kelly of Philadelphia. He's facing first-degree murder and other charges. Authorities allege Kelly and 17-year-old Dominic Carboni are responsible for the shooting deaths of two teens. Police said 17-year-old Skyler Fox and 18-year-old Brandon Bacote-Byer were shot and killed near Fourth and Johnson streets. Carboni is already in custody. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Kelly's arrest. Investigators said that prior to the shooting the teens planned to meet to purchase marijuana. Anyone with information is asked to call police immediately. LANSDALE, Pa. -- There will be a Halloween themed flu vaccine clinic at North Penn High School on Sunday, October 23, 2022. The vaccines are available to ages five and older. The clinic runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Future Clinics 10/26 - Methacton High School 5P-8P 11/1 - Skippack Elementary School 5P-8P 11/2 - Montco OIC 5P-8P For more information, visit the Skippack Pharmacy Vax Tour website. QUAKERTOWN, Pa. -- The Quakertown Farmers Market's 29th annual Halloween costume contest attracted ghosts, pirates, and witches from across the area. Over 100 children and their families showed up for treats and the costume contest. This year's judges were Tim Ambrose from the Penny Power, AJ Keller Costume Designer and Tim Arnold from Richland Township. Childrens Groups Ages 0-3: 1st Place: Sally 1 year 4-month-old Ivalee Ferra from Bethlehem, PA 2nd Place: Pirate 3-year-old Charlie Mokris from Coopersburg, PA Ages 4-6: 1st Place: Toilet 6-year-old Logan Kirkpartick from Allentown, PA 2nd Place: Dracula 5-year-old Michael Barber from Southampton, PA Ages 7-10: 1st Place: Pirate with Ship 10-year-old Zayden Plaza from Allentown, PA 2nd Place: Big Foot 9-year-old Emilee Pauley from Reading, PA Family Group 1st Place: Zombie Diner - The Best Family from Coopersburg, PA 2nd Place: - Mario Carts - The Matsil Family from King of Prussia, PA The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD) has reported a 90 percent reduction in the consumption of single-use plastic bags, as the 3-million-resident emirate continues to phase out the use of plastic products. When Saint Marys University junior Evelyn Sanchez started school in Melrose Park, Ill., near Chicago, her mother anticipated that her young daughter would cling to her anxiously, not wanting to head off into a classroom of strangers. But instead of tears and trepidation, Evelyn barely looked back as she bounded into the classroom, excited to begin an adventure in learning. Evelyns career path was soon clear, and she began playing school with her stuffed animals, and even her grandparents, as her pupils. It was her grandfather who encouraged her to teach mathematics specifically. My grandfather has always taught me the importance of education and why I should be thankful for every single lesson taught to me, she said. He grew up in Mexico, migrated to the United States and worked double shifts every single day to have a roof on top of our family and food on the table. He always wished for an education. He did not have the opportunity as he left school to help his family to pay bills. Her grandfather told Evelyn she deserved an education and the job of her dreams, but would need to work hard. Un sueno tan grande mijita, solo echale ganas, he would tell her, which translates to A dream so big, all you have to do is give it all youve got. Likewise, senior Simon Warmkagathje of rural St. Charles, Minn., has always wanted to teach, and throughout his life, others have encouraged him to go into teaching, recognizing the traits of a good educator in the outgoing and personable leader. Having seven younger siblings, hes had lots of practice working with young people already. For Warmkagathje, who grew up on his family farm, its about being outdoors. On campus, hes the president and founder of the fishing club and vice president of the tri-beta biology honors society. Its his goal to teach biology sharing an understanding and appreciation of the world to future young students. My passion is teaching people how to pursue their dreams, no matter the circumstances, he said. For that reason, I believe education is the field in which I can make the biggest impact on my community. Warmkagathje and Sanchez are Saint Marys inaugural Noyce Scholars. This past year, the university was awarded a $1.18 million NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant in support of the universitys Inclusive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Teacher Education Pipeline (ISTEP) Project. ISTEP is designed to increase the number of secondary STEM teachers from diverse backgrounds who are committed to teaching in high-need local educational agencies in places like southeastern Minnesota to help alleviate severe teacher shortages in the state, particularly in math and science. For the next five years, this funding enables Saint Marys to provide scholarships and stipends to more than 20 undergraduate and graduate students pursuing teacher licensure in a STEM-related field. Undergraduates, typically awarded scholarships their junior years, promise to teach for four years (two years per year of scholarship received) in a high need school. Sanchez believes this opportunity gives her the chance to be a good role model. I am not ashamed to say I still struggle with math, she said. I want to show future generations that everyone can learn STEM. I also want to share my story on the importance of grit and perseverance. I want to show my Mexican-American community that we can become STEM educators. I want to see more people like me, standing in front of the classroom, she added. And I want to show students who struggled with math and English growing up that they too can become an educator. My background, story, skin color, and the education I received as a child were not a disadvantage, but more an advantage and opportunity. Warmkagathje wants to be the kind of teacher who makes an impact on a students life be the teacher students remember forever. To be named a Noyce scholar means such a great deal to me, he said. I think that finding STEM teachers to teach in the local area is important because there are not many of us out there. I see school districts in dire need of good teachers who will stick around, and I believe this program will support those who never thought they had the chance. Somewhere in a desert in Texas, a private foundation is building a prototype of the Clock of the Long Now. The clock is designed to tick for 10,000 years and will be installed inside a mountain in Nevada when completed. Rather than chiming on the hour, this clock will chime on the millennium the idea being to move us beyond thinking about the troubles of today and focus our attention on the future and the world we want to build. Interestingly, the lock is designed to have the same attributes that a good university has: longevity, maintainability, transparency, evolvability and scalability. Sustainability means thinking long-term, which we do well at universities. The first universities emerged in Bologna and Oxford about 1,000 years ago, in part as a reaction to the Dark Ages, during which much was lost or forgotten. Universities became wisdom-preserving institutions, which undoubtedly makes us less nimble than we should be, but positions us well to provide an opportunity to preserve, sustain, remember and learn. Sustainability in higher education yields financial impact. States with the highest educational attainment rates Virginia, Massachusetts, Kansas, Colorado tend to have the most prosperous economies, and today, a college degree is more valuable than ever. Considering the financial return on investment alone, individuals with a bachelors degree earn $30,000 more on average per year compared with those with only a high school diploma. Thinking more holistically, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Minnesota continues to be a top five state in terms of associates degrees (No. 2) and bachelors degrees (No. 4), and Minnesota needs lots of graduates who do what we do so well at WSU: prepare police officers, teachers, engineers, accountants, nurses, social workers all subject to licensures that require a bachelors degree. Sustainability means affordability. Whether or not student loan debt forgiveness is a good idea, I hope most of us can agree that college affordability is a good idea. WSU has worked hard to raise money to support scholarships, and Winona has been very generous in donating to these efforts last year proved to be a record year for donations to WSU! Affordability also means controlling costs. WSUs faculty unilaterally offered to freeze their pay, and administrators had their pay frozen too. Sustainability means delivering new programs needed by Minnesota. Our CICEL project will prepare state-of-the-art computer scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, designers, and artists. Were also responding directly to the needs of southeastern Minnesota by adding new programs in accounting, mental health, social work, strategic communication and many others. Sustainability means being careful stewards of place. Through the sale of West Campus and the proposed addition of new residence halls on the main campus, WSU will greatly reduce the need for shuttle buses while creating a compact, walkable campus. Most Winonans will have noticed solar panels going up all over campus. Combined with other aspects of our Leading Energy Savings and Sustainability Project, this will reduce our carbon footprint 25% and generate $25 million in energy savings over the life of the project. This will help keep Winona beautiful for future generations. Whats more, this was done at no cost to taxpayers or students. At 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, we will hold a ribbon cutting for the LESS Project, and we invite the community to join us and celebrate this milestone. Come learn more about how WSU is creating efficiencies and saving money while protecting the beauty our community. Here at WSU, we are playing the long game. We are 164 years old, and we are just getting started. We plan to be here in Winona 1,000 years from nowin 3022and we are taking steps now to ensure that we will be. WSU will be stewards of Winona and of Minnesota to promise our descendants an even more beautiful and bountiful future. In the early morning hours of July 26, many St. Louis-area residents awoke to floodwater filling their homes, or to the din of blaring car alarms from vehicles getting overtaken by murky brown water. Too much rain was falling far too fast. The weather system dumped more than 9 inches on St. Louis about a quarter of the citys annual average compressed largely within a few hours. That same week, torrential rain storms settled on Eastern Kentucky, where up to 16 inches fell and water rushed into peoples homes so swiftly that many didnt get out in time. Forty people were killed in eastern Kentucky. Two people died in St. Louis. Longtime residents in both regions, no strangers to severe storms and flooding, said theyd seen nothing like it before and theyre right. The rainfall totals obliterated previous records in each area by a margin that was difficult for some experts to fathom topping St. Louis single-day record by more than two inches, for instance. It was yet another example that rain isnt falling the way that it used to, with both the magnitude and intensity of extreme rain events increasing throughout recent decades, across a large part of the country. The late-July storms that devastated St. Louis and eastern Kentucky helped showcase the risks wrought by a climate that is growing hotter and wetter and more prone to dumping massive rains and flash flooding on communities whose creeks, streams and drainage systems are not equipped to handle such volatile waters. The shifting trends and escalating flood risk raises urgent questions about societys readiness to cope with the change, as spiraling and once-unheard-of rainfall extremes become more frequent. We are not doing enough. This last flood sure proves it, said Bob Criss, a Washington University emeritus professor who studies regional flooding. This problem is not going to get better. Weve got to make it better. More fuel to work with In the wake of Julys floods, the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk a journalism partnership that includes more than 14 newsrooms asked climate data nonprofit Climate Central to analyze 50 years of rainfall patterns. Findings showed that the eastern half of the U.S. is getting far wetter on average, with some areas including parts of the Mississippi River Basin now receiving up to 8 more inches of rain each year than 50 years ago, based on data from the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Climate change models show further increases are likely in coming years, said Climate Central data scientist Jen Brady, who helped with our analysis. And when it rains, it pours, based on data on rainfall intensity. In other words, not only is more rain falling, but its also falling harder in many places, like St. Louis, according to further analysis from Climate Central. The trend is largely tied to heat. As greenhouse gases from fossil fuels heat the Earth, that warming extends to the oceans and the Gulf of Mexico a primary source of the atmospheric moisture for the Eastern U.S. Warming oceans produce more water vapor, and a warming atmosphere can hold more moisture, which can then deliver more precipitation in short windows of time. Were getting warmer and were getting wetter, said Pat Guinan, Missouris state climatologist and a professor at the University of Missouri. We are in an unprecedented wet period. Recent decades have given rise to a stark divide seen across the continental U.S., with the western half of the country becoming increasingly arid and prone to drought, while the eastern half is faced with exceptional moisture, often delivered in bursts. The Midwest is one region absorbing the brunt of all that water. Since 1958, the Midwest has seen a 42% increase in the amount of precipitation that falls during the most extreme events, said Ken Kunkel, a professor at North Carolina State University who studies extreme rainfall and is a lead scientist behind the National Climate Assessment. The future will be characterized by more extreme events, simply because our source of water vapor will be hotter, said Kunkel. The system will have more fuel to work with. That helps drive risks of high water even in certain places set apart from increasingly flood-prone major rivers, with widespread flash flooding as a separate and in some ways greater danger. At this point, no community in the country is safeguarded from flooding, said Laura Lightbody, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts flood-prepared communities project. Were seeing it flood in more places than ever expected before. Dont just blame the weather Flash flood risk is shaped by more than weather alone. Pavement-heavy urban areas and places with constricted rivers or hilly topography compound the threat and are especially vulnerable. Around St. Louis, even an inch and a half of rain in an hour can trigger localized flash flooding, with small urban tributaries reacting to rainfall far faster and more dramatically than the regions major rivers. In St. Louis County, for example, creeks can rise as much as 10 feet in an hour. Meanwhile, in one Appalachian town, the North Fork Kentucky River shattered its previous height record by more than six feet in Julys flooding, rushing in fast enough to destroy the U.S. Geological Survey sensor designed to monitor the river. That explosiveness means flash floods can present a far more sudden threat to people and property than the gradual rise of rivers carrying water collected from afar. You can get caught by rapidly rising water and its hard to anticipate, Kunkel said. Flash floods have received extensive help becoming even more dangerous in many densely developed and heavily populated urban settings, say other experts, like Criss, who has shifted his research focus more toward flash floods, in recent years. Such flood risks can vary widely from place to place, but can be especially pronounced in small, flashy watersheds that are unusually sensitive to bursts of incoming water. One of the epicenters of damage near St. Louis, for example, occurred along the upper stretches of the River Des Peres, a highly urbanized waterway that experts like Criss have identified as the most flash flood-prone system in Missouri, and have long voiced concerns over. The river essentially acts as an urban drainage ditch, converted largely into a straightened concrete sleeve that can be easily overwhelmed with water funneled its way during storms delivered more quickly and plentifully by all the surrounding pavement and other impervious surfaces. Its a combination that doesnt mix well with more extreme precipitation facing people and property with heightened flash flood risks. Intense rainfall is just making it all the worse, said Criss. [But] I dont want to just blame the weather all the time. That makes it like were not responsible. ... There is plenty we can do in our local communities to improve the way we build and treat our creeks. Experts cite examples of precautions that range from pursuing buyouts of high-risk properties, limiting and corralling runoff, building water storage projects, and better floodproofing homes and basements. Some similar risk factors are at play in rural Appalachia another epicenter of this summers flood damage. There, rugged terrain leaves homes to be built almost exclusively along rivers and at the foot of mountains. Water travels quickly along the steep slopes to the residents below. The regions history of strip mining and mountaintop removal also contributes to the danger, since the damaged land is often unable to soak in water as it naturally would. Even remediated mine lands often consist of compacted soil and grass, which arent nearly as effective for flood mitigation as the forest that once occupied the land. Its like pouring water on a tabletop, explained Mary Cromer, of the Appalachian Citizens Law Center, who recently sat before members of Congress and painted the destructive picture of the flooding that put the law center and most of her town of Whitesburg under water. More rainfall presents urgent challenges and imperatives: How can a city retool the built environment to withstand stronger flooding? How do people get out of harms way? Most existing structures were built to withstand conditions and expectations based on what used to happen not the climate trends happening today, nor future projections. Historical data is no longer a good predictor of the future, Kunkel said. As a result, he adds, were not building things to the level of resilience that wed expect. In freshly flooded places around the U.S., various forms of recovery are underway a process that could take a long time. In Kentucky, residents were told to expect years of rebuilding. But some, like Cromer, point to the continued threat posed by climate change giving the difficult rebuild the grim possibility of becoming a Sisyphean task, poised to repeat itself, unless certain changes and precautions go into place. We know flooding like this will happen again, she said. 4034c222-4b49-11ed-9909-4b09a31acdba10904d844999b86072d964b66495ffe3ee102322-wn-nws-when-rains-1lacrossetribune.com0 The Ochsner Park Zoo entrance received a massive aesthetic boost from a local artist over the weekend. Marie Homolkova-Michalek, a Baraboo resident and native of the Czech Republic, painted a mural featuring 16 animals from the zoo on two wood planks that was installed on the sides of the entrance to the facility on Oct. 20. Homolkova-Michalek and her husband, Pavel Michalek, along with other zoo volunteers, assisted with installation. Its really nice to be able to support the zoo and be able to use some of my talents that people tend to find interesting and share it with everybody, said Homolkova-Michalek, who is one of the docents for Friends of the Baraboo Zoo, a local nonprofit that raises funds to support the Ochsner Park Zoo. Amber Giddings, president of Friends of the Baraboo Zoo, said the mural adds a unique and unforgettable element to the facility. She explained that the docent program is a volunteer program in which people utilize a strong skill of theirs to benefit the zoo. Docents for Friends of Baraboo Zoo Anyone interested in becoming a docent for the Friends of Baraboo Zoo can either reach out to the "Friends of the Baraboo Zoo" or "Ochsner Park Zoo" Facebook pages or contact organization president Amber Giddings at 608-393-7206. I think what this adds is the feel were trying to create, said Giddings. We want something to look at and something to take a picture against. When you walk up, right away you are like, Wow! Even in 10 years, if you havent made it back to the zoo, youll still remember. The new entrance mural was inspired by the different animals exhibited at the zoo. Homolkova-Michalek and another area artist both agreed on her idea for the mural and she began work on her project in July. She said the mural took roughly two months to complete, having to allocate time to work on it during nights and weekends away from her full-time job as a mortgage company trainer. It was whenever I could spare some time, that I would go and work on it, said Homolkova-Michalek, who also expressed gratitude to volunteers and city residents Pam and Ron Cowen, whom she said allowed her to work on the project in their garage. The Cowens helped her install the mural, as well, and were a huge part of this project, Homolkova-Michalek said. Giddings said that the Cowens painted a set of bears of varying size for the zoo for guests to compare their physical size to them. Animals featured on the mural include a black bear, Mexican grey wolf, Arctic fox, snowy owl, llama and a ball python snake. Im floored, Giddings said of Homolkova-Michaleks artwork. This takes a lot of time and effort and talent. When we started to talk about this, we had the pictures that the city had looked at pre-COVID for the entrance. It lines up with the columns of the entrance. Giddings added that Homolkova-Michalek heard the conversations regarding entrance aesthetics at the zoo and was inspired to create the mural. I dont think we could ask for anything more beautiful, said Giddings. Homolkova-Michalek and Giddings both discussed constructing another mural for a different area of the zoo at a later time. Columbus Area Historical Society 1972 The first annual Wisconsin State Marching Band Contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin School Music Association, was held at Sun Prairie High School. This is the first time the Columbus High School Band has entered a marching contest of this type. The city of Columbus was back in contention for the purchase of the County Teacher College property. Rev. John Pilutti presented a study he did to the Columbus City Council that recommended the city purchase the property to serve as a community center. 1982 Columbus residents were able to see a local family compete on the Family Feud game show when the Hadi Pankow family appeared on the program. Competing for the family were Hadi and his wife Jan, and their children, Brad, 19; Tom, 18; and Cathy 16. The Pankows own and operate the Country Inn on Highway 151, south of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus presented Officer Peter Drolshagen, Columbus, an Officer of the Year Award for providing special services to the Council and to the community of Columbus. 1992 Alderman Karen Henn and Columbus Mayor Tom Christiansen presented a check for $1,501 to the Salvation Army for victims of Hurricane Andrew and the Wautoma tornado. The Columbus Rotary Club donated $5,000 to Columbus Community Hospital for half the cost for the purchase of a pacemaker defibrillator. The hospitals Lights of Love program paid for the other half of the cost. 2002 When Dr. Chub Poser died in 1997, friends, coworkers, patients, and the Poser family created the Chub Poser Memorial Fund. Monies from the fund were used to remodel and furnish an existing patient room into a hospice patient room. Columbus Middle School teacher Sue Sewell was awarded a Presidential Award of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Follow us on Facebook at Columbus, WI Area Historical Society, or email museumcahs@gmail.com. The Columbus WI Area Historical Society is looking for a new home for its museum. If anyone has ideas on where to locate, contact Peter Kaland, society president. The Central Bank of Egypt offered on Sunday Egyptian pound-backed treasury bills (T-bills) with a total value of EGP 28.5 billion over two maturity types. Click the photo and watch the video. BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) The Communist Party of China (CPC) is fully confident and capable of creating new and even greater miracles on the new journey of the new era, Xi Jinping said as the 20th CPC National Congress came to a conclusion Saturday. The CPC congress has realized its goals of unifying thinking, fortifying confidence, charting the course and boosting morale, Xi told 2,338 delegates and specially invited delegates present at the closing session of the weeklong congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. "This has been a congress of holding our banner high, pooling our strength, and promoting solidarity and dedication." At the closing session presided over by Xi, the congress elected a new CPC Central Committee, with 205 members and 171 alternate members, and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) consisting of 133 members. Xi Jinping presides over the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 22, 2022. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] The congress passed a resolution on the report of the 19th CPC Central Committee, a resolution on the work report of the 19th CCDI, and a resolution on an amendment to the CPC Constitution. The congress noted that the establishment of Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has set the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on "an irreversible historical course." The report of the 19th CPC Central Committee charts the course and establishes a guide to action for the new journey for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for realizing the Second Centenary Goal, Xi said. Hailing the report "a guiding Marxist document," Xi said it is a political declaration and a program of action for the CPC to rally and lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in securing new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics. The CCDI work report underscores the significance of using the Party's own transformation to steer social transformation, and declares the Party's firm resolve to keep improving conduct, promoting integrity and fighting corruption with sober-minded determination to make this an unceasing endeavor, Xi said. On the revised CPC Constitution, which came into effect as of the date of adoption, Xi said it encapsulates the theoretical, practical and institutional innovations made by the Party. The revised CPC Constitution sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership, promoting the Party's full and rigorous self-governance, continuing and improving Party building, and advancing the Party's self-reform, he said. The new developments in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era since the 19th CPC National Congress have been incorporated into the Party Constitution. Advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization has been designated as the central task of the Party on the new journey of the new era at the 20th CPC National Congress. This central task has been included in the revised Party Constitution. Also added to the Party Constitution are statements on gradually realizing the goal of common prosperity for all, pursuing high-quality development, developing a broader, fuller and more robust whole-process people's democracy, elevating the people's armed forces to world-class standards, resolutely implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems, and resolutely opposing and deterring separatists seeking "Taiwan independence." Holding dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom was also included in the Party Constitution. On the newly elected CPC Central Committee, Xi said it is a broadly representative and well-structured body with highly qualified members who meet the standards for Central Committee membership, match the expectations of ordinary officials and the general public, and reflect the realities of the Party's leadership teams and contingent of officials. The new CPC Central Committee will definitely be capable of shouldering the historic mission of rallying and leading the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and in advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts, he said. "We believe that all the decisions and plans set out at the congress and all its outcomes will play a significant role in guiding and underpinning our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects, advance national rejuvenation on all fronts, and secure new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics," Xi said. Xi called on the delegates to firmly keep in mind the Party's original aspiration and founding mission and the country's most fundamental interests, and firmly keep in mind that "this country is its people; the people are the country." During the congress, the central committees of other political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce as well as public figures from all ethnic groups and all sectors in China offered their congratulations, as did members of the public through various means. Political parties and organizations in many countries around the world also sent congratulatory messages. "The presidium of the congress wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them," Xi said. Having come through a century of great endeavor, the Party is once again embarking on a new journey on which it will face new tests, Xi noted. "We are fully confident and capable of creating new and even greater miracles on the new journey of the new era -- miracles that will amaze the world." Xi urged all Party members to stay closely rallied around the CPC Central Committee and hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics. "We must remain confident in our history, exhibit greater historical initiative, and have the courage to fight and the mettle to win," he said. Xi called on the Party to stay focused, determinedly forge ahead, and unite and lead all Chinese people in striving to fulfill the goals and tasks set out at the 20th CPC National Congress. (Source: Xinhua) Slavery is on the ballot for voters in five US states Wrexhams MS welcomes lowering of bowel screening age in Wales Wrexhams Member of the Senedd has welcomed the lowering of bowel cancer screening age to 55. The Wales-wide expansion will mean that 172,000 more people across the country will start to receive easy to use kits that test for the early stages of bowel cancer. It is part of a phased approach to lowering the screening age to 50 by October 2024. From early October, people aged 55, 56 and 57 have started being invited for screening and will receive their home testing kits in the post. The programme will be rolled out to the newly eligible age group gradually over the next 12 months. Local Member of the Senedd, Lesley Griffiths, has welcomed the Welsh Governments announcement that bowel cancer screening will be made available to more people in Wrexham as home testing is expanded. Welcoming the announcement, Lesley Griffiths MS said: Im pleased that the next phase of the Welsh Governments plan to widen access to bowel cancer screening has come into effect. Treatment is more likely to be effective if cancer is detected at an early stage and offering the home test to more people will help identify more cases and help improve survival rates. I also welcome the news that the Welsh Labour Government plans to continue to expand the programme by lowering the age range to 50 over the next few years. Eligible individuals are being invited for screening and will receive their home testing kits in the post over the next 12 months. The test kit is easy to complete and I urge everyone in Wrexham who receives the invitation to take up the offer as it could save your life. The funding is part of a 16 million investment package by the Welsh Government that has supported the introduction of new, easier to use, FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) at home testing kits. The new home testing kits have helped improve screening uptake to 65% and have improved sensitivity to better detect those at risk of bowel cancer. More than 2,500 people were diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2019. Screening plays an important role in detecting cancer earlier and helps to improve cancer outcomes in Wales. The lowering of the screening age is based on the recommendation by the UK National Screening Committee. Early-season merrymakers sipping mulled wine and shopping for holiday decorations packed the Verona Christmas market for its inaugural weekend. An 11-person jury deliberated for little more than an hour on Thursday before finding in favor of actor Kevin Spacey in a civil lawsuit filed against him by Anthony Rapp. Rapp accused Spacey, who was 26 at the time, of sexually assaulting him in 1986 when he was 14 years old. The jury in the three-week trial in New York federal court dismissed Rapps lawsuit, which sought $40 million in damages, and accepted Spaceys defense that the alleged encounter never happened. In dismissing the lawsuit, the jury rejected Rapps accusation, first advanced in 2017 in the early days of the #MeToo witch-hunt, that he had been abused as a minor at a party in Spaceys apartment during a season when they both were actors on Broadway. In doing so, the jury also rejected a central premise of the #MeToo movement: that facts, evidence and proof do not matter and that the allegations of accusers alone are sufficient to destroy the careers of the accused. In October 2017, BuzzFeed News published in lurid detail Rapps claims of Spaceys sexual misconduct. This was followed by a campaign in the corporate media, led by the New York Times, that resulted in the end of Spaceys career as an actor. When the accusations by Rapp were followed by numerous similar unsubstantiated claims made against him, Spacey was removed from his role as Frank Underwood in the acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards and the streaming movie service also cancelled plans to release a film biography with the actor playing Gore Vidal. In a thoroughly reactionary move, director Ridley Scott erased Kevin Spacey from the film All the Money in the World, a movie about the billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty that had been completed, and replaced him with actor Christopher Plummer at a cost of $10 million. After the trial verdict was read, Spacey reportedly dropped his head, then hugged his lawyers and exited the courtroom without making any statements. His lawyer, Jennifer Keller, said outside the courthouse, Were just grateful that the jury saw the truth, adding, Whats next is that Kevin Spacey is going to be proven innocent of anything hes been accused of. That there was no truth to any of the allegations. The #MeToo witch-hunt against Spacey started unraveling in July 2019 when district attorneys in Massachusetts dropped sexual assault charges against him after the accuser refused to testify about missing text messages on his cellphone. In July of this year, Spacey pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault levelled by three individuals that the accusers allege took place between March 2005 and August 2008. In that hearing, the attorney for Spacey said the actor strenuously denies the allegations. The outcome of the trial has vindicated the principled stand taken by the WSWS against the witch-hunt. In an article posted on November 1, 2017, May a word be spoken on behalf of Kevin Spacey?, WSWS Arts Editor David Walsh wrote: We live once again in an era of denunciations, which have the power to wreck lives overnight. And everyone is expected to chime in. The article continued, Once again its scoundrel time. The film world, it is clear now, has learned nothing from the McCarthyite period. The same essential modus operandi is at work: the naming of names, the guilt by association, witnesses who cant be questioned, the right-wing forces who weigh in, the studios that instantly blacklist those accused. The WSWS has a spotless record of defending actors and Hollywood figuressuch as Woody Allen, Geoffrey Rush, Frank Langella, Johnny Depp and otherswho have been the victims of public campaigns based on unsubstantiated claims of sexual misconduct. We have consistently pointed to the undemocratic character of the #MeToo campaign as an extension of upper-middle-class Democratic Party identity politics and its hostility to the elementary constitutional rights such as the presumption of innocence. The minister's remarks were made during his participation in the 50th edition of exhibition and fair of Gastech 2022, held in Milan, Italy, from September 5 to 8 with the participation of a galaxy of world energy ministers, CEOs of international energy companies, executives as well as energy experts. Mollah underlined the importance of a three-way memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in Cairo to carry gas from eastern the Mediterranean to the EU countries via Egypt, adding that this MOU sends a positive message to international companies and gives them a big incentive to accelerate their activities and launch investment projects in Egypt as soon as possible. He made it clear that Egypt's achievements over the past few years in the natural gas sector has contributed to maximizing the benefits from its available resources and infrastructure in this sector to counter the current global challenges in the energy market, adding that availability of natural gas resources as well as the infrastructure needed for exportation have returns on Egypt as regards the natural gas prices and compensate the rise in oil prices which reached dlrs 100 per barrel. He also reviewed Egypt's strategies in the energy sector and its recent expansions along with the strategies adopted to increase dependency on new energy production methods such as solar and wind energies. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt has seen an unprecedented leap in its natural gas export revenues, which have increased 13-fold over the past eight years, according to a report issued on Sunday the Cabinets Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC). Egypts natural gas and liquified natural gas (LNG) export revenues reached $8 billion in the fiscal year 2021/2022, up from $0.6 billion in 2013/2014, according to the report. Egypt has quadrupled its exports of LNG and natural gas over the past eight years from 1.9 million tons to 7.2 million tons. In the same period, Egypt signed 108 agreements with international companies for the excavation of gas and petrol with a minimum investment value of $22 billion. Egypts production reached 69.2 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2021/2022 compared to 41.6 bcm in 2015/2016, a growth rate of 66.3 percent, the report read. After achieving self-sufficiency in natural gas in 2018, Egypt plans to use its position on Europes doorstep to become a major supplier of LNG to the continent which is transitioning away from other fossil fuels based on recent huge gas discoveries and production. This comes in light of European countries' desire to diversify their energy sources in order to decrease dependency on Russian gas, which accounted for 45 percent of European imports in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Egypt also has the infrastructure for transporting and handling natural gas with a network of 7,000 km in pipelines, a distribution network of 31,000 km, and 29 gas-treatment plants as well as two LNG facilities the Idku and Damietta plants. The IDSC report also said that Egypt ranks first worldwide in percentage of increase in LNG exports. According to a plan announced in August, Egypt seeks to save 15 percent in local natural gas used for electricity generation in order to increase exports that can bring much needed foreign currency. Search Keywords: Short link: French police said Friday they're investigating multiple cuts to fibre-optic cables in France's second-largest city. Operators said the cables link Marseille to other cities in France and Europe and that internet and phone services were severely disrupted. The disruptions in the southern French city were a taste of what analysts warn could be far larger problems in other cases if cables are systematically attacked. The vulnerability of fibre-optic cables, especially those underwater, and other key infrastructure has been highlighted by the sabotage last month in the Baltic Sea of natural gas pipelines from Russia. French cable operator and internet service provider Free said its repair teams were mobilized before dawn Wednesday to deal with ``an act of vandalism on our fiber infrastructure.'' It said the attacks were simultaneous and on multiple spots of its fibre network near Marseille. Photos that Free published on Twitter showed multiple cables completely severed in their concrete housings buried in the ground. It said the cuts led to major disruptions to its network and phone services in the Marseille area. A spokeswoman for Marseille police confirmed Friday to The Associated Press that its officers and local gendarmes are investigating multiple breakages to cables on the city's outskirts. Cybersecurity company Zscaler said the severed cables link Marseille to Milan, Barcelona and the French city of Lyon. It said the cuts ``impacted major cables with connectivity to Asia, Europe, (the) U.S. and potentially other parts of the world.'' The damage also slowed some network traffic from Europe to India, company CEO Jay Chaudhry said. ``Since Zscaler controls the network, we were able to re-route the traffic and mitigate the issue for our global users,'' he posted. Search Keywords: Short link: A fence stands at Elmore Correctional Facility in Elmore, Ala., June 18, 2015 AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File Slavery is still legal in the US if it is used as a form of punishment in some prisons. Voters in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, and Vermont will be voting on changing this legislation. The very amendment that freed the slaves has a clause to re-enslave them, said a historian. Voters in the November midterms in five states will be balloted on outlawing slavery, more than 150 years after it was abolished after the Civil War. The landmark 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified on December 6, 1865, officially abolished slavery but allowed it to continue as a punishment in prisons against convicted felons. Nearly 20 states have constitutions that include language permitting slavery and involuntary servitude as criminal punishments, and voters in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, and Vermont will be asked to change the loophole as part of a national push for prison reform, AP reports. For states in the former Confederacy, the loophole was a tool to maintain the dynamics of slavery, post-abolition, said AP. More than 80,000 inmates perform prison labor in the US, with the average wage for inmates working for the state prison industry being just 52 cents per hour, according to the ACLU, which says that prisoners produced roughly $2 billion worth of goods and services in 2021. But in some states, including Alabama, inmates get paid nothing for their work. Prisoners in Alabama recently went on strike to protest cruel labor conditions. Swift Justice, an inmate at the Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore, a small town bordering Florida, told Insider's Taiyler Simone Mitchell, "I'm just a slave. I'm inside the prison system." Convicts at the Limestone Correctional facility are placed back onto the chain gang when they leave the prison grounds for their daily labor as road crews in July of 1995 outside of Huntsville, Alabama. The state of Alabama brought back the chain gang to demonstrate to the media and the public that they were tough on crime, even though it is an impractical relic of the past for prison work crews Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images Raumesh Akbari, a member of the Tennessee Senate, told AP that she was shocked to find out that slavery was legal as a form of punishment. "When I found out that this exception existed, I thought, 'We have got to fix this and we've got to fix this right away.' Our constitution should reflect the values and the beliefs of our state," she said. Story continues Talking to the Washington Post, Robert Chase, an associate professor at Stony Brook University and the director of Historians Against Slavery said the amendment that freed the slaves has a clause to re-enslave them. "For an entire generation, it put Black men and women back into slavery by incarcerating them and selling their labor to private corporations," said Chase. Bianca Tylek, executive director of Worth Rises, a criminal justice group working to remove the loophole, told the Post that "The idea that you could ever finish the sentence 'slavery's okay when ... ' has to rip out your soul, and I think it's what makes this a fight that ignores political lines and brings us together." Read the original article on Business Insider In a homestretch effort to rally votes for State Treasurer Seth Magaziner, who is wrestling Republican Allan Fung in a scrappy match for Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District seat, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh appeared in Providence on Saturday. Speaking near the Roger Williams Park carousel, Walsh warned that there is "a lot at stake in November" and "a lot at stake for the future of our country." Walsh's message was light on Magaziner and heavy on President Joe Biden, touting the administration's agenda and its accomplishments despite the president receiving a lackluster approval rating that mirrors that of his predecessor. Walsh reflected on the administration's work on the American Rescue Plan Act and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act known as the CHIPS Act a move to invigorate American semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on China. The secretary also focused, unsurprisingly, on labor, surrounded by union members, including Michael Sabitoni, the powerful head of the Rhode Island Building & Construction Trades Council. U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh speaks at the Roger Williams Park carousel on Saturday to rally support for Democratic congressional candidate Seth Magaziner and Gov. Dan McKee, seated behind him at left. Walsh recalled growing up in Dorchester with an Irish father who was a union member, and participating in kitchen table discussions on work. "Everything that I have in my life, all the different positions I've had ... has come out of the labor movement," Walsh said. "It's been about the labor movement. It's about what the Democratic Party stands for." Magaziner, during a fiery speech, also focused his messaging on working people, raised concerns about GOP threats to Medicare and Social Security, and repeatedly compared his track record with that of Fung, whom he described as funded by oil and drug companies. "I don't want their money," Magaziner said. "I don't need their money. I work for you." Magaziner told reporters that while he has spoken to Walsh in the past, he thinks this is the first time they have met in person. Story continues More: GOP's Fung widens lead over Democrat Magaziner in latest poll. Here's how things stack up. While polls show Fung leading in the race, Magaziner sidestepped a question on whether Walsh's visit was about helping his campaign stay afloat. "I think its appropriate for him to be here, because Rhode Island is a state with a strong union ethic, a strong working-class ethic, and theres no one better to campaign with than Marty Walsh," he said. Magaziner said he's not worried about the numbers, returning to campaign messages repeatedly in his replies. "Were very confident were going to win this thing," he said. "We started out with lower name recognition than my opponent, but weve been chipping away at that, and I think as more voters tune in and see the differences between us, were going to be successful." Gov. Dan McKee, who is duking it out with GOP candidate Ashley Kalus in a bid to keep his seat, also spoke to the crowd, striking an equally combative tone. McKee described Kalus as a "MAGA denier" and "an unknown candidate who showed up in the state of Rhode Island for the money" a not-so-veiled jab at her move from Illinois to Rhode Island to run a COVID-19 test site that triggered numerous complaints. More: Ashley Kalus' Newport residence is a 'second home,' mortgage document says More: RI says it cut ties with Kalus's COVID testing company after more than 100 complaints "Let's send her back," McKee told supporters. Jobs also remained a focus of the governor's speech, or "J-O-B-S," as he called them, describing employment as his "number-one priority." However, his facts weren't quite on the mark. McKee claimed that the state has the "lowest unemployment rate that we have ever seen." Just two days prior, the Department of Labor and Training announced that September's unemployment rate had crept up slightly, to 3.1%, a tiny increase from August's 2.8%. That was also a small increase from July's 2.7%. Rhode Island is still faring better than the national unemployment rate, which in September was 3.5%. McKee is hoping the stats will rally Democrats ahead of the general election. He told voters, "we need to build up the enthusiasm right now in the next couple weeks." But Walsh won't be the only big name to offer local leaders an assist. First lady Jill Biden is set to visit the Ocean State on Wednesday to campaign for McKee. The governor said she will discuss education and a teacher pipeline. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Seth Magaziner gets help in Ri congressional race against Allan Fung This weekend, Meghan Markle was seen with a friend in Montecito, California, with a friend enjoying a little shopping. The Duchess of Sussex was wearing a sleeveless and strapless green Malia Mills jumpsuit that ended just below her knees, with a cardigan slung over her shoulders in a slightly lighter shade of the same olive green. She topped it with a wide-brimmed Panama hat from Cuyana, and carried a white canvas bag on a leather strap. She accessorized with sunglasses and sandals, and had her hair in a long braid. Meghan and her friend were perusing the home goods section at gourmet food boutique Pierre La Fond before heading to nearby Santa Barbara for lunch. The Duchess is back in California after an extended trip to the U.K. last month following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She and Prince Harry were an important part of the Queen's state funeral, and they also spent time circulating amongst the well-wishers who gathered around Windsor Castle after news of the Queen's death. They were seen in company with Kate Middleton and Prince William, the new Princess and Prince of Wales. Chris Jackson - Getty Images The Waleses will be heading to the U.S. themselves soon, arriving in Boston in December of this year. It will be their first official visit to the country since 2014, and they'll be attending the second annual Earthshot Prize awards. They were meant to attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in September, but had to delay for their mourning period. During this time of grief, I take great comfort in your continued enthusiasm, optimism and commitment to The Earthshot Prize and what we are trying to achieve, William said in a video screened at the summit. Protecting the environment was a cause close to my grandmother's heart, and I know she would have been delighted to hear about this event and the support you are all giving our Earthshot Finaliststhe next generation of environmental pioneers. Kate is reportedly hoping that she and William can connect with Harry and Meghan again while visiting, as the latter couple will also be visiting the east coast around the same time. You Might Also Like New Hampshire's county jails might be the best place to observe the uneasy overlap of two expensive, high-profile systems criminal justice and mental health. One day last month, the booking area of the Rockingham County jail had three mentally ill people in its six cells. A corrections officer was posted full-time outside the glass wall of one inmate's cell. The bearded inmate was suicidal (he had tried to sever a blood vessel with a peeled fingernail). He was on a hunger strike and in his third week waiting for a spot at the state Secure Psychiatric Unit, reserved for the most dangerous of mentally ill people. Tyler Gilbert, 12, poses with his mother, Christie, during his 6th grade graduation party. Two months later, he was killed by his father in Hinsdale. In another cell, an inmate slept against a concrete wall that he smeared with his feces. He recently had been discharged from the New Hampshire State Hospital, which treats patients with psychiatric illnesses. Mental health problems suicidal ideation, depression, drug withdrawal, a risk of harm to others, psychotic episodes have spiked in the past two years, said Jason Henry, the jail's superintendent. Its almost like a mental health ward in our processing area, Henry said. Our heart bleeds for these people. They shouldnt be here in concrete and steel. Yet they are. Meanwhile, jails arent the only place that the separation between mental illness and crime is blurring. This is the sixth story in a year-long collaboration on mental health between Seacoast Media Group, New Hampshire Union Leader and Dartmouth Health. Police are being trained to recognize mental illness and use the proper techniques to handle mentally ill people. Increasingly, prosecutions turn on psychiatric evaluations of defendants rather than guilt or innocence. Such dangers played out last month in a Manchester courtroom, when a woman tearfully testified about being raped in a city cemetery last year. Just days before the rape, her assailant had been released from the Hillsborough County jail after being found mentally incompetent to stand trial. Prosecutors are now feverishly trying to commit him as a sexually violent predator. If they fail, he will be free. Story continues My charge is to protect the public at all costs. How do I do that when the system is not supportive? said John Bryfonski, the police chief of neighboring Bedford and first vice president of the New Hampshire Police Chiefs Association. The treatment of mentally ill people can be a challenge by itself. But experts say several factors open the door to crime for them: The use of powerful street drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine;. Labor shortages in the mental health treatment field, which hamper and delay treatment. The expense and unavailability of housing for many, which amplify the stressors of poverty and homelessness. New Hampshire's patchwork of services: Mental health courts are available in only six of 10 counties, and rural areas tend to lack comprehensive treatment, with patients drawn to cities for care. More problems than resources Advocates for the mentally ill say it shouldnt be this way. They point to some disturbing facts. More than half of the inmates at prisons in New Hampshire have a mental health diagnosis. The number is even higher among women inmates: 67% were prescribed psychiatric medication in 2021. Those figures don't include hundreds in county jails across the state. In Rockingham County, for example, 51% of the 170-inmate population require an active treatment plan or have a significant mental health diagnosis. Some should be at the state psychiatric hospital, Superintendent Henry said. But only 144 beds are available at the New Hampshire State Hospital, and earlier this month 50 were unfilled because of a lack of nursing staff. Deinstitutionalization didnt really happen, said Susan Stearns, the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire, referring to the emptying of mental health institutions across the country in the 1960s. They just changed the institution. Corrections Officer Jonathan Childs looks at an inmate who was on a round-the-clock watch at the Rockingham County Department of Corrections in Brentwood on Sept. 21, 2022. Most people with mental illness are not criminals, and they are more likely to be victims of crime than to commit crime, according to NAMI. Yet the public is quick to attribute heinous, high-profile crimes to mental illness, Stearns said. It gives us a rational explanation," she said. Only a small percentage of the criminals that Strafford County prosecutes are inherently bad people who should be locked away, said County Attorney Tom Velardi. The remainder suffer from drug or mental health problems, sometimes both. Once the problems are addressed, the person should be allowed to re-enter society, he said. In my 23 years as a prosecutor, I cant tell you how many victims said, Please, get this person the help they need,' " Velardi said. Help support quality local journalism like this. Tell that to Christie Gilbert. On Aug. 4, 2021, David Lent shot and killed their 12-year-old son, Trent, at the Hinsdale home of Lent's mother. Lent then told his mother that he and the boy were going to hell, put a pistol in his mouth and killed himself. Lent, who had a criminal record and diagnoses of depression and bipolar disorder, had been arrested the previous December for assaulting his girlfriend and barricading her, her daughter and himself in a bedroom. He punched police who responded to the situation. He was charged with misdemeanors and jailed for eight weeks. Lent blamed the incident on a mental health crisis sparked by a lack of access to his meds, Gilbert said A judge eventually released him under conditions that he participate in treatment at the mental health center in Keene, refrain from drugs and not own any guns. A subsequent overdose didn't get him in trouble, Gilbert said. And apparently no one visited the house of Lent's mother, where several loaded pistols were lying about. So many people were willing to cut Lent a break judges, prosecutors, people involved in his care she said. Everythings just about helping people. They dont think about the consequences, Gilbert said. New Hampshire homicide prosecutors refused to discuss the case, which they say is open and ongoing 14 months after the murder-suicide. Police reports provided to Gilbert redact any mention of Lent's mental health issues and treatment. What is the relationship between crime and mental illness? We asked 13 people at the intersection of crime and mental health problems about the connection between the two, from their perspective. You will find their answers throughout the end of this piece. Mental health court efforts Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said domestic violence, the leading cause of homicide in the state, is a choice. While mental illness can exacerbate violence issues, it does not cause violence, and the abusers still have control over their actions, Sexton said. In theory, New Hampshire has systems designed to sort out those nuances of mental illness and criminal activity. For misdemeanors, mental health courts are available. If a defendant pleads guilty, any jail sentence or fine is suspended while they engage in treatment and are under court supervision. The process involves incentives and sanctions, with the goal being stability, treatment and good behavior. Rochester District Court has one of the longest running mental health courts in the state. "Some might say, 'Its this persons mental illness, thats why they did this act. Theres not a clear nexus there," said Circuit Court Judge Susan Ashley, who sits on the mental health court in Rochester. Ashley elaborated: If a person is hearing voices, walks by a house, believes another is captive and breaks a window to free him, his mental illness had a direct role in the crime. On the other hand, if the person was stable, went out drinking with friends and broke the window out of rowdiness, the mental illness wasn't responsible. Mental health court doesn't work for everyone. From 2007 to 2022, 154 people participated in mental health court in Rochester. The completion rate was 65%. Ashley said many factors are responsible for the low participation. If a person is using drugs, drug court would likely be the first option. A crime has to be serious enough to involve the threat of jail time; otherwise, a defendant likely will plead guilty and pay a fine. Also, treatment providers are in short supply. Defendants sometimes must wait for a provider before enrollment in mental health court. Setbacks occur when a provider takes another job and exits a defendant's treatment midstream. The five rural counties of Belknap, Carroll, Coos, Cheshire and Sullivan have no mental health courts to address misdemeanor charges. The state has only two mental health courts for felony crimes in Keene and Manchester. Mental health courts operate inconsistently. No state funds are appropriated for mental health courts, so everything is left to local organizations and courts. No state or national standards exist for the operation of mental health courts. Its completely grassroots organizing, the judge said. State funding would mean standardization. Competency a conundrum When mental health issues emerge in the most serious of crimes, defense attorneys have two options. The insanity defense is available for defendants, but it usually is invoked in only the most serious of crimes, such as murder. More frequently, lawyers file papers claiming their client is so mentally incompetent that he cannot assist in his defense. All states have such systems. But New Hampshires differs in two ways. New Hampshire makes no statewide effort to restore a person to competency. Often, a defendant can be stabilized at a psychiatric facility and then released into the community, but they still can't participate in their defense and their crimes are never prosecuted. Meanwhile, New Hampshire is the only state that requires prosecutors to prove a defendant is mentally competent to stand trial, according to Associate Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin, who oversees public protection at the state Department of Justice. Other states require defense attorneys to prove incompetency. Whichever side has the burden of proof, its obviously much more difficult, Strelzin said. A judge who rules on competency also determines whether a defendant is dangerous. If so, the case moves behind closed doors to Probate Court, where another judge can order committal to the state hospital. A treatment stay at the state hospital usually takes months but can last for years, said Dr. Jeffrey Fetter, a Dartmouth Health psychiatrist and the chief medical officer at the State Hospital. Our goals are to treat our patients. Our responsibility is to treat the mental illness and the dangerousness. He said adverse childhood experiences everything from abuse to poverty play a factor in a plurality of the cases at the hospital. A patient's legal status never drives treatment, and it never should, he said. But it will play a role in their exit plan where they end up, the time frame for their discharge, whom they must avoid after release. The hospital often releases patients conditionally, with requirements they remain on meds and keep appointments with their community mental health center. Fetter said the hospital doesnt keep statistics on violations of conditional discharge. Anecdotally, the biggest factors seem to be going off medication and simple case management issues such as access to food. Other factors include a history of problems with the police, co-occurring intellectual challenges, and abuse of illegal drugs and alcohol. Few places to go In jails, the availability of treatment varies from facility to facility, often based on the willingness of a county to invest in treatment plans. David Campbell, a homeless Manchester man with a criminal history of theft and diagnoses that include schizophrenia, said he gets a lot of consideration at the Hillsborough County-run Valley Street jail because of his diagnosis. He said he has a standing prescription, so his medications continue when he's in jail. But he's also been in jail without his meds; he had to wait weeks for a doctor to see him. "It comes down to sitting in line," he said. Rockingham County employs five people involved in either mental health or drug abuse counseling. The jail also contracts with a health care provider who provides an on-call psychiatric nurse practitioner and a masters-level drug abuse counselor. Superintendent Henry and his staff reject the notion that jail would be an ideal place to treat a mental illness, which is based on the fact that inmates are under observation, behavior can be controlled and drugs are not an issue. Most stays are short-term, they said, and addressing drug use is often the priority. The setting may be too perfect. We can give them all the treatment they want, but you have to remember, were in a vacuum. They dont have the guardrails (on the outside), said Jon Banville, the assistant jail superintendent. Henry believes housing is key to any plan to reduce unnecessary incarceration. Thats especially true in Rockingham County, an affluent county that has few opportunities for affordable housing and transportation. A 2021 survey of mental health and criminal justice professionals in Rockingham County identified housing as the No. 1 priority for diverting mentally ill people from the justice system. Transportation access was third, higher than more clinical-oriented priorities such as state hospital beds or treatment access. It basically comes down to brick and mortar. Where do you send people to live? Henry said. Pushed back to the brink At the state hospital, social workers struggle to find places for patients to live once they are ready for discharge, Fetter said. In early October, half of State Hospital patients were stable but remained at the hospital because they had nowhere to go, he said. Housing is especially challenging when crime is part of the mix. Many public housing agencies deny benefits to those with criminal records. Some are discharged to homeless shelters. But a homeless shelter lacks the stability essential for mental health. It shortens your time horizon, Fetter said. Released patients are worried about where they will get their next meal and how they can protect their possessions from theft. No one is thinking about the next medical appointment, employment or establishing a healthy relationship, Fetter said. It all gets pushed down when youre trying to survive the night, Fetter said. That means, they will likely become, as the latest terminology describes it, "justice-involved." Police departments are being trained to recognize symptoms of mental illness and de-escalate situations. A lot of times when the police are involved, its a mental health crisis. Theyre already not coping with life events. Thats why were encountering them," said Sgt. John Goodridge, who is supervisor of the crisis intervention team with Nashua police. Most often, mentally ill people are charged with minor crimes: criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, drug possession. A mental illness doesn't negate the person's need to follow the law, Goodridge said. But what happens after the arrest - mental health court or a state hospital committal - can lead to an improvement. He said the biggest trigger to a crisis is stress. In Bedford, Chief Bryfonski said seven of his 37 officers are trained in crisis intervention. If they can't respond during the crisis, they try to follow up and let the person know how to get help, he said. Mental illness can be used to beat a charge, he said. For minor property crimes, that's not much of a concern, he said. But it also happens in cases of violent crime. The question becomes, what happens when that subject is deemed incompetent and then theyre released? Bryfonski said. They obviously showed some culpability to do crime, is this going to happen again to another person. How do we prevent that? By the numbers 2,500 Approximate number of beds at New Hampshire State Hospital in the 1950s 222 Current number of designated receiving beds in New Hampshire State Hospital and privately operated psychiatric facilities 1,044 Number of inmates at state Department of Corrections prisons with a mental health diagnosis in early October 1,869 Total New Hampshire prison population $417,577 Most recent annual bill for psychotropic medications, New Hampshire Department of Corrections $477,691 Most recent annual bill for medically assisted treatment of drug/alcohol addictions, New Hampshire Department of Corrections 48 Number of mental health professionals employed by the state prison system 1,066 Number of inmates at Rockingham County jail inmates on suicide watch in 2020 1,135 Number on suicide watch in 2021 777 Number on suicide watch in first nine months of 2022 36 Average monthly number of orders for competency evaluations filed with the state Office of Forensic Examiner in 2015 66 Average monthly number in 2019 45 Number of criminal defendants over a recent 12-month period deemed incompetent to stand trial, not restorable and not dangerous, making them basically unable to be tried or jailed. 60 Number of stabilized patients at New Hampshire State Hospital waiting 15 days or more for discharge to a less restrictive setting. 38 Average number of people waiting, mostly in hospital emergency rooms, for admission to a designated receiving facility in fall 2022 (not including those waiting in jail) $75.25 million Total amount of federal grants to New Hampshire to address mental health and substance abuse in 2021 This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: New Hampshire grapples with the overlap of crime, mental illness Across the country, new right-leaning political action committees are pouring money into school board races, aiming to flip control of who governs schools in favor of self-proclaimed parents rights advocates in a way that rivals the role that teachers unions have historically had in these contests. For much less than what it would cost them to influence a seat in the House or Senate, these PACs are putting thousands of dollars at a time sometimes just hundreds into races for local school boards and as a result, changing education on a national scale. A super PAC called the 1776 Project PAC is leading the way, emphasizing opposition to lessons related to racial and social justice. With a war chest smaller than what some congressional candidates in competitive districts are raising, the group has supported and opposed school board candidates in a dozen states. Political action committees, or PACs, and super PACs pool donations from many different people and entities and use that money to try to elect candidates who represent their interests. They may be registered at the federal or state level. Republicans want to win school boards: They're winning in white counties by running on race. Where this came from: Critical race theory went from conservative battle cry to mainstream powder keg Ian Vandewalker, senior counsel for the democracy program at New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice, said the involvement of these major PACs in local elections is a sign that politics at large have become nationalized and more partisan. This sort of hyper-partisan, disinformation-based electioneering seems to be happening at all levels now, Vandewalker said. Other PACs are focusing on specific states and races. A grocery store heiress is behind a PAC spending to influence school board races across the state of Florida, and a federal PAC that typically focuses on federal policy got involved in one Florida county. In Texas, a PAC is raising big money to flip school board seats statewide. Story continues Candidates with the most money in their campaign accounts tend to be the ones who win. Analyses by the watchdog group Open Secrets have regularly shown that the House and Senate candidates with the most money tend to win. At the school board level, that effect has the potential to be larger because the races are often so cheap. In a 2018 survey by the National School Boards Association, 75 percent of respondents said they spent less than $1,000 on their election; 16 percent said they spent between $1,000 and $5,000; and only 9 percent said they spent more than $5,000. Most stayed in their positions for long periods of time, and most were volunteers. A recent study from the group School Board Partners showed a changing picture. The influence of these PACs is sweeping: In an election season that at the national level is considered a referendum on whether Democratic President Joe Bidens party should keep its majority in the House and Senate, Nov. 8 ballots in more than two dozen states will also contain school board races. A nationwide effort to change the classroom The 1776 Project PAC, started by a longtime Republican campaign operative and named in response to The New York Timess 1619 Project, is one of the main forces upending that longtime trend. The 1619 Project frames slavery and the contributions of Black Americans as central to American history. The group's main focus has been to ban the teaching of what they call critical race theory a graduate-level legal theory that is not taught in public schools but in reality the group targets almost any teaching about racism and diversity. The group also dabbles in attacking topics related to transgender rights. People protest outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department's office last November after the state education department proposed changes to the social studies curriculum that critics describe as a veiled attempt to teach critical race theory. Supporters say the new curriculum, which includes ethnic studies, is "anti-racist." (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File) Radical left-wing ideologues want to lock parents out of the classroom as they teach their children they can be a different gender and then take their kids away from them if they object to it, the PAC wrote on its Twitter account this month. We will stop at nothing to remove this crap from our schools. Half of the money the 1776 Project PAC has raised $1.5 million out of $3 million came from people giving less than $200, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Ryan Girdusky, the groups founder, pointed to the more than 40,000 people who have donated to his PAC. The largest single donation, $900,000, came from Restoration PAC, a fund backed by billionaire Richard Uihlein that says it wants to bring the country back to its timeless foundation of "turning to God and the enforcement of just laws. Uihlein and Restoration PAC also have funded PACs connected to 2020 election denial and local races in Wisconsin, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Green Bay city elections: Unprecedented special-interest money has flows in The 1776 Project PAC has spent more than $2.6 million, with the bulk of that going to printed mailers, campaign finance filings show. Girdusky said mailers are the best way to target people in school districts because they are so much smaller than congressional districts. Commercials cost more money and influence larger geographic areas, he said. He said the PAC also has spent money on text messaging campaigns and digital microtargeting, or using online data to reach small groups of people. He said it has paid for commercials in larger races, such as in a statewide race for superintendent in Oklahoma, and a race for an Ohio Board of Education seat that is about the size of a congressional district. The 1776 Project PAC has candidates on ballots in Texas, Arkansas, Michigan, Indiana, Florida, Maryland and Virginia, too. The races include: Five candidates for a seven-member board in Round Rock, Texas Four candidates for a seven-member board in Wylie, Texas Five candidates for a seven-member board in Bentonville, Arkansas Four candidates for a seven-member board in New Buffalo, Michigan Three candidates for a five-member board in Carroll, Maryland Three candidates for a seven-member board in Brandywine, Michigan Three candidates for a seven-member board in Frederick, Maryland New PACs have potential to outdo teachers unions The rise of groups such as the 1776 Project PAC have the potential to outflank local teachers unions, whose endorsements and local funding have been the longtime keys to success in school board races across the country. A study published in January by Hoover fellow Michael Hartney at Stanford University showed that "teachers' unions reliably win 70 percent of the school board races in which they make an endorsement." That's the same success rate that the 1776 Project PAC advertises now. "The local union affiliates will make endorsements, not even the state union," Hartney said in an interview. "But the local union affiliates in many states can tap into the funds of the state unions political action committee." In the race for one school board seat in the San Diego Unified School District, for example, the local San Diego Education Association Political Action Committee spent $96,000 this month on things including mailers and other advertisements, according to campaign finance filings with the county registrar of voters office. More than half of that went to oppose candidate Becca Williams, who on her website says students deserve an "agenda-free" education. Early in her campaign, Williams campaign team sent a mailer to local constituents reflecting sentiments against CRT, and for parent choice. Williams said in an interview she is running in part because the school board needs representatives who, like her, are not backed by the teachers union. The unions continue to put up candidates who cave to the labor movement as opposed to providing quality education for kids, Williams said. Her opponent Cody Petterson said that while he fully supports the union and encourages their support, hes running a pro-public education campaign and wants to enforce district policies that will help kids recover from pandemic-related achievement loss. The scale of local involvement by national teachers unions is hard to quantify. The federal PACs affiliated with the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers largely get involved with federal races for the House and Senate. Neither group provided a list of candidates they have endorsed. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks as Chicago Public Schools teachers picket in 2019. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said her group does not usually get involved in local races unless its local affiliates request help. She played down her group's influence, saying they only have about one one-thousandth of the power that many of the unions critics say it does. In 12 years as president of AFT, I can count on two hands the ones we were seriously involved in, Weingarten said. These are local affairs and local issues that they are bringing to the national level." She referenced the former adviser to President Donald Trump who declared on his "War Room" podcast in 2021 that the path to victory for Republicans was through school boards. "Its Steve Bannon and part of his MAGA game plan, she added. The groups federal PAC, the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education, raised $10.6 million and spent $15.3 million through the end of August, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. The money largely has targeted federal races, and its biggest contributions have been to federal PACs the Democrats are using to win seats in the House and Senate. The NEAs super PAC raised $24.7 million and spent $16.1 million through the end of September, federal filings show. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said in an email that parents and educators have turned out in record numbers to support and elect pro-public education school board candidates. At the same time, parents and voters in rural, suburban, and urban communities alike have rejected extreme candidates running to politicize classrooms, ban books about Martin Luther King Jr. and Anne Frank, and use students as pawns in culture wars, she said. Girdusky, of the 1776 Project PAC, said his aim is to make sure kids dont end up in situations like his godson, who Girdusky said was taught about white privilege through a children's book at school. This is something that I do because I think it is important and the demand is so great, Girdusky said. Revved up efforts at the state and local level At the local level, PACs and other interest groups are getting involved in ways that have never been seen before. In Texas, the states Republican Party announced in June 2021 it would create a committee to help capture seats in local elections, including school boards. In a statement, party chairman Matt Rinaldi listed 10 districts where the party helped elect what he called anti-indoctrination candidates" in elections this past May. One of the most active PACs in the state working to elect parents' rights advocates is the Southlake Families PAC, which spent nearly $137,000 from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, according to filings with the Texas Ethics Commission. At the end of June, the PAC reported having $128,000 in cash on hand. Florida Governor Ron Desantis, center, is presented "The Sword of Liberty" by Moms for Liberty co-founders Tiffany Justice, left, Tina Descovich, second from right and executive director of program outreach Marie Rogerson, far right, during the first Moms for Liberty National Summit on Thursday, July 15, 2022 in Tampa, Fla. In central Florida, a federal super PAC that raised $4.8 million from the end of 2020 to the end of September, American Principles Project, got involved in its one and only school board race. Terry Schilling, the groups president, said he saw an opportunity when he saw a slate of three candidates running for the Polk County School Board on a parental rights platform. American Principles Project PAC spent $25,000 on advertisements there ahead of an August primary, he said. You can get more bang for your buck with these races, he said, but also I think that theyre attractive because we can win. One of the races is headed to a runoff Nov. 8 and will define control over the district, the seventh-largest in Florida. Schilling said he plans to spend between $10,000 and $25,000 to support their candidate, Jill Sessions. Polk County School Board: Elections yield mixed outcome, with runoff coming 'We are war moms': Moms for Liberty dominates school board politics across US Moms for Liberty Florida, a political action committee affiliated with a nationwide network of dark money groups of the same name, gave $250 donations to 56 candidates running in 24 county districts, according to records with the Florida Department of Elections. The group spent another $21,000 on texting services. Moms for Liberty Florida is funded almost entirely by a $50,000 donation from Julie Fancelli, heiress to the Publix super markets fortune. Many of the 56 candidate won elections early this year, and a remaining few are going on to runoff races Nov. 8, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice said. The groups Florida-based PAC is funding candidates that respect fundamental parental rights," Justice said. The term, she explained, is a catch-all for any candidate that does not want to co-parent with the government." "2022 is the year of the parent revolution," Justice said. Reach Erin Mansfield at emansfield@usatoday.com and Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Super PACS are spending on local school board races Motown founder Berry Gordy's youngest brother Robert Gordy Sr., left, died Friday at the age of 91. Recording artist, songwriter and music executive Robert Louis Gordy Sr., the youngest brother of Motown founder Berry Gordy, died Friday of natural causes at his home in Marina del Rey, California, according to a news release from Universal Music Enterprises. He was 91. Gordy died suddenly, said Berry Gordy in a statement in the release. He was absolutely the best lil brother anyone could ever hope for," he said. "His ability to succeed at whatever he attempted or that I threw his way amazed me over the years. I will miss his love, his support and his loyalty. Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinsonto be honored as 2023 MusiCares Persons of the Year 2021 Kennedy Center Honors: Lorne Michaels, Berry Gordy, Bette Midler among honorees Robert Gordy Sr. was born July 15, 1931, and was the youngest of eight children to Berry "Pop" Gordy Sr. and Bertha Gordy. He started his music career under the pseudonym Bob Kayli, releasing a song in 1958 called "Everyone Was There," written with Berry Gordy. He contributed to various hits while at Motown, landed his first acting role as a drug pusher for the movie "Lady Sings The Blues" in 1972 and eventually took over Jobete Music Publishing, the release stated. Despite not having a lot of experience in the publishing field, with the confidence and support of his brother Berry, he successfully ran the company for more than 20 years and moved it from being a holder of song copyrights into a profitable international publishing company. He was preceded in death by his eldest son Robert Jr. and his wife Theresa. He is survived by relatives and friends, including his children Roxanna Wright, Rodney Gordy, and Fuller Gordy, and his brother Berry. Funeral plans were not immediately available. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Motown Museum, the release stated. From 2021: 'Each day is a gift': Diana Ross, Berry Gordy mourn death of Supremes co-founder Mary Wilson Motown Records was a hit machine.: Here are the 50 greatest Motown hits from the Detroit era This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Robert Louis Gordy, Motown founder Berry Gordy's brother, dies at 91 Learning how to manage money can be pretty counterintuitive like, what do you mean my credit score went DOWN because I paid off a loan??? And because many of us don't get a great financial education growing up, we often end up learning our money lessons the hard way. Recently, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share the expensive mistakes that they've learned from (and found a few more in this Reddit thread ), and yikes, I definitely gasped many times while reading through these. Here's what people had to say: 1. "I co-signed on a truck for a boyfriend. He eventually couldn't make the payments and the truck got repossessed. The bank sold it at an auction for under $2,000. It was financed for $15,000 so guess who still has that expensive mistake of the $13,000 difference haunting them?! This dumb girl." hellomiriah Jetcityimage / Getty Images 2. "I didn't read well enough into my bank's fees. I knew I was low on money, so I set it up online that things would bounce instead of making me overdraft. APPARENTLY they charge $37 for a 'returned item fee.' I had $4 in my account, my Spotify payment was $6. It got rejected, they charged me $37 for that rejection, making me overdraft, and then charged me $35 a day for being overdrawn. I ended up over $150 negative because of that missing $2 for the goddamn Spotify payment." Maggie, Facebook 3. "I withdrew my 401(K) from my first job thinking I would get all the money I invested out. I had saved over $3,000 but got a check for a little over $900 due to my balance not being 100% vested plus penalties, taxes, and fees. Now I make it my mission to inform people not to do early withdraws." B., Wisconsin 4. "My wedding. I wanted to get married by Elvis in Las Vegas, just the two of us, but my fiance had visions of wearing white tie and tails. I was insecure and just went along with it, and the entire evening was SO stressful and one of the worst nights of my life because I was so worried about what everyone thought and if they were having a good time. Its been 23 years, and I cant bring myself to even look at pictures. Were happily married now, but the wedding was just a colossal waste of money." u/sanibelle98 Cbs Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images 5. "Tried messing with stocks out of boredom during Covid. Ended up getting into options and getting myself in a hole. Instead of accepting my losses, I continued to make more risky investments, if you can even call them that. Ended up losing about $20k or so over the course of eight months. I was engaged when I started getting into this and got married about halfway through and did all of this without my now-wifes knowledge." "We decided to start looking into buying a house and I had to come clean prior to applying for loans, so that I didnt cause some long-lasting damage to us financially. It was a rough conversation and we ended up moving in with my in-laws as we try to recoup my losses and buy a house down the road. Story continues Was definitely a tough stretch of life. Thankfully, my wife had enough forgiveness to let me make things right. We both have good jobs and it wasnt really a life-altering mistake when all things are considered. In therapy now to deal with the mental and marital issues that arise throughout the process. I strongly advise anyone in a similar situation to cut your losses and have the difficult conversations sooner rather than later." u/follow_proto_buddy 6. "I was too generous with my siblings. At 21, I was the first financially independent sibling of many. My younger siblings are wonderful and I valued spending time with them. Since I was in my 20s and making above (not insanely above) market salary, I would pay for the hotel or occasional flight for trips we planned to meet up. Since they were still in school and not making money for many years, it was the logical approach. If we wanted to see each other, I would be the one traveling or paying for them to travel to see me. As they grew older and entered the workforce, most of their salaries exceeded mine." "I bought a house and poured money into it (didn't profit off of it) and told them it was their turn to come visit me and help me out . . . not one of them came. Not one of them visited. Not one of them helped me out or offered to pay for anything. I was too generous and feel burned. This has continued for 12 years. When I asked them to visit me, they claimed to have no time or money but go on to post pictures of vacation in Costa Rica, Japan, staying at the Four Seasons and such. I called them out on it and they just got angry with me (and still never visited). It has been four years since I have asked any of them for anything. I am at such peace focusing on the people actually present in my life. I am so much better at spending my money on smart investments, which include which relationships I value. My siblings have still not made any trips to visit me but have asked me to visit them. I have explained many times that I overspent on hotels for us and their airfare and meals in the past so unless they are the ones to invest their time and money to come see me, I'm not interested. I used to be bitter but now it's such bliss being totally aligned to what I value and valuing myself first." Anonymous 7. "Forgot to turn in FASFA on time and lost out on $5,000 worth of grants. Had to end up taking loans out. Tough lesson, but it taught me to pay attention to deadlines." u/bl_reptile Psst, I don't know who needs to hear this, but the FAFSA for the 2023-24 school year is available now. The federal deadline isn't until June 30, 2024, but check with your school, as they might want it to be completed sooner. Kobus Louw / Getty Images 8. "My father died in 2007 and left me and my sister $115k each. I used it to buy a new house. I was 25 at the time. Didn't know shit about the process to buy a home. So needless to say, I bought something I couldn't afford. Then the market crashed in 2008. I lost the house and my inheritance. I was more upset about blowing my fathers savings than losing the house. Lesson learned." "Don't buy something you can't afford. Don't live above your current needs. If all you need is a one-bedroom apartment, then live in a one-bedroom apartment. If you can't afford that, stay with mom and dad or get room mates. No shame in that game. I didn't even have a family or a girlfriend. It was such an unnecessary purchase for me at the time." u/forcekin6532 9. "I took out a loan to buy my first car and learn to drive. I have zero regrets about that, but what I DO regret is not really thinking forward five years (the duration of the loan) and considering how my income would fluctuate over that time. I have a good job now that pays more than any other job I've had, but there were times when I thought I would miss a payment and get charged or have a mark on my credit score. Thankfully, it never happened, but I won't take a loan out again." lucyt410579ade 10. "Agreeing to not having the septic tank inspected before closing on our home. It was pumped recently so it must be fine, right? Turns out it was actually in bad shape and needed to be fully replaced. Over $20,000." u/undergroundasmr Ronstik / Getty Images/iStockphoto 11. "I joined a cult. It was one that guilted and manipulated people into giving money under the guise of combating larger societal ills. But the leaders kept a lot of money for themselves without consent from the group, didnt pay taxes, and were incredibly toxic people who verbally, emotionally, and psychologically abused us. Dont join a cult, no matter how much you think its gonna fix the problems you see in the world. Financial care is self care, and as problematic as money is, its a game you have to play to take care of yourself and the people around you." Nadia, Baltimore 12. "I inherited a good chunk of change from my mom when she passed in my early 20s. I was dumb and loaned $30,000 to my boyfriend at the time who was unemployed and I never saw a cent back. That relationship only lasted a year and literally gave me nothing but pain and heartache. If I hadn't loaned him the money, I could've been way better off now and not struggling as much as I am." beckichino 13. "Freshman year of college I thought my final exam was at 11:30. It was at 9:30. The exam was 40% of my grade, so I failed. I lost my scholarship, and had to pay to retake the class." u/[deleted] Ridofranz / Getty Images/iStockphoto 14. "Growing up, my family struggled with money. Not because we didn't have it, but because my mom was terrible at managing it. I wasn't told about credit or anything. When I finally got out on my own, I had to learn not to just spend constantly and actually save money." angelag4e427edbe 15. "Started smoking at 14. On and off for decades, off for over a year now, but I must have spent enough to put a down payment on a house between the cigs and associated health issues. Don't start kids, not even one!" u/uh82bwong 16. "Not getting collision insurance. I got into an accident where I was T-boned but because I was crossing at a blinking red, the guy who hit me technically had the right of way. Even though he was speeding, high, had a suspended license, and wasnt in the intersection when I started crossing into it, the responding officer found me at fault. Because I didnt have collision insurance, I didnt get any money towards my totaled car." dinocat923 Khosrork / Getty Images/iStockphoto 17. "Bought a house 50/50 with my brother-in-law. I was in university full-time and working part time. When the first year ends, I find out the joint house account is over drawn by $3,000 because they hadn't been putting their share in the account. I pay that off, then at the end of my second year discover three liens against the title in his name for over $45,000." "We tried to sell house for two years, but no one will touch it. I have now taken out all the loans I can to keep the house... bankruptcy, foreclose, lost over $250,000 dollars on what it was valued over what we had paid for it, not including the $15,000 down payment, and the $20,000 of renovations I paid for. Life lesson learned: never go into anything financial with family." u/merryjanne 18. "In no way am I judging or shaming anyone with implants, let me get that out of the way. My mistake was getting implants when I was 26. I got them removed later because I hated them. $7,500 lesson in just love who you are." natasshah 19. "Not enrolling in my companys retirement plan that offered 5% contribution match. Lost five years of free money." Anonymous Jirapong Manustrong / Getty Images/iStockphoto 20. "I fell for a gift card scam from a guy I had just met when I was 20 years old. I lost $1,000, which was over half what I had in my bank account at the time. I STILL beat myself up over the stupidity of that one." frodofreaklotr 21. "I let my ex talk me into taking my money out of a state retirement fund when the facility went private and invest it in the stock market because he 'didn't trust the government.' I was vested and it was the most money I was ever going to make, although I didn't know that at the time. Because I was in my 30s, I invested it in some kind of high risk stocks along with safer one. But every time the market crashed, I lost about half of my money and it never seemed to come back all the way." "I ended up working for a nonprofit for not a lot, then became disabled. So now my retirement income is below poverty level when I might be living mostly comfortably instead of worrying about being out on the street if something happens to my present husband." Claire, Ohio 22. "I was on my honeymoon in Italy and had reserved and pre-paid for a rental car up front. When we arrived at the rental booth, everything was in order. The car was ready, all I needed to do was insert my credit card and enter the pin. That's when I realized I didn't know the pin code for my credit card. We were able to rent a car in the end with another agency, but by not remembering four measly numbers we lost almost 900 euros." Anonymous Hispanolistic / Getty Images 23. "I bought a salvaged vehicle that looked like it was in great shape. It drove fine, and it was exactly what I needed at the time. About a month in, some frame damage was discovered that made it hard to steer, and I learned there were NO FUCKING AIRBAGS! I tried to turn around and sell it once I found out, but I couldnt in good conscience sell an unsafe vehicle to anyone. So I paid $7K to install new airbags and have a few other things done. Once the car was safe, I felt like I could stick with it a little longerthen the transmission started leaking." "I had grown attached to the car by this time, so I figured Id at least get an estimate on fixing the leak, even if it meant dropping the transmission. Mechanic gave me a call moments after I dropped it off to tell me he was worried that if he dropped the transmission he wouldnt be able to put my car back together, because the repairs on the car were so bad the transmission was essentially holding the whole front end together!! Sold it for scrap and basically lost $15K total on that terrible purchase." u/oldstraits 24. "Fresh out of high school, I got my first credit card. I was very responsible with managing my spending. My girlfriend at the time was broke and down on her luck. I used every ounce of my credit and money to help her get on her feet just so she can break up with me and leave me with the damages. I'm still trying to recover. Long story short: dont co-sign for ANYBODY. They have bad credit for a reason, SMH ." soniah4e31322df 25. "From the time I was 24-27, I would charge most things to credit cards (grocery purchases, clothes, gifts, etc.) without paying the balance in full every month. Since I was making some payments my credit limit got raised for each card. By the time I was 27, I had all my credit cards maxed out with $28,000 in debt. I felt so guilty and was always anxious, even depressed with this debt weighing on me." "This was around the time COVID hit and I was feeling cramped where I was living at the time. My parents offered for me to move back in with them and I had to be honest with myself and them about how much debt I was in. With their support and my determination, I chucked every penny I had after rent, utilities, and car insurance to this debt. I negotiated my interest rate down on cards and used the snowball method. I paid off the full amount in one year and six months. I will NEVER do that again. And I urge anyone else to get out of debt as much as possible or avoid it in the first place. You will feel so much better!" Lindsey Nuttapong Punna / Getty Images/iStockphoto 26. "I lied about my income and got an American Express card in my early 20s. It had no credit limit and came with an option to pay charges over time. I used it for hotels, flights, nice dinners, and alcohol. $20k later and I had no way to even make minimum payments. They found out my income was not accurate when i tried making a $17k charge and needed to verify through a tax form. They canceled my card on the spot and subpoenaed my ass." Leandra, California 27. And finally, "I took out Sallie Mae private loans for $14k for college. I now owe $37k nine years later at 29." Bob, Boston The Israeli government on Sunday confirmed Major General Herzi Halevi, a former military intelligence head who led forces along the Gaza border, as the country's next military chief. Halevi, 54, who serves as deputy to outgoing Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi, will take charge of Israel's armed forces on January 17, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement. Halevi's appointment at the end of Kohavi's term comes as violence surges in the occupied West Bank and just weeks since the latest Gaza flare-up. His nomination was approved less than two weeks before Israelis head to the polls on November 1, in the country's fifth election in less than four years. Speaking shortly before the cabinet vote, Lapid said Halevi would face the same "main challenge" as past army chiefs, ensuring Israel's military is "stronger, more sophisticated and more determined" then "our enemies". Kohavi praised his successor as "an excellent and experienced officer". Born in Jerusalem in 1967 to a religious family, Halevi was enlisted in 1985 as a paratrooper and advanced in various command positions before joining the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit in 1993, according to the army. He served as commander of Sayeret Matkal for three years from 2001 and then continued to climb the ranks, becoming head of military intelligence in 2014 and head of the southern command in 2018, the army said. Married with four children, Halevi lives in Kfar Haoranim, a community that is partially a settlement in the West Bank. Search Keywords: Short link: Bill McGovern tech engineer with directorate of public works and lead on the mold team, Fort Stewart discusses the mold problem plaguing Fort Stewart single solders living spaces in the Barracks with Peter Hoffman, Civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. Fort Stewart opened its doors Oct. 21 for a tour of barracks undergoing treatment to remove mold after years of complaints from resident soldiers. According to the fort's Director of Public Works and mold team lead, Bill McGovern, remediation work is well underway and taking a new approach to the ongoing problem. According to an information sheet from Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, no soldiers have been displaced due to mold although there have been 667 cases of rooms with mold 515 have been remediated, while the other 152 cases remain open. Since Sept. 12, 2,519 dehumidifiers have been placed in barracks rooms, with 30 more pending. Mold in the bathroom tub after a week. More: Latest adversary for U.S. Army? Mold in the Fort Stewart barrack A Sept.12 press release from Fort Stewart said that most of the mold issues were in the 30 Volunteer Army barracks, which total 2,300 rooms on post, and that these rooms do not meet current Army standards. Fort Stewart isn't the only Georgia military base struggling with mold in its housing. In April, Sen. Jon Ossoff chaired Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing into housing at Fort Gordon, outside Augusta, and Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. Soldiers testified about the disintegrating environmental health conditions in the privatized military housing at Fort Gordon while the management company, Balfour Beatty Communities, maintained it could be trusted. Soldiers testify about conditions: Soldier, others testify of "alarming" conditions of Fort Gordon housing in Ossoff-led hearing More: Mold, roots in toilet among issues Fort Gordon resident faced in on-base housing "This time, we're putting the education piece forward, were using the right materials, were using the right equipment and the right education to get a better hold of it to mitigate it for future problems," McGovern said. He said major changes have come after four months ago, when soldiers returned from deployment in Europe to intense mold growth all through their barracks. Story continues Bill McGovern tech engineer with directorate of public works and lead on the mold team, Fort Stewart discusses the mold problem plaguing Fort Stewart single solders living spaces in the Barracks as Peter Hoffman, Civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, looks on during a press conference. On the barracks tour, McGovern along with Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Georgia's coastal region, Peter F. Hoffman, demonstrated the three levels of mold infestation (WC) that have been identified and remediated on base. Level 2 mold inside the barrocks at Fort Stewart. Level 1, McGovern said, are 0 to 10 square feet of mold-covered surface, Level 2 is 10 to 25 square feet, and Level 3 is 25 and greater. McGovern described the new approach to treating mold as more "methodical." Rather than simply entering a unit and cleaning it, the mold team is investigating causes and looking into why the mold is able to propagate quickly. At Level 3, McGovern said it is not a matter of "cleanliness," but most likely moisture intrusion such as leaks or a malfunctioning dedicated outdoor air system. Another important change McGovern said was switching from using bleach-based cleaners to hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners after learning from studies conducted by Louisiana State University on effective mold treatment. For the most severe cases Level 3s McGovern said there are four active rooms, six which have been cleaned, and two more that are just finishing drying out after cleaning. None of the Level 3 rooms were occupied. He said very few rooms get to Level 3, and that most are Levels 1 and 2, both levels residents are still living in. Level 3 mold inside the barrocks at Fort Stewart. Specialist Kiara Boazman, a resident of Fort Stewart, spoke about her experience on base, stating that she had some experience with mold only a Level 1 situation, she estimated but never a larger-scale issue. Level 1 mold inside the barrocks at Fort Stewart. "If (residents) are gone for long periods of time, like when you take leave for a long amount of time, then sometimes you'll get mold," Boazman said. "Or when we deploy, like the year before last, we came back, it was a lot of mold in the rooms because they were unoccupied for so long." McGovern said that the unoccupied rooms tend to have more mold growth, and that the mold team is working to check in on those more regularly for remediation. He said the barracks have upgraded its air systems, bringing in 5% to 15% fresh air and that the barracks also have dehumidifiers working to keep the coastal humidity at bay. Level 3 mold inside the barrocks at Fort Stewart. Humidity, McGovern said, is a main driver of the mold. Coastal Georgia, and the swampy areas around the fort, facilitate mold growth. He said his team is also working on educating residents about how to combat the mold. For example, Boazman reported learning to use the right cleaning products to clear up any spots of mold. For Boazman, the recent remediations have been good she said she's happy to see Fort Stewart working on the barracks. But that in the future, she thinks it would be best if the fort invested in new barracks or remodeling while residents are away on deployment, since those activities take time. Marisa Mecke is an environmental journalist. She can be reached at mmecke@gannett.com or by phone at (912) 328-4411. This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: After years of complaints, Fort Stewart works to clean mold in barracks AutoCamp Catskills, which just opened in June 2022, has Airstreams, cabins, and tents on 37 acres in West Saugerties, New York. Lydia Price While theres much to say about summer in the Catskills, fall might be my favorite time in the mountainous region famously adored by respite-seeking New Yorkers. Foliage, of course, is among the main draws, and glamping resort AutoCamp now has an outpost nestled in the epicenter of the ephemeral explosion of color. Drawn to the areas myriad seasonal delights, guests stay in Airstreams, cabins, and tents amid the 37-acre propertys soaring trees in West Saugerties, New York. The youngest of AutoCamp Hospitality Group's five resorts across the country, the Catskills location is a mere four months old. When I arrived on an early October afternoon, the pristine, barn-inspired Clubhouse that serves as the resorts main building still smelled of fresh wood. Its an airy structure with a sweeping gable ceiling and one side thats almost completely made of windows. Lofty touches like massive floor-to-ceiling wooden doors and an exposed chimney in the middle of the main room give an air of luxury, yet the ambience is unmistakably cozy. Matt Kisiday Everything in the Clubhouse, from wood-carved murals to side tables fashioned from logs, has the feel of natural materials assembled by skillful hands. And at every turn, the spaces beg you to sit and take in the earthly pleasures of the forest locale. Cushioned benches swing from chains on the front patio. Plush couches accompany lush potted plants. For refreshments while you lounge, a bar in front of a stone-brick wall serves coffee and pastries in the morning and local beers, ciders, and wine at night. Theres currently a pumpkin patch gracing the yard, which is also home to a slew of sitting areas and lawn games, including a collection of cornhole setups fit for a tournament. After checking in, I was sent to my Airstream with a fire-starting kit. I was disappointed that rainy weather prevented me from stargazing under the moonroof above my bed that night, but I got to watch leaves sway on the trees above me as I took a break from some late afternoon work to recline. One guest I spoke with recounted that their entire cohort had purchased the same mattress model after staying at AutoCamp Yosemite, and after a minute lounging on my sumptuous queen-size bed, I could already see why. Story continues Matt Kisiday Panoramic windows in the bedroom, which take up one end of the 31-foot Airstream, were perfect for gazing at the trees outside awash with brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges. The charming space has crisp white walls accented by a wooden floor, cabinets, and door frames. On my nightstand, I found a guidebook detailing the regions rich history as a haven for artists. That evening, my group dined in a spacious-yet-homey room thats available to reserve for private gatherings in the Clubhouse. AutoCamp is popular among professionals seeking a serene workspace, and I suspect that even meetings wouldnt feel too tedious in the large room with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side. While summer bonfires have a special place in my heart, a good autumn blaze is hard to beat. Most mosquitoes have retreated, the fleeces are cozy, and nothing goes better with the comforting crackle of flame than a mug of mulled wine. A fire pit outside of the Clubhouse delivered the goods. Guests mingled and meandered in and out of our evening gathering, parka-clad dogs on leash, wine-filled Yeti tumblers in hand. Had we gone on a weekend trip to AutoCamp, we would have been treated to the folksy stylings of local musicians who perform most Fridays and Saturdays. Guests who preferred fireside lounging in a more intimate setting took advantage of their suites' outdoor setup, each outfitted with its own fireplace, Adirondack chairs, and alfresco dining area. The next morning, we set out to experience the Catskills rock climbing offerings, as October and November are the best times to do so. A 40-minute drive from AutoCamp Catskills, the Shawangunk Ridge a.k.a. the Gunks is one of the countrys top destinations for fans of the sport. Novices need not fear, as the Gunks has terrain for all experience levels, and there are seasoned climbing guides that can be booked through AutoCamp. Matt Kisiday For less adrenaline-inducing activities, fall is also prime time to visit the dozens of orchards to pick fresh apples, sip on homemade cider, and revel in the autumnal glory of the pumpkin patches. Visitors can also enjoy the many cultural offerings of nearby historic towns, including Woodstock. If you want to be in the thick of falls natural wonders, upstate hospitality, and architecture thats both bucolic and refined, AutoCamp Catskills is a wise choice. Nightly rates at the resort start at $159, and you can book here. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. The story of why the richest nation in history failed to adequately respond to the deadliest pandemic of modern times begins on the Scattering Fork of the Embarrass River. Six days before Thanksgiving 2021, Emily Gurley, one of the world's top experts in public health, traveled to a small town in Illinois to save her mother-in-law's life. Phyllis Adams was born 81 years ago in Tuscola, a railroad junction 160 miles south of Chicago and just east of Scattering Fork. She had attended an event with family members, some of whom were infected with COVID-19. Days later she started feeling sick. A rapid test proved positive. Odds were 96.2% that Adams had COVID-19. But Adams doctor didnt trust the result. So before he approved Adams for treatment, the doctor ordered a molecular test, commonly called a PCR test. A swab was jammed into Adams nose. The sample was packed into a tube and shipped to a distant laboratory, where it was affixed with a barcode. Next, the sample was loaded into a network of computerized systems, along with reams of Adams personal and medical data. The test was run, using a machine so expensive that only the most sophisticated laboratories in the world can afford one. DO NOT USE -- SAVE FOR MAAG TESTING PROJECT --Research intern Veronica Kan screens COVID-19 testing swabs at the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation in Nutley on Thursday, January 27, 2022. At left is David Perlin, chief scientific officer of the Center for Discovery and Innovation. Most of these machines are owned by two companies, Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp. Since the United States is one of the only developed nations without a robust public testing network in which government labs perform millions of routine tests a day, and provide crucial reserve capacity during health emergencies Quest and Labcorp together form a duopoly that dominates the American laboratory diagnostics industry. When Adams' process was finished, the results were interpreted by the labs trained medical technologists. Finally, the lab sent the results to the doctor. The test itself took six hours. Everything else the movement of patient samples and information through Americas scattered, complex and broken networks of diagnostics logistics, data and test machines took four times as long. In normal times, and especially during the COVID pandemic, a one-day turnaround time for test results is considered speedy. Its about as fast as Americas invisible infrastructure of testing can go. Story continues But against a pandemic that spreads in seconds, and often without symptoms, many experts say, COVID has proved conclusively that testing in America has grown too complex, too privatized, too disconnected and too slow. On March 12, 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci called this situation a failing. Experts say it remains a failure still. At the beginning [of COVID], labs faced demand they couldnt meet. They couldnt expand capacity. And they couldnt move samples around the country, said Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. That is still the case. Its hard to scale up and down. And we cant move samples to places where there is testing capacity. For the first two years of the pandemic, into early 2022, every major surge in COVID cases precipitated another testing logjam. Patients were forced to wait three days, five days, sometimes even 20 days for results. This year, as omicron subsided and BA.5 became the virus's dominant strain, the demand for testing began to wane and labs experienced fewer delays. Still, threats to America's diagnostic testing infrastructure continue. Already, the relatively small number of suspected monkeypox cases is threatening to overwhelm public health laboratories, according to a survey conducted by the National Coalition of STD Directors in late August 2022. That study found that 28% of public laboratories said they could not meet testing demand for monkeypox if that viral disease's spread increases. Journalists and health care professionals have documented several reasons for Americas cyclical testing failures. These include the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to send out faulty tests during the pandemics first few weeks, public statements by former President Donald Trump encouraging public health labs to slow down testing, and decisions by the administrations of Trump and President Joe Biden to emphasize vaccines more than testing. These failures are important, and widely understood by medical and policy experts. They also skim along the surface. Better CDC decisions or presidential orders cannot address the deep, structural barriers that prevented the United States from scaling up testing in response to COVID. Left unaddressed, these barriers are slowing the nations response to monkeypox, and may lead to similar testing failures during future waves of COVID. They also explain why Phyllis Adams 24-hour turnaround time constituted a success by the system, even though it represented a failure for the patient. These barriers are: Public health. In a national health emergency, public agencies should lead. But for generations, governments at the local, tribal, county, state and federal levels have starved such institutions of resources. In this vacuum of public leadership, private companies improvised solutions that value quarterly profits over the nation's long-term health. Data. Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp each gained power over the industry partly by competing for monopoly contracts with hospitals and insurers. In exchange for lower average test prices for hospitals and insurance companies, these contracts mandated that doctors order tests using software that presented Quest or Labcorp as the first and only choice. When COVID overwhelmed the duopoly, doctors had no power to send samples to smaller labs with excess capacity. They were stuck with Labcorp and Quest. Logistics. Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp operate the only national logistics networks for testing. When their networks get overwhelmed, everybody waits. Test machines. Some experts believe the United States has all the machines it needs to test for COVID-19. But everything about those machines is a trade secret. Which makes a coordinated emergency response impossible. As publicly traded companies, Quest and Labcorp built the nations largest diagnostics networks to generate maximum efficiency and profit for their shareholders. They have no mandate to build excess capacity into their systems for the inevitable but unpredictable event of a pandemic. Nor have they received the billions of dollars in government subsidies before COVID or during the pandemic that would be required to build surge capacity. Its no surprise, then, that Americas balkanized testing networks keep getting overwhelmed. There was no consistent system before COVID-19, said Mara Aspinall, a former testing company CEO and an adviser to the Rockefeller Foundations project to improve COVID-19 testing in America. And there still isnt. All of that left Emily Gurley, an expert in saving the lives of millions, trying to keep a single person alive. Adams finally received her second positive COVID-19 test result on the Friday before Thanksgiving. By then she could barely breathe. Her age makes Adams a high-risk patient. Yet she received no medical care for three days in rural Illinois, hospitals didnt provide monoclonal antibody treatment on weekends. If her blood oxygen levels dropped, her organs would fail. Phyllis Adams would begin to die. So Gurley took a vacation from her job at Johns Hopkins University, the institution that arguably invented modern public health. She caught the first flight Saturday morning from Baltimore to Indianapolis, rented a car and drove 115 miles west to Tuscola. On Sunday, four days before Thanksgiving, Adams blood oxygen levels fell again, to dangerous levels. Emily Gurley "What I keep thinking about is: Good grief! This is not the first wave!" Gurley said by phone from Tuscola. On Monday morning, Gurley packed Adams into the rental car. It was 30 degrees outside, and the hospital was 30 miles away. For safety, they drove with the windows down. Adams sat in the back seat under a blanket and Gurleys heavy coat. In the rearview mirror, Gurley could see only her mother-in-laws eyes. She looked pretty pitiful. She was very sick, Gurley said. We need to do a better job with testing. Its infuriating. Why is it this way? I have no idea! It makes no sense. Testing in America: Complex but invisible This spring America passed a grim milestone: More than 1 million Americans dead from COVID-19, a higher death count than any other nation on earth. Roughly 94 million cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the United States, more than twice as many as India, the country with the second-highest case count. That represents a mortality rate of 280 people per 100,000, giving the United States the highest mortality rate of any industrialized nation. Americans infected with COVID have died at a rate five times greater than people in Japan. During the height of the pandemic, Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom tested about seven times more people every week than the United States, when adjusted for population. Poorer countries, including Georgia and Slovenia, performed three times as many tests per capita. Tiny Cyprus performed about 8,800 COVID-19 tests a week, a rate 40 times greater than the richest nation on earth. Studies suggest that countries and states that performed more tests, and tested a higher proportion of their population, suffered fewer COVID deaths. During the first rollout of tests in March 2020, before rapid over-the-counter tests were available, Quest Diagnostics experienced a backlog of 160,000 samples to be tested, according to a company statement. Average test turnaround times by Quest and Labcorp reached five days. In April 2020, the state health lab in Louisiana regularly waited 16 days for results. In July of that year, Labcorp and Quest reported average turnaround times of a week or more, followed by similar delays in August and November. The pattern repeated throughout 2021, including in the omicron surge in the New York City region, which caused five-day testing delays into January 2022. Such delays rendered the results useless, because patients didn't know to quarantine or seek treatment until the disease already had caused serious illness and infected new people. And still, the United States has failed to create a fast, nimble national network for COVID-19 testing, experts say. Rates of COVID infections, hospitalizations and deaths have remained low through much of 2022 even as the BA.5 variant spread rapidly making now perhaps the best time to take advantage of the testing lull and build more capacity, experts said. I think its just a huge failure that we just basically abandoned testing, David Perlin, chief science officer at the Center for Discovery and Innovation, part of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jerseys largest hospital chain, said in January 2022. We have a finite capacity of testing. And we dont really have surge capacity right now. Politicians cant fix the system because they, like most Americans, cant see it. Diagnostic testing in the United States is privatized, complex and opaque. Only a handful of health care executives and academic researchers people who spend their lives studying the system understand it well enough to diagnose where its failing. "The question in my mind is, is this population the type to get in their car and drive to this community (testing) event? or was that never a good fit for them?" Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says drive-through community testing is not likely the way to reach people who live in senior housing apartments. Its a network problem. Its a logistics problem, said Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner. The testing system is established along contracted pathways. ... You have sticky relationships. Theres no ability in a public health crisis to break those prearranged pathways and shift demand where the supply is. This reporting will first explore how testing before COVID-19 was big, but brittle. Then, we will examine how the pandemic caused the infrastructure of American diagnostics to fail repeatedly, precisely as experts predicted. Finally, experts will speak to solutions that dive below the blame game of pandemic politics, and that seek to create a new system of diagnostics that is nimble and reliable, even during a public health emergency. Before COVID, Congress knew public health needed more resources Diagnostic testing in America is so complex, even the people who work on the front lines cant understand how it works. Zolanlly Brunson leads public health outreach in Coney Island, a neighborhood in Brooklyn known for its famous roller coaster and hot dog stand that is also among the most diverse places on earth. Together Brunson and her team of workers stand on sidewalks and help people find COVID-19 vaccinations and tests for a nonprofit called Brooklyn Community Services. In December 2021, Brunson needed to get her family tested before a social event. They went to a pop-up site she knew well. The family waited eight hours. Eventually, they were tested. They got the results that night. Brunson and her son were negative. Her husband, Steven, had COVID-19. Brunsons family life, and the public health effort in Coney Island, fell apart. For safety, Brunson and her son, Steven Jr., moved in with her in-laws, a few miles away. They got tested again, this time at Cumberland Hospital in Brooklyn. Then she waited and worried. She worried for Steven, who tried during phone calls to disguise his labored breathing. She worried about infecting her in-laws, both in their late 50s. She worried for her own health she was five months pregnant. She worried for Steven Jr., who missed connecting with his mother on their after-school train ride home. She also worried for the people in Coney Island. Talking to strangers about COVID-19 is exhausting work. Whenever she took a sick day, Brunson found, her team slacked off. But the rules were strict. Brunsons team was charged with speaking to 500 people every week, with special efforts to engage homeless people and drug addicts. They had to spend 10 hours a week in one-on-one conversations, helping people navigate the byzantine world of COVID-19 testing. One common problem they encountered: Most labs send results by email, Brunson said. But many poor people in Coney Island have no smartphones, computers or email. Waiting made Brunson feel frustrated. She received her negative result after 2 days. In the world of diagnostic testing, thats considered speedy. Im putting my in-laws lives at risk. And Im pregnant, Brunson said. I feel like I was misinformed. Had I known the hospital would take one to three business days, I would have just gone to a random pop-up shop. Can't even kill a mosquito Other countries handle public health differently. On Jan. 27, 2020, health officials in South Korea convened an emergency meeting with health company executives in Seouls busiest train station to deliver a simple message: Make tests. Now. Well approve them, and well pay you. One week later, the first test went to market. This organized and national effort, matched to contact tracing, caused COVID-19 infection rates to plummet by mid-March 2020, just as New York City and New Jersey entered their first wave of widespread COVID-19 deaths. In April 2021, Britains National Health Service offered to mail free COVID-19 rapid tests to everyone in the country. By Christmas, Britons were performing 1.1 million rapid tests a week. The strategy worked, detecting hundreds of thousands of new cases. FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, file photo, a medical researcher uses a monitor that shows the results of blood tests for various diseases, including Zika, at the Gorgas Memorial laboratory in Panama City. On Thursday, April 28, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Quest Diagnostics to offer the first commercial test for the Zika virus in the United States. Previously, Zika tests were only available through a handful of government-designated laboratories. Quest said the commercial test could be available as early as the first week of May. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File) Raquel Viana, a science director at one of South Africas largest private laboratories, discovered a radically infectious strain of COVID-19 on Nov. 19, 2021. This strain later would be named omicron. Its no accident that scientists in South Africa found omicron sooner than their American counterparts, even though the strain was present in both countries, said Jeffrey Klausner, a public health expert at the University of Southern California. The United States operates more molecular testing machines than South Africa. We sequence the genes of more COVID-19 samples than South Africa, from a higher percentage of our population, which is 5 times larger than South Africas. But two years into the pandemic, American public health agencies still cant perform high-throughput COVID-19 testing. Decades of underfunding shattered disease surveillance systems, turning even small outbreaks into all-hands-on-deck emergencies. Im just back from South Africa two days ago, and they have a national lab system for the entire country. Its all one centralized system, so they can be more responsive, Klausner said in November 2021. Everybody trashes [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. But CDC never was set up to be a big lab test provider or to scale up testing. These inadequacies first came to light during the Zika outbreak in 2016 and 2017, which sickened more than 5,000 people in the United States and raised public alarm about the possibility of birth defects. After the outbreak passed, the Government Accountability Office published a series of reports documenting the nations failure to respond: Public health agencies didnt have enough money to respond to emergencies, the GAO found. Surges of funding from Congress help. But that money arrives too slowly, and it doesnt persist after the crisis is over, repeating a cycle that leaves agencies underfunded for the next emergency. Public health agencies at all levels lacked the computers or the staff to perform surveillance on the disease as it spread, another GAO report found. Existing surveillance systems couldnt work together. James Lawler The CDC is supposed to give local health agencies money and technical support for mosquito control. But because mosquito-borne diseases are cyclical, and so is the agencys funding, most of the CDCs mosquito experts had been laid off due to budget cuts before Zika hit. The few who remained didnt know which state and local health departments even had programs to kill mosquitoes. During Zika we saw a significant bottlenecking at public health labs, and the same problems of stovepiping that the nation experienced during COVID, said James Lawler, an infectious disease and public health expert at the University of Nebraska. Its this balkanized system. When you want the whole system to respond coherently and together, theres no mechanism for that to occur. And we havent addressed that concern, even today. Lab technology funding: Too little, too late As the crisis subsided, public health experts went public with their concerns about how testing had failed during Zika. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists is a trade group that represents disease researchers. In April 2019, the group began a lobbying campaign aimed at convincing Congress to approve higher funding for public health data and surveillance systems. In reports and testimony to Congress, testing experts described how they still send test results by fax. Workers deliver paper copies of test results using their personal cars. With no barcode system to track patient data electronically, the CDC required local agencies to include a paper requisition form every time they mailed a sample for testing. When important data arrives by paper, the recipient must pay someone to type it into a computer. This work is slow, and prone to error. Such antiquated systems turn even a small measles outbreak into an emergency that requires all-out effort by an agencys entire staff, the council wrote in a report to Congress. Public health is scrappy, said Janet Hamilton, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists' executive director. But the data connectivity issues are substantive and real. Janet Hamilton For example, before two public agencies share a single diagnostic test result, both must sign a data use agreement, said Michelle Meigs, director of the informatics program at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, which advocates for public testing labs. Such agreements establish what data will be shared, across which computer systems, in which template, according to which privacy protocols. If a shred of that data goes missing, the contracts determine whos to blame in court. The best reason to digitize health data is to make it faster to share. But the negotiations required to complete these data agreements seem designed to slow everything down, Meigs said. It becomes a red-tape nightmare, Meigs said. In this world of pre-pandemic dysfunction, experts agree that Quest and Labcorp operated the best systems for communicating test results to public health agencies. The CDC requires labs to report positive test results for about 100 diseases and conditions. Labcorp and Quest took this responsibility seriously, Hamilton said, creating speedy data connections with public health agencies across the country. I would say Quest and Labcorp, they work very hard to partner with public health, Hamilton said. To improve connections between public labs, Hamilton's group kept lobbying Congress. After a year and a half, they won. Sort of. Congress appropriated $50 million to upgrade government data systems. The money was to be split among the CDC and 56 public health agencies operated by states and Native American tribes. $50 million isnt a lot, said Scott Becker, of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. Theres not been support from the states or the federal level to improve that infrastructure. Ever. The vote happened on Dec. 21, 2019. By then, at least 23 people in California had COVID-19. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Quest COVID testing remains broken after a million deaths James W. Pfister With the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China completed, it is appropriate to examine Chinas policy regarding Taiwan and Americas response. Two recent speeches by Xi Jinping, president of the People's Republic of China (herein China), will provide the data for my analysis, one from the Boao Forum for Asia, April 21, 2022, and the other at the 20th National Congress, October 16, 2022. Xi defines China as a modern socialist state with Chinese characteristics. In the April speech, he articulates confidence as a basic theme and concludes the October speech: Let us maintain firm confidence. In both speeches he speaks of a wheel of history with a determinism that Taiwan will be reunited with China, hopefully, peacefully. He speaks of international cooperation as Chinas approach to the world in a win-win style, such as Chinas approach to ASEAN and other Asian countries. In both speeches he criticizes an approach to world affairs (he does not mention the U.S. by name) as having a Cold War mentality, hegemonism, a power politics approach, bloc thinking, and prone to interfere into the internal affairs of others. He also opposes the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. In both speeches he professes a belief in the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, including respect for the territorial integrity and political independence of all states and their equality under law. Taiwan would not be included here because it is part of China, as the U.S. admits in its One-China policy. Xi states: (T)he hegemonic, high-handed, and bullying acts, and playing zero-sum games are exerting grave harm. (October speech). Regarding Taiwan, Xi had several things to say in the October speech: Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing Chinas complete reunification is, for the Party, a historic mission and an unshakable commitment. It is also a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation The policies of peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are the best way to realize reunificationBlood runs thicker than water, and fellow Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family bound by blood Taiwan is Chinas Taiwan a matter that must be resolved by the Chinese we will never promise to renounce the use of force This is directed solely at interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking Taiwan independence The wheels of history are rolling on toward Chinese reunification. Story continues Xi emphasizes Chinas desire for world peace and adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (first enunciated by the great diplomat Chou Enlai in 1953 and with Indias great Prime Minister Nehru in 1954). (Look the principles up). In addition to respecting countries territorial integrity and equality, Xi stated China respects the development paths and social systems independently chosen by all the worlds peoples China stands firmly against all forms of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, interference in other countries internal affairs and double standards No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism. As the counterweight to China, the U.S. appears to be following a forward containment strategy developed during the Cold War. Regarding Taiwan, it states its policy to be strategic ambiguity, and with President Joe Bidens confusion over the policy, he himself is strategic ambiguity. Containment plus Chinas commitment to Taiwan is a zero-sum game, if the U.S. is including Taiwan in its perimeter of defense. This is a formula for war, possibly a nuclear one. The U.S. has tried to steal Taiwan from China since 1949 when the Communists took over the Chinese government. For the sake of reasonableness, to say nothing of world avoidance of a nuclear war, the U.S. should repeal the Taiwan Relations Act and negotiate as favorable as possible a transition of Taiwan to China as a physical reality along the lines of Hong Kong and Macao, One Country, Two Systems. What are we doing over there interfering in their business and risking a major war? We should not be doing end-runs around the United Nations Security Council. James W. Pfister, J.D. University of Toledo, Ph.D. University of Michigan (political science), retired after 46 years in the Political Science Department at Eastern Michigan University. He lives at Devils Lake and can be reached at jpfister@emich.edu. This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: James Pfister: Xis two speeches and U.S. forward policy RENO, Nev. (AP) Thousands of people in hundreds of cars took over northern Nevada parking lots and intersections Friday night and into Saturday, performing stunts in souped-up vehicles and leading to crashes and arrests, police said. Police beefed up nighttime staffing after social media posts urged people from San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, to come to the sideshow in Reno, Police Lt. Michael Browett said. The disturbances started late Friday as several hundred cars and their occupants met in the parking lot of a still-open Walmart store. Police tried to break up the crowds and drivers sped off, meeting up again at several intersections and industrial parks into Saturday morning. A dozen people were arrested, 14 cars impounded and 33 people were issued citations. Browett said Reno is just the latest city to see late-night takeovers by auto enthusiasts who ignore law enforcement efforts to stop the illegal and dangerous activity. I don't know what the underlying movement is with this group, but it goes a little beyond cars, Browett said. They're very anti-authoritarian, and they basically just show up and do whatever they want. Cities across the country have been dealing with similar issues in recent years, including Phoenix, San Francisco and Chicago. Last weekend, three people were killed and several others badly hurt in crashes related to a pop-up sideshow in Wildwood, New Jersey. In Reno, no one was seriously injured. But Browett said those arrested faces charges including reckless driving, hit and run causing injury and weapons possession. Video: Los Angeles offers street takeover alternative _____ This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Lt. Browett's name on second reference. Thomas Billings Jr. and his wife, Sarah, decided to ride out Hurricane Ian in the family room of their Naples ranch home, close to Edgewater Beach. About two hours after the storms landfall, Billings was returning from fetching something from a bedroom when he found his wife lying facedown, according to a Naples Police Department report. As floodwaters seeped into the home, he moved Sarah, 73, to the bedroom. But the 79-year-old man did not have the strength to lift her onto the bed, the report states. The man was only able to escape the rising waters by floating his wife and himself to the back lanai. He survived but Sarah drowned, a death that the county medical examiner concluded was complicated by a heart attack. Florida has strict laws requiring nursing homes and assisted living facilities to plan for disasters like hurricanes. But few rules exist to protect an increasing number of elderly people with chronic health conditions who live at home, including some who rely on electric-powered medical equipment like dialysis and oxygen machines. Hurricane Ian provided a brutal lesson in how vulnerable that population is to the harsh conditions during and after a major storm. Medical examiners in Florida have so far linked 112 deaths to Hurricane Ian. Almost 60% of those were people age 65 or older. Chronic medical conditions like heart attacks and respiratory illnesses were contributing factors in one-third of reported deaths, records show. The average age of those who died was 67. There is no one who is required to make sure they evacuate or that their home environment will keep them safe, said Lindsay Peterson, an assistant professor who conducts disaster preparedness research at the University of South Floridas School of Aging Studies. They are much more vulnerable, and we see that in these statistics. The reports suggest many would still be alive had they evacuated. Nine people died because power outages meant they could not operate oxygen or dialysis equipment, including a 70-year-old diabetic in Charlotte County who went a week without dialysis. Story continues Delays in 911 responders reaching patients because of the storm were cited as contributing factors in another five deaths. One was a 79-year-old woman in Orange County whose operation for a fractured hip was delayed because the hospital she was taken to had no running water. Even some who survived the worst of the storm later succumbed to its aftermath. Four residents suffered heart attacks and died while they were trying to clear up storm debris, reports show. A 58-year-old man with existing heart problems collapsed and died after walking up seven stories of a Naples condo tower where he and his wife were sheltering. The elevator had stopped working after the lobby flooded. Trends suggest the number of seniors receiving medical treatment at home will continue to rise. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates that home care expenditures will reach $201 billion by 2028, a 73% increase from 2020. More needs to be done at state, local and federal levels to protect that population as hurricanes increase in intensity, Peterson said. Home health centers and dialysis centers are required to have post-storm operation plans, she said. Other states, including Ohio, have gone further with laws that require home health visitors to check in with their clients before a disaster and offer assistance and advice. Those with health conditions can turn to special-needs shelters, which include generators to power medical equipment and are staffed with nurses. But its not always easy to convince people and their caregivers to commit to staying in a shelter, Peterson said. Elderly people with dementia may feel distressed in a busy shelter where there is always light and noise. People associate home with their safety, especially older adults, she said. How do we convince them this is not safe for you anymore? Both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties maintain a registry of those who have special medical needs and might struggle during an emergency like a hurricane. Pinellas counts 2,643 people on the registry, which includes information on their evacuation zones and whether they have their own transportation. About 4,000 people are on Hillsboroughs registry, with more than 1,600 listed as needing transportation to evacuate. Both counties operated special shelters during Ian, with roughly 400 people and 110 caregivers staying at three shelters in Pinellas. Hillsborough housed about 400 people and 40 caregivers across five shelters, officials said. The shelters are intended as a last resort for people without the resources or time to travel to a hotel or stay with friends or relatives, said Ryan Pedigo, director of public health preparedness in Hillsborough. But he acknowledged that some including those with medical needs wont take advantage of the free facilities, and that many people wait until its too late to evacuate. You cant wait until eight hours before landfall to make that happen. People need to take the initiative to leave earlier and evacuate, he said. I dont know if its complacency or people flat-out dont want to go to a shelter. Joy Weidingers husband of 58 years, Douglas Weidinger Sr., was listed among Hurricane Ians dead. The 79-year-old Punta Gorda man, who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asbestosis, relied on an oxygen concentrator, a device that provides oxygen-rich air. When power stopped working, he switched to portable oxygen canisters the couple had ordered for the storm. But his health deteriorated, his wife said, in part because he was so stressed about the hurricane. He died Sept. 29, one day after the storm made landfall. The medical examiner in Charlotte County cited the interruption of power as a contributing factor in his death. We hooked him up to the concentrator, but by the time we did it, it was too late, she said. We all have a time to go. Tampa Bay Times Hurricane Ian coverage HOW TO HELP: Where to donate or volunteer to help Hurricane Ian victims. FEMA: Floridians hurt by Ian can now apply for FEMA assistance. Heres how. THE STORM HAS PASSED: Now what? Safety tips for returning home. POST-STORM QUESTIONS: After Hurricane Ian, how to get help with fallen trees, food, damaged shelter. WEATHER EFFECTS: Hurricane Ian was supposed to slam Tampa Bay head on. What happened? MORE STORM COVERAGE: Get ready and stay informed at tampabay.com/hurricane. SAN DIEGO (AP) A surge in migration from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua in September brought the number of illegal crossings to the highest level ever recorded in a fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The year-end numbers reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions in some countries, the relative strength of the U.S. economy and uneven enforcement of Trump-era asylum restrictions. Migrants were stopped 227,547 times in September at the U.S. border with Mexico, the third-highest month of Joe Biden's presidency. It was up 11.5% from 204,087 times in August and 18.5% from 192,001 times in September 2021. In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, migrants were stopped 2.38 million times, up 37% from 1.73 million times the year before, according to figures released late Friday night. The annual total surpassed 2 million for the first time in August and is more than twice the highest level during Donald Trump's presidency in 2019. Nearly 78,000 migrants from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua were stopped in September, compared to about 58,000 from Mexico and three countries of northern Central America that have historically accounted for most of the flow. The remarkable geographic shift is at least partly a result of Title 42, a public health rule that suspends rights to see asylum under U.S. and international law on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Video: Inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center Due to strained diplomatic relations, the U.S. cannot expel migrants to Venezuela, Cuba or Nicaragua. As a result, they are largely released in the United States to pursue their immigration cases. Title 42 authority has been applied 2.4 million times since it began in March 2020 but has fallen disproportionately on migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. U.S. officials say Venezuelan migration to the United States has plunged more than 85% since Oct. 12, when the U.S. began expelling Venezuelans to Mexico under Title 42. At the same time, the Biden administration pledged to admit up to 24,000 Venezuelans to the United States on humanitarian parole if they apply online with a financial sponsor and enter through an airport, similar to how tens of thousands of Ukrainians have come since Russia invaded their country. Story continues The first four Venezuelans paroled into the United States arrived Saturday two from Mexico, one from Guatemala, one from Peru and hundreds more have been approved to fly, the Homeland Security Department said. While this early data is not reflected in the (September) report, it confirms what weve said all along: When there is a lawful and orderly way to enter the country, individuals will be less likely to put their lives in the hands of smugglers and try to cross the border unlawfully, said CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus. The expansion of Title 42 for Venezuelans to be expelled to Mexico came despite the administrations attempt to end the public health authority in May, which was blocked by a federal judge. Venezuelans represented the second-largest nationality at the border after Mexicans for the second straight month, being stopped 33,804 times in September, up 33% from 25,361 times in August. Cubans, who are participating in the largest exodus from the Caribbean island to the United States since 1980, were stopped 26,178 times at the border in September, up 37% from 19,060 in August. Nicaraguans were stopped 18,199 times in September, up 55% from 7,298 times in August. The report is the last monthly reading of migration flows before U.S. midterm elections, an issue that many Republicans have emphasized in campaigns to capture control of the House and Senate. Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee released a one-sentence statement Saturday in response to the numbers: "Youve got to be kidding. A Florida man has been sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for his involvement in a sex trafficking conspiracy with ties in Pennsylvania. According to a release from the Department of Justice, John Golom, 57, has officially been sentenced to 405 months prison time by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani on Oct. 14, 2022, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Monday. U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam stated Golom had previously pleaded guilty to trafficking two women as prostitutes through the use of force, threats, and coercion from 2014 through 2018. Golom recruited women to engage in commercial sex acts, advertising them on websites to attract customers, and transporting them between Florida and Pennsylvania to conduct his prostitution business. Golom kept all proceeds of the operation and used physical violence, threats, and false promises to keep the women working as prostitutes. During sentencing, the court found Golom had preyed upon his victims despite knowing that at least one of them was especially vulnerable due to severe mental illnesses and homelessness. The court also found Golom had attempted to obstruct justice by making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and trying to tamper with his victims testimony. The United States Attorneys Office is grateful to the victims in this case for making the truth known, Karam said. The women who bravely came forward to hold this trafficker accountable made this successful prosecution possible. They are survivors, who, despite the horrific trauma they suffered at Goloms hands for years, made it possible for justice to be done here. I am sure that they have spared other potential victims from the same horrors. In accordance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the court ordered Golom to pay over $300,000 in restitution. After serving his sentence, Golom will be subject to a 10-year term of supervised release, and must comply with sex offender registration requirements as applicable through federal, state, and local law. Story continues The case was investigated by the FBI, the Monroe County Detectives Office, Stroud Regional Police Department, and the Monroe County District Attorneys Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni prosecuted the case. According to the Human Trafficking Hotline, 221 cases of human trafficking were reported in Pennsylvania in 2020, with 177 of those cases listed as sex trafficking. The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania notes "Over the last five years since Pennsylvanias first comprehensive human-trafficking law (Act 105) took effect, 784 human-trafficking offenses were filed." Monroe County is one of the 10 counties with the highest reported human trafficking offenses filed in the commonwealth at 5% of the total figure. To make a report to the Human Trafficking Hotline, call 1-888-373-7888, or text 233733. This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Florida man sentenced 405 months for sex trafficking conspiracy in PA One of the videos showing the daycare worker scaring children was filmed in September and another taken Tuesday, according to the owner. Jennifer Kayla Newman/Facebook Five Mississippi women have been charged in connection to viral videos showing children being scared with a mask. The charges range from felony child abuse to misdemeanor charges of failure to report child abuse and assault on a minor. Katelyn Johnson, a mother of a child at the daycare, told ABC News that she was "in complete shock of what I witnessed." Four Mississippi women connected to viral videos showing children in a daycare being terrorized with a 'Scream' mask are now facing felony child abuse charges and a fifth woman is facing a misdemeanor failure to report charge, according to police. Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook said in a statement that Sierra McCandless, 21; Oci-Anna Kilburn, 28; Jennifer Newman, 25, and Misty Shyenne Mills, 28, face three counts of felony child abuse, while Traci Hutson, 44, faces misdemeanor charges of failure to report abuse by a mandatory reporter and simple assault against a minor. A judge set bond for McCandless and Kilburn at $20,000 and $15,000 each for Newman and Mills, according to the Associated Press. Hutson is not required to post bond because her charges are misdemeanors, the AP reported. "It's just a shame it happened and this is where we're at. Hopefully, people will learn from it," Crook told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. "It can tear a community apart. Everybody who was a part of it knew each other in some shape or form. It's a lot of emotions to deal with, and our job is to cut through those emotions, find the facts and present those facts." Shiela Sanders, the owner of the daycare, Lil' Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, Mississippi, has said that at least 4 people were fired as a result of the videos. In one video, the children can be seen crying and hiding from a woman as she chases them. One woman, who identified herself as CeeCee, said in a tearful apology obtained by The Daily Mail that she is the person behind the mask in the video. Story continues "The teachers asked me if I would do it or if they could use (the mask) to get their class to listen or clean up. I'm not a child abuser," she says in her apology. CeeCee goes on to say that she had been employed at the daycare for around four years in the apology video. "I did not go in there at my own discretion. As in, I didn't go in there with the intention to literally traumatize those children. I expected them to react the way they reacted when I did it," she says in the apology. "But what you all didn't see was after I had left the room, I took it off and I went back into the classroom and I said 'CeeCee got the monster. It's not coming back.' And they would hug me. I've known those kids their whole life." Katelyn Johnson, the mother one of the children who attends the daycare, told ABC News that she was "in complete shock of what I witnessed." "Whether they had a mask on or a mask off, their behavior was unacceptable," Johnson told ABC. "My blood pressure was raised. It broke my heart for my child. I was angry." "I hope you're enjoying jail and I hope you realize what you have done is serious," Johnson continued. "It is not a joke and it is nothing to laugh at." According to CNN, Melissa Parker, the director of the Office of Licensure with the Mississippi State Department of Health, said that Lil' Blessings had not reopened as of Thursday. Read the original article on Insider The Decent Life national project (Hayah Karima in Arabic) was initiated experimentally in 2019 by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and its first phase was officially launched in July 2021. The project aims to improve standards of living, infrastructure, and basic services including healthcare across the countryside. The project covers 4,658 villages across the country, which are home to 58 percent of Egypts 102 million population, with an estimated budget of EGP 700 billion. The enormous volume of work needed to develop the 4,500 villages required the initiative to be divided into three stages comprising 1,500 villages each, with the first stage to be concluded by December of this year. In an interview with WAM news agency, Shoukry -- the President-Designate of the COP27 -- articulated the central importance of the COP27 , calling for pulling the conference out of the ongoing context of strong political and economic polarisation and the dynamics of politicisation and contestation. COP27 will be held amidst a global context of strong geopolitical and geo-economic tension and polarisation that we hope will not make it more difficult to tackle common global challenges, notably climate change. We need to spare this milestone session of the conference the ongoing international conflicts, disputes, and contestations, because any failure to address the climate change challenges, or any backtracking on climate pledges will get the world to a 'point of no return' beyond which extremely dangerous climate change impacts can become unavoidable, the Egyptian top diplomat said. This has been a message weve been sending out over the past period to all parties concerned, whether through the informal ministerial meetings that were held throughout the year or during the preparatory meeting for COP27, which was held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this month. All these parties should honour their shared responsibilities and focus on this existential issue facing humanity at large, which is climate change. We must make sure that the ongoing international conflicts and crises and the current global polarisation won't in any way spill over to this field. Shoukry in this regard cited international reports regarding the need to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. If we go beyond 1.5 degree of global warming, negative consequences will become unavoidable, and it will be impossible for the world to go back to where we used to be, he warned. The parties participating in the climate summit should realise that the core and crux of this conference is to address the climate change challenges, and that it is not a forum to address any other issues that is not relevant to climate action. Therefore, our common interest is to continue pushing forward towards concerted international efforts from all parties concerned to address this burning issue thats taking a toll on all of us. All possible efforts must be made to pull the conference out of the ongoing context of strong political and economic polarisation and the dynamics of politicisation and contestation. Asked on the approaches adopted by Egypt toward the global efforts made to address climate change, Shoukry said, COP27 focuses on a set of key climate-related issues, primarily emissions reduction; adaptation to the negative effects of climate change; financing; and the issue of losses and damages. There is a consensus that tackling these key issues hinges on the ability of the international community to deal with the challenges of climate change and to work on building confidence among all parties - developed and developing countries - to provide the necessary resources so that the concerned countries can assume their responsibility toward a fair, sustainable transition from dependence on fossil fuels to the new and renewable energy and embark on a path of negotiation and consultation on the issue of losses and damages. The Egyptian presidency, he continued, is working to provide a favourable ecosystem to encourage all parties concerned to reach a consensus, and to make concessions that ultimately serve the collective interest to realise the aspired goal. Throughout 2022, we have been working to encourage the world countries to increase their voluntary national commitments in the context of reducing emissions, as well as to emphasise the importance of adaptation. We all have seen the devastating consequences of the recent floods and torrents in Pakistan and the need for the Pakistani government to take measures to protect their people. And to do that, there must be resources for such countries to remedy these effects and to work to contain them. Therefore, we hope there will be consensus and clear political will that leads to the achievement of this common goal. Search Keywords: Short link: JUAREZ, Mexico Ilse Medina traveled for weeks from Venezuela and saw three U.S. border states from the window of a Homeland Security bus before she was expelled to Mexico. She and her husband crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso in mid-October. U.S. Border Patrol separated the couple. Agents released her husband with documents allowing him to travel to Chicago their hoped-for destination while she was shuffled to multiple border detention cells across 400 miles before being handed to Mexican authorities in Sonora, without ever being told she would be expelled. For three and a half days we were driven around in a bus, she said. Its a psychological trauma. Border Patrol is moving around migrants it intends to expel to Mexico in what it calls lateral transfers to reduce overcrowding in its holding facilities in El Paso and to keep from further overwhelming Juarez, where hundreds of Venezuelans have been left on the street to fend for themselves and with orders to leave Mexico "by their own means." "Were doing it an effort to decompress the Central Processing Center" in El Paso, said Border Patrol El Paso Sector spokeswoman Valeria Morales. The holding facility in Northeast El Paso has been overcrowded for weeks, amid a sharp increase in migration through the region. But immigrant advocates say the transfers are also a scare tactic designed to disorient migrants and deter them them from trying to cross the U.S. border again. A Venezuelan migrant processed by Customs and Border Protection at a mobile processing center in El Paso, Texas after crossing the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez on Oct. 17, 2022. The man was later expelled in Eagle Pass, Texas, to Mexico and later transported by Mexican immigration to southern Mexico. "Theyre going to try to do a lot of dramatic expulsions to create complete despair," said Yael Schacher, director for the Americas and Europe for Refugees International, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for refugees. "They are really banking on this being a deterrent but its not clear its going to be." Faced with a sharp and enduring increase in Venezuelan migration, the Biden administration reached a deal with the administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador earlier this month in which Mexico agreed to take back Venezuelans expelled under the United States' pandemic policy known as Title 42. Story continues The Biden administration agreed to process up to 24,000 Venezuelans by air via Mexico City in exchange. Those eligible must carry a valid passport and proof they have a sponsor in the U.S. requirements few of the Venezuelans in the current exodus can meet. And those who have crossed the U.S. border arent eligible. "This effort is intended to serve as a deterrent to irregular migration by providing a meaningful alternative to irregular migration and by imposing immediate consequences on Venezuelan nationals who choose to not avail themselves of the new process," according to a Homeland Security notice published in the Federal Register on Oct. 19. Venezuelans accounted for 25,130 unique encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in August and an estimated 33,500 unique encounters in September, according to Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics cited in the notice. Daniel Medina Poche, 31, and his spouse, 39-year-old Angie Ferrer Rondon, turned themselves in to Border Patrol agents in El Paso on Oct. 18, hoping to seek asylum. They waited for hours under a military green tent at the mobile processing site in South El Paso before being loaded on to a bus. They didn't know where they were going, he said in an audio message sent via WhatsApp. "They told us they were going to register us in another area," he said. "But most likely they aren't going to register us and they are going to put us somewhere." A Colombian migrant is registered by a Customs and Border Protection officer at a mobile processing center in El Paso, Texas after crossing the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez on Oct. 17, 2022. Hours later, a pin-drop location showed he and his wife were near Van Horn. The following day, Medina Poche and Ferrer Rondon were returned to Piedras Negras, Coahuila 7.5 hours from El Paso. "In Mexico, they only want to hand us over to the coyotes," smugglers, he said in a phone call from the south side of the border, "or as mules for drugs, because that is what they offered us." "Truly, I am really nervous," he said. "We came for an American dream, not to move drugs." In Juarez, Medina and dozens of Venezuelan migrants slept on a concrete slab between the railroad tracks and the Rio Grande under blankets donated by good Samaritans in the border city. As dawn broke on a chilly morning Oct. 18, some wrapped the blankets around their shoulders like shawls and stood up to watch the border and worry about their next steps. Another Venezuelan woman said she had been separated from her spouse and driven far from El Paso before being returned to Mexico. Morales said she couldnt confirm how many migrants have been laterally transferred by Border Patrol before being expelled to Mexico since the Oct. 12 accord with Mexico took effect. Most days, two buses depart for Tucson Sector, she said, and Big Bend Sector has stepped in to help process migrants for expulsion or release, as well. Venezuelan migrants speak to a Mexican immigration officer about their situation on the south bank of the Rio Grande after the migrants were expelled from the U.S. to Ciudad Juarez on Oct, 15, 2022. Ismael Bolivar, a 37-year-old Venezuelan who friends called Junior, stood at the rivers edge and mulled his options earlier this week. He hadnt turned himself in to Border Patrol yet, he said, because his prima, a 27-year-old cousin, had crossed in El Paso and been detained by Border Patrol. She was moved around before being returned to Mexicali, in Baja California. I haven't crossed, he said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid they'll do to me what they did to her." The shuffling between border holding facilities left Medina scared to try again and confused about why her husband was granted an opportunity to pursue a claim to stay in the U.S. legally, while she was returned to Mexico. She and other Venezuelans walked along the railroad tracks in Juarez to the point south of where Border Patrol erected the mobile processing site to receive asylum seekers, under the Loop 375 overpass. She watched others skid down the steep embankment, step over stones in the river to climb the other side into the United States and an uncertain future. I am afraid to cross again, she said, watching with a knitted brow. I had never been detained in my life. Ive never committed a crime. Being shut up terrifies me. The jails were like one you see in American movies, with the toilet behind a half wall, with 20 women inside, cameras and bulletproof glass. And they didnt give us any information and we didnt ask, out of respect." This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Border Patrol moves migrants hundreds of miles for expulsion to Mexico Anna Kim/Insider Insider investigated how rich Russians could move to the US by investing in Grenada's economy. A visa firm is offering the shortcut after Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization. It's legal, but an illicit-finance expert said it could let oligarchs "skirt the rules." Five days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization, a Russian visa company rushed to offer citizens a way out. "Grenada is called 'little Switzerland,'" United Passport wrote in a Telegram message on September 25. "It's an affordable program for the whole family." For as little as $150,000, Russians can become citizens of Grenada, the visa company said. But an American flag in the background of the advertisement hints at the real prize: a US visa. The advertisement shared in a Telegram message. Screenshot of United Passport Telegram. In a Telegram channel with more than 300,000 subscribers and dedicated to helping Russians find ways out of their country, United Passport appeared to take advantage of the geopolitical situation. After Putin's address to the nation on his partial military mobilization, thousands of Russians booked flights to countries offering visa-free entry, such as Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, and Serbia. But the founding attorney for the Batrakova Law Office, Irina Batrakova, told Insider that her Oregon firm had primarily been dealing with inquiries from Russians seeking to move to the US. In the Telegram channel, United Passport advertised the possibility of getting to the US on an E-2 visa. Russians can apply for an E-2 visa only by first obtaining citizenship in a treaty country, a category that includes Grenada but excludes Russia. The InterContinental Grenada Resort option Insider contacted United Passport and posed as a customer who wanted to enter the US with his family via Grenada, insisting that Grenada be merely a stepping stone to a new life in America. Grenada stopped Russians from applying for citizenship through an investment after their country invaded Ukraine in February. The restriction was lifted in July and replaced by "enhanced scrutiny" of Russian applicants, Karline Purcell, the CEO of Grenada's Citizenship By Investment Programme, told Investment Migration Insider, adding that only nonsanctioned Russians could apply. Story continues In multiple exchanges on WhatsApp, United Passport told Insider Wednesday that one business opportunity would get us a Grenadian passport and, in turn, a US visa. "There are only 300 shares left at the InterContinental Hotel," the company said. It was referring to part ownership of the new InterContinental Grenada Resort, an IHG Hotels & Resorts development. The stake would cost $316,000. It would lead to Grenada "giving you and your family passports for it," the visa company said, which would entitle you to apply for an E-2, a nonimmigrant visa that typically lasts for five years but can be renewed an unlimited number of times. A spokesperson for IHG Hotels & Resorts said the company "adheres to the highest ethical standards and holds the same requirements for the parties it engages with." St. George's, Grenada. Getty Images Grenada is the smallest Caribbean state, with a population of about 112,000 a smaller population than that of any one of the US's 270 biggest cities. It was a French and British colony before gaining independence from the UK in February 1974. Grenada has proved a hot spot for those who wish to relax at its opulent resorts and on the many superyachts sailing around its islands. Russians wealthy enough to try to flee conscription into their military and enter the US have various options. Some are long processes; the Grenada strategy is the shortcut. Using Grenadian citizenship as a shortcut Getting an E-2 visa via Grenadian citizenship is cheaper, quicker, and easier than the alternatives many of which require a long-standing tie to the US. The EB-5, an immigrant-investor, or "golden," visa, has been among the most popular pathways to the US. More recently, it's become complicated by the US Embassy in Moscow suspending nondiplomatic visa services. "The challenging part would be to be able to get to the appropriate consulate in order to actually have an actual interview for the visa," Fadi Minawi, the lead immigration attorney and managing director of VisaPlace, told Insider. The US State Department has designated the US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, as the site for Russian visa appointments, but Poland closed its borders to Russians in mid-September. According to the embassy's website, Russian nationals traveling for a visa appointment need a Schengen visa to enter Poland, but the Polish government reserves the right to refuse them entry. Even before the war in Ukraine, the EB-5 route was by no means a quick way to immigrate to the US and usually takes at least two years to process. "It may take years for that application to actually get through the process," Minawi said. According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 20% of cases are still unresolved after 52 months. But the Grenada shortcut can take as little as four months and is about 80% cheaper. 'Work-around' strategy Once a Grenadian passport is obtained, there's technically no minimum investment for an E-2 application. Immigration lawyers told Insider an investment in the US of at least $50,000 would be necessary for an application to be considered seriously. The total cost, therefore, realistically starts at $200,000 for Russians when the $150,000 United Passport fee is factored in. The costly EB-5, however, requires a minimum capital investment of $1.05 million, or a reduced investment of $800,000 in a targeted employment area. The E-2 route, using Grenada as a stepping stone, is a "sort of a work-around" for wealthy Russians seeking to save both money and time in getting to the US to avoid being drafted, Minawi said. Employees of international companies or those with family members in the US can apply for other visas, including the L-1 visa. But these aren't always viable for those without ties to the US and looking for a quick fix. And Minawi said either option was available only to those with significant wealth. 'Skirt the rules' Gary Kalman, the executive director of Transparency International, an organization focused on illicit finance, told Insider that being able to buy your way into the US was an "enormous" problem. The issue isn't that nonsanctioned Russians seeking to escape the draft can get into the US; it's that very rich Russians are playing the immigration system, Kalman said. "We shouldn't be saying, 'Sure, the moral imperative is we want to help these people flee Russia, but we're only going to do it if you can invest,'" he said. "That's not a humanitarian policy. That's a policy that's inviting in some of the wealthiest in Russia, many of whom may have gotten their money through ill-gotten gains." Kalman said that he had concerns about the speed of the E-2 visa process, which seems to give little time to vet an applicant's source of income, and that he worried having an intermediary Grenada in the process could complicate the due diligence necessary to determine whether the money is dirty or clean. He added that Russians with the level of wealth necessary to partake in such a strategy were likely to include oligarchs who had acquired money via "sweetheart deals." It is "highly problematic" to have an immigration system that allows wealthy people to "skirt the rules," he said. It's unclear how many people have applied for E-2 visas since the partial-mobilization announcement because the US State Department has not provided updated numbers since August. But immigration attorneys told Insider that demand was rocketing. "There have been more calls coming in from Russian nationals," Minawi said. Batrakova added: "I would say at least a 30% to 40% increase in inquiries, but I'm just being very conservative here. We have received some phone calls, and everybody's trying to strategize on how to get out." The Government of Grenada did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Soldiers conduct military exercise in Moscow, Russia, on September 1, 2022. Russian Defense Ministry / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted a partial military mobilization in September. The Guardian reported that Russia is undersupplying or insufficiently supplying the new troops. "Soon they'll make us buy our own grenades," a draftee said in a recorded call, per The Guardian. After Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted a partial military mobilization in September, some new conscripts have vocalized their grievances about the army's failure to provide resources. "They gave us absolutely no equipment. The army has nothing, we had to buy all our gear ourselves," complained a 23-year-old draftee named Vladimir, according to The Guardian. The Guardian's report detailed complaints from new conscripts and their families that the army is undersupplying or insufficiently supplying the troops as Russia struggles with dwindling manpower and significant battlefield setbacks. Families have stepped in to buy needs for troops such as thermal underwear and body armor, but prices for supplies and gear are rising as stock runs low, the report says. Vladimir's sister posted a phone call on Russia's social media site VK where he vented about the army's neglect of the newly mobilized soldiers. Insider has not independently verified the call. "I even had to paint my gun to cover the rust. It is a nightmare ... Soon they'll make us buy our own grenades," he said, adding that they had been given Airsoft gun scopes. Anastasia, a teacher and a member of the Help for Soldiers, told The Guardian that "It is bad enough that our men are being taken from us." "We had to spend our monthly salary on my husband's gear so that he at least has a chance to come back. Frankly, it is completely embarrassing. It is a mess," she added. According to the Guardian, citing BBC News Russian, there have been more than 12,000 opened cases involving stolen military gear or equipment within the last eight years. Pavel Luzin, an independent Russian military expert, told The Guardian that "Russia was just not prepared for mobilization of this scale. It was doomed to have logistical issues." Story continues "When mobilization was announced, there was no mechanism in place to actually implement it," Luzin added. Russia has been forced to retreat from certain parts of Ukraine, has threatened nuclear warfare, and declared martial law in four illegally annexed territories. The country's moves have been regarded by world leaders and analysts as desperate and proof that Putin's war efforts are failing. Read the original article on Business Insider A US marshal patrols outside the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in Washington, DC. Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images The US Marshals Service has been responding to a remarkable rise in threats against federal judges. At least three times this year, the federal court in Washington, DC, received suspicious packages. In another incident, police responded to a judge's home after receiving a hoax "swatting" call. On a Monday in late April, dozens of Washington, DC, residents arrived at a federal courthouse for jury selection in the trial of a retired New York City copaccused of assaulting a police officer during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Gathered on an upper floor, many in the randomly-summoned group waited patiently if apprehensively for their turn to field questions from the judge, prosecutors, and defense lawyers. Unbeknownst to them was a dreaded development unfolding floors below. While sorting mail, courthouse staff cut open a package to discover a suspicious powdery substance. Immediately, the mailroom staff alerted security and shut down airflow. A hazmat team soon arrived. It was not the first time such a suspicious package had arrived at the courthouse, and it would not be the last. On August 16, another package with a powdery substance evaded the courthouse screening process and reached the chambers of Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly a rare breach that unnerved several judges and courthouse staff, according to people familiar with the previously unreported incident. A spokesperson for the Washington, DC, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department confirmed an August hazmat response to the federal courthouse and said the substance in the suspicious package turned out to be baby powder. Two previous suspicious packages, sent in February and April, contained substances also deemed to be nonhazardous, according to people familiar with those incidents. The succession of suspicious packages was reminiscent of anthrax-laced letters that sent via US mail targeted government offices and newsrooms shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The biological terrorism led to five deaths. Story continues Arriving just months apart, the packages sent to DC's federal courthouse served as reminders of threats judges are increasingly facing across the country. That growing threat has been particularly pronounced in the nation's capital, where the federal trial court long accustomed to high-profile, politically-charged cases has been handling the wave of criminal prosecutions stemming from the January 6 Capitol attack. On July 21, for instance, police responded shortly after 11:15 p.m. to the home of Judge Emmet Sullivan, who was set to preside the following day over a plea hearing in the prosecution of a far-right video blogger on charges related to the Capitol attack. In a hoax call, known as a "swatting," an unknown person pretended to be Sullivan and claimed someone had come to his home with a weapon, according to people familiar with the incident and a police report. Bloomberg first reported on the "swatting" incident. Officers responded to the scene but found no threat and Sullivan "safe and secure," according to the police report. But the "swatting" could have ended badly even tragically with similar incidents across the country resulting in the injury or death of innocent people. A police department spokesperson said the "swatting" a term that refers to SWAT, or "special weapon and tactics" teams remains under investigation. Kollar-Kotelly, a 25-year veteran of the federal trial court in Washington, DC, declined to comment. Sullivan, a senior judge appointed in 1994, declined to comment on the "swatting." In an interview with Insider, Chief Judge Beryl Howell acknowledged the rise in threats but said she had "confidence" in courthouse security and in the protection of the US Marshals Service. "Our Marshal has been active in informing judges about the steps being taken for security, and the judges have confidence in the systems we have in place," Howell said. Members of ShutdownDC held a demonstration in support of abortion rights and to protest Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Alex Wong/Getty Images A Supreme threat In early June, a month after a leaked draft opinion revealed that the Supreme Court stood ready to overturn Roe v. Wade and roll back the constitutional right to an abortion, police arrested a man a gun, a knife, and zip ties near the Maryland home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Dressed in black, Nicholas John Roske had arrived by taxi just after 1 a.m. outside Kavanaugh's home on June 8, prosecutors said. Roske would tell police that he was upset with the leaked draft opinion and planned to break into Kavanaugh's house and kill him then turn his Glock 17 pistol on himself, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in federal court. He pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate Kavanaugh, a justice appointed by President Donald Trump. Weeks before Roske's arrest, Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered around-the-clock protection at the homes of all Supreme Court justices, among other security measures, in response to the leaked draft opinion. The arrest brought widespread attention to threats facing the federal judiciary. But, for years, federal officials have tracked a steady increase in the number of threats and "inappropriate communications" made against federal judges and others under the protection of the US Marshals Service. During the fiscal year that ended in September 2021, the Marshals Service logged 4,511 threats and inappropriate communications against judges and other protectees nearly double the 2,357 reported in fiscal year 2016, according to government data reviewed by Insider. The total number of threats surged in the early years of the Trump administration, jumping from 2,847 in fiscal year 2017 to 4,542 in fiscal year 2018. The total has remained above 4,000 every year since, according to a Marshals Service report for fiscal year 2021 the latest year for which data are available. https://www.usmarshals.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/PUB-2-2021-Annual-Report.pdf As recently as Wednesday, a grand jury indicted a Pennsylvania man on charges he sent a letter to Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House January 6 committee, containing what appeared to be a white powder. A message in the letter alluded to anthrax and included threats to kill Thompson, his family, President Joe Biden, and Judge Robert D. Mariani, of the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather near his residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on August 9, 2022. Giorgio Viera/Getty Images A Trump connection Just months after the arrest outside Kavanaugh's home, the FBI search of Trump's home and private residence in South Florida prompted numerous threats to judges. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhardt, who approved the warrant authorizing the August 8 search, endured an onslaught of antisemitic attacks and online threats, including some targeting the synagogue where he serves on the board. In September, a Texas woman was arrested on charges she left threatening messages on the voicemail of Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump appointee presiding over the former president's legal challenges to the FBI's seizure of thousands of records from the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida. In those voicemails, the woman threatened to have Cannon assassinated in front of her family for "helping" the former president, according to court filings. For former federal Judge John Jones, the threats against Reinhardt are part of what he described in an op-ed as an "all too familiar" trend. "He and judges like him signed up for a job that entails risk, but they didn't sign up to be killed," Jones, now the president of Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The title of his op-ed: "I'm afraid a judge is going to be killed." An appointee of President George W. Bush, Jones placed the blame, in part, on the "radicalized statements and utterly false narratives promulgated by former President Trump and his followers." On the campaign trail and in office, Trump openly impugned judges and disparaged decisions against his administration. In 2016, for instance, Trump noted the Mexican heritage of San Diego-based District Judge Gonzalo Curiel to question whether he could rule impartially in a fraud case against Trump University. Trump called the Indiana-born Curiel a "hater of Donald Trump," demanded that the judge recuse himself from the case and said that someone "ought to look into" him. In 2019, a federal judge in Washington, DC, blamed Trump for fostering the growing belief that judges reflexively decide cases not based on their reading of the law but rather in line with their personal political beliefs. "We are in uncharted territory," said Senior Judge Paul Friedman, in an annual lecture delivered at the federal trial court in Washington, DC. "We are witnessing a chief executive who criticizes virtually every judicial decision that doesn't go his way and denigrates judges who rule against him, sometimes in very personal terms," Friedman added. "He seems to view the courts and the justice system as obstacles to be attacked and undermined, not as a co-equal branch to be respected even when he disagrees with its decisions." In an interview with Insider, Jones attributed the rising number of threats against judges to a "road-rage society" in which public officials are not confining their criticism to mere points of disagreement but impugning the character of anyone who stands in their way. "It's completely irresponsible. It's like public figure malpractice, because we're dealing with a really volatile public at this point," Jones told Insider. "I'm sickened by the fact that we can't moderate some of this rhetoric. It's literally become so toxic now that I think we're going to get somebody hurt or killed by it." It is a cultural problem, he said, and "there's no legislation that's going to stop that." Legislation, he added, can at least help. Lawmakers have blamed Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, for blocking legislation to help protect federal judges. Greg Nash/AP Images Congressional solutions Congress has approved additional funding for bolstering the security of federal judges. But a bill designed to make finding judges' personal information online more difficult, including their home addresses, has faced obstacles despite bipartisan agreement. Introduced last year, the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act was named after the son of Judge Esther Salas, of the federal trial court in New Jersey. In July 2020, a man who had litigated a case before Salas arrived at her home dressed as a delivery man. He fatally shot Anderl when he opened the door. Salas' husband was wounded in the shooting. The judge was in the basement. In an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes," Salas revealed that the FBI had found evidence that the gunman who committed suicide after killing her son was planning an attack on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. "Who knows what could have happened? But we need to understand that judges are at risk," Salas said "That we put ourselves in great danger every day for doing our jobs." Salas has pushed for the passage of the judicial security bill, which would prevent commercial data brokers from selling, buying, or trading personal information about judges and their immediate family members. The legislation would also bar government agencies from posting such information online and give funding for state and local governments to scrub databases of judges' personal information. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has blocked the bill. In a June floor speech, Paul said he supported the bill but believes its protections should also extend to lawmakers. "I agree that members of the judicial branch need better protection, but if recent years have taught us anything it is that members of the legislative branch need better protection as well," Paul said, pointing to the shootings of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, and Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican. Paul himself suffered serious injuries, including six broken ribs, in late 2017 when a neighbor attacked him. Judge Emmet Sullivan was "safe and secure," police said, when officers responded to his house in response to a hoax emergency call. Dominic Bracco/The Washington Post 'Robes aren't bulletproof' For Sullivan, the July "swatting" was not the first incident involving a threat to his safety. In 2020, a Long Island, New York, man called Sullivan's chambers and left a graphic voicemail saying he would "not be safe." At the time, Sullivan was presiding over the Justice Department's prosecution of retired general and former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn on charges he lied to the FBI about his communications with Russia's ambassador to the United States in the lead-up to Trump's inauguration. (The Justice Department dropped the prosecution, and Flynn later received a pardon from Trump.) Judge Trevor McFadden sentenced the man who called into Sullivan chamber's to 18 months in prison, describing the threat as "heinous." "Judicial robes aren't bulletproof," McFadden said. A day after the "swatting" incident, on July 22, acting US Marshal Lamont Ruffin sent the judges an email with guidance to follow if subjected to a "swatting" akin to what Sullivan experienced. His email instructed judges to allow themselves to be arrested and have their homes searched, to alert police as quickly as possible to their status as Marshals Service protectees, and to avoid "sudden movements" that could be misinterpreted as showing hostility toward first-responders. Ruffin said that his office believed the July 21 hoax call might have been intended to intimidate Sullivan into postponing a plea hearing scheduled for the following day. His email did not specify the case, but Sullivan was set to hear a guilty plea from Anthime Gionet, a far-right video blogger known as "Baked Alaska" who had used his online platform to call attention to his prosecution. The plea hearing went forward as scheduled, according to court records, and Sullivan set Gionet's sentencing for January. The court randomly reassigned the case to McFadden on Wednesday. The Marshals Service declined to make its director, Ronald Davis, or Ruffin available for an interview. Following the publication of this article, the Marshals Service responded to a list of questions Insider sent earlier this month and declined to comment on specific incidents. A spokesperson said the Marshals Service is expanding its efforts to educate judges and their families on how to report threats. Last year, the spokesperson noted, the Marshals Service stood up an open-source intelligence unit to enhance its ability to search for threats and other concerning online posts. "The security of our federal judiciary is the cornerstone of our nation's democracy, and the Marshals take that responsibility very seriously," the spokesperson said. "Federal judges make hard decisions based on the rule of law in large part because the Marshals ensure they can make these decisions without fear, intimidation, or retaliation." After the suspicious package entered Kollar-Kotelly's chambers, the court reviewed and tightened its mail handling procedures. It was just one of the security measures the courthouse has taken in response to rising threats. Howell, the chief federal trial judge in Washington, DC, stressed that the courthouse has a very strong foundation of security." "We're focused," she said, "on our work as judges." This article has been updated to note that Judge Emmet Sullivan declined comment and include comments from the US Marshals Service. Read the original article on Business Insider In this photo taken by a drone, the normally wide Mississippi River has been reduced to a narrow trickle, October 20, 2022, near Portageville, Missouri. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo The Mississippi River is at record low levels, stranding barges and allowing sea water to move in with no end in sight. The US Army Corps of Engineers is emergency dredging to keep the channel open to supply barges. USACE is also building an underwater barrier in Louisiana to keep the sea out of drinking water. The Mississippi River's waters have plunged to new lows, grounding cargo barges on the shallow riverbed and allowing seawater to creep up through Louisiana. That's sent the US Army Corps of Engineers into a frenzy of damage control. At the mouth of the river, the agency is building an underwater levee to stop the creep of seawater from the Gulf of Mexico, which threatens to incapacitate water-treatment plants in southern Louisiana. Randy Statler sits on a rock to watch people walk to Tower Rock, an attraction normally surrounded by the Mississippi River and only accessible by boat, October 19, 2022, in Perry County, Missouri. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo Meanwhile, further north, USACE is racing to dig emergency dredges in order to maintain a channel of nine-foot-deep water for barges carrying agricultural goods and fuel up and down the Mississippi. Those goods like soybeans and oil partially fuel the economy of the central US. The price of shipping them has skyrocketed in the last month, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. AccuWeather estimates the total economic losses at $20 billion. "Is there an end in sight? No ma'am," Lisa Parker, a USACE public affairs officer, told Insider. "We're at the mercy of Mother Nature right now." Barges, stranded by low water, sit at the Port of Rosedale along the Mississippi River on October 20, 2022 in Rosedale, Mississippi. Scott Olson/Getty Images The waters are receding due to drought in the upper river valleys of Ohio and Missouri, which feed into the Mississippi. In early October peak harvest season, when barge traffic is high, according to Parker at least eight barges ran aground in the shallow waters. The Coast Guard imposed new restrictions on how low ships and barges can sit in the water. The river has only lost more volume since then. In Memphis, Tennessee, water levels have dropped past the record low set in 1988. Video: Mississippi startup is turning algae into plastic shoe parts Forecasts from the National Weather Service promise no relief over the next 28 days, predicting that river levels will remain low. Story continues Scientists must conduct rigorous analysis to attribute any single event to the climate crisis. However, decades of research show that rising global temperatures are affecting droughts overall, making them more severe and long-lasting. 'As soon as we're done working, we're moving on to the next hotspot,' Parker said A US Army Corps of Engineers dredging vessel powers south down the Mississippi River on October 19, 2022, past Commerce, Missouri. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo USACE has seven dredging vessels actively sucking up riverbed material at hotspots where the waters are too shallow, from St. Louis to New Orleans, according to Parker. She said they've been deployed 24/7 and have been in such high demand that she doesn't have an estimate for how many sites they've dredged. "As soon as we're done working, we're moving on to the next hotspot," she said. On the Louisiana coast, the river is so low that ocean water from the Gulf of Mexico began pushing upstream. USACE is racing to build a 1,500-foot-wide, 35-foot-tall underwater levee to prevent saltwater from creeping further up the river, where it could contaminate drinking water. Already, there's a drinking water advisory in effect for the coastal region of Plaquemines Parish. An underwater sill is constructed near the mouth of the Mississippi River to block seawater pushing up river, on October 18, 2022. USACE Contractors were finishing up the levee on Friday, according to Matt Roe, a public affairs officer for the USACE's New Orleans district. The work won't be done once the levee is completed, though. Engineers will continue to monitor salinity levels in the river. If seawater begins to override the barrier, they plan to build the levee up taller. As for the dredging team, the 24/7 work may not end for at least another month. Parker said they expect to be dredging "potentially every day." "We're confident that we'll be able to maintain that nine-foot channel and keep the Mississippi open," she said. Read the original article on Business Insider KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO SATURDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2022, 20:53 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine can open negotiations with Russia after the return of all its territories within the borders of 1991, but there will be no return to the relations with Russia that existed before the war. Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the Canadian channels CTV and CBC Quote from Zelenskyy: "They (the Russians ed.) can return our territory to us if they want to negotiate. They must withdraw from our land, the territory of our state; they must leave us our land within the internationally recognised borders of 1991. And then we will say, in what format and with whom we are ready to talk. That is fair. In order to speak, you need to rewind to the moment when our states were speaking. And that was before the war, before 2014. And from that point, you can try to solve the issue diplomatically." Details: Zelenskyy announced that the fake referendums and the so-called "accession" of the occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia put an end to the possibility of negotiations. Nevertheless, the President expressed the opinion that in Russia "there will definitely be a leadership, in one way or another, that Ukraine will talk to". "But on condition that there is no war. On condition that there is no language of ultimatums, but a dialogue; on condition of respect for our sovereignty, our nation, our state, our people, our laws. If these conditions are met, of course, there will be communication", he said. At the same time, Zelenskyy has noted that the level of future relationship with Russia will also depend on whether Ukrainian lands will be returned by Russia, or whether Ukraine will retake its lands by itself and at what price. "Will there be a return to the relationship that existed before this war? I am sure there will not. They took too many people, too many lives. Society will not forgive them for that... You should not dictate to one society how to treat another society of a state that yesterday wanted to wipe you off the face of the Earth. It will be the choice of our society whether to talk to them or not to talk at all. And how many dozens of years, maybe more, it will take after this war, before the two societies start to communicating again, no one knows", said the President. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO SATURDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2022, 19:40 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Iran is lying when it says that it does not supply drones to Russia. Source: Zelenskyy in an interview for Canadian TV channels CTV and CBC Quote: "Iran supplies them (the Russians ed.) with drones, supplies them with the murder of Ukrainians; this is their agreement for money. This is blood money that Iran is earning. They can say: We did not take anything, show financial calculations Were speaking precisely - Iran is supplying drones that have killed Ukrainians and keep killing. Not one, not two, not five, but hundreds. We know that agreements about thousands (of drones -ed.) exist. We know it for sure. But hundreds are already here. We cannot trust them. They may tell their society that they didn't sell anything, but that's a lie, a pure lie. They are killing our people." Details: Zelenskyy stressed that he does not trust the leadership of Iran. He recalled when a Ukrainian UIA aircraft was downed by a missile in Iran in January 2020, resulting in the death of 176 people. The President noted that at first Iran denied any involvement in the disaster, but later was forced to admit it, however claiming that it was an accident. "But apart from an apology, they didn't do anything. They said that there will be compensation for families, support for families who have lost their loved ones. They said it at the leadership level... and what did they do? They did nothing, zero, they did nothing to help," Zelenskyy said. According to him, Ukraine had information from its intelligence, as well as partner intelligence sources, that "Iran trades Shahed drones and missiles with Russia, etc.", but Iran had denied everything. "And here we see hundreds of strikes in Ukraine, at the Capitol, civil infrastructure, at schools, at the university, and the shutting down of our energy system so our people can't get through the winter," Zelensky stated. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Clive Mason - Getty Images The FIA has confirmed that the Red Bull Formula 1 team eclipsed the sport's $145 million cost cap in 2021. The Formula 1 paddock is patiently waiting on a penalty verdict that if too light could literally render a cost cap useless. Horner said that the penalty phase of the breach is ongoing, though the team principal declined to say if a possible resolution has been offered by the FIA. Ahead of this weekend's F1 United States Grand Prix, the FIA has confirmed that the Red Bull Formula 1 team eclipsed the sport's $145 million cost cap in 2021. The FIA calls it a 'breach of financial regulations.' The Formula 1 paddock is patiently waiting on a penalty verdict that if too light could literally render a cost cap useless. After all, if the penalty is merely a fine or a slap on the wrist, the cap will be toothless and will not keep the big teams from overspending. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown was a little more blunt, calling any breach "cheating" in a letter he admits he sent to the FIA. Brown said on Saturday at Circuit of the Americas that the letter was not directed at any one team in particular. That's not the way Red Bull team principal Christian Horner took Brown's pointed comments. "We've had sight of that letter, and it's tremendously disappointing," Horner said on Saturday at COTA. "For a fellow competitor to be accusing you of cheating, to accuse you of fraudulent activity, is shocking. Its absolutely shocking that another competitor, without the facts, without any knowledge of the details, can be making that kind of accusation." Horner went on say that media reports accusing Red Bull of benefiting from the overspend are also way out of line. Getty Images - Getty Images "We've been on trial because of public accusations since Singapore," Horner said. "And the rhetoric of cheats, the rhetoric of that we've had this enormous benefit, that the numbers have been put out in the media that are miles out of reality, and the damage that does to the brand, to our partners, to our drivers, to our workforce, in an age where mental health is prevalent, we're seeing significant issues now, within our workforce. Story continues "Were getting kids that are being bullied in playgrounds that are employees' children. That is not right, through fictitious allegations from other teams. And you cannot go around just making that kind of allegation without any fact, or substance. So, we absolutely are appalled at the behavior of some of our competitors." Horner said that the penalty phase of the breach is ongoing, though the team principal declined to say if a possible resolution has been offered by the FIA to the Red Bull team. Horner expects the final report and penalty to come with full transparency. "I can't tell you that obviously," Horner said. "It's a confidential discussion between ourselves and the FIA. What I will say is that once, hopefully, this situation is concluded there will be complete transparency and I will talk you through the reasoning behind our submission and the position that we had, as to why we felt that each of the line items that have been challenged we believe there's a contrary position. "So yes, and it should be transparent. The whole thing should be transparent. There's going to be no private, you know, secret deal. I think it would all be absolutely above board. This is very different to a previous situation." As for Brown, he said on Saturday that he's trusting the process. "I think we have a lot of trust in the FIA," Brown said. "All we were doing was volunteering our opinion for them to take into consideration. I think it has been a transparent process so far, in that, you know, certificates were going to be issued, then it was delayed, but they communicated it was going to be delayed, they've communicated who's received, who hasn't, who had procedural. "It shouldn't be a public hearing. And I've got a lot of confidence that it will be transparent at the end. So I think we need to let the process play out. And only then can you really take a view on what you think of the process. But I think so far it's gone according to how they laid out what the process would be." Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC), a Mubadala Health partner, will be hosting the fourth edition of its Thyroid Masterclass event on October 30 in Abu Dhabi. The CME accredited event forms part of the ICLDC Education Series and will bring together physicians from the UK, the UAE, and the Netherlands to discuss the latest trends, developments and treatments of thyroid disorders. The event will feature physicians and researchers from University Hospitals Birmingham, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Imperial College London Diabetes Centre. Attending physicians will be eligible to receive two CME hours accredited by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH). -- TradeArabia News Service Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held phone calls Sunday with his French and Turkish counterparts, during which they discussed Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said. "The situation in Ukraine, which has a steady tendency towards further, uncontrolled escalation, was discussed," by Shoigu and France's Sebastien Lecornu, the ministry said. Later on Sunday, the ministry said Shoigu held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar. In both calls, Shoigu conveyed "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'". The statements did not provide further details. On Friday, Shoigu held a rare phone call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Both sides confirmed they discussed Ukraine. It was only the second call between the ministers since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine on February 24. Back in May, Austin had urged Moscow to implement an "immediate ceasefire". Search Keywords: Short link: Voters in Amarillo and across the state of Texas can start casting ballots for this years elections beginning Monday as early voting begins and continues through Nov. 4. Statewide races dominate the ballot this year, with the race for Texas Governor between Beto ORourke, the Democratic candidate and incumbent Republican Greg Abbott, being front and center as one of the most expensive races in the nation, with more than $100 million raised from both parties combined. Early voting starts Monday at locations around Amarillo, including the Santa Fe Building downtown. Ronny Jackson, the incumbent 13th Congressional District U.S. Representative, is on the ballot for re-election against Wichita Falls Attorney and Democratic nominee Kathleen Brown. State Representative for District 87 Four Price seeks re-election from a challenge by Libertarian candidate Nick Hearn, who hails from Dumas. Potter County has two contested races named on the ballot. Robert Ruiz, the Democratic interim Potter County Precinct Two Commissioner, has served since November 2021 after Mercy Murguia stepped down from her position. Ruiz is being challenged by Republican nominee Blair Schaeffer. With Richard Herman retiring as Potter County Justice of the Peace in Precinct Two, Republican nominee Robert Taylor vies off against Democratic nominee Claudia Griego for his position. While Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner has no named candidate opponent on the ballot, Tanner is not listed as unopposed and has a write-in opposition that is not named on the ballot. Other notable statewide elections on the ballot involving the two major parties include: Lieutenant Governor: Dan Patrick (R) vs. Mike Collier (D) Attorney General: Ken Paxton (R) vs. Rochelle Garcia (D) Comptroller of Public Accounts: Glenn Hegar (R) vs. Janet Dudding (D) Commissioner of General Land Office: Dawn Buckingham (R) vs. Jay Kleberg (D) Commissioner of Agriculture: Sid Miller (R) vs. Susan Hays (D) Railroad Commissioner: Wayne Christian (R) vs. Luke Warford (D) There are also three Texas Supreme Court justices on the ballot and two Court of Criminal Appeals judgeships. Story continues This Sunday's print edition also includes this year's Voter's Guide from the League of Women Voters of Amarillo. It gives a breakdown of all races on the ballot. Anyone eligible to vote on Election Day can also vote early, meaning residents must have registered to vote on or before Oct. 11. Voting requirements Voters who choose to vote early still need to bring their photo ID, which can include: Texas Driver's License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS Texas Handgun License issued by DPS United States Military Identification Card containing the persons photograph United States Citizenship Certificate containing the persons photograph United States Passport (book or card) Form of identification cannot be expired for more than four years unless the voter is 70 years old or older, in which case a valid identification can be expired for any length of time. If you don't have ID and cannot obtain one due to a reasonable impediment, you'll need to sign a sworn statement that there is a reason why you don't have any of the accepted IDs and present one of the following: Certified birth certificate Valid voter registration certificate Or a current utility bill, government check, bank statement or paycheck, or government document with your name and an address. If you meet these requirements and are eligible to vote, you may vote in the election. If you don't have an ID and do not have a reasonable impediment to obtaining one, or did not bring ID to the polling place, you may cast a provisional ballot. In order to have the provisional ballot counted, you will be required to visit the voter registrar's office within six calendar days of the date of the election to either present one of the forms of photo ID or submit a temporary affidavit, or, if applicable, qualify for the disability exemption, in the presence of the county voter registrar while attesting to the fact that you do not have any of the required photo IDs, as stated by Texas law. Where and when to vote The following polling locations will be available for early voting in Potter County from Oct. 24 to Nov.4: Santa Fe Building (Main) Casey Carpet One Tri-State Fairgrounds Commercial Exhibit Hall Cornerstone Outreach Northwest Branch Amarillo Public Library Voting hours for all locations will be as follows: Oct. 24-28: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 29: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 30: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From Oct. 31 through Nov. 4, all locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of the Santa Fe Building, which will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The following polling locations will be available for early voting in Randall County from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4: Randall County Election Administration Office (Canyon) Randall County Annex, Amarillo Voting for these two locations will be: Oct. 24-28: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 29: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 30: noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 31-Nov.4: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Other locations include: Randall County Justice Center (Canyon) Region 16 Education Service Center Comanche Trail Church of Christ Voting hours for these locations will be as follows: Oct. 24-28: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 29: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 30: noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 31- Nov. 3: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 4: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mail-in ballots Those wishing to vote by mail must have turned in their applications no later than close of business Oct. 28 to an election office or have it received not postmarked by that same date and must be 65 years of age or older; be disabled; be expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; or be out of the country on Election Day and during the period of early voting in person; or be confined in jail but otherwise eligible. For more information, go to pottercountyvotes.com or https://www.randallcounty.gov/166/Election-Administration. This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Early voting starts Monday in Texas As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issues new guidance on the revised Safeguards Rule, 2Secure Corp launches a new compliance service for car dealerships. Ocean Township, New Jersey--(Newsfile Corp. - October 22, 2022) - With the December 9th, 2022, deadline to implement the Safeguards Rule fast approaching, 2Secure Corp has announced a new service to help Connecticut car dealerships comply with the latest amendments. More details can be found at https://www.2secure.biz FTC Safeguards Rule Compliance For CT Car Dealerships Launched By 2Secure Corp To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/141509_e3e9ee2674785bd3_001full.jpg Designed in response to the latest revisions to the Rule, 2Secure's new service helps auto dealers address the technical and procedural cybersecurity issues and avoid the high costs of non-compliance - on average estimated at $14.8 million for business disruption, loss of productivity, and revenue, and fines and penalties. Additionally, the service protects car dealerships from security breaches, criminal acts against customers, reputation damage, and other risks. "By now, everyone should be aware of the fact that the Federal Trade Commission has issued some fairly complicated amendments to its Safeguards Rule," explained Yigal Behar, 2Secure Corp CEO. "All these steps must be in place by December 9th, 2022, and that leaves very little time for affected individuals to get the work done," he added. As part of the new service, 2Secure helps auto dealers comply with all requirements, which include, in the first instance, the appointment of a Qualified Individual - a cybersecurity expert who will carry out and supervise the business' information security program. Along with providing a dedicated cybersecurity expert, 2Secure will implement safeguards designed to manage risks, as required under the revised Rule. This includes reviewing and managing access control, encrypting data where it resides and during transit, and assessing in-house and third-party apps. Story continues Further, 2Secure's new FTC compliance service includes developing incident response plans and reporting to the board of directors - both mandatory to stay in compliance with the Rule. "Each dealer must have a formal written incident response plan which identifies the personnel on the response team, as well as what their approach will be to resolving incidents," says Yigal Behar. As the appointed Qualified Individual, the firm will deliver annual reports to the auto dealership's board of directors or senior management, covering the status of the company's information security protocols. With the latest announcement, 2Secure is helping Connecticut auto dealers develop security procedures that will provide adequate protection of personal and consumer data and ensure FTC compliance. Led by cybersecurity expert Yigal Behar, 2Secure Corp was founded with the mission to provide a full suite of cybersecurity solutions to small businesses. Interested parties can find out more at https://www.2secure.biz/ftc-safeguards-financial-institutions-rule Contact Info: Name: Yigal Behar Email: yigal@2secure.biz Organization: 2Secure Corp Address: 1309 Allaire Ave, Ocean Township, NJ 07712, United States Phone: +1-646-560-5083 Website: https://www.2secure.biz To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141509 These letters published in the Oct. 23, 2022 print edition of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Advocate for long-term care residents October is Long-Term Care Residents Rights Month, a time to call attention to the rights of residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and acknowledge their contributions to our communities. This year's theme is Inspiring Unity Within Our Community. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of resident rights, emphasize the importance of fostering meaningful community within the facility and encourage residents connection to their local community. Being a part of a community is essential to our well-being. Unfortunately, as many as 50 percent of residents do not receive regular visitors. Pandemic precautions limited activities and group dining. People were physically disconnected from other residents and staff and from the broader local community when visitation was restricted. As we emerge from the height of the pandemic, people are looking to reengage in their community. There may be no more rewarding opportunity than through volunteering with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP). Ombudsmen work daily to promote residents rights, assist residents with complaints and provide education about LTC to residents, friends, family and staff. The more ombudsmen we have, the further resident-directed advocacy can reach. If this work speaks to people we want them to know they would make a great ombudsman. Call LTCOP at 866-451-2901 to stand up and be the voice for residents. Everyone can inspire unity within our community by celebrating, reconnecting with residents they know, and visiting a facility in their community. While visiting, look for the Resident Rights poster in every facility and call LTCOP with any concerns: 866-451-2901. Carmen Bliss, Santa Fe Affordable housing should be priority Housing is on the election ballot this year. If a majority of voters vote yes, the city will issue $6 million in general obligation bonds to match private, federal and state funds to build more housing in the city at affordable prices. Story continues We need more housing at affordable prices. Home prices increased about 22% this year. Coupled with rising mortgage rates, and the high cost of food and goods, fewer local Las Crucens can afford to buy a home. Even a family of four earning 120% of the area median income, with good credit, eligible for a conventional loan and down payment, cannot afford todays median home sale price of $285,000. Like the cost of buying a home, rents have gone up too and are taking a bigger share of monthly income than acceptable. Some families have to choose between buying food, medicine, and gas or paying rent. Housing is the first rung on the ladder to economic opportunity. Families thrive better in safe, secure, stable and affordable housing. Children have better health and educational outcomes. Please join me in voting yes to dedicate general obligation bond funds for the Citys Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Land Bank. Melissa Toledo-Ontiveros, Las Cruces To readers The last day to submit a letter to the editor about the Nov. 8 election will be Wednesday, Oct. 26. The last day letters to the editor about the Nov. 8 election will publish will be Sunday, Oct. 30. To inquire about submitting a letter to the editor, email Lucas Peerman at lpeerman@lcsun-news.com or go to lcsun-news.com/opinion. More letters to the editor: This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Letters to the editor: On long-term care in New Mexico With the Ukraine-Russia conflict still raging halfway across the world, Akron-area Ohioans are doing their part to help displaced Ukrainian citizens as they escape the bloodshed. As Ukrainians flee into nearby Poland, refugee centers have become commonplace, with missionaries from around the world lending their time and talents refurbishing and repurposing old buildings to house them. Led by Dale Benyi, associate pastor at Akron First Assembly of God, a group of six members from churches in Akron, Kent and Wadsworth recently completed a week-and-a-half-long mission trip to assist in the construction of one of those centers. "We worked with Builders International, which is a construction-missions-focused organization that is part of our Assemblies of God community, and as soon as this opportunity popped up, I called up and said, 'Listen, I want to take a team (to Poland)' and 'What do I have to do to work on this project?' " Benyi said. Benyi was joined by two other members from the Akron First Assembly of God; as well as Tom Poulin, pastor of Christian Life Center from Kent; two members of Radiant Life Church in Wadsworth; and two other members from the U.S. Assembly of God network, one from Florida and the other from Montana. Kirsten Edinger, an Assembly of God missionary who is based out of Estonia, served as the host missionary for the trip. A group of six Polish nationals also helped Benyi's team renovate the center; Benyi's team was one of nine missionary groups who have worked on the project so far. "Teams before us that were not Assembly of God-based missionary groups had already done an outstanding job just painting the walls and installing electricity, and we already had a good foundation for our construction work when we first arrived in Poland and started work on the project," Benyi said. The Katowice Refugee Center, located in Myslowice, Poland, is an approximately three-hour drive from the Ukrainian border. Story continues The center, a former electrical company office building with two stories with a basement, currently has 45 refugees settled on the first floor. The remodeling is organized into three phases, with each phase focusing on one floor, according to officials. Once work is completed on one floor, refugees will live in that space while work is done on other floors. Benyi's Akron team primarily worked in the basement and on the second floor of the defunct office building. Project tasks Benyi's team accomplished included laying down linoleum flooring in the basement, furnishing the basement, patching, sanding and painting walls on the second floor, installing kitchen cabinets, laying tile in a second-floor room, and running electricity through one of the refugee rooms on the first floor. "We were supervised by a local Ukrainian construction worker who essentially served as the foreman for our project; he was great to work with along with the rest of the locals that we had the pleasure of collaborating with," said Benyi. Once renovations are complete, the second floor will be able to host 50 refugees, and the basement level will host 40. The completed center will include 12 small kitchens, 21 showers and 33 toilets, with Builders International and the missionaries providing basic furnishings. While Benyi has been a part of numerous mission trips over the years, including trips to Slovakia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Liberia and Bolivia, this trip is one he will never forget, because of his proximity to the historic Russia-Ukraine war just hours away from the refugee center. "There was a mother and a young child who had escaped from Ukraine who had just come to the center prior to us working there, and it was heartbreaking speaking with this broken family and them not knowing whether the father was alive or not, and situations like this is unfortunately nothing new," said Benyi. "The mother of the child said that her child was happy that we were there and that there was someone who cares about him and his mother and we just wanted them to know that we care about them because God does as well," Benyi said. Benyi and his team, who left for Poland on Oct. 3 and returned to America on Oct. 11, also took a brief trip to the former Auschwitz concentration camp, where hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were killed. During the visit to Auschwitz, only an hour east of Myslowice, Benyi said he couldn't help but notice similarities between the Russia-Ukraine war and Hitler's Nazi reign of the mid-20th century. "The mindless and senseless killings that were a staple at the Auschwitz concentration camp have just repeated themselves in Ukraine and the Russian occupation of Ukraine; similar to Auschwitz, Ukrainian families have been ripped apart and women and children are just mercilessly killed, and it's horrific to think that this tragedy today is reminiscent of what happened in Nazi-occupied Poland in the late 1930s, early 1940s," Benyi said. Mission trips The Akron First Assembly of God is planning mission trips for Peru and Nicaragua for next spring and fall. To learn more, visit buildersintl.org. Anthony Thompson can be reached atajthompson@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Local religious community members return from mission trip to Poland Michigan police announced they found the family of four who had been missing since Oct. 16 after the father exhibited "paranoid behaviors" last weekend, authorities said. "The Fremont Police Department would like to thank you for all the helping locating the Cirigliano Family," the department said in a statement on Sunday. "They family was successfully located in Wisconsin." Sunday's news follows a confirmed sighting that last placed them in Michigan's Upper Peninsula earlier this week, though police said they have no indication of where they might be traveling. The family Anthony "Tony" John Cirigliano, 51, his wife Suzette Lee Cirigliano, 51, as well as their two sons, Brandon Michael Cirigliano, 19, and Noah Alexander Cirigliano, 15 "unexpectedly" left their house in Fremont, about 45 miles north of Grand Rapids, on Oct. 16, police said. The sons both have autism, authorities said. MORE: Family seeks answers in 7-month search for woman who went missing in Wyoming The family's cellphones have all been turned off and they left behind their pets as well as Suzette's elderly mother, who has dementia and requires full-time care, police said. The grandmother, who lives with them, was found disoriented in the neighborhood on Oct. 17 and police were unable to reunite her with the family. She is now being cared for by other relatives, according to Fremont Police Chief Tim Rodwell. "They're all very concerned that Tony and Suzette and the boys have not been in contact with anyone," Rodwell told Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM. Since announcing their search for the missing family, police have received over a dozen tips, Rodwell told reporters Friday. That includes a confirmed sighting at a gas station in Gulliver on Oct. 17, he said. The gas station manager contacted police saying she believed she had seen the family, which was corroborated by surveillance footage, Rodwell said. The footage captured the four family members in the station buying food and fuel for the minivan shortly before 11 a.m. local time, police said. There was no indication where they might have been traveling, Rodwell said. Story continues PHOTO: Suzette Lee Cirigliano and her husband Anthony 'Tony' John Cirigliano are pictured in this undated photo released by the Fremont Police Department. (Fremont Police Dept.) The search comes after police responded to the Ciriglianos' home shortly after midnight on Oct. 16 after Tony called 911 expressing concern about information he said he had about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, according to Rodwell. "My officers talked with him at length and just were concerned about his mental well-being," he said. "They made contact with Suzette and looked at the two boys to make sure they were OK." Tony, who is self-employed, has no known mental health issues and police didn't find any signs of foul play, struggle or violence inside the home to indicate a suspicious disappearance, according to Rodwell, who told WZZM that he is worried about the family. "Everyone describes [Tony] as an extremely loving father, dedicated to his family," the police chief added. "It's really been an all-hands-on-deck for the officers in Fremont." MORE: Missing Princeton student Misrach Ewunetie found dead, death doesn't appear suspicious Rodwell said the Ciriglianos do not have a history of run-ins with police, apart from an issue involving Brandon that occurred last summer in downtown Fremont. But Rodwell said the family was "very cooperative" and the matter was settled "amicably." "My officers found Tony to be, again, very loving and caring and worried about his kid," he noted. PHOTO: Noah Alexander Cirigliano and Brandon Michael Cirigliano are pictured in this undated photo released by the Fremont Police Department. (Fremont Police Dept.) Both police and neighbors described the Ciriglianos' disappearance as "uncharacteristic" because the family is known to spend a lot of time at home and typically don't travel far when they do leave. One neighbor, Sue Schondelmeyer, told WZZM that the Ciriglianos moved to the neighborhood about five years ago. Previously, the family lived in North Carolina, according to Rodwell. "They were always friendly," Schondelmeyer said. "When I moved in, they brought me cookies." "When my power was out, [Tony] helped with the generator to boost my power, my refrigeration and wouldn't even take money for the gas," she added. MORE: Missing Georgia toddler allegedly left in dumpster; police searching landfill for his body Schondelmeyer told WZZM that she would always see the Ciriglianos out walking. Her grandchildren would often hang out with Brandon and Noah whenever they were visiting, she said. "I realized I hadn't seen them this week," she added. "It is kind of scary to think that a whole family can just disappear with nothing." PHOTO: A silver 2005 Toyota Sienna LE minivan is pictured in this undated file photo released by the Fremont Police Department. (Fremont Police Dept.) As for the minivan the Ciriglianos are believed to be traveling in, Schondelmeyer said she only saw the vehicle for the first time a couple weeks ago. She recalled Tony had driven it home and Brandon and Noah were checking it out. "That was the first and only time I've ever seen it," she told WZZM. "They usually had just plain cars, not a van." Another neighbor, Josh Brinkman, told WZZM his family is friends with the Ciriglianos and that he goes to school with the two boys, whom he described as having "high-functioning autism." Brinkman said he hasn't hung out with Brandon or Noah in a while and that the last time he did, about two months ago, everything seemed "normal." As for the boys' father, Brinkman said Tony is a "good guy" and has never shown any strange behavior, despite losing his job a few years ago. When asked if he has a message for the Ciriglianos, he urged them to "stay safe" and let their family and friends know if they're OK. "We care about you," he added. Missing Michigan family of 4 found safe in Wisconsin: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Hospitals hold Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences to discuss patients deaths or complications. As a surgery chief resident, I presented problems or complications from our surgery service to the senior surgical and medical staff at a monthly conference. The idea wasnt to point fingers but to honestly find out what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. These sessions could be painful, total honesty was expected, and excuses were not allowed. As COVID-19 passes from a pandemic stage to an influenza-like endemic, let's examine our nations responses to the epidemic, look at what went right, what went wrong, and find ways to do better. The winter approaches and, as Dr. Anthony Fauci warns, we should not be surprised if a new COVID-19 variant arises. At the beginning of COVID-19, as a former member of the congressional committee with oversight over the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I sent an email to Fauci. I cautioned him to be aware that a president has to consider many ramifications of public policy concerning the effects of policy on the economy, education, broad aspects of health in other areas and that this involves cost-benefit estimates. In a previous essay in the Register, I cautioned that mistakes would be made in dealing with this new disease and that the public should treat those making decisions with some grace because mistakes would be made. People were trying to do their best in a scary scenario. (I never received a reply from Fauci, nor did I expect one.) And mistakes were made. Lacking information, many imposed damaging lockdowns Chinas lack of transparency was at the root of our failures. We were never able to get verifiable data from the source of this pandemic as it relates to the risk of mortality and the ultimate effect of Chinas extreme measures to contain the virus. Chinas lack of transparency about this illness, its source, and how it was acting really slowed down our understanding of the disease. Story continues China locked down entire cities, and even held people prisoners in their apartments, boarding up their doors. The World Health Organization paid a superficial visit and said China locked down and got rid of the disease. Then Italy, because of its demographics and the inadequate state of its health system, nearly had a health care breakdown. Were we dealing with something like an aerosolized Ebola? There were early estimates of mortality in the 3% to 4% range. Public health officials were scared, maybe even panicked. Not unsurprisingly, as we have learned more, we can see that the public health response in most countries around the world was flawed. First of all, the current mortality rate is more like 0.1%, which is still higher than the flu but nowhere near early catastrophic predictions. We learned that the main risk factor is age. According to the New York Times, the risk of dying for a vaccinated 55-year-old is 0.03% but is more than 10 times that for a 75-year-old, while the risk for a 25-year-old man is close to 0.00%. COVID-19 is roughly five to 10 times more deadly than influenza but a long way from Ebola or smallpox. US leaders worked to suppress dissenting views, and evidence The public health overreaction precipitated national, state, and local governments to impose lockdowns and other restrictions, which caused huge effects on the economy and catastrophic effects on children's education. Test scores have plummeted, and isolation fueled mental illness. Restrictions caused serious delays in doctor and hospital visits and delayed diagnoses and treatments that might have prevented serious morbidity and mortality from other diseases. Maybe this was justified early in the course of the epidemic to lower the curve in order to prevent overwhelming the health care system, but then the goal morphed into eliminating the disease. Swedens approach and the Great Barrington Declaration explored alternatives to the science" preached by the government public health authorities. Thousands of doctors and scientists who thought that we should protect those most at risk but not lock down the rest of the economy were demonized. They were falsely accused of promoting just letting the virus run rampant. Instead they proposed that those most at risk be protected until we had a vaccine and achieved herd immunity. To combat this heresy, Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the CDC corralled a group of virologists virologists dependent on the NIAID and the CDC for funding their research grants to issue a statement condemning this approach. Harms from prolonged restrictions grow even as benefits shrink What is the track record of lockdowns? For those who could sequester and work at home, it probably delayed their own illness. However, in comparing countries that rigorously locked down to those that didnt, it is hard to find evidence that it saved lives. Sweden took the targeted approach in line with the Great Barrington Declaration. The Swedes gave resources to older people to protect themselves, groceries were delivered to the elderly, they protected nursing homes, and they advised against mass gatherings. They made recommendations to the public instead of issuing top-down lockdowns. The virus took its course in the general population, and immunity built up in people who were less at risk. The result? Sweden had fewer excess deaths throughout the entire pandemic compared with many countries that locked down harder. It had fewer deaths than expected given its population age and structure than it had from 2015 to 2019. Sweden imposed no mandatory closures and kept its schools open. This is despite the fact that Sweden made mistakes early on in not protecting nursing homes as stringently as it later did. Florida, too, closed some schools early in the pandemic but mostly followed a more focused protection, kept schools open, and has avoided some of the effects of harder lockdowns. Compare this with Australia and New Zealand or New York, which locked down and then perversely sent nursing home residents with COVID-19 back to their nursing homes to infect the other elderly residents. Australia and New Zealand literally locked down for 2 years. Once these countries reopened, however, the number of cases exploded. Now New Zealand has more cases per capita than the United States. Interventions are highly effective in specific circumstances Underlying these lockdowns was the implicit promise was that we could get rid of the disease. This was false; Fauci acknowledged from early 2020 on that "the cat was out of the bag" and that lockdowns were never going to eradicate the disease. We've found out that vaccines are effective in protecting people from getting really sick and dying. However, we now know that vaccines have not been able to prevent the spread of the disease and were oversold. Pfizer's CEO noted that the trials did not show the vaccines prevented transmission, only that they decreased symptomatic disease. Also, we have learned that the vaccines' efficacy wears off after a few months. That is why people who are elderly or have underlying conditions should strongly consider getting boosters again for this winter. Children and younger people, however, are not going to benefit much from boosters, Many countries have chosen other policies. John Tierney wrote in Healthcare, Politics and Law for October 2022 that "The European Union has not yet approved COVI vaccines for children under 5. Except for Austria, European countries have not followed the U.S. in recommending a booster shot for healthy children under 12, and most dont recommend it for healthy adolescents, either. Some countries have decided to stop even offering vaccines or boosters to young people outside the high-risk groups." We have learned that if you want real protection you have to wear tightly fitting N95 masks like those worn by hospital personnel. But people who are not trained to wear them properly, those who use inadequate masks like cloth ones, or surgical masks with gaps, dirty reused masks, or even N95 masks with gaps are not going to be protected. For whatever reason, Fauci initially said that masks werent necessary for the general population. He was right. A dozen studies before COVID showed face masks did not protect from past flu virus epidemics in general populations.This doesnt mean that N95 masks properly worn and so tightly fitting that they dont let air in around the edges arent effective for health personnel trained in their use. It does mean that the general population wont tolerate those types of masks. They are hot and restrict airflow. In fact, the use of ineffective masks may have given those with risk factors a false sense of security. Lost trust in public health requires intense reflection The biggest mistake our health authorities made was to politicize science. This has harmed trust in public health leaders. Science works best when there is an open discussion of ideas. Our leaders actively worked to suppress scientific dissent, which silences scientists who are afraid to risk their careers. We had a public health bureaucracy that told social media what was allowed to be discussed and what wasnt. Public health officials have a narrow range of expertise, but they are not good at thinking about social trade-offs. Our political leaders are supposed to consider broadly what a policy will do, which is why I sent Fauci my email. A little humility from our public health officials would have been helpful. When public health officials were asked what they knew and they didnt really have good evidence, they should have just admitted that the data wasnt in. The unintended costs of lockdown policies are only now becoming more obvious. We will learn of broader health harms they caused, such as the United Nations estimate in March 2021 that nearly 230,000 Asian children died of starvation as a consequence of the economic dislocation caused by lockdowns. It is time for a national M&M conference on the successes and failures made in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis where voices of dissent arent intimidated or shut down and people arent afraid to suggest alternatives based on better information. Dr. Greg Ganske is a retired surgeon and was a member of Congress from Iowa from 1995 to 2002. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: Hold a morbidity and mortality conference on COVID response (Getty Images) England head coach Simon Middleton hit back at critics of his team after the Red Roses crushed South Africa 75-0 to set up a World Cup quarter-final against Australia. Forwards Rosie Galligan and Connie Powell scored hat-tricks in a 13-try demolition that means the tournament favourites finish emphatic winners of Pool C. Middleton admits England had been stung by the negative fallout to their hard-fought 13-7 victory over France in their pivotal group match last weekend. I thought the reaction after the France game was hilarious. It blew my mind to be honest, Middleton told ITV. It was pretty disrespectful to France because they are the best defensive side in the world. They have some great players and that was a real arm wrestle of a Test match. There were a lot of nerves because everyone knew what was at stake, and now thats all unravelled. Winning the game was absolutely essential and we won the game categorically on everything but the scoreboard. We worked on some things during the week and they were really evident in the game against South Africa. We ticked some real boxes that wed worked hard on. Its been a tough week for us. We got a great result and were absolutely thrilled. We talked about being more expressive in the second half and playing in the space that we were being given. You see we can play a bit when we open up. Flanker Marlie Packer captained England for the first time and celebrated the occasion with an all-action display full of big carries and influential work at the breakdown. Were super happy. We said it would take the whole 23 to get the job done and thats what happened. Im super proud to lead this team out and get the result that we did, Packer said. What makes it for me is the support of the girls around me and the support I get from my family back home and here. Its a massive honour for the coaches to believe in me. Floor-to-ceiling glass-encased hotel rooms have traditionally been found only in urban, high-rise buildings. Until now. Seth and Tori Bolt, owners of Bolt Farm atop Whitwell Mountain in Whitwell, Tennessee, have created the ultimate best-of-both-worlds scenario with their newest endeavor: a Mirror Cabin mountainside village. These glass cabins drop a modern, sleek 200-square-foot hotel room in the middle of the woods with nothing separating the natural beauty of the outdoors from the climate-controlled interior but a sheet of two-way mirrored glass. What elevates the Mirror Cabins above mere glamping is the seamless environment the unobstructed views bring to the experience, and in this case, the finishing touches the Bolts have become known for, such as engaging all of the five senses with music, scent diffusers and, of course, the breathtaking views. All-inclusive: Kids stay free at these 10 family-friendly all-inclusive resorts Las Vegas' Sahara hotel celebrates 70 years: Take a peek into the property's past Bolt Farm Treehouse near Whitwell, Tenn., has recently added mirrored cabins to their 55-acre nature retreat atop Whitwell Mountain. The mirrored cabins are the first of their kind in the United States. Before the makers of these Mirror Cabins, a company based in Estonia called OOD, would sell their mirror pods to the Bolts, they had to come see the property for themselves. Jacque Baumer, head of U.S. for OOD Group and Jaak Tiik, co-founder of OOD Group and the designer of the hotel units, traveled to Whitwell to ensure the setting was right for their product. "We were impressed with both the beautiful location with its stunning views and gorgeous rock outcroppings, as well as with the attention to detail and the level of care that the Bolt Farm Team put into their guests' experience," Baumer said. "We have now sold more than 200 houses in over 20 countries, but we are new to the U.S. market, so it is very important to us that the first locations showcasing our product share our vision of offering quality nature experiences in beautiful locations without compromising on any comforts. After all, being a mirror product, we only look as good as our surroundings." Story continues Bolt Farm Treehouse owners Seth and Tori Bolt, seen here on Sep 22, 2022, have recently added mirrored cabins to their 55-acre nature retreat atop Whitwell Mountain in Whitwell, Tennessee. The mirrored cabins are the first of their kind in the United States. She added that while some units have been sold to private customers in the U.S., Bolt Farm Treehouse is the first vacation rental location that will have the company's mirror houses available for booking. The other dwellings at Bolt Farm Treehouse, along with its sister property in Walhalla, South Carolina, include treehouses and domes, both offering views of the Sequatchie Valley from the Bolt property atop the steep escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau just outside Chattanooga. There are two treehouses, eight domes and five mirror cabins on the Tennessee property. Bolt Farm Treehouse owners Seth and Tori Bolt, seen here on Sep 22, 2022, have recently added mirrored cabins to their 55-acre nature retreat atop Whitwell Mountain in Whitwell, Tennessee. The mirrored cabins are the first of their kind in the United States. "This rift valley we are on, you can actually see it from space," Tori Bolt said. "Our view is of an identical mountain and plateau 6 miles away on the other side of the valley. Its really a rare geographical feature and that was intriguing to us." Since the Bolts opened their Tennessee location in June of 2021, they have experienced a 97% occupancy rate in the treehouses and domes. The couple recently added 37 acres to Bolt Farm, bringing the property to 55 acres atop Whitwell Mountain, which feels far away from everything but is only 30 minutes from Chattanooga, two hours from Nashville and 2 hours from Birmingham, Alabama, Atlanta and Knoxville. We spent the day with the Bolts at the Tennessee property and came up with four things you need to know about Bolt Farm and the Mirror Cabin experience. 1. Relax and stay put or relax and get out The root of every dwelling at Bolt Farm is to provide relaxation and an opportunity to reconnect with nature. Each unit offers stunning views and as much outdoor patio space as indoor space to encourage guests to sit and read, enjoy the view or seek inspiration. Whether your vehicle of choice is a patio lounge chair, hammock or Adirondack chair, all are available to fuel relaxation. Bolt Farm Treehouse owners Seth and Tori Bolt take in the view from their cabins atop Whitwell Mountain in Whitwell, Tennessee on Sep 22, 2022. They have recently added mirrored cabins to their 55-acre nature retreat. The mirrored cabins are the first of their kind in the United States. But if sitting isn't your speed, the area boasts multiple activities to get you connected to the outdoors via land, water or air. The Bolt property has hiking trails, waterfalls, a cave and an adjoining 5,000-acre nature preserve. Off the property but close by is Flying Camp Paragliding, Savage Gulf State Park, which has miles of hiking trails, Buntlington Farms for horseback riding, ATV tours with Mud Miners, and boat rentals from Hales Bar Marina. "Some guests come just to stay and to be, to recharge or disconnect," Seth Bolt said. "We encourage our guests to disconnect from technology because something magical happens when you are overwhelmed by the beauty of nature and you have some quiet time. Some folks will stay during the week and do a little 'work from dome' escape and change up their scenery." 2. You can be a Mirror Cabin pioneer Seth Bolt, who has traveled the world with his band NEEDTOBREATHE, first encountered a mirror cabin in Scandinavia. He and Tori Bolt stayed in one in Mexico, but the Mirror Cabins at Bolt Farm are among the first of their kind in the United States. "We view the architecture as part of the experience," Seth Bolt said. "Our tree houses are five-sided; they are not a box. The domes are a hemisphere. The Mirror Cabins are completely reflective. All of those things are a nice catalyst to allow people to become immediately inspired because of the environment they are in. We are big believers that our environments shape who we are." These Mirror Cabins are made of recyclable thick soundproof glass that reflects 97% of UV rays for comfort and energy-efficiency. 3. Cabins come with indoor and outdoor amenities Once you inside the Mirror Cabin, the space includes a bed, countertop with seating, a small kitchenette, heated floors and a full bathroom with rainfall shower surrounded with mirrored glass, creating the feeling of a shower in the woods. The Bolts have stocked each cabin with an analog record player with Bluetooth speaker, fresh coffee beans, a hand grinder and a French press, and yummy shower soaps and lotions. The cabin does come with privacy blackout curtains, since you can see in when the cabin is illuminated on the inside after dark. The curtains double as a movie screen for the projector mounted above the bed so guests can stream their favorite movies. "Part of our process is we live in the structure before anyone else stays in it," Seth Bolt said. "We make it comfortable enough that wed be thrilled to live in it full time. That proves to us we know people will have an epic week or weekend living in it as well." Outside, the Mirror Cabins feature their own private patios complete with a fire pit, patio seating, hot tub, barbecue grill and pizza oven. 4. You need to plan ahead The Mirror Cabins are mostly booked through the end of the year. The Bolts recently opened dates for 2023, so to be among the first to experience this unique woodsy hotel room, you need to plan ahead. Rates start at $395 (excluding taxes and fees) a night and have a two-night minimum during the week and a three-night minimum on weekends. There are also optional VIP experiences that can be themed for romance, birthdays or proposals. Bolt Farm Treehouse housekeeper Kathy Stewart cleans the outside of a mirrored cabin on Sep 22, 2022, in preparation for the first guests to arrive. The company has recently added 5 mirrored cabins to their 55-acre nature retreat atop Whitwell Mountain in Whitwell, Tennessee. The mirrored cabins are the first of their kind in the United States. These 'Elevated Experience' packages include items such as a pizza kit to make your own wood-fired pizza, Bolt Farm Treehouse scented candle, campfire starter kit, ingredients to make s'mores, bottle of wine and Bolt Farm coffee mugs. Prices range from $149 to $299 for the extra packages. The cabin kitchenettes come stocked with cooking essentials, but owners recommend arriving with groceries, hiring a private chef to do the cooking for you, or visiting one of the area restaurants, such as Top of The Rock Brewery in nearby Jasper, Tennessee, The Chef's Restaurant in Whitwell, or Whitebird or Hennen's in Chattanooga. The Bolts have created a unique environment that allows guests to be both immersed in nature and surrounded by comfort. "We understand how difficult it can be to find a travel experience where you can reconnect and have a top-of-the-world experience," Seth Bolt said. "We've done that here with intentional design, epic views and the best Southern hospitality you could ask for." Melonee Hurt covers growth and development at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about Tennessee's first Mirror Cabins Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar attended the launch of a campaign to administer hepatitis A vaccinations to workers serving and preparing food in Sharm El-Sheikh hotels in cooperation with GlaxoSmithKline company. The campaign was kicked off during a tour Abdel-Ghaffar conducted in Sharm El-Sheikh on Saturday to inspect quarantine measures, medical facilities, and places allocated for the residence and reception of delegations. The tour was meant to review the health insurance systems preparations for the COP27 climate change conference. The minister expressed his appreciation for the companys representatives for their support of the health systems efforts to address diseases and epidemics, pointing out that fixed vaccination points have been allocated in all of Sharm El-Sheikh hotels, including medical teams to vaccinate workers. More than 20,000 hotel workers are being vaccinated in Sharm El-Sheikh. Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, spokesman of the Ministry of Health and Population, said the minister affirmed the ministry's keenness to periodically vaccinate hotel workers to maintain their safety and the public's health and to ensure the quality of food served to hotel visitors. The minister noted that workers receive regular vaccinations against various diseases, such as the coronavirus, stressing that periodical vaccination campaigns are organised as part of the health insurance plan for the Climate Conference. Mohamed El-Dababy, General Manager of GlaxoSmithKline Egypt, indicated the company's keenness to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health, to complement the company's contribution to government efforts aimed at addressing various health issues, including preventing the spread of diseases and epidemics, through effective and safe vaccines. Since the company is one of the global companies specialized in the manufacture and development of vaccines. Mohamed El-Dababy, General Manager of GlaxoSmithKline Egypt, said the company is keen to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health, being one of the International companies specialised in the manufacture and development of vaccines. The company is contributing to government efforts to address various health issues, including preventing the spread of diseases and epidemics, through effective and safe vaccines, he added. Mohamed El-Attar, head of Health Economics Sector at GlaxoSmithKline, said that to complement the success of the initiative to eradicate hepatitis C, called for by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, there is an urgent need to unite efforts to raise peoples awareness of the importance of immunisation and the prevention of viral liver diseases. This has a fundamental economic impact on Egypt in light of the health and economic challenges the world is witnessing, which entails achieving universal health coverage and the vision of Egypt 2030. Short link: Yakima County prosecutor says crime lab delays could cause more cases to be thrown out Santiago Ochoas reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the Yakima Valley Community Fund . For information on republishing, email news@yakimaherald.com. Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me. If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. The foreign ministry holds the Houthi group accountable for this current escalation in Yemen that hinders efforts to renew a truce in the country, according to the statement. Egypt asserted that the Houthis must immediately respond to international and regional efforts to renew the truce in Yemen in order to reach a lasting ceasefire and promote a political settlement. The statement warned of exploiting current international conditions by any party to escalate conflict in Yemen and threaten security and stability in the country. The statement reiterated Egypt's strong support for the unity and sovereignty of Yemen and its full solidarity with it to face all threats. Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they targeted a cargo ship Friday off an oil terminal in the war-wrecked Arab countrys south to prevent pro-government forces from using it for oil exports. A Greek company owning the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker said it sustained no damage in the attack by explosive-laden drones, according to AP. The attack apparently targetting the Nissos Kea marks the first announced military action since a truce between the countrys warring sides expired earlier this month. It also again signals potential danger for commercial ships that pass by or stop in Yemen. The Houthis said the attack was a warning strike. The territory is controlled by the countrys internationally recognised government. Yemen's brutal civil war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power. Since then, more than 150,000 people have been killed in the violence and three million have been displaced. Two-thirds of the population receives food assistance. The initial two-month truce agreed to in April by the government and the Houthis was extended twice, until 2 October. Since then, both the United States and the United Nations have blamed the Houthis for a breakdown in efforts to extend the cease-fire yet again. One of the main obstacles to a truce is the use of Yemens resources. The Houthis maintain that oil produced in Yemen should not be allowed to be exported by the cash-strapped government side. A Russian Sukhoi-25 Fighter Jet has crashed into a residential building in Southern Siberia as per a report by AFP. This is the second such incident reported in a week's time amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The full details of the events are yet to be ascertain. A similar incident was reported on October 18, 2022 when at least 13 people were killed, including three children in the southwestern Russian town of Yeysk, near Ukraine. A Russian Su-34 supersonic fighter-bomber jet crashed into a residential building in the city of Yeysk earlier this week. The crash was due to the ignition of one of the engines, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported citing the country's defence ministry. "On October 17, 2022, a Su-34 aircraft crashed while climbing to perform a training flight from the military airfield of the Southern Military District," the ministry said in a statement to RIA. #UPDATE A Russian jet crashed Sunday into a two-storey building in the city of Irkutsk in southern Siberia, the regional governor said, days after a military jet crashed into a block of flats in the Russian town of Yeysk. The wreckage in Yeysk after the crash October 18 pic.twitter.com/N9bUkILtG7 AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 23, 2022 "According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the plane crash was the ignition of one of the engines during take-off. At the site of the crash of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential quarters, the plane`s fuel ignited." Yeysk is located across the water from the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol. With ANI inputs Panic took over Toronto island airport due to a possible bomb scare at the airport. Numerous flights were suspended and passengers were ordered an evacuation as police revealed a possible explosive device found near the airport's ferry terminal. Toronto police stated that two people had been detained and were cooperating with the investigation. Police stated that they were called shortly before 4 pm on Saturday to Billy Bishop airport's mainland ferry terminal to investigate a suspicious package. Two residential buildings near the ferry terminal also were evacuated and a third was partially evacuated. As a precautionary measure, the airport's runway was closed and a few flights were diverted. We are dealing with a potential explosive device, Toronto police said in a tweet. The airport said its runway was closed and two Air Canada flights were diverted to Hamilton, Ontario. Passengers stranded inside the terminal for several hours said they were being evacuated by water taxis. Also read: Indian Army chopper crash: Check deadliest helicopter accidents involving military personnel Further, the police shared an update regarding the bomb scare on Twitter. "POLICE INVESTIGATION: UPDATE Billy Bishop Airport Ferry Terminal - Two persons of interest are in custody - We are dealing with a potential explosive device - 34 Little Norway, 681 Queens Quay have been evacuated - Partial evacuation of 650 Queen Quay," read the tweet. POLICE INVESTIGATION: UPDATE Billy Bishop Airport Ferry Terminal - Two persons of interest are in custody - We are dealing with a potential explosive device - 34 Little Norway, 681 Queens Quay have been evacuated - Partial evacuation of 650 Queen Quay ^lb Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) October 23, 2022 Runway is closed for the evening. Porter has completed its flight schedule for the evening. Two Air Canada flights diverted to Hamilton. Passengers remaining in the terminal are being evacuated at present, airport officials said. A number of roads in the area were closed too. Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a tweet that he knows the shutdown of the area 'has been and continues to be incredibly disruptive for many people, those who live and work in the area and those travelling, and I thank them for their patience." A few weeks ago, a similar incident took place at Mumbai International airport, where airport officials received a warning about a bomb being placed on an IndiGo aircraft. There was tight security and numerous passengers were stranded for hours at the airport. Later, it was revealed that the warning turned out to be a hoax. (With inputs from AP) The ALH, carrying five Army personnel including two pilots, was on regular sorties when it crashed at 10:43 am on Friday (October 21). The bodies of four personnel were recovered on Friday evening from the crash site in a densely wooded mountainous area, while the fifth body was found the next day. Now, the Army has launched a search operation to find the Black Box of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh. The Black Box is an instrument that records all flight information which could help ascertain the reason for the crash. Personnel of 21 Para (Special Force) from Jorhat in Assam, were airdropped at the crash site near Migging, around 35 kilometers from the border with China, on Saturday to recover the Black Box. The area is thickly wooded which is creating hindrances in searching for the Black Box, an official said on Sunday. Prior to the crash, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) had received a mayday call from the pilots of the ALH suggesting a technical or mechanical failure, defense spokesperson Lt Col A S Walia said. 'Mayday' is the word used across the world to make a distress call over radio communication in case of emergency, usually on a ship or aircraft. Also read: Plane carrying Gold's Gym owner Rainer Schaller crashes in Costa Rica; six feared dead The Army headquarters ordered a Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the crash. According to officials, the weather was good for flying operations on Friday and the two pilots had a combined experience of flying for more than 1,800 hours. The Army helicopter, also known as HAL Rudra, had taken off from Likabali in the Lower Siang district. The HAL Rudra is an attack helicopter manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Army. It is a weapon system integrated (WSI) Mk-IV variant of the Dhruv ALH and is the first armed helicopter produced indigenously in India. This is the second accident involving an Army helicopter in Arunachal Pradesh this month. A Cheetah helicopter crashed in Tawang district on October 5 and claimed the life of one of its two pilots. According to official records, Arunachal Pradesh has witnessed 13 crashes since 1995, and 47 people were killed in them. (With inputs from PTI) Six people, including the German businessman behind Gold's Gym, were feared dead after a small plane crashed into the Caribbean just off the Costa Rican coast on October 23. Authorities in Costa Rica have today found two bodies in the search for six people, apparently including the German businessman behind Gold's Gym, who went missing when their small plane disappeared from radar just off the country's Caribbean coast. The Security Ministry stated that the bodies of one adult and one child had been found, but that they had not yet been identified. Searchers also turned up backpacks and bags, and pieces of the plane. All five passengers were believed to be German citizens, said Security Minister Jorge Torres. The plane's pilot was Swiss. Costa Rican authorities said pieces of the twin-engine turboprop aircraft were found in the water on Saturday, a day after the flight went missing. A flight plan filed for the small plane listed Rainer Schaller as a passenger. A man by the same name runs international chains of fitness and gym outlets, including Gold's Gym and McFit. At least one other of those aboard the plane seemed to be a relative of Schaller, but the relation was not immediately confirmed by authorities. Searchers are concentrating on a site about 17 miles (28 km) off the coast from the Limon airport. Also read: Flights suspended at Toronto island airport due to bomb scare, passengers evacuated The plane disappeared from radar as it was heading to Limon, a resort town on the coast. Security Minister Torres said the flight had set out from Mexico. The plane was a nine-seat Italian-made Piaggio P180 Avanti, known for its distinctive profile. It disappeared from radar as it was heading to Limon, a resort town on the coast. The security minister said the flight had set out from Mexico. "Around six in the afternoon we received an alert about a flight coming from Mexico to the Limon airport, carrying five German passengers," Torres said. A search started immediately but was called off temporarily due to bad weather. Rainer Schaller is listed as the Founder, Owner and CEO of the RSG Group, a conglomerate of 21 fitness, lifestyle and fashion brands that operates in 48 countries and has 41,000 employees, either directly or through franchises. The RSG Group did not respond to requests for comment on whether Schaller had been aboard the plane. Rainer Schaller was in the news in 2010 for his role as organiser of the Berlin Love Parade techno festival. A crush at the event killed 21 people and injured more than 500. Authorities at the time said Schaller's security failed to stop the flow of people into a tunnel when the situation was already tense at the entrance to the festival grounds. Schaller fought back against the accusations of wrongdoing, noting that his security concept received official city approval. (With inputs from agencies) Planning to travel to Saudi? Now fly from Mumbai to Saudi in a non-stop flight as Saudis low-cost carrier Flynas, (formerly Nas Air) starts non-stop flight services from Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). The Flynas airline has announced the commencement of weekly direct flights from Riyadh and Dammam to Mumbai CSMIA airport. The non-stop flights will connect Riyadh and Mumbai, departing and returning from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. As per media reports, the airline has started bookings of flights and reservations available through all Flynas booking channels. Further, starting October 31, four direct weekly Flynas flights from Dammams King Fahd International Airport will depart on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Flynas also announced that direct flights between Jeddah and Karachi will resume on October 30 with three weekly flights departing on Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. Also read: Flights suspended at Toronto island airport due to bomb scare, passengers evacuated Mumbai's CSMIA celebrated the launch of these flights. CSMIA took to Twitter to spread the word. "Congratulations, @flynas, on starting non-stop flights from #MumbaiAirport, and to celebrate their launch, we organized a grand ceremony including lighting the lamp and cake-cutting," read the tweet. Congratulations, @flynas, on starting non-stop flights from #MumbaiAirport, and to celebrate their launch, we organized a grand ceremony including lighting the lamp and cake-cutting. pic.twitter.com/dh9aLsBBb4 CSMIA (@CSMIA_Official) October 22, 2022 "It was a memorable moment for all of us, and we look forward to a journey filled with goodness and achieving many more milestones together," read another tweet from CSMIA. Furthermore, as per media reports, direct flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to the Egyptian city of Sohag will resume on October 30, with three weekly flights departing on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, as well as flights departing on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh Diwali 2022: Diwali, known as "the festival of lights" is celebrated with grandeur all over India. However, there are regional differences in the celebrations and rituals. In north India, this festival arrives at Dussehra. On Diwali night, which is regarded as lucky, people also gamble in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab. Sikhs do not traditionally celebrate Diwali in Punjab, but they participate in the festivities and light their homes with candles and diyas. On Diwali night, the gurdwaras are also illuminated. Houses are adorned with candles, lights, diyas, bandhanwars, and rangolis in Delhi, UP, and other nearby areas. At night, Laxmi Puja is performed. There is a custom in some homes where a silver coin is placed in a milk tumbler before being sprinkled throughout the house. The celebrations include activities like gift-exchanging, house cleaning, gambling, redecorating, painting, and decorating the home. In Eastern India, the required rituals continue to be the lighting of lamps, candles, and diyas as well as crackers. Laxmi Puja is observed in West Bengal six days after Durga Puja. Kali Puja is observed on Diwali. On the eve of Diwali, Goddess Kali is worshipped late into the night. Kali Puja pandals can be found everywhere. Other customs stay the same. The celebration also includes the creation of rangoli patterns. The night of Diwali is also known as Pitripurush, the night of the ancestors, and diyas are lit on tall poles to help the departed on their journey to heaven. This custom is still practised in rural Bengal today. Some of the traditional Diwali dishes across Indian states: Anarsa (Maharashtra): Anarsa is a dessert made of rice flour and jaggery and is enjoyed as Diwali snacks. Babroo (Himachal Pradesh): It`s an irresistible treat from the land of Gods and is made of all-purpose flour, sugar and yeast. It might look like gulgule, but has a different taste and can stand out very easily. Narikol Laru (Assam): It`s a popular dessert of Assam and is otherwise known as coconut laddoo. It is prepared using shredded coconut, green cardamom powder, ghee and sugar. Chhodo Shaak (West Bengal): As compared to the tradition of making sweets on the occasion of Diwali across India, West Bengal prepares a savoury dish called Chhodo Shaak, which is actually made using 14-green leafy veggies. Gavvalu (Andhra Pradesh): It`s a sweet dish made of all-purpose flour, ghee, jaggery and water. The dough is made and then shaped just like gnocchi pasta, and then dipped into sugar syrup. Mawa Kachori (Rajasthan): This exotic delicacy of Jodhpur (Rajasthan) is a scrumptious treat that has a sweet crust and a filling of mawa/khoya and mixed dry fruits. This kachori is dipped in a sugar syrup and will give you a mind-blowing experience. Khaja (Bihar): The name of this dish literally means to just grab and munch on it. It`s also made of a dough of all-purpose flour, which has several layers in it and then deep fried. It is further soaked in sugar syrup and is enjoyed on Diwali. Diwali is a four-day celebration in Maharashtra. The first day, Vasubaras, is honoured by having a cow and calf Aarti performed. This represents the affection a mother has for her child. The following day is Dhanteras, also known as Dhanatrayodashi, which is observed similarly to other cultures. The third day, Narakchaturdashi, is when people visit temples and take scented oil baths early in the morning. Following this, the Maharashtrians indulge in a special Diwali meal that includes scrumptious desserts like "karanji" and "ladoo" as well as spicy foods like "chakli" and "sev." Faral is the name of this festival. Lakshmi Puja is performed on the fourth day of Diwali, which is the main festival day. Goddess Lakshmi, wealth-enhancing objects like money, and jewellery are worshipped. The Tamil month of aipasi, also known as "naraka chaturdasi" thithi, is when Diwali is observed. The amavasai day comes before this one. Naraka Chaturdashi is the main day of the Diwali celebrations in south India. The oven is cleaned the day before the main day and then lime is spread all over it. On the water-filled oven, which is used for the oil bath on the main day, religious symbols are drawn. Homeowners clean their buildings and adorn them with kolam patterns, which are comparable to rangolis in North India. The celebrations include lighting firecrackers and donning new clothing. For use on Diwali, a plate is kept with crackers and brand-new clothing. Diwali or Naraka Chaturdashi celebrations start with an oil bath before dawn on the morning of the holiday. After that, candy is consumed and fresh clothing is put on. People take an oil bath on the first day, which is Ashwija Krishna Chaturdashi. It is believed that after killing Narakasura, Lord Krishna took the oil bath to wash the blood stains off his body. On the third day of Diwali, known as Bali Padyami, women decorate their homes with vibrant rangolis and construct forts out of cow dung. On this day, people commemorate various King Bali-related tales. These are the two main Diwali days in Karnataka. (Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Aries Your projects will thrive, and your work will be acknowledged and rewarded. There could be a promotion or a bonus coming your way. It is a good time to start a new business or job. In terms of money and investments, there will be prosperity. On the personal front, surprises and good news await you. Starting a family is also on the cards. Express your feelings and let the one you love know how you feel. Infuse some romance into your relationship. Taurus You will be able to overcome a major problem or roadblock in your career or workplace. Avoid being aggressive or offensive with colleagues, and be calm. Consistency in action will show results. Be careful while taking a loan or making an investment. You need to take control of the direction of your love life. Dont neglect your feelings and emotions. It will be challenging for you to balance work and family responsibilities at this time. Gemini Your connection with your spouse will be full of love and surprise. You will spend time together enjoying each other's company. Home improvement is also on the cards. However, this is not the best time for you professionally. Your coworker might go against you; no matter how hard you try, they seem to have the upper hand. Be extremely careful with your finances, and do not make any investments. Cancer Your projects will gain momentum, and things will speed up. Your work will not be appreciated by relevant people but will also win you rewards. You will take charge of things at work and be hands-on in projects rather than working on the sidelines. Professional collaboration or working with your partner on a venture will bring material gains and help you connect on an intellectual level. Romance might take a back seat, but you will stay close. Occasionally, you may also feel emotionally vulnerable. Leo There will be a balance between work & relationships. Your partner will be kind to you, and if you have been loving and giving, you will get the love you deserve. Pay attention to practical matters and ensure that your emotional needs are met. You will be deeply immersed in a project or busy pursuing a work-related goal. However, there may be delays or postponement of plans. Think, plan, and strategize more. Virgo You will see the opposite energy in your relationship and profession. While there will be love and harmony at the home front, your work, career or job may be troublesome. Family and partner will be loving and supportive. You may get caught up in work and neglect your personal life or health. Also, your job or boss could be demanding, making you feel stuck and trapped. Money and finances will be stable but do not make any investments, lend or gamble. Libra Life has been hectic and very busy for you; slow down and give yourself some time to relax and unwind. This is a time of mental, physical and emotional healing and recuperation. Your family will be supportive, but you may remain aloof and distanced. Your work and performance will shine and be much appreciated. There will be a sense of positivity & energy in your work. Your ideas will be well received. You will be able to make sound financial decisions and spend carefully. Scorpio Meeting a new partner or a career opportunity is indicated. You can be sure that things will move in the right direction in love. There will be love, respect and mutual understanding on the home front. You may be given a more prominent role in the organisation that translates into a promotion or bonus. A money-making opportunity will come your way, but you must acknowledge and grab it with both hands. Sagittarius New partnerships, ventures, and success are on the horizon. You will make plans and start moving towards your goal. You will gain influence, and people around you will be supportive. Finances will be stable, and you will be confident in your professional environment. You may experience a rough time in your relationship. But keep going, push forward & focus on bringing your relationship back on track. Capricorn Be realistic and practical with money, and follow a cautious approach toward your finances. Keep your temper under check and avoid confrontations and arguments with your seniors or boss. Calculate all risks and check all facts before making any career-led decisions. There will be emotional & financial support from your partner. Give and receive love with an open heart. Aquarius This week you will be busy managing your work and family life. You must prioritise and put your energy where necessary and plug out the stress factor. Pay attention to money, time, and resources. There could be some confusion with your partner. There will be financial security and stability. Your career will be going well, and new opportunities could prove profitable. Negotiations with business associates will go well. Pisces It is an emotionally fulfilling time. Communication within the family and with the partner will improve. However, resolving a conflict or doubts with your partner may be necessary. At work, you will have the support of your co-workers and the necessary resources to complete your task. Do not over-commit and promise what you cannot deliver. Be diplomatic and do not take sides. (These Tarot Card predictions are by Chhavi Upadhyay, who is a Delhibased, intuitive Tarot Practitioner & Consultant) Mumbai: Veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Sunday (October 23) said she is set to start shooting for the second season of the American military sci-fi series "Halo" in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. The 72-year-old actor took to Instagram to share the work update with fans and followers. "The sun is out and life is good .. In Budapest for HALO season 2," she captioned a selfie. Azmi plays the role of Admiral Margaret Paragonsky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence in the Paramount+ show, based on the video game franchise of the same name. The first season of "Halo", which has master filmmaker Steven Spielberg on board as one of its producers, premiered on Voot Select in India earlier this year. Azmi will next be seen in "What's Love Got To Do With It?", a rom-com movie directed by Shekhar Kapur, and Karan Johar's romance feature "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani". President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that decisive solutions and understanding from the public have been required to move ahead with drastic economic reforms in Egypt to face crises the country witnessed over the past 50 years. The president made his remarks while speaking at the Egyptian Economic Conference 2022 that kicked off on Sunday in the New Administrative Capital. El-Sisi asserted that decision makers should take into account the political, social, cultural and intellectual factors when offering a path for economic reform. At the opening session of the conference, a documentary was screened during the opening session of the conference outlining the development of the national economy from after the 1952 Revolution until the present. The film highlighted the serious ramifications of 2011 and 2013 revolutions, progress made in road and infrastructure construction and the availability of basic commodities despite global crises, citing the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. President Sisi pointed out that he made the best use of the great popular support in 2015 to initiate the process of reform and construction. The president went on to say that several initiatives and proposals were tabled to enhance the State's capacity, citing the achievements made in the health sector. In this regard, President Sisi said the State has succeeded in eradicating the Hepatitis C virus and ending the waiting lists for critical and major surgeries. He added the state managed in the past three years to provide treatment and perform surgeries for about 1.4 million cases. The president noticed that the State benefited from the available potential to relieve poverty. President Sisi underlined the importance of finding practical solutions to the problems facing the country. The president stressed the need to restructure and organise the administrative apparatus, which will lead the process of construction and reform. Popular reactions on bearing the cost and pressures of economic reform have always been a huge and deep concern among decision-makers and security bodies, El-Sisi added. The president said that representatives for the economics, finance, administrative control, security and defence bodies refused to launch the reform programme, but he told them that if the course of economic reform is delayed, its cost will be higher, and if the state delays this decision, the difficulties will be much greater. The popularity of the political leadership and government was not strong enough to form a basis for a difficult and bitter roadmap that would require long and hard years of work, the President said. If the Egyptians had rejected the path and the government had resigned, I would have called for early presidential elections, he added. El-Sisi described 2011 as an announcement of the death of the Egyptian state. "The negative impact of protests that have continued for three years caused complete instability that drained at least $470 billion, according to an estimate by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly." Every measure taken by the state based on real understanding and the right path, no matter how hard it is, achieves the desired results, he asserted. Even friends and brothers have become convinced that their support for the Egyptian state over the years has formed a culture of reliance, the President warned. "They have helped us a lot, but we did not help ourselves and if we did not help ourselves, we would not succeed," he added. The idea was to adopt parallel axes policies or strategies: meaning stability and development at the same time, Sisi said. It is not a path of a government or a leadership. It is a path of a state with its people, the President concluded. The elite class in Egypt lacks awareness and understanding to diagnose the crisis, as well as the requirements to cross the gap that the country is experiencing, El-Sisi said. I am not defending myself but rather the path, the idea and the philosophy of governance, he added. "We are reorganizing and restructuring the state very calmly and without confusion in all institutions." The first decision I made seven years ago was to stop government recruitment, the President said. The cost of economic reform was increasing day by day, and the intertwining of crises created a real state of frustration, he added. The state was unable to build a reformist intellectual context for the situation, and its institutions were not practically able to implement it even if it was proposed and ascertained, El-Sisi said. It is very dangerous to measure popular satisfaction with what the citizens receive directly and the rulers keenness to meet their demands directly, even if this is at the expense of the countrys present and future, he added. The incidents between 2011 and 2013 almost destroyed the present and future of this nation completely, El-Sisi said. Political Islam groups are now asking for reconciliation after having failed to rule the country, he said, adding that "instead of admitting failure, they accused us of being against religion and considered everyone as the enemy." Search Keywords: Short link: Badrinath: Doors of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple will remain closed on October 25 on the solar eclipse, said the temple committee. After the eclipse, the pujas will be performed in the evening, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Shri Kedarnath-Badrinath Temple Committee added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Badrinath temple on Friday. Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami accompanied Prime Minister at the shrine. Before arriving in Badrinath, PM Modi visited Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag and offered prayers donning a traditional pahadi outfit, Chola Dora, that was gifted to him by Himachali women during his tour to the state. PM Modi arrived at Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun earlier in the day and was received by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh. He later laid the foundation stone of the Kedarnath ropeway project and after that visited the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal. He reviewed the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath. PM Modi also interacted with the construction workers engaged in the Kedarnath Dham development project. According to Prime Minister`s Office (PMO), the ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present to only about 30 mins. The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 mins. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park, said the PMO statement. The ropeways, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of around Rs 2,430 crore, are an environmental friendly mode of transport that will provide a safe, secure and stable mode of transport. This major infrastructure development will give a boost to religious tourism, which will give a fillip to the economic development in the region and lead to the creation of multiple employment opportunities as well. Foundation stone for road widening projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore will also be laid during the visit. The two road widening projects - from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B) - shall be another step towards providing last-mile all-weather road connectivity to our border areas. Apart from boosting connectivity, these projects will also prove beneficial from a strategic point of view as well. Kedarnath and Badrinath are among the most important Hindu shrines. The area is also known for one of the revered Sikh Pilgrim site - Hemkund Sahib. The connectivity projects are aimed to ease access and improve basic infrastructure in places of religious significance. Bengaluru: A total of 250 school children who had lost a parent during the COVID-19 were gifted with free tablets, school bags and a year`s worth of stationery during Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya`s `Bengaluru South School Leaders` Summit` in the city on Saturday. While "Feeding India by Zomato" provided the tabs, bags and stationery, edutech startup Unacademy provided an unlimited subscription to their courses to the children. The NGO will also provide ration every month to the children and support their upbringing. The tabs were distributed in the presence of over 450 school leaders and representatives from about 40 top schools of the constituency with the idea that this will spur the students to support the marginalised and underprivileged sections of society when they become the leaders of tomorrow. Tejasvi Surya's 'Bengaluru South School Leaders` Summit' "My journey in public life started in my school, where I contested an election to become a Headboy. That`s why I wish to see these school leaders, captains, vice-captains, head boys and head girls who are present today also develop their civic responsibility, team building and leadership skills through this summit," Surya said. School Leaders of today will play a pivotal role in shaping #NewIndia in the next 25 years during #AmritKaal. To bring them together on the path of nation building, we launched the Bengaluru South School Leaders' Council today. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/Cpht2tUEq8 Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 22, 2022 The MP also instituted a `Bengaluru South School Leaders` Council` comprising these school leaders, who will be responsible for independently conducting quarterly events on the environment, sports, arts, culture and civic responsibility. The Bengaluru South School Leaders` Council will comprise 25 students nominated by the schools to form a cluster, consisting of 1 student leader from each school. They are also expected to organise a grand `Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav` fest with participation from at least 75 schools during their tenure. Bengaluru South School Leaders' Council is a platform to bring school students into public governance & welfare. The Council will work on three major fields: Environment & Climate Change Civic Responsibility & Public Policy Sports, Art & Culture 2/3 pic.twitter.com/s9L2khP4Pp Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 22, 2022 "The most memorable moment during my time as the Headboy of my school was asking former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam a question on the non-proliferation treaty of India back in 2005/06. That one moment inspired me so much to work for the good of the community and the progress of the nation. I wish to create a similar platform for schoolchildren, where they can actively interact with leaders from different fields and learn about handling operations through experience," Surya added. Also Read: 'Biggest U-turn leader in India': BJP MP Tejasvi Surya slams Arvind Kejriwal State Revenue Minister R Ashoka, Renowned actor Ramesh Aravind, Unacademy founders Gaurav Munjal and Roman Saini and Surobhi Das, Head of Growth for Zomato also addressed the school students. New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday demanded the Centre to remove BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra as ITDC chairman and Iqbal Singh Lalpura as minority commission chief for allegedly violating Central Civil Services (Conduct) rules and misusing the post for party work. In a letter to Union Tourism minister G Kishan Reddy, senior AAP leader Atishi alleged that despite being the chairman of the India Tourism Development Corporation, Patra continued to campaign for the BJP which is a "blatant violation of CCS (Conduct) Rules". AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj also wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and demanded immediate removal of the National Commission for Minority (NCM) chairperson Lalpura from the post, alleging that he is heading the statutory body in gross violation of the CCS (Conduct) Rules as he continues to be an active member of the BJP and its parliamentary board. No immediate reaction could be had from Patra and Lalpura on the AAP's demand for their removal. The AAP leaders' letters come days after the Delhi government's planning department issued a show cause notice to Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi Vice-Chairperson Jasmine Shah over charges of "misusing public office" by acting as the "official spokesperson" of the AAP. The notice had been issued following a complaint by BJP leader and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma. The AAP had termed the notice "yet another attack on the Delhi government due to its rising graph in Gujarat". "I have written a letter to the Union Tourism minister and the Central Vigilance Commission, demanding the removal of Sambit Patra from the ITDC's chairman's post. "Despite remaining ITDC chairman and holding public office, Patra did not demit the post of BJP National Spokesperson," the AAP MLA said during a media briefing. "He uploaded several political videos on social media which were shot in his office which is a textbook example of misuse of public office," she claimed. Also Read: AAP slams MCD, BJP over parking fee collection irregularity New Delhi: The Central government has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), a non-government organisation associated with the Gandhi family, for alleged violations of the foreign funding law, the government sources said on Sunday. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the registration of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) based on recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate investigations into violation of various legal provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. The committee formed by the MHA in July 2020 has pointed its findings about the violations of various FCRA norms that have resulted in the cancellation of the registration of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which was established in 1991, the officer privy to the development said. Inquiry against Rajiv Gandhi Foundation began in 2020 An inquiry started against the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in July 2020 when the MHA constituted an inter-ministerial committee headed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer to investigate three Gandhi family foundations-- Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust-- for possible violations of the money laundering act, Income Tax act and FCRA. The committee comprised officers from the MHA, Ministry of Finance as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and was mandated to investigate if the trusts, run by the Gandhi family and other Congress leaders, manipulated any documents while filing income tax or misused and laundered money received from foreign countries. Issues tackled by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation According to the official website of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the organisation has worked on various issues in the sectors of health, science and technology, women and children and disability support from 1991 to 2009. The foundation decided to focus on education in 2010, the website mentioned. Soon after the cancellation of its FCRA licensce registration, the officer said, a written notice has been dispatched to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and its office-bearers. Sonia Gandhi presides as RGF chairperson Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Among other trustees of the NGO are former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, and members of Parliament Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Rajiv Gandhi Foundation came under the scanner in July 2020, when the MHA set up an inter-ministerial committee headed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer to investigate three Gandhi family foundations-- Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust-- for any possible violations of the money laundering act, Income Tax act, and FCRA. The committee comprised officers from the Union home and finance ministries as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It was mandated to investigate if these trusts run by the Gandhi family and other Congress leaders manipulated any documents while filing income tax or misused and laundered money received from foreign countries. Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's decision to call for the resignation of Vice Chancellors (VCs) of nine universities in the state stirred up a political storm on Sunday with the ruling CPI(M) terming the move as an 'attempt to appoint RSS members' at the helm of varsities, while the Congress-led UDF opposition welcomed it. While CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the Governor's latest decision as Chancellor of universities in the state was "unheard of" and was one among many other similar decisions, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan welcomed it as "belated". Speaking to reporters here, Govindan said there was no doubt that the call for the resignation of the nine VCs was part of a plan to use the Governor for appointing those close to or in the RSS at the helm of the varsities through the back door. "It is a political agenda and will be countered by the state of Kerala," he said. He said that there is power and authority (in the Governor) to take certain decisions, but it has to be done as per the Constitution and added that things have reached "a level of madness". Satheesan, on the other hand, said that the Governor finally accepted now what the opposition has been saying for a long that University Grants Commission's norms were being violated while appointing VCs in the state's universities. Also Read: Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan directs 9 University Vice Chancellors to resign by tomorrow He, in a Facebook post, alleged that such illegal appointments were taking place when the Governor and the state government were working together. "We welcome the fact that the Governor is now ready to correct the mistake he made, even if it's belated," he said. Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu said that the "unilateral" decision of the Governor was a "deliberate and conscious effort" to create problems in the field of higher education in the southern state. Also Read: Rape-accused Congress MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly suspended from party's Kerala unit New Delhi: As Delhiites gear up for Diwali celebrations, they may also have to face the brunt of poor air quality. On the eve of Diwali on Sunday, the air quality remained in the poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 247 at 8 am. The minimum temperature was 14.5 degrees Celsius, which is considered to be below the season's average as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The average temperature is likely to be 31 degrees Celsius today and Delhiites are expected to witness a mainly clear sky. Delhi air quality a concern amid Diwali season On Saturday evening (Oct 22), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital touched 266. Meanwhile, the AQI was at 327 near the Delhi University area which means 'very poor' and it was at 293 at Mathura Road. In Gurugram, it was recorded to be a 'moderate' 156. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. Earlier on Wednesday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said that Delhi-NCR's Air Quality Index (AQI) will likely be 300 plus on October 22. Smog covers Delhi sky; overall air quality in 'poor' category visuals from near Akshardham temple pic.twitter.com/g1fgGAGjpU October 23, 2022 The CAQM in its tweet said that air quality will move towards "Very Poor" and further actions under Stage I will be intensified. "All actions as envisaged under Stage II of the GRAP - `Very POOR` Air Quality to be implemented in the right earnest and further actions under Stage I to be intensified by all the agencies concerned," read the tweet from CAQM. Delhi govt bans firecracker usage this year Meanwhile, the Delhi government has banned the production, storage, sale, and bursting of crackers this year as well as fines and jail terms in case of violation. In a bid to reduce vehicular pollution, the Delhi Government also announced the `Red Light On Gaadi Off` campaign. 'Red Light On Gaadi Off' campaign to battle air pollution Under the campaign, public representatives and officials will motivate commuters to turn their vehicles off at red lights in a bid to curb vehicular pollution. The air quality in the national capital is also affected because of stubble burning in surrounding Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan in the winter. ( (With inputs from agencies) Ghaziabad: A woman who had allegedly levelled a "fabricated" gang-rape charge in an attempt to grab property was arrested on Saturday, a day after police booked her and three of her accomplices for cheating and forgery. The Delhi woman had claimed that she was kidnapped and raped by five men for two days. "The woman was arrested by our police team. She was presented before a magistrate to record her statement. The court has sent her to 14 days in judicial custody," Superintendent of Police (City-I) Ghaziabad Nipun Agarwal said. Her accomplices Azad, Afzal and Gaurav were arrested earlier. On Friday, police had said that the woman, Azad, Afzal and Gaurav have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections pertaining to cheating, forgery and fraudulently using genuine documents. They have been charged under IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (fraudulently using as genuine document which the person knows or has reason to believe to be forged), Circle Officer, City-2, Ghaziabad, Alok Dubey, had said. Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday had said that the 36-year-old woman was found wrapped in a jute bag, with her hands and legs tied, and an iron rod was inserted in her private parts. However, during a press conference on Thursday, the Ghaziabad police dismissed as "fabricated" the woman's claim that she had been raped and brutalised by the five men and said a conspiracy had been hatched over a dispute over a "small" property. Of the five, four were arrested. During the conference, when asked if a clean chit will be given to the four persons, Inspector General (IG), Meerut, Praveen Kumar, had said, "We have not got any evidence against them...Prima facie, in this case, no such incident has taken place. So, there is no question of getting evidence." The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday had said that contradictory statements were made by the woman and her family members. On the women's claim that she was kidnapped, IG Kumar had said," No. She had gone to a designated place at her own will." Chats analysed by police also show that money was also paid to individuals to publicise the case, he had said. Kumar had also said that during investigation, it was found that Azad's phone was switched off around the time the woman purportedly disappeared. On the property dispute, he said the dispute was about a "small" property. The NCW had said that police said the incident was planned to implicate the five men, the initial suspects, who had a property dispute with the woman. "Evidence also suggest that (payment of) Rs 5,000 were also made to sensationalise the case in the media," it said. The property dispute is subjudice at the Karkardooma district court in Delhi. The present three suspects (Azad, Afzal and Gaurav) and the woman planned to implicate gang-rape charges against the five men, a NCW official had said. IG Kumar had also said that "a woman named Sameena gave the property to Azad in 2021 who in turn gave its power of attorney to a man named Deepak Joshi". "There was talk about giving this property to the Delhi woman. The case regarding this was going on in the court," the officer had said. Authorities at the GTB Hospital had on Wednesday had said the woman's condition is stable and no internal injury has been found. The NCW official had said that "also, the hospital told us that in preliminary medical examination, no semen was found on the victim". Police have also told the commission that the Delhi woman's claim that she had been raped and brutalised by five men is "false", the official had said. Diwali 2022: Beginning the following week, schools will be closed in various states in observance of Diwali and other forthcoming holidays. Diwali will be celebrated on October 24, followed by Bhai Dooj on October 26; and several states have declared holidays for the festival. The states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have announced three to four days holidays on the occasion of festival of lights. Diwali 2022: State wise holiday in these states Telangana: The Telangana government has announced that on schools, educational institutions across state will celebrate diwali on October 24, 2022. Tamil Nadu: The schools, colleges in Tamil Nadu will be closed on October 24 and 25 to celebrate Diwali. To be noted that no leaves for Bhai Dooj has been announced yet. Madhya Pradesh: Madhya Pradesh School Education Department has declared six days holidays for Diwali. As per the School Education Department order, the Diwali vacation will be observed from October 22 to 27, following which the classes and exams will be commenced. West Bengal: The state will celebrate Kali Puja as well as Diwali on October 24. The schools will be closed on October 24 to celebrate the Kali Puja and Diwali, however, there will be no scheduled off for Bhai Dooj. Meanwhile, most of the schools will observe three to four days holidays for Diwali and will open after October 26. Odisha: The Odisha Government Saturday declared October 25 as a public holiday on account of a solar eclipse. All government offices, schools, colleges, educational institutions, courts, banks, and other financial institutions will remain closed on Tuesday, according to an official release. Haryana: The schools will be closed in Haryana on Thursday, October 27 on the occasion of Bhai Dooj. The Directorate of School Education, Haryana in a letter stated that schools will remain closed to celebrate Bhai Dooj in the state. "The Education Department has declared a holiday on October 27, 2022, in all the government, private, and aided schools of the state on the occasion of Bhai Dooj. In this regard, all the District Education Officers of the state," read the tweet. Mumbai: The Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra has either stayed or reversed at least half a dozen decisions taken by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime including shifting of the Aarey Metro car shed and restoring general consent to the CBI to probe cases in the state. The latest decision of the state government, which completed 100 days in the office earlier this month, vis-a-vis the Central Bureau of Investigation was significant given the then Shiv Sena-led MVA government had withdrawn the consent to the probe agency citing its "misuse to settle political scores". The incumbent government was formed after Eknath Shinde rebelled against Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and walked out with at least 40 of the 55 MLAs, leading to the collapse of the MVA government. Shinde took oath as the chief minister with Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy in June this year. Notably, after coming to power in November 2019, the then MVA government comprising Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress scrapped certain policy decisions of its predecessor BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Fadnavis. Eknath Shinde brings back four policy decisions taken by Fadnavis The Shinde government decided to bring back the four policy decisions taken by the Fadnavis government during 2014-2019 but were subsequently scrapped by the MVA regime. These decisions include restoring the voting rights of farmers to Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) markets, restarting pension for the people jailed during the Emergency, and electing village heads and municipal council presidents directly from the people. The Maharashtra Agriculture Produce and Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act 1963 allows only members of gram panchayats, agriculture credit societies, and multi-purpose cooperative societies, to elect the members of APMCs. In August 2017, the then BJP-Shiv Sena government brought an amendment to the legislation and gave farmers the right to elect the members and chairpersons of APMCs in the area where they sell their produce. In January 2020, the MVA government cancelled this provision and went back to the older procedure wherein members of gram panchayats, multi-purpose co-operative societies, and agriculture credit societies elected the APMC board, claiming the APMC does not have enough funds to conduct elections on such a large scale. The Shinde government decided to restore the voting rights of farmers who own 0.25 acre (1,000 square metres) of land and have sold their produce in the APMC market at least three times in the last five years where he or she seeks to be a voter. The electoral changes were seen as a bid by the government to break the stronghold of the NCP and Congress in the cooperative sector and local bodies. Pension for activists who were jailed during the Emergency was also reinstated by the Shinde government. Those who were jailed for more than a month during the Emergency will get Rs 10,000 pension from August 1. If the person is deceased, his/her spouse will get Rs 5,000 as a pension. In case the jail term was less than one month, then the figures will stand at Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,500 respectively. The decision was first implemented by the Fadnavis government in 2017 but was reversed by the MVA government in 2020 which claimed that most of the beneficiaries were affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Shinde govt also revoked Uddhav-led MVA's decision to scrap direct election of sarpanch, municipal council president The new government also revoked the MVA's decision to scrap the direct election of sarpanch and municipal council president. It also decided to allow the direct election of the sarpanch (village head) for local self-government bodies (gram panchayats). The state government has decided to add a provision that the gram panchayat will not be able to move a no-confidence motion against the sarpanch or deputy sarpanch in the first two years after the election and six months before the next election. Similarly, the incumbent government also decided to elect municipal council presidents directly from the people by bringing an amendment to the Maharashtra Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat, and Industrial Towns Act, 1965. The erstwhile Fadnavis government in 2017 made the amendment to make way for the direct election of sarpanches. This was done to make inroads in village panchayats, traditionally controlled by the Congress and NCP, even though the elections are rarely contested on party symbols. In January 2020, the then MVA government decided to overturn this decision claiming the differences between ideologies of sarpanchs and members of gram panchayats were a hurdle in developmental work. In the first cabinet meeting after taking over, the Shinde government stayed the shifting of the Metro car shed from green lung Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg in Mumbai. Incidentally, shifting the Metro car shed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg was the first decision taken by the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA dispensation in 2019. In March 2021, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) told the High Court that the Kanjurmarg plot was better suited than the Aarey as the land admeasuring 102 acres from survey No. 275 of village Kanjur was required for constructing the car shed for Metro lines 3,4 and 6 and also an interchange station for proposed line 14. The incumbent government has also cancelled development projects worth Rs 850 crore from the rural development department and fund allocation from district planning committees, which were decided by the previous MVA government, arguing the allocation of funds and projects was unequal as only NCP MLAs were favoured. New Delhi: Former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur is once again in the race for the top post of Sikhs largest representative body and has also been reaching out to the SGPC members seeking their support. Kaur who has been the minister in the SAD(B) government didnt make an impetuous decision to contest for the presidentship of SGPC but a well-considerate one and she has not even denied her aspirations in public and media. This is despite the fact that SAD(B) is yet to announce the name of the candidate of its choice for the crown of SGPC. Every SGPC member aspires to perform duties at a higher level this is how Bibi Jagir Kaur justifies being in the race for the presidentship of SGPC though she denies going against the party lines. Notably, the SGPCs General House session is scheduled to be held on November 9, a day after the birth anniversary of Sikhs first master Guru Nanak Dev, at SGPCs headquarters at Teja Singh Samundari Hall wherein SGPCs president, vice president, and other office bearers will be elected. There are a total of 191 members in the SGPC,s house. One hundred and seventy members are elected from the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh while 15 are co-opted from across the nation. Also Read: Punjab farmers are now choosing sustainable ways of getting rid of crop residue; here's why The SGPC includes five Sikh high priests and the head granthi of the Golden Temple. Twenty-six members have expired since the last SGPC elections, and two have resigned. Opposition groups have as many as 22 members. Kaur, who is also the president of Dera Sant Prem Singh Murale Wale in Begowal, has been embroiled in controversies, including the mysterious death of her daughter, but she has received overwhelming support from the Lubana community and praises their role in spreading Sikhism. Also Read: Punjab Government seeks resumption of flights from THESE 4 airports Sikh intellectuals even a majority of SGPC members, both aligned with SAD(B) and opposition groups are of the view that it will be SAD(B) president Sukhbir Singh Badal who will eventually pick up the candidate for the post of presidentship of SGPC while considering the political future of his party that could barely manage a handful of seats and was been pushed to margins in state polity after last assembly elections. The question is whether Bibi Jagir Kaur would rebel if the party chose to ignore her visible ascension to the SGPC throne by fielding another candidate. According to her political history, there appears to be little chance of Jagir Kaur rebelling and running for president on her own, but as an audacious leader, this could be interpreted as a move to put pressure on the party not to ignore her. On the other hand, the current incumbent of the seat, Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, is going out of his way to justify his candidacy to the party by publicly listing his accomplishments during his tenure. Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, revealed on Wednesday that the 27th session of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP27) is preparing a criteria paper for public and private climate action financing. The paper intends to direct money to the activities, sectors and countries that are most in need, and push developed countries toward fulfilling their climate related pledges. Mohieldin made the remarks via video at Benha University's first annual conference of humanities postgraduate studies. The climate champion said that the five regional forums initiative launched by Egypt's presidency of COP27, UN regional economic commissions and HLCs, aims mainly to link regional projects, investments and finance entities in unprecedented ways in order to find projects that can benefit from the $130 trillion GFANZ finance and other sources of financing. Mohieldin said that the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects launched by Egypt is an unprecedented initiative across all countries that hosted the previous COPs, and it aims to localise climate action and scale up the participation of local actors such as governorates, municipalities, volunteer work entities, NGOs, universities and scientific research centres. He explained that local actors have registered 6,281 projects, the best 18 of which will be selected based on compatibility with environmental and climate goals and making the most of digitalisation and technology development. Twenty-seven projects will be selected by governors (one for each governorate) to represent the governorate, and the competition will be held annually as it succeeded in setting an investment map across Egypts governorates. Mohieldin said the priorities of COP27 include adopting a holistic climate action approach that balances mitigation and adaptation measures, addresses losses and damages, and mobilises sufficient finances for climate activities, turning pledges and commitments into actual implementation, enhancing local and regional aspects of climate action to integrate with the global effort, and applying the previously mentioned mechanisms of financing climate action. Search Keywords: Short link: Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka has dismissed a petition filed by an accused in the journalist Gauri Lankesh murder case seeking default bail' by challenging a lower court order. Hrishikesh Devdikar of Maharashtra was arrested in January 2020 and sent to judicial custody in connection with the case. Later, he filed an application for statutory/default bail' under Section 167(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code in the Special court. However, his application was not considered by the court. Hence, he approached the High Court against this. The accused's contention was that since it was a murder case, a charge sheet had to be filed within 90 days of his arrest. But no charge sheet was filed against him even on April 4, 2020, so he should automatically get bail as per Subsection (2) of Section 167 of CrPC. The government advocate argued that Devdikar was absconding and a charge sheet had already been filed in his absence. On October 21, 2022, Justice Suraj Govindaraj rejected the plea stating that the charge sheet in the case was already filed before this accused was arrested. Therefore, he cannot seek the benefit of Subsection (2) of Section 167 of CrPc. An accused would not be entitled to the benefit under Subsection (2) of Section 167 of CrPC, in the event of charges sheet having already been filed before his arrest, the judge said. I am of the considered opinion that in the present case, a charge sheet having been laid against the petitioner even prior to the arrest of the petitioner, the petitioner having been arraigned as an accused and charged with a certain offence, I am of the considered opinion that the benefit of Subsection (2) of Section 167 of CrPc would not arise, he added. Also Read: Delhi woman, who levelled 'fabricated' gang-rape charge, arrested Vadodara: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, October 23, 2022, met Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries of the central Gujarat zone comprising eight districts here to discuss strategies for the Assembly polls, due in December this year. Those present at the meeting have been asked to give suggestions by November 3 on how the party can win all 52 Assembly seats in the eight districts that comprise the central Gujarat zone, BJP sources said. The meeting lasted for nearly four hours in a hotel in Vadodara, they informed. The BJP, which has been in power in the state for close to three decades, has set a target to win 150 of the total 182 seats. If the party could pull off this feat, it would break the 1985 record of 149 seats won by Congress under Madhavsinh Solanki. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil, and party general secretary of the organisation in Gujarat, Ratnakar, were also present at the meeting. Shah offered guidance and discussed strategies with MLAs, MPs, district BJP presidents, panchayat presidents, Vadodara city mayor and heads of various cooperatives who attended the meeting, party sources said. Shah met party leaders of the south Gujarat zone in Valsad on Saturday. On Monday, he will interact with BJP functionaries of the north Gujarat zone in Palanpur. In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 99 seats, while the opposition Congress improved its tally to 77. New Delhi: According to a handout, the State Investigation Agency, Kashmir conducted searches at multiple locations across the valley on October 22 in order to continue destroying the financial networks of militant outfits with the goal of completely destroying its ecosystem and supporting the structure of terrorism. About 14 suspects' homes and business premises in Srinagar, Sopore, Baramulla, and Shopian were searched in accordance with a search warrant. Incriminating material, electronic devices, mobile phones, bank documents, and other items relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized during the searches. The case involves financial networks of terror organisations operating in the valley, according to the spokesperson. According to reliable information, a group of overground workers of militant organisations, in collusion with and active support from their Pakistan-based militant handlers, including terrorists who had exfiltrated from the valley and are now based in Pakistan, are arranging a variety of logistical support, including channelling finances, with the overall goal of furthering and sustaining terror activities in J&K in order to destabilise the Union of India. Also Read: On Diwali, Kashmir sets example of brotherhood, Muslim family makes lakhs of diyas The search warrant was obtained from the Hon'ble Court of Special Judge, Designated under NIA Act (TADA/POTA) Srinagar in connection with the investigation of case FIR No. 7/2022 registered in Police Station CIK (SIA) Kashmir under Sections 13, 18, 19, 39, 40 UA(P) Act, 121. The data would be analysed, and any leads that emerged would serve as the foundation for further investigation. It is important to note that the searches are aimed at dismantling the terrorist organisations' financial networks, according to the statement. Also Read: Prime-time debate should be on killing of youths in police custody, says Mehbooba Mufti Bengaluru: Anand Mamani, Karnataka Assembly Deputy Speaker and BJP legislator, died at 56 on Saturday night owing to a severe illness. He passed away at a private hospital as per the family. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter. The three-time MLA Anand Mamani represented Saudatti legislative assembly constituency. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai visited the hospital and paid homage to him. "Deeply saddened to learn about the demise of our party MLA and Deputy Speaker of the state legislative assembly Anand Chandrashekhar Mamani. May his soul rest in eternal peace and may God give his family strength to bear the loss. Om Shanti," Bommai tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his condolences and wrote on Twitter, "Pained by the passing away of Shri Anand Mamani, the Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly. He was a formidable leader who worked extensively for social empowerment. He also worked to strengthen BJP across Karnataka. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti." Pained by the passing away of Shri Anand Mamani, the Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly. He was a formidable leader who worked extensively for social empowerment. He also worked to strengthen BJP across Karnataka. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 23, 2022 Anand Mamani's father Chandrashekhar M Mamani had also served as the deputy speaker in the 1990s. (With PTI inputs) Khargone: A five-year-old girl died after a group of stray dogs attacked her in Bakavan village of Madhya Pradesh`s Khargone district, an official said. The incident occurred around 1 pm on Friday when the girl was going to a grocery shop situated nearby her house alone. One of the relatives of the girl, Sualal said that the father of the girl went to work in the field and she went to the shop alone. In the meantime, a group of stray dogs attacked her and bit her on the neck. The villagers rescued the girl from the grip of the dogs and took her immediately to Baidia Hospital from where she was referred to district hospital after primary treatment. She died while undergoing treatment there. The girl`s father, MP Lal said that he had gone to work in the field. His daughter Sonia went to the grocery store near the house to get some stuff, during which around 5 dogs suddenly attacked on her neck. She had lost a lot of blood due to the dog bite. District hospital police outpost in-charge Gataram said that a case was filed in the matter and further proceedings were on. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began the 'Deepotsav' in Ayodhya and offered prayers to Ram Lalla at Ram Janmbhoomi Sunday (October 23) on the occasion of 'Choti Diwali.' PM began the celebration with the declaration of 'Satyameva Jayte.' He said the values inculcated by Lord Ram through his words, thoughts and rule are the inspiration for "sabka saath, sabka vikas". Addressing a gathering at the Ram Katha park where a symbolic coronation of Lord Ram and Sita was performed, PM said he got the opportunity of having the deity's "darshan" due to his blessings. "I am happy that people of Ayodhya, entire UP and world are witnessing this event. As we are celebrating 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava', the determination like Lord Ram will take the country to new heights," he said. #WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the #Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on the eve of the festival of #Diwali (Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/7URD7NuUFg ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2022 The PM said Lord Ram's ideals are a beacon of light for people aspiring for a developed India in next 25 years and give the "courage to achieve the most difficult goals". We begin our celebration with the declaration of 'Satyamev Jayate'. This celebration will revive the ethos of cultural India. Today is the day of a ray of hope, a ray of humankind,a ray of Janbhagidari,a ray of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas: PM Modi at #Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/DQ6zq0uQJe ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2022 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered prayers to Ram Lalla at Ram Janmbhoomi here. This is his first visit to Ayodhya after a "bhoomi pujan" for the construction of a Ram temple on August 5, 2020. #WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers 'aarti' at New Ghat, Saryu River in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on the eve of #Diwali #Deepotsav (Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/PwxJjJQuKW ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2022 Immediately after reaching Ayodhya for the Deepotsav celebrations, the PM went to the makeshift Ram temple and offered prayers to Ram Lalla. He lit an earthen lamp there and performed an "aarti". New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Ayodhya on Sunday, October 23, 2022, to take part in the grand occasion of Deepotsav. PM Modi was welcomed by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath and UP Governor Anandiben Patel. After reaching the holy city, PM Modi offered prayers to Ram Lalla at Ram Janmabhoomi. He also inspected Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra site. He will perform the Rajyabhishek of the symbolic Bhagwan Shree Ram later. #WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers to Lord Ramlala Virajman in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi on the eve of #Diwali in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh (Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/YVnnjRQ4fX ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2022 Today, the city will set a new Guinness World Record for lighting 18 lakh diyas across the city. The 6th edition of the `Deepotsav` celebrations started today morning with sixteen spectacular tableaux based on episodes from the Ramayana taken out in the holy city. Uttar Pradesh | Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra site in Ayodhya. He will perform the Rajyabhishek of the symbolic Bhagwan Shree Ram later. pic.twitter.com/Mgx7EGquJT ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2022 Also Read: World's largest diya symbolising global peace, unity lit in Punjab's Mohali In this Deepotsav, the symbolic coronation of Lord Ram will be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The Deepotsav celebrations will remind visitors of Ayodhya as it was in Tretayuga when Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after conquering Lanka and how the people of Ayodhya had welcomed him. Treaty will come alive today in Ayodhya," Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said. This years Diwali celebrations in the Ram nagri will feature fireworks, a laser display, and the staging of Ramlilas, on Sunday, October 23, 2022. According to the Prime Minister's Office, PM Modi will also see a 3-D holographic projection mapping performance at Ram ki Paidi on the banks of the Saryu, as well as a spectacular melodic laser extravaganza. Diwali celebrations that will feature fireworks, a laser display, and the staging of Ramlilas, on Sunday, October 23, 2022. According to the Prime Minister's Office, Modi will also see a 3-D holographic projection mapping performance at Ram ki Paidi on the banks of the Saryu, as well as a spectacular melodic laser extravaganza. The Yogi Adityanath government through the organisation of `Deepotsava` will promote not only the state`s spiritual and religious significance but also the `Dhobia`, and `Faruwahi` dance artists. "The artistes of `Braj` in Awadh will mesmerise the audience with the culture, language and unique characteristics of the land of Rama-Krishna," an official statement read. The banks of river Sarayu await to be lit up with lakhs of earthen lamps on the occasion of `Deepotsav`. This year, out of 16 chariots 11 chariots are being prepared by the Information Department and 5 will be digital, which will be taken out on open trucks by the Department of Tourism. It will be based on scenes from the Ramayana era, in which the model of Ram temple and the model of development of 2047 Ayodhya will be presented. To depict the Ram Janmabhoomi Model, Kashi Corridor, Vision 2047, 1090 and the journey from the birth of Lord Rama to the coronation, as many as 16 tableaux are scheduled to be taken out this year. (With Agency Inputs) Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress in Kerala on Saturday suspended rape-accused MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly from the KPCC and DCC memberships for six months, the party said. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), in a statement, said the explanation provided by the MLA was not satisfactory and the party suspended him from the KPCC and District Congress Committee (DCC) memberships for a period of six months. "The explanation provided by him on the allegations were not satisfactory. As a representative of the people, he failed to exercise due diligence," the KPCC said. A woman had recently filed a rape and attempt to murder case against the Perumbavoor MLA. Meanwhile, Kunnappilly, who was absconding after the case was filed against him, on Saturday appeared before the Crime Branch as part of the interrogation. Crime Branch sources said he will be further questioned in the coming days. Another case against Congress MLA for revealing name of victim Kerala police had on Friday registered a new case against the Congress MLA for allegedly revealing the name of the victim in a rape and attempt to murder case against him. Police said the case was registered based on the complaint filed by the victim that the Congress legislator defamed her through online channels. Congress MLA addresses media, claims innocence A day after he was granted anticipatory bail by a court in a case of rape and attempt to murder, the Congress leader on Friday appeared before the media and claimed that he was innocent and had done nothing wrong as alleged by the complainant woman. The two-time legislator expressed confidence that he could prove charges against him as wrong in court and could come out clean. The police and party leadership had made it clear that he was untraceable after the case was registered against him. MLA 'rubbishes' victim's allegations When asked about the victim's charges against him, the MLA rubbished it saying they were all just allegations. A sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday granted the Congress MLA anticipatory bail in a case of rape and attempt to murder. Besides rape and attempt to murder, the Congress MLA has also been charged with assault following a complaint from the alleged victim who stated he had abducted and manhandled her. The case was filed against three accused, including the MLA's personal assistant and a friend. The victim claimed that Kunnappilly offered her Rs 30 lakh to settle the case registered against him. New Delhi: A day after the Gujarat government announced that no fine will be collected for the violation of traffic rules in the state till October 27 in view of Diwali festivities, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday (October 22, 2022) termed it a "Revdi" (freebie) from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a tweet, Owaisi also said that this "revdi" bonanza by the Gujarat government is putting people's lives at risk. "In 2021, Gujarat saw 15,200 road traffic accidents in which 7,457 people lost their lives. This 'revdi' bonanza by BJP Gujarat govt is putting people's lives at risk," the Lok Sabha MP said. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, notably, have been vocal against the culture of offering freebies to woo voters. Assembly polls in Gujarat are scheduled to be held later this year. Earlier on Friday, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said that the decision was taken so that people's "Diwali is not spoiled". "From October 21 to 27, traffic police in Gujarat will not collect any fine from people. If anyone is caught without a helmet or driving licence or found violating any other traffic rule during this period, our police will give them a flower," Sanghavi said. In 2021, Gujarat saw 15,200 road traffic accidents in which 7,457 people lost their lives. This revdi bonanza by BJP Gujarat govt is putting peoples lives at risk https://t.co/ExBBiImjPK Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) October 22, 2022 The decision was taken to give relief to people during Diwali and it was being done under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, he said. New Delhi: Congress on Sunday, October 23, 2022, hit back at the Centre for action against the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT), saying the move is aimed at diverting public attention from the main issues being faced by the country. The government has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licences of the RGF and the RGCT - two NGOs headed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi - for alleged violation of laws, officials said on Sunday. "They (Centre) recycle old charges against the RGF and RGCT. This is to defame the Congress and divert public attention from issues of day-to-day concern to them," said Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh. The economy is in deep crisis caused by spiralling prices, unemployment and a falling rupee, he said. What BJP said Earlier on Sunday, BJP welcomed the cancellation of the FCRA licences of two NGOs headed by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and said the Gandhi family and organisations linked to them can't be above law. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed that the home ministry's decision to cancel the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licences of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) for alleged violation of laws has "exposed" their corruption. He also hit out at the RGF for receiving donations from controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, the Chinese embassy and the Chinese government besides several people accused of corruption charges, including Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor, when the Congress-led UPA was in power. Congress' NGOs Sonia Gandhi was running the UPA government and the NGOs with extra-constitutional authority, he claimed, alleging that these private bodies received patronage from the then-ruling dispensation as several ministries and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) donated them huge amounts of money. Even the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund meant to help in disasters and accidents donated to the RGF, he noted. "The Gandhi family is present wherever there is corruption," Patra alleged. These dynasts enjoyed perks of power without responsibility and accountability, he said. Government sources said the action against the two NGOs came following investigations carried out by an inter-ministerial committee formed by the MHA in 2020. "The FCRA licences of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust have been cancelled after investigations against these NGOs," an official said. The investigators covered alleged manipulation of documents while filing income-tax returns, misuse of funds and money laundering while receiving funds from foreign countries, including China. (With agency inputs) Ethiopian and Eritrean forces took control of the historic town of Adwa in the embattled Tigray region, a humanitarian worker said Sunday, ahead of the start of anticipated peace talks between the warring parties. Ethiopian and Eritrean military units captured Adwa on Saturday as Tigray forces retreated from the town after suffering "major losses," the aid worker told The Associated Press. An airstrike hit Adwa on Friday, causing an unspecified number of civilian causalities, according to the worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of safety concerns. Losing Adwa is the latest setback for Tigray's fugitive leaders, who have lost control of a string of towns in recent days. Ethiopia's federal government said Tuesday it had captured the major town of Shire, home to a camp for internally displaced people, and vowed to take control of Tigray's airports. Eritrean troops are fighting on the side of Ethiopia's federal army in the Tigray conflict. South Africa is set to host peace talks, convened by the African Union, that one Ethiopian government official had said would begin Oct. 24. But the African Union itself has not released details about plans for the talks, if and when they start. The talks were meant to begin earlier in October but were postponed because of logistical and technical issues. Western diplomats and others have welcomed news of talks, urging the parties to agree to an immediate cease-fire. Pope Francis on Sunday told a crowd in St. Peter's Square that he was following "with trepidation the persistent situation of conflict" in the Horn of Africa nation. "May the efforts of the parties who are involved in dialogue and the search for the common good lead to a concrete path of reconciliation," he said. The U.N. Security Council discussed the conflict in Ethiopia at a closed meeting Friday but didn't issue a statement because of divisions among its 15 members. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was "deeply concerned by reports of significant loss of life, destruction, indiscriminate bombardment and human rights abuses'' since fighting reignited in the Tigray region in August. Thousands of protesters gathered Saturday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, for a government-sponsored rally to condemn perceived interference by outsiders in Ethiopia's internal affairs. A statement from the federal government's communication service Sunday praised the protesters "who raised your voice for the sovereignty and honor of Ethiopia.'' The conflict, which began nearly two years ago, has spread into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara as Tigray's leaders try to break the blockade of their region. Search Keywords: Short link: Lucknow: A retired Inspector General of Police (IGP) suffocated to death after a fire broke out at his Indiranagar residence here, late on Saturday night. ADCP North Zone, Abijith R Shankar said around 11.p.m, the police were informed by neighbours about a fire in Sector-18 Indiranagar residence of retired OG Dinesh Chandra Pandey. Five fire tenders were pressed into service. "The IG died of suffocation while his son and wife suffered injuries and have been admitted to KGMU Trauma Centre," the officer said. The air conditioner caught fire due to short circuit According to initial investigations, it appears that the air conditioner caught fire due to a short circuit in the room where the retired IG was asleep. The fire engulfed his room. Also Read: Electric scooter battery EXPLODES while charging, 7-year-old boy dies in Mumbai Wife and son were in another room His wife Aruna and son Shashank, who were in another room on the same floor, rushed to his rescue but in vain. Later, cops and firemen rushed to the spot doused the fire and thereafter took the injured to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) where Pandey was declared brought dead and his wife and son were referred to KGMU Trauma Centre. New Delhi: In a shocking incident Karnataka Housing Minister V Somanna surrounded himself with controversy after a video him of slapping a woman went viral on social media. Somanna allegedly slapped a woman in a village in Gundlupet when she went with a plea to resolve her grievance. In the video going viral on social media Karnataka minister Somanna is seen turning angry and hitting the woman on the face as she approaches him reportedly pleading him to allot a plot. According to PTI report, Somanna, who is the district in-charge minister of Chamarajanagar, had gone to Hangla village in Gundlupet and was taking part in a property document distribution ceremony. Property documents were given to landless people who were occupying government land for residential purposes but had not secured any ownership of it till now. Karnataka Minister V Somanna Slaps woman BJP minister V Somanna slaps a woman asking for his help on some issue ! This is the level of BJP ministers and some women support them on women issues like what the hell ?? What is the audacity of this minister ?! pic.twitter.com/LafD685JFH Captain Ghaziabad (@CaptainGzb) October 23, 2022 Though the Minister had not reacted to the incident yet his office has shared a video in which the woman said she only pleaded a plot be granted to her as she was too poor. "I bowed at his feet with the plea and the minister lifted me consoling me that he would help me but it was publicised that he beat me up," the woman accompanied by her children said in the video. Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh criticised the minister for his purported conduct. "What a difference from the way @RahulGandhi began the Karnataka leg of #BharatJodoYatra from the very same Gundlupet on 30th September! This shameless man should be sacked immediately!" Ramesh tweeted. (sic) Bengaluru: The political impact of Mallikarjun Kharge's election to the post of Congress President is being keenly watched in his poll-bound home state of Karnataka with the party hoping to reap dividends to consolidate its Dalit vote base. The veteran leader is also expected to use his good offices in unifying the faction-ridden party in the state, ahead of Assembly elections just six months away. Kharge is only the second leader, after Jagjivan Ram, to be the Congress President from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population across more than 100 caste groups in the state. Congress base among Dalits has shrunk over years According to some party insiders and political observers, Congress' strong support base among Dalits has shrunk over the years, due to various factors including a section of it shifting towards BJP in recent years, attracted by the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for a development agenda. Also, the grand old party's inability to resolve the differences between left and right sects among the Dalits, concerning internal reservation, has also led to it losing the support of the Left, who have considerable presence in the state. Kharge belongs to the Dalit right, and his ability to win over the left, who have by and large moved towards the BJP, is crucial, and will determine whether things will turn in favour of the Congress or not, political analysts say. There is anger among a large section of the community, over the fact that Congress, which enjoyed their support for long, did not make a Dalit as the state's Chief Minister. Kharge himself had lost out from the chance of becoming the Chief Minister, after having come very close to it, a couple of times. Political analyst A Narayana from Azim Premji University said, "Overall, it (Kharge's elevation) is an advantage for the Congress (in Karnataka), but to what extent it will turn into an electoral or political capital, we do not know and have to see." Noting that Dalits harbour "a little bit" of anger against the Congress which sort of affected its prospects last time (in 2018 polls), he said there is still a feeling in the community that they were not given their due. "Ultimately, that dissatisfaction will be addressed only when a Dalit becomes the CM, but it is a distant possibility, given the political realities of the state today...In the meantime, to address this discontent to an extent, it seems to be a good argument for the Congress to say that the top post of the party has been given to a Dalit, and we respect the Dalit sentiments," he added. Further, pointing out that in Karnataka, Congress' problem with Dalits is a more specific one, where the left sect of the community is angry with the party more than the right, Narayana said it remains to be seen if the elevation of Kharge, a Dalit on the right will help the party to placate the other side. "It depends on how much they (Congress) try to leverage, whether Kharge will make any impact in that direction, and how they address the discontent that the left wing has particularly regarding the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report among other things," he added. The Justice A J Sadashiva Inquiry Commission, which looked into methods of equitable distribution of reservation facilities among Scheduled Castes (SCs), had recommended internal reservation among the castes by broadly reclassifying all the 101 castes into four groups. 'Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka' Senior Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council V R Sudarshan said Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka and it will certainly strengthen the party affairs in the state, both politically and socially. He said, "It is an opportunity to consolidate (Dalits) in favour of the party... However, Kharge personally has never played his Dalit identity card, even when there was a circumstance for him to become the CM... He has always been a committed Congressman and gone by his performance and loyalty." With Kharge's elevation, there are also talks in political circles as to whether it would create one more 'power centre' within the Karnataka Congress which is deeply divided, and amid growing political one-upmanship between state President D K Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions. Amid this situation, there are talks whether the new AICC chief will be able to rein in all the factions and unite the party for the elections. There are also discussions in the party, whether it will be 'disadvantage' for Siddaramaiah (who had joined the Congress from JDS) with Kharge at the helm as his preference may be towards old-time party loyalists on matters relating to ticket distribution and leaders among others. However, Narayana responding to this said, "Yes, there will be another power centre in Karnataka, but will it affect the possibility of Siddaramaiah becoming or not becoming CM, I don't think so, because Kharge is appointed keeping in mind the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election." New Delhi: According to the event organisers, the world's largest oil lamp was lit in Punjab's Mohali to send a message of global peace. According to them, over 10,000 citizens contributed oil for the event, which ended with a world record. The world's largest Diya, measuring 3.37 metres in diameter and made of around 1,000 kilogrammes of steel, was lit here on Saturday evening by chief guest of the event Lt Gen K J Singh (retd), former general officer commanding-in-chief of Army's Western Command, to spread the message of world peace, unity, secularism, and humanism. Over 10,000 citizens, including 4,000 residents of 'Hero Homes,' representing the diverse fabric and diversity of Indian society, contributed 3,129 litres of organic and diya-appropriate oils to create this one-of-a-kind peace symbol. Hero Homes, which hosted the event on its premises, is a residential division of Hero Realty Private Limited, Hero Enterprise's real estate arm. The huge diya was lit in the presence of official adjudicators of the Guinness Book of World Records, who were present at the Society of Hero Homes in Mohali to record this feat, according to Ashish Kaul, CMO, Hero Realty. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this diya was lit with 3,000 litres of cooking oil and is the world's largest oil lamp ever lit. Also Read: Analysis of SGPC election: Former Punjab minister Bibi Jagir Kaur once again in the race for top position "This is an unconventional event combining the dual intent of celebrating Diwali as per tradition and one that also manages to spread an important social message." Lt Gen Singh said. He believes it is fitting that Punjab, which has seen strife in the past, is now home to the world's largest peace icon. "If you look at diya, it is a medium to spread light, awareness, knowledge, and knowledge related to peace," Lt Gen Singh added. "I have my roots in Kashmir," said Ashish Kaul, CMO, of Hero Realty, who came up with the idea for the world's largest oil lamp. I've been looking for a peaceful way to return home for the last 32-33 years. Also Read: Punjab Government seeks resumption of flights from THESE 4 airports "So, for me as a person, it has always been a quest for peace and when I thought Diwali was around the corner, what better occasion to send out a message of peace than this? We have seen so much bloodshed in Kashmir, and we see war in Ukraine, so I thought that the true message of Diwali was a celebration of peace and it is the biggest festival of peace. So, this humble diya is the biggest source of inspiration for global peace". "I thought I must have the biggest symbol of peace in the world from the land of Punjab, from this country for the whole world to know that if at all there is something which we need first and foremost, it is peace, which makes everything else meaningful," said Kaul. He said, "The oil in the diya, collected from various individuals irrespective of regions, languages, religions and other cultural creeds, represents the united resolve for peace and spirit of Indians." (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday said he was recently rushed to a hospital here after he cut a vein on his left calf. The cinema icon, who turned 80 earlier this year, shared the news on his official blog and said he had received stitches to control the bleeding. "A jutting piece of metal sliced my left calve and managed to cut the vein .. The vein when cut spurts out the red' uncontrollably .. But had the nerve to get the doc and so into an OT and the stitching up .. With the assistance of team of staff and docs in time..," Bachchan wrote. "The throb is the control factor on KBC and it must be stated that those 3-4 hours on each episode, does take care of the... Its a little inoperative, but the will to continue in the similar spirit of measurement and tribe and class in range does give a hope and we cope... Its quite fresh and with opinion and advice (sic)," he added. The "Kaun Banega Crorepati" host said doctors have advised him to not strain or try walking, even on a treadmill. "In admittance the medical to not stand, to not move, to not strain on it by even a TreadMill walk is not permitted!! At times the satisfaction of the extreme may bring the joys or the griefs of existence... But extremes do not and never last .. They either perish or leave an indelible mark .. At strategic places on the body or bodies .. That is an embarrassment .. Takes a while to step out of it , so help me God .. !!! (sic)" Bachchan wrote. On Saturday, the actor had posted photos from the sets of "Kaun Banega Crorepati" that showed him running with a bandage on his left leg. "Running striding jogging on to work .. Into that horizon of loud cheers and love .. And your PRAYERS," he had written in the caption. On the film front, Bachchan has so far featured in four films in 2022 -- "Jhund", "Runway 34", "Brahmastra: Part One Shiva" and "Goodbye". He will be next seen in Sooraj Barjatya's film "Uunchai", which is set to debut in theatres on November 11. The movie also stars Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Parineeti Chopra, Danny Dengzongpa and Boman Irani. New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez had deleted evidence from her cell phone, and also tried to leave the country. The ED made this submission while opposing the actor's bail plea in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to Rs 200 crore extortion matter involving multimillionaire conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, an official said on Saturday. The IANS is in possession of ED documents that confirm that she had deleted data from her cell phone. "She admitted deleting crucial evidence on her phone and further had told others to delete the evidence which amounts to tampering of evidence. She also tried to flee abroad," the ED has claimed. The ED said that during the investigation it emerged that Jacqueline enjoyed the proceeds of crime which the main accused (Sukesh Chandrashekhar and Leena Maria Paul) obtained by the route of extortion from Aditi (wife of Shivinder Singh). Jacqueline had knowledge of the criminal antecedents of the main accused -- Sukash and Leena. "She not only used and enjoyed the proceeds of crime herself but also shared that with her family members staying abroad while knowing very well that the money and gifts showered by Chandrasekar were nothing but proceeds of crime not earned by him through any genuine source. An amount of Rs 7,12,24,767 had been identified till now as proceed of crime and the same was attached," the ED said. The ED said that Jacqueline never cooperated with the investigation team, and only when confronted with evidence and statements, she had made the disclosure. Initially, Jacqueline denied that Chandrashekhar had purchased two cars for her parents but on December 12, 2021, she admitted it. She also stated that her sister had received $1,72,913 in her account. Fernandez was granted interim bail. She has not been given regular bail. The court has extended her interim bail till the next date of hearing. Multiple state governments have hiked dearness allowance and dearness relief since the Central government announced the same in September this year. Now, the Assam government has also announced a hike in dearness allowance for the state government employees a day ahead of Diwali. Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the additional amount would be credited to employees' accounts with this month's salary. "Happy to announce 4% additional Dearness Allowance for State Govt employees/All India Service Officers w.e.f. 1st July, 2022, payable with this months salary. Hope this will add to the festive fervour. Also extending my good wishes for an auspicious and happy Deepawali!" said Sarma. Happy to announce 4% additional Dearness Allowance for State Govt employees/All India Service Officers w.e.f. 1st July, 2022, payable with this months salary. Hope this will add to the festive fervour. Also extending my good wishes for an auspicious and happy Deepawali! October 23, 2022 The chief minister also said that the DA hike will be effective from July 1, 2022. CM Sarma hoped that the hike will make the festival more enjoyable. "I hope it will make this time of the festival more enjoyable. Happy Dipanbita and Kali Puja, the festival of lights to the people of the state," said Sarma. Also Read: Did you get Diwali Bonus? Memes flood Twitter as bonus remained daydream for many Assam has around 5 lakh government employees and a hike in dearness allowance is surely going to bring festive cheer to the families. Recently, Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Punjab and Delhi governments had hiked dearness allowance for the respective state government employees and pensioners. While some states hiked the DA with effect from October, some followed the Central government's move and made the hike effective from July 1, 2022. In the states where the DA has been hiked with effect from July, the state government employees would get arrears for three months with their salary. It may be recalled that the Assam government had also increased the daily duty allowance of home guards in the state on October 19. Their daily allowance was increased from Rs 300 to Rs 767, bringing festive cheer to them. The hike increased the monthly salary of the home guards to Rs 23,010. New Delhi: Users of the OnePlus 10T in India have begun receiving the Jio 5G support update from OnePlus. The manufacturer of smartphones has just released OxygenOS 12 A.10, an update to the firmware that brings it to CPH2413 11 A.10. Jio is now supported by the upgrade for the 5G network on the gadget. Recall that on October 1 at the 6th India Mobile Congress, 5G network service was introduced in the nation. Right now, Jio and Airtel have launched their 5G networks in a few cities all over the nation. Vodafone Idea hasn't yet made a 5G service announcement. (Also Read: Post office scheme: Invest Rs 10 lakh in THIS plan, get Rs 14 lakh in 5 years) In announcing the update on a community forum, OnePlus states that Jio 5G will be implemented starting on Monday, October 24. This is because cooperation with carriers is required for 5G adoption. Although Jio 5G is included with this version, it is currently unavailable. After this date, Jio carrier users can test out this feature after installing the update, it was added. (Also Read: Want to record videos in cinematic style using your iPhone? Use THIS feature to get quality shots) Navigate to the settings app on your Oneplus 10T to install the most recent firmware. Check to check if the update appears on top of the screen by tapping on About Device right away. Tap the Download button to see if your device can download it. This OTA will be incremental as usual. A limited portion of customers will receive the OTA today, and in the coming days, it will be more widely distributed. The OnePlus 10T's most recent software update adds support for the Jio 5G network. The update also includes the October security patch for Android. the release's changelog also includes the system, network and display. New Delhi: According to reports, Google has banned 16 apps from the Play Store that were using a lot of data and draining batteries quickly on Android devices. The security company that discovered these issues claims that the removed programmes were engaging in ad fraud by secretly rerouting to websites where they would click on advertisements while posing as legitimate users. The security company claims that the apps had 20 million downloads before they were taken down from the store. (Also Read: Festive dhamaka for OnePlus users! OnePlus 10T now supports 5G service, here's how to activate) According to Ars Technica, Google banned 16 McAfee-detected apps from the Play Store. According to McAfee, the removed software belongs to the category of "utility" apps, which typically carry out simple tasks like enabling users to scan a QR code and access the associated website, turning on the device's flashlight, or as simple as a currency converter or a calculator. (Also Read: Post office scheme: Invest Rs 10 lakh in THIS plan, get Rs 14 lakh in 5 years) McAfee found that when these apps were activated, they would automatically download code, receive alerts to browse websites without the user's knowledge, and click on links and advertisements. Because it would artificially enhance the interaction on these ads while pretending to be a real user, this would be an instance of advertising fraud. The removed apps had libraries like "com.liveposting" and "com.click.cas," which enabled users to click on links and advertisements without their knowledge, ultimately increasing battery depletion and network use. This discovery was made by a security firm in California. The 16 utility apps have been taken off Google's Play Store. Here is the list of such apps: Instagram Profile Downloader High-Speed Camera Quick Note Smart Task Manager Currency Converter Flashlight+ com.smh.memocalendar 8K-Dictionary BusanBus Joycode EzDica Ez Notes com.candlencom.flashlite com.doubleline.calcul com.dev.imagevault Flashlight+ New Delhi: Indian-origin former British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday (October 23) formally declared his candidacy for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and said he wants to fix the economy and deliver for the country. Taking to Twitter, Sunak said he is standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and the next Prime Minister of the UK. Stating that he has a track record of delivering on promises Sunak said he will deliver on the promise of the 2019 menifesto and has a clear plan to fix the economic crisis being faced by the UK. "The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities - if we make right choices- are phenomenol," Rishi Sunak stated. The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis. Thats why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country. pic.twitter.com/BppG9CytAK Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 23, 2022 The 42-year-old is the clear frontrunner as he raced ahead with the backing of at least 128 Tory members of Parliament, even as loyalists of his former boss Boris Johnson claimed he has the necessary 100 MPs needed to make it to the shortlist. While the former Tory leader and prime minister is yet to officially declare his candidacy, the contest is shaping up as a three-way fight between Sunak, Johnson and third-placed Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt. Saudi Arabia's powerful 37-year-old crown prince will not attend an upcoming summit in Algeria after his doctors advised him not to travel, the Algerian presidency said early Sunday. Saudi Arabia offered no immediate acknowledgement of the comments by Algeria about the condition of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who could rule the OPEC-leading nation for decades. The kingdom's government did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press about the prince, whose health hasn't previously prevented him from travelling. Statements carried in Arabic and French on the Algeria Press Service referred to a report from the office of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune about a telephone call between him and Prince Mohammed. In the call, Prince Mohammed ``apologized for not being able to participate in the Arab Summit to be held on Nov. 1 in Algiers, in accordance with the recommendations of doctors who advise him not to travel,'' the statement read. ``For his part, Mr. President said he understood the situation and regretted the impediment of the Crown Prince, His Highness the Emir Mohammed Bin Salman, expressing his wishes for his health and well-being.`` A statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency acknowledged a call between Tebboune and the prince but offered no word on the doctors' advice. It just said the call focused on ``the aspects of bilateral relations between the two fraternal countries`` and possible joint cooperation. The Arab League Summit in Algeria represents the first time the regional body has met since the coronavirus pandemic took hold across the world. The Arab League, founded in 1945, represents 22 nations across the Mideast and North Africa, though Syria has been suspended amid its long-running war. While unified in the call for the Palestinians to have an independent state, the body has otherwise been largely fractious and unable to enforce its mandates. Prince Mohammed came to power in 2015 as a deputy crown prince, then quickly became crown prince some two years after King Salman removed Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a once-powerful figure as head of Saudi counterterrorism efforts and a close American ally. His rise to power, however, has seen the kingdom undergo rapid changes, like allowing women to drive and opening movie theatres while loosening the grip of ultraconservatives in the kingdom. Recently, the prince has come under intense American criticism over Saudi Arabia leading OPEC and allied nations to agree to an oil production cut of 2 million barrels per day. The Future Investment Initiative, the crown prince's annual summit drawing global investors to the kingdom, begins Tuesday amid that U.S. pressure. Prince Mohammed has attended sessions in previous years. Search Keywords: Short link: Kyiv: Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine told all residents of the city of Kherson to leave immediately Saturday ahead of an expected advance by Ukrainian troops waging a counteroffensive to recapture one of the first urban areas Russia took after invading the country. In a post on the Telegram messaging service, the pro-Kremlin regional administration strongly urged civilians to use boat crossings over a major river to move deeper into Russian-held territory, citing a tense situation on the front and the threat of shelling and alleged plans for terror attacks by Kyiv. Kherson has been in Russian hands since the early days of the nearly 8-month-long war in Ukraine. The city is the capital of a region of the same name, one of four that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month and put under Russian martial law on Thursday. On Friday, Ukrainian forces bombarded Russian positions across the province, targeting pro-Kremlin forces' resupply routes across the Dnieper River and preparing for a final push to reclaim the city. The Ukrainian military has reclaimed broad areas in the north of the region since launching a counteroffensive in late August. It reported new successes Saturday, saying that Russian troops were forced to retreat from the villages of Charivne and Chkalove in the Beryslav district. Russian-installed officials were reported as trying desperately to turn Kherson city, a prime objective for both sides because of its key industries and ports into a fortress while attempting to relocate tens of thousands of residents. The Kremlin poured as many as 2,000 draftees into the surrounding region to replenish losses and strengthen front-line units, according to the Ukrainian army's general staff. The wide Dnieper River figures as a major factor in the fighting, making it hard for Russia to supply its troops defending the city of Kherson and nearby areas on the west bank after relentless Ukrainian strikes rendered the main crossings unusable. Taking control of Kherson has allowed Russia to resume fresh water supplies from the Dnieper to Crimea, which were cut by Ukraine after Moscow's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula. A big hydroelectric power plant upstream from Kherson city is a key source of energy for the southern region. Ukraine and Russia accused each other of trying to blow it up to flood the mostly flat region. Kherson's Kremlin-backed authorities previously announced plans to evacuate all Russia-appointed officials and as many as 60,000 civilians across the river, in what local leader Vladimir Saldo said would be an organized, gradual displacement. Another Russia-installed official estimated Saturday that around 25,000 people from across the region had made their way over the Dnieper. In a Telegram post, Kirill Stremousov claimed that civilians were relocating willingly. People are actively moving because today the priority is life. We do not drag anyone anywhere, he said, adding that some residents could be waiting for the Ukrainian army to reclaim the city. Ukrainian and Western officials have expressed concern about potential forced transfers of residents to Russia or Russian-occupied territory. Ukrainian officials urged Kherson residents to resist attempts to relocate them, with one local official alleging that Moscow wanted to take civilians hostage and use them as human shields. Elsewhere in the invaded country, hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up on Saturday to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire. In its latest war tactic, Russia has intensified strikes on power stations, water supply systems and other key infrastructure across the country. Ukraine's air force said in a statement Saturday that Russia had launched a massive missile attack" targeting critical infrastructure, adding that it had downed 18 out of 33 cruise missiles launched from the air and sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said that Russian launched 36 missiles, most of which were shot down. Those treacherous blows on critically important facilities are characteristic tactics of terrorists, Zelenskyy said. The world can and must stop this terror. Air raid sirens blared across Ukraine twice by early afternoon, sending residents scurrying into shelters as Ukrainian air defense tried to shoot down explosive drones and incoming missiles. Several rockets targeting Ukraine's capital were shot down Saturday morning, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging service. The president's office said in its morning update that five suicide drones were downed in the central Cherkasy region southeast of Kyiv. Similar reports came from the governors of six western and central provinces, as well as of the southern Odesa region on the Black Sea. Ukraine's top diplomat said the day's attacks proved Ukraine needed new Western-reinforced air defense systems without a minute of delay. Air defense saves lives, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Telegram that almost 1.4 million households lost power as a result of the strikes. He said some 672,000 homes in the western Khmelnytskyi region were affected and another 242,000 suffered outages in the Cherkasy region. Most of the western city of Khmelnytskyi, which straddles the Bug River and had a pre-war population of 275,000, was left with no electricity, shortly after local media reported several loud explosions. In a social media post on Saturday, the city council urged local residents to store water in case it's also gone within an hour. The mayor of Lutsk, a city of 215,000 in far western Ukraine, made a similar appeal, saying that power in the city was partially knocked out after Russian missiles slammed into local energy facilities and damaged one power plant beyond repair. The central city of Uman, a key pilgrimage center for Hasidic Jews with about 100,000 residents before the war, also was plunged into darkness after a rocket hit a nearby power plant. Ukraine's state energy company, Ukrenergo, responded to the strikes by announcing that rolling blackouts would be imposed in Kyiv and 10 Ukrainian regions to stabilize the situation. In a Facebook post on Saturday, the company accused Russia of attacking energy facilities within the principal networks of the western regions of Ukraine." It claimed the scale of destruction was comparable to the fallout earlier this month from Moscow's first coordinated attack on the Ukrainian energy grid. Both Ukrenergo and officials in Kyiv have urged Ukrainians to conserve energy. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy called on consumers to curb their power use between 7 a.M. And 11 a.M. And to avoid using energy-guzzling appliances such as electric heaters. Zelenskyy said earlier in the week that 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been destroyed since Russia launched the first wave of targeted infrastructure strikes on Oct. 10. In a separate development, Russian officials said two people were killed and 12 others were wounded by Ukrainian shelling of the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region near the border. New Delhi: Russian warplane crashed into a residential building in the Siberian city of Irkutsk Sunday, regional authorities said. There was no immediate information on casualties. Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev said the plane came down on a two-story building in the city. The local branch of Russia's Emergencies Ministry said the Su-30 fighter jet crashed during a training flight and fell on a two-story wooden building, sparking a fire. The crash came less than a week after another Russian warplane crashed near an apartment building in the Sea of Azov port of Yeysk and exploded in a giant fireball, killing 15 and injuring another 19. Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev stated on Telegram that the plane crashed into a two-story house in the city. He stated that he was on the scene and had no information about casualties. It was the second incident of its kind in six days. A Sukhoi Su-34 fighter plane crashed into an apartment building in the southern city of Yeysk, near Ukraine, on Monday, killing at least 15 people. This was reported in an article by Hindustan Times. Also Read: Indian Army's ALH helicopter CRASHES in Arunachal Pradesh, 4 confirmed dead (With agencies inputs) Kabul: According to a recent United Nations report, since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August last year, women and girls in the country have been persecuted for speaking out for fundamental rights and have been confined to their homes. According to Khaama Press, the Taliban continues to impose its brutal regime on Afghan women, prohibiting them from exposing their faces in public and depriving them of reproductive rights, which represents one of the most severe examples of the regression of women's and girls' rights. According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the proportion of women participating in peace talks is also declining, with no women in positions of leadership in the war-torn country. "Only with equal representation of women in leadership and participation, can we build stable, peaceful societies," said the UN Chief in a tweet on Sunday. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, they immediately began rescinding women's and girls' rights. Women began to protest on the streets during the Taliban's first week in power, despite the grave dangers they faced. Women-led protests began in Herat province in western Afghanistan in early September and quickly spread to other provinces. According to Human Rights Watch, the Taliban's response was brutal from the start, with protesters being beaten, protests being disrupted, and journalists covering the demonstrations being detained and tortured. Also Read: India successfully tests Agni Prime new generation ballistic missile Unauthorized protests were also prohibited by the Taliban. The Taliban's abusive responses became more severe over time, culminating in particularly brutal response to a protest on January 16 in Kabul, when Taliban members used pepper spray and electric shock devices to threaten, intimidate, and physically assault protesters. Notably, the situation in Afghanistan for human rights has deteriorated since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power in August of last year. Although the fighting in the country has ceased, serious human rights violations, particularly against women and minorities, continue unabated. Aside from that, the country's consistently rising food prices have emerged as a new challenge for Afghans. Food prices have nearly doubled in less than three months, according to Khaama Press. Also Read: Myanmar army beheaded high school teacher, say villagers The first 14 cases were detected on Monday, in a refugee settlement in Akkar, near the Lebanese-Syrian border. The other four cases, who were also Syrian refugees, were detected late in the day in Arsal (Baalbeck-Hermel). Cholera causes acute diarrhea caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae present in faeces, but it can also be asymptomatic. Cholera transmission is closely linked to inadequate access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Typical at-risk areas include peri-urban slums, and camps for internally displaced persons or refugees, according to the WHO. According to the Ministry of Health, five severely affected people are hospitalized, while eight patients are suffering from mild symptoms and five others are asymptomatic. The death of an infant from acute diarrhea is still under investigation. While the WHO refuses for the moment to speak of an epidemic in Lebanon, it is because the disease has not yet spread throughout the country, but the threat is there. In less than two months, cholera has claimed 36 lives in Syria, where more than 10,000 people have been infected, according to UN estimates. With the constant displacement of people between Lebanon and Syria, and the catastrophic sanitary conditions in refugee camps and disadvantaged regions, there is no doubt that the number of contaminations is increasing, because there is not enough money to improve the sanitary infrastructures in the midst of the economic crisis. International aid is becoming scarce. Cholera is making a comeback in Lebanon as approximately 18 cases were already confirmed in the country as of Oct. 10, just days after the first case was detected, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Lebanese Ministry of Health Sunday. The first 14 cases were detected on Monday, in a refugee settlement in Akkar, near the Lebanese-Syrian border. The other four cases, who were also Syrian refugees, were detected late in the day in Arsal (Baalbeck-Hermel). Cholera causes acute diarrhea caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae present in feces, but it can also be asymptomatic. Cholera transmission is closely linked to inadequate access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Typical at-risk areas include peri-urban slums, and camps for internally displaced persons or refugees, according to the WHO. According to the Ministry of Health, five severely affected people are hospitalized, while eight patients are suffering from mild symptoms and five others are asymptomatic. The death of an infant from acute diarrhea is still under investigation. While the WHO refuses for the moment to speak of an epidemic in Lebanon, it is because the disease has not yet spread throughout the country, but the threat is there. In less than two months, cholera has claimed 36 lives in Syria, where more than 10,000 people have been infected, according to UN estimates. With the constant displacement of people between Lebanon and Syria, and the catastrophic sanitary conditions in refugee camps and disadvantaged regions, there is no doubt that the number of contaminations is increasing, because there is not enough money to improve the sanitary infrastructures in the midst of the economic crisis. International aid is becoming scarce. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt is among the most affected countries by the global economic crisis, and establishing a road map for the economy requires recognising the challenges we face, said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The prime minister made his remarks in the opening speech of the Egyptian Economic Conference 2022 that kicked off on Sunday in the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo in the presence of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. "Egyptian Economic Conference 2022 comes amid one of the worst global economic crises in 80 years," added Madbouly about the conference that is centered around the theme: a roadmap to a more competitive economy. Senior government officials, high-profile economists, intellectuals, thinkers, specialists, businessmen, as well as representatives of more than 80 political parties and parliament members are attending the three-day event. The EEC 2022 was called for by El-Sisi in early September when he urged the government to organise an economic conference to discuss the present economic conditions to boost all sectors of the domestic economy. The government has affirmed that the conference seeks to draw up an economic roadmap for Egypt and reach a common agenda on the country's economic priorities in the coming stage. The conference will include three tracks: macroeconomic policies, widening the scope of private sector contribution to the national economy, and drawing up a roadmap for the Egyptian economic priorities in the coming stage, the Cabinet noted on Saturday. The Cabinet also indicated that the conference will focus on the government's state ownership policy document, which aims to raise the private sector's contribution to the national economy to over 65 percent. Meanwhile, El-Sisi has instructed Prime Minister Madbouly to put eight questions raised by the national dialogue's subcommittees on the government's economic policies in the coming stage on the table of the debates of the economic conference. The national dialogue's general coordinator and head of the Press Syndicate Diaa Rashwan revealed on 20 October that the dialogue's economic subcommittees had sent eight questions to PM Madbouly, asking him to put them on the agenda of the debates of the economic conference. The conference will review the prominent conclusions and recommendations reached during the conference concerning the policies required to face the current challenges in the Egyptian economy. The conference will also have roundtable sessions with the participation of government representatives, including the prime minister, as well as intellectuals, economists and representatives of political parties. Search Keywords: Short link: Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said on Sunday that Egypt aims to cut the public budget deficit to only four percent; a figure that has not been achieved for 42 years. Addressing Egypt's 2022 Economic Conference, the minister added that the average budget deficit in Egypt for 42 years has reached 7.9 percent. "The best figure was achieved after the Gulf War when debts were dropped, bringing the budget deficit to only 5 percent," he noted. The budget deficit for Egypt in the emerging market reached 5.4 percent, while the current budget deficit stood at 6.1 percent, Maait said. Egypt did not achieve a budget surplus in 42 years until 2017-18, before continuing to achieve a fiscal surplus until 2022 at 1.3 percent, he added. "A surplus of 2.3 percent is expected to be reached in the 2026-27 fiscal year," he said. The lowest debt that Egypt recorded over the past 42 years was 78.7 percent of the GDP, while the maximum debt reached 159 percent, the minister said. Before Covid 19, Egypt was moving toward achieving the lowest public debt at 80.2 percent, but the pandemic and economic crisis caused us to stop at this point, and then we reached 87.2 percent, he added. Egypt aims to reach a debt of 72 percent in the next five years, to be the lowest level in 42 years, the minister said. 11% surplus of GPD Maait also stressed that the performance of the fiscal year of 2022-23 is encouraging despite the tough global circumstances, noting Egypt achieved a primary surplus of 11 percent of GDP during the period from July to September 2022. He highlighted an improvement in the sectors of tourism, industry, oil and natural gas, and information technology during the FY 2021-22. The government targets gas exports worth $1 billion monthly by January as the country's gas exports amount to $600 million, Maait said, underlining the foreign direct investments had reached $8.9 billion with an annual increase of 71.4 percent. The government, Maait pointed out, under presidential directives, works on reshaping the economic structure of Egypt by empowering the private sector to have a bigger role in the economic development process. The current economic challenges impose the importance of maximizing industrial and agricultural production and strengthening the industry, a matter that will be fulfilled by the participation of the private sector, the minister added. Senior government officials, high-profile economists, intellectuals, thinkers, specialists, businessmen, as well as representatives of more than 80 political parties and parliament members are attending Egypt's Economic Conference 2022. The conference is the fourth of its kind in Egypt over the past four decades, the last of which was in 2015 amid the start of economic reforms and waves of terrorist attacks that hit the country, Prime Minsiter Mostafa Madbouly said in the opening session of the event. The conference kicked off on Sunday in the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo in the presence of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and will run till Tuesday. Search Keywords: Short link: A pair of memoranda of understanding (MoU) worth AED260 million ($70.8 million) between major pharmaceutical and medical devices companies in the UAE, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) has said. Under the partnerships, PureHealth, one of the largest healthcare providers in the UAE and a member of the ministry's National In country Value (ICV) Programme, will work with Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company (ADMD), which is a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Industrial Projects, as well as Abu Dhabi Ports Group and Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge) to establish a AED110 million medical supplies production line in Abu Dhabi, a WAM report said. Under the MoU, Borouge will provide raw materials while Abu Dhabi Ports Group will provide industrial land in ICAD 1 for the production of medical syringes, administration devices, and blood collection tubes. Diabetes drug Under a separate MoU, PureHealth and Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Company (Julphar) will establish the first factory in the Middle East to produce Glargine (the first long-acting biological alternative to insulin) for the treatment of diabetes. The AED150 million manufacturing facilities will be built in Ras Al Khaimah and will enable the UAE to obtain an insulin substitute at more competitive prices. It will also support exports to regional and global markets where there is an increasing demand for insulin substitutes. Signed in the presence of Sarah bint Youssef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, the partnerships are in line with the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology and the ICV Programme, which aim to attract investors and manufacturers to the UAEs pharmaceutical and medical equipment sectors, among others. The MoU between PureHealth and Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company was signed by: Farhan Malik, CEO of PureHealth Group; Mounir Haddad, CEO of Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company; Abdullah Humaid Al Hamelli, Head of Industrial Cities and Freezones, Abu Dhabi Ports, and Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi, CEO, Borouge. The second MoU, between PureHealth and Julphar was attended by Sheikh Saqr bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Julphar. It was signed by Malik and Dr Essam Mohamed, CEO of Julphar. Both signings were attended by Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology; Dr Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Health Regulation Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention; Sameh Al Qubaisi, Director General - Economic Affairs at Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development; Abdullah Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Industrial Development Sector at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology; and Omar Najm, Director of the Executive Affairs Office at the Department of Health. Make it in the Emirates The MoUs follow the Make in the Emirates Forum, which was hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in May. The forum highlighted industrial investment opportunities and identified products that can be manufactured locally, including in the pharmaceutical and medical supplies sector. This kind of cooperation between major national companies is a draw for international investors and manufacturers working in priority sectors. The Make it in the Emirates campaign goes hand-in-hand with the National ICV Programme, in which national companies help to redirect government procurement spending into the local economy. Empowering priority sectors Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, commented: These partnerships are in line with the directives of our leadership which aim to empower and stimulate sectors, enhance investment, and support the UAEs position as a global industrial hub. The partnerships are in line with our strategic objectives and reflect the important role of the ministry's Make it in the Emirates Forum, which identified more than 300 products that can be produced locally in priority sectors such as pharmaceuticals and medical equipment." He said: These partnerships will play a significant role in boosting economic development through the National ICV Programme. The ICV Programme is one of the ministry's Projects of the 50 supporting economic growth. It increases supply chain resilience and encourages companies to manufacture quality products in the UAE that can be exported globally. Financing opportunities Dr Al Jaber called on investors and industrialists from around the world to seize the investment opportunities offered by the UAEs industrial growth. He urged companies to take advantage of the Make it in the Emirates campaign and the UAE's industrial investment environment. This environment includes competitive financing opportunities, business incubators, feasibility studies, a strategic location, a world-class logistics infrastructure, the UAEs global credibility, legislation that protects investor rights, and easy access to global markets. For her part, Al Amiri said: MoIAT is working under the directives of the UAE leadership to stimulate growth in priority sectors, such as medical technology and devices. The expansion of production capacity resulting from these partnerships contributes to achieving self-sufficiency and increasing global exports. She added: These agreements will strengthen local supply chains and help enhance self-sufficiency in medicines and healthcare products. The memoranda of understanding also reflect efforts by major national companies and institutions to integrate and collaborate while enhancing opportunities for citizens to obtain quality jobs. Developing capacity Sheikh Saqr Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the board of Directors of Julphar, said: Julphar is focused on developing its capacity to provide high-quality healthcare solutions to the Middle East and Africa. Over more than four decades, we have established our name as an Emirati brand with a successful model for pioneering the manufacture of medicines. Julphar leverages the technical and scientific capabilities that position the UAE as a leader in the pharmaceutical sector. This new partnership contributes to increasing production capabilities and exports in line with our strategy to reach new markets while continuing to launch new products to compete in the global market. Abdullah Al Hameli, CEO, Economic Cities & Free Zones, AD Ports Group, said: AD Ports Group collaborates with leading UAE organisations from the public and private sectors to achieve the objectives of the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology, and position the UAE as an advanced hub for strategic industries. These important agreements are aligned with AD Ports Groups commitment to drive economic diversification in line with the vision of our wise leadership. Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi - Kezad Group has a proven record of success in supporting the pharmaceutical industry through advanced infrastructure and services provided by its Life Sciences Hub. This enables us to sustain more growth, attract additional manufacturers and increase pharmaceutical investments regionally and globally. Key role We are confident that this strategic cooperation between leading UAE organisations will play a key role in enhancing and supporting the pharmaceutical and medical supply chains. Kezad Group will continue to provide exceptional capabilities to ensure the success of this project and offer competitive advantages and facilities to its partners. Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi, CEO of Borouge, said: We will provide partners with our locally made polyolefins that are tailored for the healthcare sector and to enhance peoples lives. This collaboration comes as part of Borouges ongoing efforts to support the Make it in the Emirates campaign, strengthening our position as a leading provider of high-quality polyolefin solutions in the region. Dr Mohamed said: This MoU supports Julphar's production of Glargine and other medicines for the local and global market. As for covering the needs of the MENA region and other international countries, an agreement will be made at a later date. With 12 factories in Ras Al Khaimah, worth AED150 million, and an annual production capacity that meets the needs of the local and global market, Julphar will reinforce is position as a leading manufacturer of Glargine globally. This agreement represents a qualitative leap for the UAE, for Julphar, and for the pharmaceutical industry, in line with the Make It in the Emirates initiative. In his comments, Malik said: The Make it in the Emirates is a key initiative that brought different sectors, including healthcare entities, on a common platform. Todays MoUs are actionable results from the follow-up to the Make it in the Emirates Forum. At the Forum, we at PureHealth, along with all the industry colleagues, made a commitment to MOIAT to boost the In-Country Value. We are committed and are proud to be part of the ICV programme, which is an important long-term programme aimed at building a sustainable and prosperous future for UAE. We believe the ICV is not a nice-to-have but a must-have programme and we urge all entities especially in the healthcare sector to adopt ICV programme. ICV critical Malik added: ICV is critical in the healthcare sector because the sector needs to be resilient to be less dependent on external factors. We are already in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is a fusion of the biological, physical, and digital worlds. Medtech, biotech, and biopharma are at the core of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As we all focus on embracing Industry 4.0, supporting the local pharma, biotech and medtech sectors is key to maximising the benefits of this industrial revolution. With a commitment to the ICV programme, we look forward to celebrating many of these collaborations together with other entities to play our role in supporting the growth and prosperity of the UAEs economy. Mounir Haddad , CEO of Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company (ADMD) said: I would like to thank the Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology for this initiative to support the local manufacturing industry. This partnership with PureHealth, Abu Dhabi Ports, and (Borouge) will allow us to expand our manufacturing area, increase our manufacturing capacity, and add new products to our portfolio to supply the local health sector with high quality products. He added: We are grateful to be based in Abu Dhabi where we have the full support from the government in addition to the importance of our geographical location that allows us to easily access global markets in terms of ease of shipments and high reputation of Emirati products. Industrial growth The industrial partnership between Pure Health, Julphar, Abu Dhabi Medical Devices and other government and private entities represents an exemplary model in industrial integration and cooperation. Through these kinds of partnerships, companies will be able to procure products locally, supporting supply chain localisation and local suppliers. The ministry hopes they will pave the way for similar partnerships across sectors.-- TradeArabia News Service Demarcating maritime borders in the Mediterranean and Red seas were critical to exploiting the Zohr gas field, which kept Egypt from going dark due to electrical shortages, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday. The president made his remarks during the opening session of the Egyptian Economic Conference 2022 that kicked off on Sunday in the New Administrative Capital. El-Sisi further explained that at the time when we defined the maritime borders with Greece and Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, we received harsh criticism [locally]. No company would have agreed to explore for gas without demarcated borders, the president noted. El-Sisi added that if it were not for Zohr gas field, Egypt would be facing an electricity shortage due to the cost of gas imports, estimated at $10 billion monthly. Egypt has made a series of oil and gas discoveries in recent years, most notably the giant Zohr gas field off the Mediterranean in 2015, which holds an estimated reservoir of 30 trillion cubic feet of gas. Thanks to the gas field, which started production in December 2017, Egypt achieved self-sufficiency in natural gas since 2018. This project [the Zohr gas field] was planned to be operational in 2021 if we went on working with normal rates, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said, adding, this means Egypt would have been importing natural gas throughout the last period. El-Sisi noted that the Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni said in 2015 that Zohr would start production in five years and he told them only in 18 months and we did it thanks to God. In September 2021, the Cabinets Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC) said in a report that Egypt has seen an unprecedented leap in its natural gas export revenues, which have increased 13-fold over the past eight years. Egypts natural gas and liquified natural gas (LNG) export revenues reached $8 billion in the fiscal year 2021/2022, up from $0.6 billion in 2013/2014, according to the report. Egypt has quadrupled its exports of LNG and natural gas over the past eight years from 1.9 million tons to 7.2 million tons, the IDSC said. Egypts petroleum exports have witnessed a giant leap recently, with Madbouly saying on Sunday that they increased by 109 percent in 2021/22 compared to the previous year with revenues estimated at $18 billion up from $8.6 billion. Egypt plans to use its position on Europes doorstep to become a major supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the continent, which is transitioning away from other fossil fuels. Egypt now ranks fifth in the region in natural gas production by volume, with 58.5 billion cubic metres yearly, according to Madbouly. Egypt also has the infrastructure for transporting and handling natural gas with a network of 7,000 kilometres of pipelines, a distribution network of 31,000 kilometres, and 29 gas-treatment plants as well as two LNG facilities Idku and Damietta plants. This comes in light of European countries' desire to diversify their energy sources in order to decrease dependency on Russian gas, which accounted for 45 percent of European imports in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). According to a plan announced in August, Egypt seeks to save 15 percent in local natural gas used for electricity generation in order to increase exports that can bring much needed foreign currency. Madbouly said in previous statements that saving 10 percent of natural gas used for electricity production and redirecting it for export will bring in approximately $300 million per month, while saving 15 percent will bring in $450 million per month. Search Keywords: Short link: Star Moroccan rapper ElGrande Toto on Sunday apologised for causing offence through recent public statements in which he acknowledged using cannabis. His original comments had sparked an outcry in the country. "I offer my apologies to anyone offended by my words, starting with the authorities and my public," ElGrande Toto, whose real name is Taha Fahssi, told a packed press conference. "Rap is a particular language -- perhaps I did not make good use of it at the right time," the 26-year-old Casablancan rap star said. In late September, ElGrande Toto had told reporters who gathered after one of his concerts "I smoke hash -- so what? "It does not mean I set a bad example," he added at the time. These comments, circulated widely on social media, provoked an outcry in the North African country. Morocco is ranked the biggest producer of cannabis in the world by the UN. Use of the plant is banned at home, but the country is seeking to enter the global medicinal market. The controversy "became too big and it is a valuable lesson for me," added the rapper, who was on Thursday forbidden from leaving Moroccan territory by the authorities and was also summoned by the police in Casablanca. "We do not know the purpose of this summons," his lawyer, Abdelfattah Zahrach, said on Sunday. A Belgium-based journalist has lodged a complaint against Fahssi, accusing him of "incitement to consume drugs" in the wake of his September comments, according to the journalist's lawyer, Mohamed Karrout. ElGrande Toto was the most in demand Arab artist in the Maghreb in 2021 on Spotify, with more than 50 million downloads. His YouTube channel meanwhile maintains 2.7 million subscribers. This year, ElGrande Toto collaborated with Egyptian top rapper Wegz in Msh Khalsa that gained over 5.2 million YouTube views in almost ten months. Search Keywords: Short link: The Nuweiba ports archaeological unit on Saturday successfully foiled an attempt to smuggle a 15 centimetre tall bronze statue of Greek deity Aphrodite and a collection of 1,752 coins and weights. The interdiction was undertaken on Saturday in collaboration with the customs department and police at the port, located in the South Sinai governorate. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), explained that the archaeological committee assigned to examine the seized artefacts has proved their authenticity. He pointed out that the objects were found inside a lorry containing fruits and were set to leave the country through the port. The coins are dated back to the Ptolemaic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. They are made of bronze and silver and decorated with texts and faces of Roman emperors and queens while the Islamic coins are made of gold and decorated with verses of the holy Quran. A collection of 20 coin weights were also among the seized items. Waziri said that all the objects are now in custody until the completion of the investigations, in line with the Antiquities Protection Law 117/1983. Search Keywords: Short link: Greater Cairo and South Sinai are set to experience warm daytime temperatures until Saturday, the Egyptian Meteorology Authority (EMA) reported on Sunday. Starting Monday, Greater Cairo and Lower Egypt are expected to see highs of 27-29 degrees Celsius and lows of 19-21 degrees. South Sinai governorate, where the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) will be hosted from 6-18 November in Sharm El-Sheikh, is expected to witness highs 29-33 degrees and lows of 22 degrees. The North Coast will see highs of 24-26 degrees and lows of 17-19 degrees. Northern Upper Egypt will experience highs of 28-30 degrees and lows of 16-19 degrees. Southern Upper Egypt is set to see highs of 32-35 degrees and lows of 22 degrees. Light to moderate rainfall with a chance of a thunderstorms are expected intermittently on Tuesday across the North Coast, Lower Egypt and Sinai. Strong winds expected sporadically in South Sinai and North Coast Thursday through Saturday, according to the EMA. Search Keywords: Short link: By Genki Ito, KYODO NEWS - Oct 23, 2022 - 13:26 | Feature, All, Japan Restaurants serving local cuisine from various parts of China have been popping up around many of Japan's large metropolitan areas, bringing authentic flavors to people missing home or those with wanderlust. While the eateries do not specifically cater to Japanese tastes and instead target residents from the Greater China region, they have become a draw for Japanese customers wanting a "genuine" Chinese food experience. Many ingredients are unfamiliar to them, such as some chili peppers, crawfish and catfish. Sa Jiao Xiao Jiu Guan near East Japan Railway's Okubo Station in Tokyo is one such restaurant that serves Chongqing dishes known for their fiery, spicy flavors. On a recent Sunday evening, shallow iron pans were carried out to a full restaurant of customers enjoying "kao yu" -- butterflied catfish of about 30 centimeters in length, grilled then surrounded by thinly sliced potatoes and lotus roots simmered with chili peppers. The dish is popular among people from the Chongqing region. Sa Jiao has adopted the dazzling decor that has become popular in China recently -- brightly illuminated, fully illustrated walls and gold-plated figurines. "When you come here, you not only get to know the flavors preferred in China but the trends in the restaurant industry, such as popular menus and store designs," Masato Nakamura, 59, an editor and writer, said while enjoying a hearty serving of kao yu. Nakamura has long been involved in publishing tour guidebooks and visited China many times. Last year when demand for his work dried up amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he set up the "Tokyo Deep China Study Group." He introduced "gachi" Chinese restaurants to group members on websites and social media. Gachi is a Japanese word used by young people to mean "genuine," "serious" or "legit." With the information drawing much attention, Nakamura published books about such Chinese restaurants in Tokyo. Recently, he has been organizing gachi dinner parties in various locations. According to the study group, gachi Chinese restaurants began to appear in Shin-Okubo, which is near Okubo and has a large number of foreign and particularly Korean residents, in the 1990s. After that, the center moved to nearby Ikebukuro, and from around 2015, the number increased rapidly in the surrounding area. The group recently compiled a tally of some 150 restaurants, including those around the Takadanobaba neighborhood. The restaurants, which include those that use Chinese for advertising displays and communication with diners, have also increased in Chiba and Saitama prefectures as well as the Kansai region with Osaka at its center. "We cannot figure out their total number," Nakamura said. Each gachi restaurant serves meals unique to a particular region in China, like Sichuan cuisine, known for its spicy mala seasoning, and rare local dishes with various characteristics from Hunan, Fujian and Xinjiang. Many restaurants have adopted a service method widely practiced in China: customers pick their favorite ingredients from refrigerator shelves to create an individual-sized hot pot. Some delivery service apps only support the Chinese language. A craving for a taste of home among Chinese residents is behind the surge in such eateries. According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, there were some 720,000 Chinese residents in the country at the end of 2021, down approximately 100,000 from 2019, before the pandemic began. Such a sizeable Chinese presence, including students who often dine out, means the restaurants can operate profitably without relying on Japanese customers. But Japanese and other nationalities who wish to experience the feeling of traveling to China also flock to the eateries. Fuku Egami, a 22-year-old senior at Rikkyo University and member of the study group, said, "Many women of my generation post photos of the bright red hot pots on Instagram these days." Gachi Chinese meals are also alluring because they are covered on TV programs and by YouTubers. Although there might be little support to order food in Japanese or other languages at many of the restaurants, operators say there is no reason to hesitate in trying them out. "Rare meals are worth challenging," said Guo Fengping, 38, manager of Sa Jiao. Related coverage: FOCUS: Higher restaurant prices add to pressure on Japanese consumers Russian-run eatery in Japan looking to hire Ukrainian evacuees FEATURE: Restaurants, bars struggle to find way to survive with coronavirus KYODO NEWS - Oct 23, 2022 - 13:50 | Japan, All Emperor Naruhito said Sunday he is "sincerely pleased" that art and cultural festivals are being held in Okinawa this year, the 50th anniversary of the southern island prefecture's reversion to Japan. The emperor said in a speech at the opening ceremony in Ginowan of the festivals that he hopes the events will "deepen the understanding of Okinawa among the public." The prefecture was the site of the biggest ground battle on Japanese soil during World War II that cost an estimated 200,000 lives, half of them civilians. His two-day visit to Okinawa with Empress Masako follows the 50th anniversary in May of the prefecture's return to Japan from postwar U.S. administration. The imperial couple on Saturday paid tribute to the war dead at local memorial sites and met with officials involved in the ceremony that commemorated the reversion to Japan. The emperor previously visited Okinawa five times, first in 1987 and last in 2010, before he ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne more than three years ago. The empress last visited the prefecture with him in 1997. His father, former Emperor Akihito, has long felt sympathy for Okinawa. Since visiting in 1975 for the first time as crown prince with his wife, now former Empress Michiko, he made 11 trips to the island prefecture up to 2018. Related coverage: Japan emperor, empress visit Okinawa for 1st time since enthronement Japan emperor to undergo prostate exam as tumor marker level rises Japan emperor, empress leave for Queen Elizabeth's state funeral By Maya Kaneko, KYODO NEWS - Oct 23, 2022 - 21:03 | World, All Chinese leader Xi Jinping started Sunday his norm-breaking third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party with a new leadership dominated by loyalists, as he accelerates his concentration of power even after becoming the strongest political figure in decades. All four new members of the Communist Party's highest decision-making body -- the seven-strong Politburo Standing Committee -- are Xi allies, triggering concerns that the Xi leadership could become more high-handed without much internal opposition and cause more tensions globally including the Taiwan Strait. As Xi installed no potential successors and referred to many long-term policy goals to be achieved by 2035 at the weeklong, twice-a-decade party congress through Saturday, some observers believe the 69-year-old leader could stay in power for at least 10 more years. The four new members are Shanghai party chief Li Qiang, 63, Beijing party boss Cai Qi, 66, Ding Xuexiang, 60, who heads the general office of the party's Central Committee, and Li Xi, 66, who newly assumed the top post of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's anti-corruption body. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, 69, was promoted to the wider 24-member Politburo. He is expected to succeed China's foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi, 72, and continue Beijing's aggressive "wolf-warrior diplomacy" amid intensifying competition with the United States. Li Qiang is ranked No. 2 in the standing committee, meaning he is likely to succeed Li Keqiang, 67, as China's new premier next spring. He was promoted despite coming under criticism earlier this year for overseeing a two-month coronavirus-precipitated lockdown of Shanghai, during which residents struggled to access food and medical care. The top leaders were introduced to the media by Xi in a room inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, a day after the party further cemented Xi's power through an amendment to its supreme rule at the end of the congress, the country's most important political event. The seven top decision-makers and the rest of the Politburo members were selected from among 205 members of the party's 20th Central Committee at its first plenary session on Sunday. The 205 had been chosen at the just-concluded congress. Xi stressed in remarks to the media that the new leadership will strive to "embrace the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization." "We will not be daunted by high winds, choppy waters or even dangerous storms," Xi said. "We will always ride out the storms with our people and stay heart-to-heart with them. We will continue the hard work to turn their aspirations for a better life into a living reality." The two retained officials are Zhao Leji, 65, who was promoted to the No. 3 post and is expected to become the top legislator next spring, and Wang Huning, 67, the country's chief ideological theorist. Amid heightened cross-strait tensions following an August visit to Taiwan by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Communist Party newly selected He Weidong, 65, a former commander of the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command, as a vice chairman of its Central Military Commission headed by Xi. The Eastern Theater Command covers the self-ruled democratic island, which Beijing regards as its own. Through the reshuffle, Premier Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, 67, head of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, top legislator Li Zhanshu, 72, and Vice Premier Han Zheng, 68, retired from the apex of power. Both the premier, in charge of steering the nation's economic policy, and Wang Yang have few ties with Xi and are close to former leader Hu Jintao, 79, who led the country between 2002 and 2012. On Saturday, Hu was escorted out of the closing ceremony of the party congress in front of the media without any explanation for his exit, fueling speculation about the reasons. The official Xinhua News Agency tweeted Saturday night that Hu "was not feeling well" during the session and was accompanied by his staff to a room next to the venue "for a rest." The former leader insisted on attending the ceremony "despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently," it said. Li Zhanshu and Han had been expected to leave the leadership based on the party's unwritten but de facto retirement age of 68, which is not applied to Xi. Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, 59, who is believed to be not very close to Xi and once deemed as a potential successor to Li Keqiang as premier, was demoted from the Politburo, whose membership decreased by one to 24 on Sunday. The elite body no longer has any women, with the only female member Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, 72, retiring. In 2018, China removed a two-term limit for the president and vice president from its Constitution, paving the way for Xi, who became the country's president in 2013, to hold power for life. Related coverage: Xi Jinping secures unprecedented 3rd term as China party chief Shanghai party boss Li Qiang likely to join China's top leadership China boasts weaning 9 states away from Taiwan as diplomatic win By Magali Beuchat, KYODO NEWS - Oct 23, 2022 - 10:04 | All, World, Japan Japan, as a disaster-prone country, can play a key role in helping other countries prepare to reduce the risks from climate change, the head of the U.N. office in charge of disaster management said. Japan is one of a few countries contributing to official development assistance or ODA projects designed to help set up early warning systems in developing countries, Mami Mizutori, head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. Some 96 percent of disaster-related governmental development aid worldwide is allocated to response and recovery after a disaster hit, while only 4 percent is used for risk reduction, the former Japanese diplomat said. This equation needs to be reversed, Mizutori said, adding that "This is the only way disaster won't devastate anymore." Japan has always been a strong advocate of prevention, given its experience with disasters such as the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The country hosted all three U.N. conferences on disaster risk reduction that took place in 1994, 2005 and 2015. According to UNDRR, while the number of disasters has nearly doubled since 2000, the resulting economic loss has tripled, mainly due to climate change. If no action is taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions, there could be a 40 percent increase in the number of disasters by 2030. However, early warning systems, including alerts through forecasting services, and the quick and efficient spread of disaster information, could reduce the mortality rate, and more resources must be allocated to establishing such systems, Mizutori said. The United Nations has recently set a new goal that everyone on the planet has access to an early warning system by 2027. Currently, only about half of the world's countries have such systems in place. The ratio drops to 30 percent among small island developing states that are most exposed to hazards. The guidelines on risk reduction adopted in 2015 are "visionary," Mizutori said, as they focus on the prevention of hazards and not merely on post-disaster relief. Although biological hazards, such as the global spread of viruses, have been included in the guidelines, they remained unheeded. But the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting global health crisis have changed the situation, she said. "People saw what happens when not enough has been done in prevention, when a hazard hits you unprepared, becoming a huge disaster," Mizutori said. Related coverage: U.N. expert urges Japan to aid the voluntarily displaced in Fukushima Japan set to extend maximum lifespan of nuclear plants beyond 60 yrs Japan apologizes for J-Alert malfunction after N. Korea launch Botswanan women masons are partaking in energy transition through the biogas project in the southern African country. GABORONE, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- At Botswana's Betesankwe Village in the Southern District, about 110 km west of Gaborone, the country's capital, 29-year-old Atamelang Matale is absorbed in building a new biogas digester in partnership with three colleagues. The new digester, with a size of 30 cubic meters, will be her 20th and so far the largest she has ever built, all using agro-waste, such as cow dung and chicken litter to produce biogas directly used for cooking, heating, and lighting in southeastern Botswana. Atamelang Matale works to build a biogas digester at Betesankwe Village in the Southern District, Botswana, on Sept. 2, 2022. (Photo by Sharon Tshipa/Xinhua) "This is the biggest biogas digester I have constructed to date. The digesters I built before only ranged between 6, 10 and 20 cubic meters in size. This is huge, so we will be camping out here for the three weeks it will take to complete it," she told Xinhua in a recent interview. The undertaking by Matale is a result of her training through the Botswana Biogas Project funded by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme. The Biogas Project launched in January 2017 sought to promote the production and use of biogas as an environmentally friendly source of energy for farms, households and institutions that produce or have access to agricultural waste. Matale said being a biogas digester mason has made her financially independent despite the gender discrimination that prevails in the male-dominated construction industry. Atamelang Matale works in a biogas digester pit at Betesankwe Village in the Southern District, Botswana, on Sept. 2, 2022. (Photo by Sharon Tshipa/Xinhua) Tracey Rukero, a young female biogas digester mason who completed her training last year and has since constructed four digesters, shared similar sentiments. "Many people don't think we can do the job," she said. Since 2018, 70 biogas digester masons have been trained by the Botswana Biogas Project in six vocational training centers, 29 percent of them women. Speaking at a high-level event on climate change in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, in June this year, Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi reaffirmed the nation's commitment to a gradual transition from over-reliance on coal for electricity generation. He drew attention to the need to increase the country's share of renewable energy, and significantly improve the efficiency of the energy system. The government regards the development of a sustainable and commercial biogas sector as a key mechanism for achieving the reduction of harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and effectively managing agricultural waste, especially from the livestock industry. In its first nationally determined contribution to the global reduction of GHG in 2010, Botswana pledged to reduce its emissions by 15 percent by 2030, taking 2010 as the base year. Botswana's GHG emissions make up 5 percent of Africa's total global emissions, according to the country's Climate Change Policy. For this commitment to be realized and for biogas to make a plausible contribution to the reduction of GHG, Rukero and Matale's experiences point to the urgent need for mindset change among citizens, some of whom feel that the biogas digester initiative has a bad smell, and producing it means handling dirt. Matale said the biogas project has been a success already and can go far as it has brought financial relief to Batswana because they are using renewable energy resources to generate energy that is clean and free. Matale said that during the construction process and at handover, beneficiaries are taught how to feed and operate the digesters. She, however, further explained that the digesters should be carefully maintained and once they run out of energy, they should be fed with new agro-waste such as cow dung in order for them to continue working. Doctors put on protective equipment at Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital in Entebbe, Uganda, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) Uganda has announced that it would distribute emergency relief to communities that have been affected by the Ebola containment measures starting next week. KAMPALA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has announced that it would distribute emergency relief to communities that have been affected by the Ebola containment measures starting next week. Minister of State for Information, Communication, Technology and National Guidance Godfrey Kabbyanga in a statement issued in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, Friday said the beneficiary communities are those in the epicenter of the outbreak, Mubende and Kassanda districts. The two districts were last weekend put under total lockdown in an effort to contain the spread of the deadly disease. Doctors wearing protective equipment are seen in the isolation section of Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital in Entebbe, Uganda, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) Kabbyanga said the Office of the Prime Minister will distribute relief food to vulnerable groups including market vendors, taxi drivers, and saloon operators. The minister said some containment measures have been relaxed as the infection rate drops. He said boda boda riders in the districts under lockdown have been allowed to move but carrying only luggage and not passengers. The country had so far registered 65 positive cases and 27 deaths by Thursday since the outbreak was reported on Sept. 20, according to the data given by the Ministry of Health. The minister urged the public to remain vigilant to ensure that the epidemic is eliminated in the shortest time possible. Saudi Arbia has launched the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (GSCRI) aiming to make the kingdom a location of choice for leading global industrial companies looking to drive competitive advantage and improve business resilience. The initiative was launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs. The initiative will support growth of key sectors and aim to attract SR40 billion of investment in its first two years. A SR10 billion incentives budget has been earmarked to support several initiatives, including financial and non-financial support for global investors interested in incorporating Saudi Arabia into their supply chains. The initiative will provide a great opportunity to achieve common successes. Working along with other development initiatives that have been launched in recent years, it will help to enable investors, from all sectors, to benefit from the kingdom's resources and capabilities and support and develop these value chains, HRH Prince Mohammed said. It will also build successful investments, which will give greater flexibility to economies, businesses and consumers around the world. It will ensure the provision and sustainability of supply chain access to all parts of the world effectively and with highly competitive advantages. Finally, the GSCRI will bring the Kingdom closer to achieving its Vision 2030 aspirations to be a top 15 global economy by 2030 and leave a prosperous legacy for future generations. The GSCRI is one of the initiatives of Saudi Arabias National Investment Strategy, launched in October 2021 to accelerate efforts to make the kingdom a global investment powerhouse. The initiative aims to enable global investors to make optimal use of the kingdoms natural resources and untapped potential and form strong relationships with regional and global markets. The GSCRI aims to make the kingdom an optimal investment environment for all investors in supply chains, through several steps. These steps include, identifying and developing investment opportunities and presenting them to investors, establishing a number of special economic zones in the near future, through which an attractive environment can be created for investors, in addition to attracting the regional headquarters of international companies to the kingdom. The kingdom is also working to implement regulatory and procedural reforms in various aspects, which, in turn, will contribute to further improving the investment environment and increasing its attractiveness and competitiveness. As well as make the investment plays an essential role to achieve economic growth and diversity in light of Saudi Vision 2030 objectives. The pandemic, trade disputes and the geopolitical landscape have broken or weakened global supply chains, driving up commodity prices and disrupting production and distribution. This initiative aims to strengthen the position of Saudi Arabia in the global economy, and to mitigate the impact of global disruptions. The Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative will leverage the kingdoms resources, infrastructure and location to bring greater resilience to economies and companies across Europe, the Americas and Asia, while further enhancing Saudi Arabias position in the global economy. Saudi Arabia offers a strong value proposition to investors across several key dimensions. It provides a resilient economy which is the largest in the Middle East and the fastest growing in the G20, a strategic location at the heart of three continents and a source of key raw materials for manufacturing. Saudi Arabia also offers access to oil, gas, electricity, renewable energy and human resources at competitive costs. The Kingdom offers a robust logistics infrastructure across industrial cities, airports and ports, with ambitious expansion plans underway as part of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy. The countrys digital infrastructure has witnessed significant progress, with widespread high-speed internet coverage and 5G now available to nearly 80% of the population. Saudis workforce is young, educated and ambitious, with Saudis under the age of 30 accounting for about 60% of the population, said the statement. - TradeArabia News Service People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich) by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Wearing a happy smile, Lea Tibi packed a suitcase with books after she went on an hour shopping spree at an annual book fair in Mar Mikhael, northeast in Lebanon's capital Beirut. "This place is my heaven," Tibi told Xinhua while looking around for more at "Souk el Kotob," which is the Arabic word for the book market. Starting Saturday, hundreds of book lovers flocked to the two-day "Souk el Kotob" where around 40 exhibitors showcase vast collections of books, mostly second-hand ones. Visitors navigated around and between kiosks, picking their favorite books and reading their back covers with others speaking to exhibitors to ask about their preferred authors. Cheap second-hand books are particularly welcomed, as people who saw their purchasing power reduced amid the country's economic woes can still have a chance to enjoy reading. "This place is awesome as one can find good catches at prices that cannot be found elsewhere amid the current crisis and the collapse of the Lebanese pound," said Munzer Saad. Saad, a paperback lover, said he used to read two books a month when prices were still affordable, but later opted for reading online articles to save money to go through the crisis. "Nothing can replace the feeling you get when holding a real book in your hands," he said. "I have been waiting for an event like this where you can find interesting and affordable books." Exhibitors expressed their happiness to see a fair buzzing with people, hoping their good deals attract more readers. Yasmina Baroudy, a passionate reader, displays over 300 books at the fair, featuring used books priced at a modest range of 80,000 Lebanese pounds (about 2 U.S. dollars) to 200,000 pounds. "I read some of these books twice, or three times, so I figured it's better to sell them at low prices to help other people read instead of keeping them in storage," Baroudy told Xinhua. Abboud Abou Jaoude, the owner of the al-Furat bookshop, said the shop witnessed a more than 70-percent drop in book demand due to the economic crisis. "We are aware that people are no longer able to pay 10 dollars for a book, which constitutes a significant portion of the salaries in some cases, so we priced our books lower to help book lovers pursue their passion," Abou Jaoude told Xinhua. Elina Sarkissian, the owner of the "turning point books" publishing house based in Beirut, told Xinhua that she priced their books at 12,000 pounds per dollar, instead of the parallel market rate of 40,000 pounds, but demand is still meager. "Books have become luxurious items for many, unfortunately," she said. Lebanon has been going through a steep financial crisis, leading to the collapse of the local currency and the devaluation of salaries by over 90 percent, forcing people to focus their spending on necessities. People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich) People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich) People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich) Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango speaks during the opening ceremony of the 6th edition of the Swahili International Tourism Expo in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Oct. 22, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Saturday officially opened the 6th edition of the Swahili International Tourism Expo and pledged the government's continued improvement of the country's infrastructure of tourism services. DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Saturday officially opened the 6th edition of the Swahili International Tourism Expo and pledged the government's continued improvement of the country's infrastructure of tourism services. In addition, Mpango said the government has since 2020 been working to align infrastructures and providing incentives to attract investment in tourism. "We are also vigorously promoting other unpopular touristic attractions especially in the southern corridor of our country, including Mikumi, Ruaha, Julius Nyerere and Udzungwa National Parks which we believe also have a great potential to boost this sector to new heights," he said in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of Tanzania. He said achievements recorded in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period and the recent recovery are a clear testimony of joint efforts made by the government and the private sector to boost the development of the tourism sector. "The government recognizes the importance of private sector as the driver and engine of the tourism sector and over the years, we have been taking a number of legal and fiscal reforms to support growth of the sector," said Mpango, adding there is a plethora of tourism investment opportunities including the construction of hotels, lodges, holiday homes, developing amusement parks, sea and lake cruising as well as expanding tour operators and agencies. Maasai people sing a song during the opening ceremony of the 6th edition of the Swahili International Tourism Expo in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Oct. 22, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) Pindi Chana, the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said the Swahili International Tourism Expo was established in 2014 to promote Tanzania's tourist attractions and investment opportunities. It is a part of the implementation of a tourism marketing strategy to attract tourists to visit destination Tanzania and increase tourism contribution to the country's economy. The expo, which started Friday and will end Sunday, is held after a hiatus of two years because of COVID-19. This year's expo feature business exhibitions, investment forums and seminars, speed-networking sessions, cultural performances, and familiarization trips to unique tourist attractions across Tanzania. It is being attended by more than 200 domestic and overseas exhibitors, over 100 international buyers from within and outside Africa, and more than 5,000 trade visitors. Chana said the expo has attracted stakeholders in the tourism industry from countries including China, Indonesia, India, the United Kingdom, Oman, Mozambique, Malawi, Algeria and Zimbabwe. KHARTOUM, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The latest wave of tribal clashes in Sudan's Blue Nile State has demonstrated the urgency of making harder efforts to tackle the grinding poverty, illiteracy, spread of weapons and ethnic hatred which are the roots of the cycle of deadly tribal violence, experts said. Without channeling more efforts to break such a pattern, the lives of tens of hundreds of civilians in the African state will be at stake, they noted. Last week, a fresh round of bloody clashes broke out between the Hausa and Berta tribes in the Blue Nile State following the killing of a local farmer, prompting local authorities to declare a statewide month-long state of emergency. The state's Health Ministry said Wednesday that the clashes had killed 105 people and displaced 8,470 others. Two days later, the conflict was abating after the government intervention, but the death toll rose to 200, according to informed sources and medics. Tribal violence in Sudan is usually sparked by an isolated incident, such as the reported killing of a tribal member. Herdsmen tribes or farming communities have long been involved in disputes over land and water in the country. "These tribal conflicts feed on historical grudges," and state intervention is largely not effectual, Abdul-Khaliq Mahjoub, a Sudanese political analyst, told Xinhua. Some nomadic tribes still share a common mindset that a blood debt has to be paid by blood, which makes the violence even more serious, he added. Abdul-Rahim Al-Sunni, another Sudanese political analyst, also blamed the violence on the spread of weapons to the tribes during the past conflicts with rebels in the regions of Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile. On Friday, Blue Nile State Governor Ahmed El Omda Badi announced a state of emergency and the forming of a "fact-finding" committee to investigate the latest tribal violence. At the same time, Sudan's opposition alliance Forces of Freedom and Change called on all the related parties to exercise restraint and urged immediate disarmament of civilians in the Blue Nile State to prevent further escalation. "The situation in Blue Nile State has witnessed a renewal of conflicts with increasing violence, which is a very unfortunate escalation that threatens to spread throughout the state and possibly elsewhere in the country," the alliance said in a statement on Saturday. Since July, fighting has resurfaced between the Hausa and Berta tribes in Blue Nile State, reportedly due to their disputes over land ownership. The Hausa and Berta tribes have lived in Sudan for centuries. Estimates about their populations vary wildly, but unofficial estimates show that Hausa's population ranges between 4 and 6 million, out of Sudan's population of 45 million. BARCELONA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Spanish expert has said Europe's supply of natural gas is in a "critical" situation as its alternative choices are far from meeting the demand. #GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service A Spanish expert has said Europe's supply of natural gas is in a "critical" situation as its alternative choices are far from meeting the demand. #GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service This photo taken on Oct. 16, 2022 shows flags on the Tian'anmen Square and atop the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Political party leaders, government officials and lawmakers worldwide have congratulated the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and General Secretary Xi Jinping of the committee on the convening of the 20th CPC National Congress. Peda Grbin, president of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia, said the 20th CPC National Congress is of great significance and believes that the principles and policies formulated at the congress will promote the development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and the two countries. Bassam Salhi, general secretary of the Palestinian People's Party, expressed his belief that the 20th CPC National Congress will further advance the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and promote the common values of mankind. The great achievements China has made since the 18th CPC National Congress have led the development of the world, and the CPC has played an important role in pursuing human progress and world harmony, said Abdul Wahab al-Ansi, secretary general of the Yemeni Islah Party. In recent years, the CPC has made remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation, green development, scientific and technological innovation, and the fight against COVID-19, said Richard Todwong, secretary general of Uganda's National Resistance Movement party. His party believes that the 20th CPC National Congress will further promote China's development and prosperity, Todwong said. The CPC has opened a new path for China's social, economic and cultural development in the past 100 years, and the 20th CPC National Congress will certainly have a profound impact on China's future development, said Stefanos Stefanou, general secretary of the Progressive Party of Working People of Cyprus. Those also sending congratulatory messages include: Benyamin Poghosyan, chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies in Armenia; Jim O'Neill, a member of the British House of Lords; Keith Bennett, co-editor of the Friends of Socialist China platform; Istvan Ujhelyi, vice chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament, and president of Europe-China One Belt One Road Cultural & Tourism Development Committee; Miguel Figueroa, president of the Canadian Peace Congress; Solo Mara, secretary general of the Pacific Islands Development Forum; Matteo Marchisio, China-based country director and representative for the International Fund for Agricultural Development; The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan; The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle; Malaysia's People's Justice Party; Myanmar's National League for Democracy; The Democratic Patriots' Unified Party in Tunisia; Argentina's Republican Proposal party; The Workers' Party in Brazil; The Broad Front party of Costa Rica; The Socialist Party of Chile; The Modern Revolutionary Party in the Dominican Republic; The Peruvian Communist Party (Unity); The Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance party; The French Communist Party; The Communist Party of Greece; The Italian Communist Party; The Communist Party of Norway; Spain's United Left party; The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist); Central Committee, Union Party, Lebanon; The Central Committee of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice of Eritrea; The National Executive Committee of the Movement of Popular Participation of Uruguay; The Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party; The Executive Committee of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova; The Central Committee of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova; International Department of the Podemos party of Spain; The foreign ministry of Equatorial Guinea; The Secretariat of the World Peace Council; Social Democracy-Mongolian Women's Association; Libyan Youth Leaders; The People's National Movement (PNM) National Youth League in Trinidad and Tobago; The Italian Communist Youth Federation; Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations. MOGADISHU, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A suicide car bomb attack targeted a popular hotel in Somalia's southern town of Kismayo on Sunday, the police said. Jubaland deputy police chief Mohamed Nasi Guled said the attackers stormed the Tawakal Hotel located in Kismayo town with a vehicle laden with explosives, sparking an exchange of fire between the militants and security forces. Guled, who did not confirm the number of casualties, appealed for calm, saying security forces would soon restore order at the hotel frequented by the government and politicians. "We will shortly deal with the terrorists who are three in number," he told journalists, noting that students are among the casualties. Al-Shabab terror group which is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government claimed responsibility for the attack on the heavily guarded hotel. ISLAMABAD, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of dengue fever cases has continued to rise in Pakistan amid an outbreak due to floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains. In the last 24 hours, 275 more people were diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the provincial health department reported on Saturday afternoon. The number of active cases in the province currently stands at 1,626 and the total number of cases this year has reached 16,277. The eastern Punjab province reported 289 new cases in the last 24 hours, the provincial health authorities said on Saturday. Punjab's capital Lahore reported 142 new cases, followed by Rawalpindi city with 58 cases. The total number of dengue cases in Punjab this year has now gone up to 12,676. The southern Sindh province reported 234 new infections, said the provincial health department on Saturday evening. The worst-hit area was Karachi, the provincial capital, which reported 162 new cases. With the newly reported dengue cases, the October figure to date for the province has risen to 6,968, bringing the local total to 17,122 this year. The national capital Islamabad reported 74 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours, the health authorities said on Saturday night. The city's total tally has risen to 4,346 this year. Photo released by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) on Oct. 26, 2020, shows Eld's deer in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Cambodia. (Eleanor Briggs/WCS/Handout via Xinhua) The Zero Wild Meat campaign will be initiated this year and will be engaged with restaurants and food-selling outlets to pledge their commitment to Zero Wild Meat. MONDULKIRI, Cambodia, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Officials and conservationists in Cambodia on Saturday called for an end to wildlife consumption, saying that the wildlife consumption demand was a major driver for poaching, snaring crisis and illegal trade. Ministry of Environment's Secretary of State Neth Pheaktra said wildlife consumption also increased the risk of disease transmission from wild animals to humans, posing a grave threat to the environment and human health. "The people who consume bushmeat with the hope for health benefits or a treatment to illnesses and a supplement that brings them strength or social status are wrong. In contrast, wild meat consumption not only potentially affects their health but also motivates poaching, snaring and trafficking of wildlife species that are of global importance," he said during the launch of the Zero Wild Meat campaign in the northeastern Mondulkiri province. "It is time for all wild meat lovers and traders to make a positive change to stop wildlife consumption or trade, and in return to protect wildlife and natural resources as a way of contributing to economic and tourism development, as well as for the benefit of local and global ecosystems," he added. Undated photo shows a red muntjac captured by a camera trap in a sanctuary in Mondulkiri province, Cambodia. (MoE/WWF-Cambodia/Handout via Xinhua) Pheaktra said law enforcement reports from Mondulkiri's Mobile Law Enforcement Unit showed a confiscation of 1,353 kilograms of wild meat that were illegally traded within the last 18 months from 2021. Also, the law enforcement authorities of Stung Treng and Ratanakiri provinces in the last six months seized over 200 kilograms of bushmeat during their wildlife trafficking crackdowns and wet market raids in these provinces, he added. The wild animal species that fall victim to consumption demand and illegal trade commonly include ungulate species such as muntjac, wild pig, banteng, sambar as well as lizard, civet, loris among others, according to a joint press statement. A study series on ungulate populations in the eastern plains by the Ministry of Environment and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showed between 2010 and 2022 banteng, muntjac and wild pig populations have declined by 89 percent, 65 percent and 15 percent, respectively, the statement said, adding that the study also showed very low encounter rates of eld's deer, gaur and sambar. Globally significant wild animal species already became extinct due to snaring, illegal hunting and trade that continued the killing, leading to drastic declines of other species populations in the country's protected areas," said Seng Teak, WWF-Cambodia country director. "It is important that all buyers, sellers, traders and consumers understand about the health risks associated with consumption and trade activities, and adopt the zero wild meat commitment," he added. Photo released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Feb. 11, 2021, shows River Terns flying over the Mekong River in Kratie province, Cambodia. (WWF/Handout via Xinhua) Wildlife consumption and trade also bring humans into close contact with wildlife, for example at marketplaces and restaurants, and increase the risk of zoonotic transmission, the statement said, adding that eating wild meat not only exposes people to serious health risks, but also creates conditions for possible zoonotic spillover through hunting, poaching, transporting, storing, trading, processing and selling wild meat. The Zero Wild Meat campaign will pilot for six weeks in October and November 2022 and will engage with all 32 restaurants and food-selling outlets in Mondulkiri to pledge their commitment to Zero Wild Meat and spread awareness. "On behalf of the Mondulkiri Administration, I would like to urge people in Cambodia to say no to wild meat and join hands in safeguarding Cambodia's natural resources," Chan Ratana, deputy governor of Mondulkiri, said. Yi Sengdoeurn, deputy director of Communicable Disease Control Department of the Ministry of Health, said the Zero Wild Meat campaign was important to protect public health from current and future zoonotic risks. "We must work together to prevent the purchase, sale, transport and consumption of wildlife species which are of high risk for zoonotic disease transmission," he said. FRANKFURT, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 74th Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest of its kind in the world, concluded on Sunday on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds. This year's book fair attracted around 90,000 trade visitors from over 100 countries and regions, surpassing expectations, according to Juergen Boos, president and CEO of the Frankfurt Book Fair. He expects further progress in the coming year with a diverse literary landscape. Over 4,000 exhibitors from 95 countries and regions, including over 110 exhibitors from the Chinese mainland, attended the book fair held during Oct. 18-23. Chinese exhibitors displayed more than 1,000 different kinds of publications, covering the topics of politics, economy, culture, history, technology and Chinese language learning, for adults and children as well. Next year's Frankfurt Book Fair will be held from Oct. 18 to 22, 2023. The organising committee of the Jewellery and Watch Show Abu Dhabi announced that young designers can register to participate in the 2022 edition of Ebdaa Awards. The awards celebrate its tenth anniversary, reflecting its relentless efforts to nurture and support promising talent by selecting the best jewellery designers from both citizens and residents. The Ebdaa Awards during the Jewellery and Watch Show Abu Dhabi, which is taking place from November 9 to 13 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition and Convention Center (ADNEC), will have 170 local and international companies from more than 20 countries around the world participating. The Ebdaa Awards have attracted more than 500 designers of different nationalities who have provided the show with more than 1,500 pieces during previous editions. The competition includes four design categories: Pearls, Emirati identity, Arabic calligraphy-inspired designs and People of Determination. The Ebdaa Awards is sponsored by the Jewellery and Watch Show Abu Dhabi and the International Gemstone Institute, as well as the Middle East Conference of Exhibitions, ARJMST and the Ministry of Community Development. The names of the Ebdaa Awards winners will be announced during the Jewellery and Watch Show Abu Dhabi. A jury of three prominent artists, including founder of the Ebdaa Awards and jewellery designer and sculptor Azza Al Qubaisi, and designers Maha Al Sibai, Sheikha Alserkal and Noura Alserkal, will oversee the selection of the winning pieces, while this years guest Ebdaa Awards Committee judge is Saadiah Sulaiman, a previous award recipient who was selected for her hard work and concentrated efforts to develop her skills and creativity. The 2022 winner will receive a commemorative award manufactured and designed by the Emirati artist Al Qubaisi and a certificate of recognition and appreciation, with the opportunity to display their pieces at next years Jewellery and Watch Show. They will also be supported to further develop their work, implement the winning pieces in each category and attend special courses at the International Gemological Institute to improve their skills. The most distinguished designer who best reflects their idea, reveals their creative personality, and is willing to evolve will be given the chance to attend the JCK Las Vegas jewellery exhibitions and present their own collection, after developing it with the Ebdaa Awards partners. Al Qubaisi said: This years edition of the Jewellery and Watch Show Abu Dhabi is a special event as it marks the tenth anniversary since the launch of the Ebdaa Award. I am proud of the pioneering achievements of this award, which has enriched the lives of many aspiring jewellery designers and made them leading professionals in the field. It has also established Abu Dhabi as a leading destination for the visionary designers who create pieces that capture the beauty of Arab culture and the refined beauty of the Emirates, with unique pieces that tell inspiring stories. She added: During the past nine editions, the Ebdaa Awards has attracted many innovators from different nationalities living in the UAE who have presented their unique creations that tell the story of their passion. This competition has helped maximise the profile of the jewellery sector at the local level and in increasing its footprint at the regional level . TradeArabia News Service People visit the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu) The China International Publishing Group and China National Publications Import and Export Co., Ltd. have brought together over 100 publishing companies in China to attend the fair. More than 1,000 different kinds of publications were exhibited on the shelves of the Chinese booths, covering topics of politics, economics, culture, history, technology and the Chinese language, for adults and children as well. FRANKFURT, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- For people who are eager to get a better understanding of China, the Chinese booths at the ongoing Frankfurt Book Fair presented opportunities for them. "I visit the Chinese booths at the Fair every time, and plentiful of selected Chinese books never fail to help me to know better about different aspects of China," Charlottes, who works in the culture industry in Belgium, told Xinhua. In order to meet the needs of visitors like Charlottes, the China International Publishing Group and China National Publications Import and Export Co., Ltd. have brought together over 100 publishing companies in China to attend the event, regarded as the largest of its kind, this year. People visit the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu) More than 1,000 different kinds of publications were exhibited on the shelves of the Chinese booths, covering topics of politics, economics, culture, history, technology and the Chinese language, for adults and children as well. Rosenmarie Stefan, whose curiosity about China has been built up since she took a few courses about China in a community school, is looking for something about China that would be different from the reports of the local press. The local media's coverage of China is far from enough for people to know a big country, she said. As a consultant in Frankfurt, Dirk Schneider has been cooperating with Chinese companies for over 20 years, and he prefers books about Chinese politics and economics. "I am keen to know more about the New Silkroad and would like to find some publications about it." People visit the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu) Ralf Glitza, who is teaching philosophy and education at Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, said he hopes to find books about Chinese political philosophy and education. "I want to deepen my understanding about the possibility of China for now and in the future." An increasing number of Chinese books have been published abroad in the past few years, said Ren Lei, chief representative of the German representative office of China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Co., Ltd. Books about children's education, novels authored by well-known Chinese writers, Chinese philosophy and Chinese medicines are especially popular among readers in Europe, according to Ren. The Frankfurt Book Fair, scheduled for Oct. 18-23, drew more than 4,000 publishing companies from 95 countries and regions. The controversial statement made by Owaisi about the Border Security Force (BSF) has increased the ruckus. In fact, today Hindu organizations will raise a hue and cry against Owaisi in Delhi. It is being told that BJP has described Owaisi's statement as deadly politics. On the other hand, Congress leader Udit Raj echoed Owaisi's sentiments. Owaisi had said, "The population is increasing due to Bangladeshi infiltrators and BSF is sleeping after eating biryani.'' At the same time, Congress leader Udit Raj supported Owaisi. Apart from this, Udit Raj said that somewhere the BSF is weakening under the pressure of the Center and why is the central government not taking out the infiltrators from outside. During an event, Owaisi said, "RSS repeatedly says that the population is increasing. How is it growing? It is said that if it is coming from Bangladesh, then your BSF is sleeping. Sleeping after eating biryani? There is a BSF on the border, isn't it? Are you coming from Bangladesh and changing religion? Where is the religious conversion taking place? Why are you so afraid? Bangladesh's economy is better than India's. The GDP there is good. More employment is in Bangladesh than in India, then why will anyone come here from there?" However, Owaisi's statement has been sharply criticized by the BJP and Hindu organizations are also angry with his statement. Now today many Hindu organizations are preparing to protest in Delhi. In this regard, BJP leader and Delhi state president Adesh Gupta said, "Those who take advantage of votes by doing politics of religion and religion. She can't think of the country. This kind of politics is fatal, it shows Owaisi's thinking. Blaming the BSF is wrong. At the same time, Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi said that God give good sense to Owaisi.'' 'Thackeray did nothing when he was in govt, now...', BJP attacks AAP releases list of star campaigners, see whose names are included CPM to contest 11 seats in HP, won just one seat in the last election Home Politics Dean R Thompson, new US envoy: Want to see Nepal as globally important country US Ambassador to Nepal, Dean R Thompson. Video screengrab from his Twitter post Kathmandu, October 23 Two days after presenting his credentials and assuming office, newly appointed US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R Thompson has said he wants to see Nepal as a globally important country. In a short video posted on his official Twitter handle, Thompson, who is seen speaking with his wife Jane, says he has known Nepal as a culturally rich and ethnically diverse country, with eye-inspiring landscapes, but now would add to the description central, sovereign and globally important. As the world comes together to confront climate change, threats to democracy and to achieve sustainable economic growth, working together, I hope to expand our warm people-to-people ties and grow our trade and investment partnerships, he says. He says the US always supports Nepal in strengthening democracy and achieving prosperity. Earlier, on Friday, Dean R Thompson presented his letter of credence to President Bidya Devi Bhandari. Also on the same day, he paid courtesy calls on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Affairs Minister Narayan Khadka. File: Paragliding above Phewa Lake, Pokhara Kathmandu, October 23 Exactly one week after imposing a blanket ban on paragliding flights across the country, the government has lifted the ban, claiming it will now introduce additional measures to ensure their safety. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) says it has set five conditions to ensure the safety of the flights. Here are the conditions: All flights should take place in the stipulated areas. Paragliding pilots should be proven to be medically and psychologically qualified to fly. Pilots should be uniformed while on duty. Gliders should be inspected and proven fit to fly by airworthiness inspectors mobilised by the authority. Pilots should have received refresher advanced tandem and emergency rescue training at least once every year. The ban has been lifted following preliminary suggestions from a study team to suggest how to ensure safety in the flights of paragliders in Nepal, according to the authoritys deputy manager Binaya Giri. After the death of a pilot in course of the ninth National Games in Pokhara last week, the government imposed a blanket ban on all paragliding activities in the country. Tigo will present the growing trend of rapid shutdown requirements worldwide at All-Energy Australia Exhibition and Conference on October 27th, 2022. CAMPBELL, Calif., October 23, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tigo Energy, Inc., the solar industrys leading Flex MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics) supplier, today announced that its rapid shutdown and monitoring technology is now in use at a mining plant in New South Wales, Australia. Smart Commercial Solar, an installation and management company based in North Sydney, New South Wales, designed and deployed the ground-mount installation. Tigo will showcase this rapid shutdown technology in a CEC Masterclass session at the upcoming All-Energy conference in Melbourne, Australia, highlighting the evolution of solar safety standards and codes as solar matures worldwide. "With Tigo, we get rapid shutdown technology as well as plug-and-play compatibility with all the inverters we use, and that made Tigo the obvious choice for the system we deployed for our mining customer," said Anastasi Kotoros, chief marketing officer at Smart Commercial Solar. "These installations are a win for everyone involved: the mining operation has a safe solar system they can monitor remotely, Tigo has added yet another impressive site to its portfolio, and we have great new customers to serve with ongoing maintenance and energy production insights." Powered by the TS4-A-S and Energy Intelligence (EI), Tigo technology reduces the electrical output of each module upon rapid shutdown initiation. With a primary focus on safety, the Tigo TS4-A-S Flex MLPE device is UL PV Rapid Shutdown System (PVRSS) certified with leading inverters to meet United States NEC 2014, 2017, and 2020 rapid shutdown requirements and provide module-level monitoring. Rapid shutdown requirements, similar to those of the US NEC, have been adopted worldwide, including in The Philippines and Thailand. The new safety requirements in force for mining operations in Australia represent yet another instance in which regulatory entities implement solar rapid shutdown requirements for the safety of first responders and anyone that needs access to the solar array. The Smart Commercial Solar mine deployment is the first Tigo TS4-A-S site fully tested and compliant with the Electrical Safety standard under the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Act 2013, Regulation 2022. The standard mandates that all carriers of Direct Current (DC) energy comply with certain short circuit and earth fault protection requirements. In meeting the updated safety standard, Tigo Rapid Shutdown technology is now available for customer deployment at mining operations and the growing commercial and industrial solar market in Australia. "With the largest list of compatible inverters in the industry and a particular focus on a high-quality installed solution, we aim to provide solar solutions that give our installer partners the most choice and flexibility possible," said James Dillon, chief marketing officer at Tigo Energy. "We help our installers succeed in various industries and environments, including compliance with local standards and requirements. We are grateful to collaborate with Smart Commercial Solar and open up this important market segment for Tigo in Australia. I look forward to discussing the importance of fire safety for solar in Australia at All-Energy this month." In support of solar installer partners in Australia, Mr. Dillon will lead a presentation and education session in the Solar Master Class portion of the All-Energy Australia Exhibition & Conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, October 27, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. The presentation, entitled "The Solar Industry Matures: Rapid Shutdown Around the World," will cover the benefits of rapid shutdown and highlight the global adoption of rapid shutdown standards and requirements. Installers who attend the presentation are eligible to earn Continuous Professional Development points. For more information, visit the product pages for the Tigo TS4-A-S or Tigo EI Monitoring. For purchasing inquiries, please contact the Tigo sales team at https://www.tigoenergy.com/contacts. About Tigo Energy Tigo Energy, the worldwide leader in Flex MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics), designs innovative solar power conversion and storage products that provide customers more choice and flexibility. The Tigo TS4 platform increases solar production, decreases operating costs, and enhances safety. When combined with the Tigo Energy Intelligence (EI) platform, it delivers module, system, and fleet-level insights to maximize solar performance and minimize operating costs. The Tigo EI Residential Solar Solution, a flexible solar-plus-storage solution for home installations, rounds out the Companys portfolio of solar energy technology. Tigo was founded in Silicon Valley in 2007 to accelerate the adoption of solar energy, and its global team supports customers whose systems reliably produce gigawatt hours of safe solar energy on seven continents. Find us online at www.tigoenergy.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221023005051/en/ Contacts Technica Communications Caitlan Caviness 408-806-9626 Ext. 9949 caitlan@technicacommunications.com Oct 14 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator on Friday laid out proposals to address how much Motorola Solutions charges for its emergency mobile radio communications services in the country, after concerns around overpricing. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that a provisional assessment, after the launch of a probe last year, found the lack of competition allowed Motorola to make around 160 million pounds ($180.3 million) in excess profits a year. U.S.-based Motorola did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ($1 = 0.8875 pounds) (Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) UAE-based Lootah Group, a leading business conglomerate with special interests in the construction, real estate, energy, food and hospitality sectors, has announced that its key subsidiary, Lootah Biofuels, has opened a new plant in Dubai Industrial City. The launch of the new factory was celebrated at the third meeting of the UAE Circular Economy Council, chaired by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment. The Emirati group said Lootah Biofuels factory serves as an innovative model of converting cooking oil into biofuel for use in energy production and enhances endeavours to shift towards more sustainable energy and create new economic opportunities that advance the countrys transition to a more flexible and diversified economic model based on knowledge and innovation, and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The launch of the new plant and the consequent increase in biodiesel production capacity by 100 tonnes per day will help the UAE achieve its goal of obtaining five percent of transportation fuel from food waste and non-renewable resources, it stated. This project is a model of efficient integrated waste management and will contribute to fast-tracking the nationwide transition to a circular economy, it added. Speaking on the occasion, Almheiri said: "The transition to a circular economy contributes to driving sustainable economic development in line with the UAEs vision, which ensures continued growth while protecting the environment and preserving natural resources, in addition to supporting the efforts to reduce emissions and to achieve net zero." "Innovative solutions play a key role in accelerating the shift. The Lootah Biofuels plant represents a remarkable model of practical application of circularity principles, and a prime example of active participation of the private sector in achieving the UAEs goal of developing a circular economy," she stated. The launch ceremony was attended by senior ministers including Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications as well as Khaled Al Huraimel, CEO of Beeah and Ibrahim Al-Zubi, Chief Sustainability Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Holding. Al Marri said: "Promoting the enablers of the circular economy transition in the UAE through close co-operation between the public and private sectors is one of the main tracks led by the UAE Circular Economy Council, which is based on a real partnership with the countrys private sector aimed at exploring opportunities and proposing solutions." Dr Al Zeyoudi stressed that continued efforts to implement the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 will consolidate the countrys position as a global economic hub and a preferred destination for foreign investors looking for rewarding prospects in existing future economy sectors that are based on knowledge and innovation and take into account sustainability and conservation of natural resources. They expand the infrastructure of this promising sector, and provide incentives to the private sector to shift to clean industrial production methods using artificial intelligence (AI) and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions he stated. Dr Al Zeyoudi pointed out that this launch was possible due to the immense co-operation between the public and private sectors for achieving national goals. In his address, Al Olama said: "Adopting a new economic model in the country will create new exceptional opportunities by stimulating innovation, increasing competitiveness, and driving growth, which enhances quality of life for the current and future generations." On the new venture, Chairman Yousif Saeed Lootah said: "The circular economy drives the adoption of efficient and responsible production and consumption patterns, and provides ample opportunities for growth and prosperity for companies that uphold sustainable values and practices, such as Lootah Biofuels." Lootah added that the governments support for leading projects motivates and empowers young people to achieve their aspirations and contribute to the national agenda in innovative ways. He also highlighted the companys keenness to participate in building youth capacities by providing training opportunities. Meanwhile, in a major boost to the UAE's sustainability efforts, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has signed an agreement with Union Cement to partially use alternative fuels produced by the Emirates RDF municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment plant in Umm Al Quwain. The move is part of the ministrys efforts to boost the participation of the private sector in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, implementing circular economy principles, and developing an integrated waste management system.-TradeArabia News Service Abortions in Colorado Abortions in Colorado 17,750 abortions were performed in 1984, the highest amount the state has had in one year In 2021, 11,580 abortions were done, up from 9,869 in 2020 By the end of September, the number of abortions performed, 9,898, had surpassed 2020s total, with three months remaining Of those, 2,477 women came from out-of-state this year, nearly double the amount in 2020 About three in four abortions conducted in Colorado last year were eight weeks gestation or less Thirty-five women who had abortions last year were more than 28 weeks into their pregnancy Just over two in three women who had abortions in 2021 opted for the non-surgical medical procedure, while 28% had a suction method One in five women who sought abortions last year had had one previous abortion, and 3%, or 367 women, had had three or more prior abortions Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Forecasts show water supplies will not keep pace with demand by 2050 for agricultural (Ag) or municipal and industrial (M & I) needs if Colorado does not find new approaches. Colorado Springs Fire Department is fighting a wildland fire on Mount Muscoco Saturday in the western portion of the city. The department was notified of the fire, named Four Corners Fire, at 1:45 a.m., according to The Gazette news partner KKTV. No evacuations have been ordered for the area, but North Cheyenne Canyon Park and Helen Hunt Falls are closed. Fire fighters were working on scene by 9:20 a.m., officials reported. A helicopter later arrived and is dropping water from above to assist crews. The fire is in steep and rocky terrain, officials said, and is about an acre large. Colorado Springs is under a red flag warning from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday due to "critical fire weather," according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo. A storm moving through the mountains is bringing low humidity and strong winds to the plains, blowing dust and making for dangerous fire conditions. One person was seriously injured during a vehicle and motorcycle crash Monday evening. The motorcyclist was transported to the hospital with serious life-threatening injuries. Reporter Stephanie Earls is a news reporter and columnist at The Gazette. Before moving to Colorado Springs in 2012, she worked for newspapers in upstate NY, WA, OR and at her hometown weekly in Berkeley Springs, WV, where she got her start in journalism. Mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted for a wildland fire that sparked in unincorporated El Paso County near the Pikes Peak International Raceway Saturday afternoon, the El Paso County Sheriffs Office said. Evacuation orders were announced around 1:30 p.m. for Donner Pass View, Sugar Foot Point, Gold Dust Trail, Vigilante View and other homes in that area. The Sheriff's Office lifted the orders shortly after 5 p.m. The Sweetwater fire had burned 346 acres and was zero percent contained as of about 5 p.m., according to Sheriffs Office spokesperson Jason Garrett. Ninety personnel from El Paso County and Colorado fire departments are fighting the fire, with Hanover Fire Department serving as the lead agency. The fire was human-caused, Garrett said. No arrests have been made, but officers have identified suspects who they say were shooting at a firing range. Just before 2 p.m., the fire had reached the north end of the parking lot behind the grandstands of the raceway. By 2:22 p.m., the fire started burning the hillside adjacent to the parking lot and, by a little after 3 p.m., much of the grass on the hillside had burned. Jeff Lewis and his wife, Kate, were told to evacuate their home that overlooks the raceway. They watched from the media staging area near the raceway entrance as fire crews guarded their home. They evacuated in their pickup truck with their two children in the back seat and four dogs in the pickup bed. He said they were told to get out of their home immediately. Kate estimated there were 16 firefighters setting up a perimeter near their home to prevent the fire from advancing. By 3:30 p.m., Jeff said one part of the fire had crept close to 300 yards from his home. "That (warning) was fast. We didn't even know there was a fire going on when they came to our door," Jeff Lewis said. "Usually there's some sore of progression in the warning. That wasn't there. "I mean, what can you do?" he continued. "Look at this wind. It's super dry out there." Colorado Springs is under a red flag warning until 7 p.m. Saturday due to "critical fire weather," according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo. A storm moving through the mountains is bringing low humidity and strong winds to the plains, blowing dust and making for dangerous fire conditions. It is very dangerous to have fires, Garrett of the Sheriff's Office said. Even though theres not a current fire ban, common sense needs to come into play here. Dont go outside shooting in dry areas. Dont start fires in dry areas. Several trucks will remain in the area of the Sweetwater fire overnight, according to Hanover Fire Chief Carl Tatum. Firefighters are now working on tightening fire lines as hot spots remain. No structures were damaged, and no people were injured from the fire. The fire is the second on Saturday after firefighters responded to the Four Corners fire at Mount Muscoco this morning. You may not especially want this responsibility, but if you are a Colorado registered voter, you will get to serve as a legislator for a day. Mason Citys Historic Park Inn Hotel, opened in 1910 and reopened in 2011 after an extensive renovation, has been done over again this time in Lego blocks. Ethan Gonzalez, a 19-year-old college student from Des Moines, created the colorful plastic-brick rendition of the landmark. The Historic Park Inn Hotel is the last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel in the world. Gonzalez first learned about Frank Lloyd Wright from his grandmother. She has liked his architecture for as long as I can remember, he said. We both appreciate his style and design. He said he realizes many people of his generation dont know who Wright was. I am glad that I do know who he was and can appreciate his genius, and I have my grandma to thank for sharing that appreciation with me. Gonzalez and his family visited Mason City in 2016 and stayed at the hotel for his grandmothers birthday, according to Mellisa Leach, Historic Park Inn Hotel general manager. I was blown away by the beauty and the elegance of the building and the details inside and out, Gonzalez said in a press release from Visit Mason City. For about 10 years, Gonzalez has been building large-scale Lego projects to enter at the Iowa State Fair. When brainstorming ideas for this years project he remembered his trip to Mason City and his stay at the hotel. It is truly a work of art and a beautiful Iowa landmark, which is why I wanted to build it out of Legos, he said. Gonzalez, a full-time pre-engineering student at Des Moines Area Community College, started the project shortly after the 2021 Iowa State Fair. It took him almost a whole year to finish, with the majority of the work being done over the summer. He estimates between 3,000 to 5,000 Lego pieces were used to complete the project. I strived to make the model as accurate as possible, both the interior and exterior. I did not take many quality photos, but I did, and still do remember quite a bit from our stay, Gonzalez said. "In addition to memory, I used whatever photos I could find of the inside and outside online to build the model. There were a few places that I struggled to find visuals of and had to build what I thought would be real. In the end I feel that the model very closely resembles the real architecture." Gonzalez explained that creating a large scale model of a real building provides challenges but often yields just as many rewards. I started building the hotel and restaurant end first, making sure to get the windows of the lobby and rooms symmetrical and scale. I then expanded to create the floorplan of the first floor, which led to the construction of the bank and ballroom end, he said. After most of the exterior was complete, I began to focus on interior details, such as the carpet patterns and floor tiles. I recreated as much furniture as I possibly could at such a small scale. From there it was mostly finishing touches, like adding the mini-figure visitors and staff. Even though I have a decent sized collection of pieces, each project takes up a lot of parts. I do keep a lot of smaller things I build put together, but for bigger projects I have to reuse the parts for the next projects, Gonzalez said when asked if he keeps all the models he makes. My collection (of Lego pieces) has definitely grown over the years of my building. I got most of my parts from sets I received from Christmases and birthdays, but I tend to find a lot of Legos at garage sales or thrift stores. I am sure my collection is worth probably a lot nowadays, he said. Gonszalezs Lego exhibit at the 2022 Iowa State Fair caused enough excitement that word got back to Leach at the Mason City hotel. We had a guest come in that was at the Iowa State Fair and said, You have got to see this exhibit. She had pictures on her phone she was showing me. I called my husband and said, Oh my gosh, we have got to go see it, Leach said. She said she found out who the builder was, contacted Gonzalez and then Visit Mason City made all the arrangements to bring the Lego model to the hotel. Last week, Gonzalez and his mother delivered the Lego model to the Historic Park Inn Hotel for temporary exhibit with staff from the hotel, Wright on the Park and Visit Mason City on hand to welcome the special guest. Leach said they were treated to dinner, a tour and an overnight stay. "I was super excited about it when it got here. I was telling everybody about it," Leach said. "He's got everything in there, the wheelchair ramp, all the carpets, even the chefs with the hats. He's got it right down to a tee." She said even the sinks and color of the bedding was just as it was when he visited in 2016. The Historic Park Inn Hotel Lego model will be on display in the hotels Skylight Room for the next six months. Gonzalez said his Lego hotel model didnt win any awards at the Iowa State Fair, however, The true award is getting to display the model inside the hotel its built after. I couldn't ask for anything else. I am so honored. The Republican party has been taken over by right-wing extremists. If Republicans win in November, the distrust of election results and disrespect for our public servants and teachers will just get worse. We watched on live television as Republican extremists, urged on by Trump, stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the peaceful transfer of power in January of 2021. The attempted overthrow of our government by the people who beat the police and broke into our Capitol, and the silence of politicians like Grassley who refused to denounce the Big Lie about the election, cannot be tolerated. Democracy is at risk with these Republicans in charge. If Iowa Republicans win in November, Iowa will have eminent domain for those Carbon pipelines that wealthy, Republican investors want to dig through our beautiful, Iowa farmland. If this private project gets the right to use eminent domain, the three pipelines currently proposed will not be the end of private companies digging through our land for their own benefit and against our wishes. If Iowa Republicans win in November, the ability of Iowa women to control their own bodies and their own destinies will end. Governor Reynolds wants the courts to allow her to implement the heartbeat bill that passed in a previous legislature and was stopped by the courts. If a no abortions, no exceptions bill is presented for a vote and Republicans are in a majority, it will pass even though a majority of Iowans do not support that kind of extremism. If Iowa Republicans win in November, Iowa will have an educational voucher system that will take tax money away from our public, community-based schools. Vouchers did not pass in the last session because some Republican legislators opposed the scheme based on the harm vouchers will cause to the public schools in their districts. This governor found primary opponents for those legislators. She got her extremists elected. Iowans already have school choice. Parents can transfer their child from one public school to another. Private schools do not have the same accountability for the use of our tax money as our public schools. And private schools do not have to accept all who apply. If Iowa Republicans win in November, the problems with our Medicaid system will not improve. Denials of care for our most vulnerable Iowans have increased by 891% since the Republicans privatized Medicaid. And the privatized system costs us more because the private companies have to make a profit. And about that gun amendment on our Iowa ballots. It is not necessary. Because Iowa is part of the United States, we are governed by the U.S. Constitution which includes the Second Amendment. The proposed amendment is not harmless. The Republicans added the words strict scrutiny to their version of the second amendment which changes everything. This means any law related to guns, on the books or proposed, can be declared unconstitutional. Iowans support better background checks and red flag laws but this amendment would prevent those common sense laws. Turn your ballot over and vote NO on the gun amendment to the Iowa Constitution. It's time to get Republican extremists out of the business of making laws that the rest of Iowa has to live by!! Perhaps if the Republican politicians lose badly in November, they will take the opportunity to moderate their agenda to the benefit of all Iowans and take back power from their extremists. Re: Companies X and Y have the same number of employees working [ #permalink : Yes, So we have another advantage to X employees. Hence correct Fine, A strengthener Having a Gym has no relation to taking more leaves. : Was the old one bad? We don't know and can't assume. It is not telling us anything Argument is saying since X employees are taking more sick holidays, Y are healthier. We need to weaken it.Pre assumption: May be X can convert their other holidays to sick holidays or they have some other advantage of taking so many leaves.(A) Company X allows employees to use sick days to take care of sick family members.(B) Company Y offers its employees dental insurance and company X doesnt. :(C) Company X offers its employees a free membership to the local gym.(D) Company Y uses a newer system for keeping records of sick days.(E) Both companies offer two weeks of sick days per year._________________ MADISON Built in 1908, one of this 2,200-resident hamlet's most storied historical buildings is once again the talk of the town, and now the world, courtesy of the Netflix series, "28 Days Haunted." Home to Madison Dry Goods and Country Store for the past nearly 30 years, the building at 104 W. Murphy St. in the heart of downtown has been home to a variety of businesses over the decades. And the structure is attached to one of the most gruesome mass murders in North Carolina history the 1929 Lawson family murders. Indeed, Charlie Lawson, a 43-year-old Stokes County farmer, shot and bludgeoned his wife and six of his seven children in Germanton before taking his own life on that Christmas afternoon, the same year the nation plunged into the Great Depression. In 1929, the upstairs of the building housed T.B. Knight Funeral Parlor where the victims, including a newborn, were embalmed. Proprietors of Madison Dry Goods, Richard and Kathy Miller, bought the building in 1998. And while they were aware of the buildings history, which included housing the former Penn Hardware Store, the Millers were not prepared for the stories of unexplainable activity that have garnered the attention of national paranormal investigators over the past decade. Numerous visitors to the store, as well as employees, have reported seeing a little girl wearing a white dress in the building. And pictures and objects have been moved about inexplicably, the Millers said. Add to that, the Millers and some visitors to the upstairs museum where the funeral home once operated, have described being overcome with an eerie feeling as if they are not alone. Locals and various ghostbusters who have investigated the site and the odd sightings speculate that the unexplained activities are connected to the Lawson family deaths. Word of the bizarre happenings reached Netflix producers and in 2021, a production team contacted the Millers and invited them to participate in the show, something of a 28-day experiment in crossing over to the spirit world, the Millers said in a news release. The Netflix production team subscribes to a theory popularized by famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, authors associated with prominent cases of alleged hauntings, including the Amityville house on which the "The Amityville Horror" books and films were based. The Warrens held that it takes 28 days to pierce the veil between the human and spirit worlds. So, Netflix show makers asked the Millers for carte blanche access to their building for 28 days between Aug. 12 and Sept. 15, 2021. The Millers obliged and closed their popular store for the month. They were not allowed access to the store during the experiment and were not told of a paranormal team's findings. On Friday, "28 Days Haunting" aired six 40-minute episodes, which chronicle investigations of the Madison site, as well as buildings in Connecticut and Colorado, which are said to be haunted. In Madison, self-described "demonologist" Jereme Leonard and fifth-generation psychic medium Brandy Marie Miller arrive in Madison blindfolded with no knowledge of the Lawson crime or building. They are not allowed access to the internet during the course of the month-long experiment, so they have no resources for research. Medium Miller announces in episode 1 before entering the building that she senses two children at the top of a staircase. SPOILER ALERT She and Leonard record thuds, slamming sounds, and flickering lights throughout the series, as well as garbled voices, including one that demands they "Get out!'' On their first night in the Madison building, Miller and Leonard try to summon spirits for clues to the haunting. Miller lies in a casket taken from the upstairs mortuary museum and enters a trance as Leonard leads a mock funeral. Overcome by the sensation that victims are gathered around her casket and that a man is standing at the head of the wooden box, Miller breaks her trance and rushes away from the room for relief. She complains of pressure sensations to her head, as well. As the series continues, Miller deteriorates emotionally, claiming that dark forces are taking advantage of her psyche. She debates leaving the project through tears, but decides over a cigarette on Murphy Street to stick it out. Madison embalmer chosen as nation focused on family slayings The Madison embalmer was selected in 1929 because Knight operated the only funeral home in the region large enough to accommodate eight bodies, plus he had elevator access, historians say. The murders and preparation of the bodies drew national attention and old newspaper clips show that some 5,000 people gathered in Madison to see a line of hearses carry the bodies away to Germanton in Stokes County for burial. Curious ghostbusters may visit the old funeral parlor, part of the Madison Dry Goods Museum, during business hours from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Across my career I have been called upon to explain various forms of numerical fallacies associated with structural racism. My experience with numerical subterfuges used to attempt to cover up overt racism left me overwhelmed by the explanation offered by the Spartanburg County, S.C., deputies for their traffic stop and K-9 search of a chartered bus carrying students of historically Black Shaw University to a conference in Atlanta on Oct. 5. The rationale given for the stop was that the bus was swerving. Without video of the incident we have no evidence that the operation of the bus was in any way concerning or dangerous enough to require a traffic stop. Furthermore, even if that claim were true, one could reasonably expect that an appropriate action by law enforcement would have been to give the driver of the vehicle a Breathalyzer or some other test of his or her sobriety. (In the end, the driver was given a warning ticket for improper lane use.) However, what ensued was a search of the vehicle with drug-sniffing dogs. After the incident was criticized by Shaw Universitys president, Dr. Paulette Dillard, the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office revealed that the stop had been part of a weekendlong attempt to interdict drugs passing through the county entitled: Operation Rolling Thunder. Some of you may recognize that name from the Vietnam War. Operation Rolling Thunder was a sustained aerial bombardment conducted by the U.S. 7th Air Force and the Republic of Vietnam Air Force of North Vietnam from March 1965-November 1968. It cost 1,054 Americans captured, wounded or killed; and an estimated 20,000 North Vietnamese Army, but between 30,000-182,000 civilian, lives. One has to ask, of all possible titles for this attempt to reduce the flow of drugs through the county, why such a catastrophic name was chosen? People often reveal their intent with their words. By the numbers In response to the criticisms raised against the Spartanburg traffic stop, the sheriffs office released the following citation numbers in an attempt to defuse claims of racial profiling: White: 315. Black: 308. Hispanic: 125. Other: 55. This, of course, is the number of citations issued, not the number of traffic stops made. However, if this is meant to be an argument against racial profiling in the citations made, it fails. On the surface it might seem that the number of citations given to whites and Blacks are roughly equal, and both are greater than the number given to Hispanics. However, if we consider the distribution of the population of South Carolina by socially defined race and ethnicity, the citations given by race/ethnicity are much higher than expected by chance alone. The 2020 census shows the following numbers for South Carolina: White: 3,243,442. Black: 1,280,531. Hispanic: 352,838. So, based on their percentages within the state, we would expected by chance alone only 122 Black and 13.6 Hispanic citations. Thus, the number of citations given is greater than 2.5 times what it should have been for Black people and close to 10 times what it should have been for Hispanic motorists. These calculations assume that the number of traffic stops was proportional to the states population, but we were provided no data on this. It also assumes that citizens without regard to their race/ethnicity are equally likely to commit crimes. With regard to the latter claim, we know that is true in reference to drug-related crimes. The difference in conviction and incarceration results from various aspects of structural racism within the criminal justice system, as opposed to any group of people being more likely to commit such offenses. Racial profiling In addition, we can demonstrate that racial profiling does occur with regards to traffic stops. There is data that has examined traffic stops in the Carolinas by race. A study that examined 20 million traffic stops across decades in North Carolina showed a pattern of more aggressive targeting of Black youth, despite the fact that the stops were not justified by differential crime rates among those youths as compared to whites. This pattern is not limited to the former Confederate states; it is illustrated in racial profiling policies such as stop and frisk laws across the nation (see our discussion of this in Racism, Not Race (Columbia University Press, 2022), a book I co-authored with Alan H. Goodman). The result of racial profiling in policing, and structural racism in American society has created not only record incarceration rates, but ratios of Black-to-white incarceration of greater than 7-to-1 in the 21st century. To put that in perspective, consider the fact that, during the height of Jim Crow, the ratio was only 3-to-1. The bigger picture There is also a greater issue at play here than just the misdirected traffic stop that racially targeted and traumatized the Shaw students. That issue is the mistaken thinking that we can succeed at controlling drug use in America via Rolling Thunder-type efforts. The war on drugs is just as wrongheaded in its conception as the war against the Vietnamese. To his credit, President Biden has recognized this in part by pardoning individuals convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law (roughly 6,500 people from 1992-2021). In Racism, Not Race we argued that we should pardon all individuals (federal, state and local) convicted of nonviolent drug-related charges. However, to achieve that we must go deeper as a society and address drug epidemics by their root causes, such as the growing alienation that growing numbers of people are experiencing as our society no longer offers them a path to prosperity. Does anyone really think that the murder rates of Black youth on the South Side of Chicago would exceed 30 per 10,000 people per year if these neighborhoods were populated by fully employed persons working in well-paying jobs? Similarly, the opioid epidemic, which differentially impacted white Americans, was driven by the loss of employment opportunities in rural communities as well as the Rust Belt (see discussions in Jonathan Wetzels Dying of Whiteness, 2019, and Beth Macys Dopesick, 2018). The poor reasoning of the Spartanburg polices Rolling Thunder campaign only covers up the deeper cancer at the center of American social life. In Chapter 14 of A Voice in the Wilderness (Basic Books, 2022), I ask Americans to rethink the rights we will guarantee to all our people. In short, I ask us to implement real social justice and this includes a quality education, meaningful employment, a country without racism, police who represent the diversity of this nation, and policing policy that is not at war with the American people. There are a lot of peculiarities in this years race for district court judge in Cascade County. First, it is the only contested district court race in the state. Ten other district court judges will be elected this year without a challenger. Second, its perhaps the most tangible distillation of the state Legislatures open attacks on the judicial branch last year. While GOP lawmakers antagonized the co-equal branch of government, they also succeeded in passing a new law on how judges reach the bench. And while politics have been implied in Supreme Court elections for some time now in Montana, this is one of the few, if not the only, district court races to be similarly shaped by outside partisanship. Grubich, 52, was Republican Gov. Greg Gianfortes first judicial selection to pass through the new process for such appointments after the 2021 Legislature did away with the Judicial Nomination Commission. Democrats and the legal community sharply criticized Republicans, including the governors office, for eliminating the commission they saw as a framework guarded by judges and attorneys to prevent political appointments to the nonpartisan branch of government. Republicans saw a commission whose members were appointed by Democratic governors over the last 16 years and judges who have continuously found conservative legislative ambitions to be unconstitutional. Levine, 42, was one of Democratic Gov. Steve Bullocks final judicial appointments in his last year in office, and appears to have been the only judicial appointment in the 50 years the Judicial Nomination Commission existed to be rejected by the state Senate during a confirmation process that has long been something of a formality. For six months, Levine sat on the bench Grubich came to occupy before state lawmakers rejected her confirmation, primarily wary of her three terms as a Democratic lawmaker. After being removed from the bench, Levine stayed in public service, rather than returning to private practice, and is now a prosecutor at the Cascade County Attorneys Office. Grubich and Levine's pre-judicial legal careers are similar, primarily involving civil work on insurance cases and pro bono family law cases. Grubich came to the courts later in life, having served in the military and a 10-year stint in law enforcement before going to law school and settling into private practice in Great Falls. Levine has worked with nonprofits and was in private practice for eight years before being appointed to the district court bench. Both Grubich and Levine have spent the last three years vying for this position. Both were forwarded by the Judicial Nomination Commission for consideration by the Bullock administration in 2020, ending in Levine's appointment. After the Senate rejected that appointment six months later, they both applied to the panel of local stakeholders assembled by Gianforte and again both were forwarded to the Governor's Office in 2021, which placed Grubich on the bench. Next month the voters will decide how the saga ends. Grubich In an interview in his chambers earlier this month, Grubich appeared uncomfortable with the implied politics hanging over the race. "I'm not politically connected; my support came from Cascade County," he said of his appointment last year. In his campaign, Grubich tries to leave potential voters with a sense that he's an apolitical guy. People ask what his politics are, but he refuses the question. Still, Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, a Republican, attended a fundraiser for Grubich earlier this year. It's not the first time the governor's office has waded into the judicial campaigns. Supreme Court candidate James Brown in May got the benefit of a fundraiser at Gianforte's home, along with his endorsement. Judges and judicial candidates are bound by a code of conduct that forbids them from seeking or accepting partisan endorsements, and Grubich contends Juras' praise at the fundraiser did not violate those terms. "What she did there was simply explain why I was hired, what my qualities were," he said. "I think the people in this state or in this community would want to know why I was hired, because sometimes that isn't explained." Gregory Todd, who retired last year after 21 years on the district court bench in Yellowstone County, said in an interview this week that the lieutenant governor's appearance on the judicial campaign trail is an "outlier" for district court races, but parallels conservatives' attempts to change laws and get a Republican on the Supreme Court in order to see their legislation pass muster with the courts. Brown is currently the GOP president of the Public Service Commission. Republicans won the 2020 elections with a gulf of statewide support, and Todd, who last year was president of the Montana Judges Association, said it's a "dangerous trend" for partisan officials to lend their support to nonpartisan candidates on the campaign trail. "The judiciary is a co-equal third branch, specifically designed to rule on cases. It's not a political animal," Todd said. "There's a difference between disagreeing (with a ruling) and turning the courts into a partisan political animal and destabilizing and politicizing the judiciary. That's a dangerous road to go down." A spokesperson for the governor's office said Friday that Grubich is a former law student of Juras', but did not respond to a question about whether there were any concerns about introducing a partisan backdrop to a nonpartisan district court race. Grubich, who has long worked as a public servant, said he understands the weight of his authority, and what's at stake if it were to be used as a partisan tool. He has a docket of roughly 750 cases; few, if any, of them are political in nature. When you wear a uniform in law enforcement, when you wear a uniform in the military, its kind of like wearing a robe, Grubich said. Youre representing more than just you. Youre representing a profession; youre representing the law. Grubich said he believes a lot of the fury over Republicans' decision to end the Judicial Nomination Commission was merely amplified by timing the Jan. 6 riots had just happened, and the political world was saturated with suspicion. "Thats why I think there was so much emotion that came with that removal of the nomination commission, because this was a time of division and a time when any move like that by the Legislature would have been looked upon with some distrust," Grubich said. He added that he couldn't comment on if the distrust was justified, because that got into the political realm. "This is the way I approach my campaign," he said. "I want the vote of the farthest left liberal Democrat in this county and I want the vote of the farthest right Republican. Because both of those people deserve a good judge. I don't limit myself, I don't stay away from courting the vote of a person because of who they are and what their politics are. I want all of them to have confidence that Im doing my job the way it should be done. Levine Levine, meanwhile, said she sees her rejection by the Senate as one of the blows Republicans landed on the judicial branch in 2021. "I was just one piece of that puzzle of that struggle between the branches," she said. In her confirmation hearing last year, Republicans raised concerns with Levine's ability to be impartial considering her past associations with groups such as Carol's List, which helps progressive women get elected to office, and the Northern Plains Resource Council, which has opposed projects like the Keystone XL pipeline. They prodded her on the Second Amendment and her past votes as a Democratic lawmaker, particularly one against a bill that would have excluded undocumented migrants from receiving workers' compensation. Levine said she's still had to explain to people on the campaign trail why she was removed from the bench, as well as the broader conflict Republicans are waging against the nonpartisan branch. That may be a hard pitch for a candidate who was rejected by Republicans and is running for the bench in a county where 58% of voters went for Donald Trump in 2020. To potential voters who are wary of politicians sneaking into the nonpartisan branch, Levine said her work in all three branches of government, as a lawmaker, a prosecutor and a judge, better equips her to draw the line between the roles of each segment. "I have support from people of all walks of life, and all political backgrounds," Levine said. "Ive told people, 'I hear you and I hear that you want judges that stay out of (politics) and thats what I'm working to do.' As a judge I again set aside my own beliefs and perspectives." And while Grubich has decided against lobbing attacks in the race, Levine said she has to push back against the political apparatus at play against her. Her confirmation had the support of district court judges, the Cascade County Attorney and local attorneys. Levine said lawmakers refused to acknowledge that support and rejected her confirmation based on politics in turn, the new district court judge has raised money with the help of a prominent Republican. She also points out that Bullock's other two appointments that were confirmed were both men. Even with a little trading on both sides of the aisle to get the other appointments through, Levine said the questions did not appear uniform across the process. "I got asked questions like, 'What time do you get to work in the morning?' which I think relates to having kids," Levine said. "It was going to be a difficult road for all three of us. That was the word on the street. In the end, the boys got confirmed and the girl did not." While both candidates try to shrug off the politics hanging overhead, Cascade County has its own local issues that give this race importance. The pandemic created a backlog of cases in a judicial district that needs two more judges in order to process on an adequate timeline, according to Montana Supreme Court statistics. Both candidates say abuse and neglect cases are rampant in Cascade County, and that the area is short on mental health and addiction services. Claire Lettow, the regional director for the public defenders office, said her office will not endorse a candidate, but said the general election's winner ought to prioritize rehabilitation. "At the end of the day most are not spending their lives in prison," Lettow said. "I want to see a judge elected who is going to serve the rehabilitative goals. Levine fell 1,300 votes short of Grubich's tally in the June primary, taking home 46% of the vote to Grubich's 56%. Both candidates said they're knocking on doors, attending local events and touching base at civic group meetings in the final weeks before the score is settled on Nov. 8. This story has been corrected to reflect Michele Levine worked in private practice for eight years before she was appointed to the District Court bench in 2020. SPRINGFIELD Domestic and sexual violence victim advocates joined the SAFE-T Acts chief House sponsor and others Tuesday to oppose a bill that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called a good launching point for discussions on follow-up legislation to the criminal justice reform. We stand here in solidarity with all of the survivor organizations as we push forward with the Pretrial Fairness Act and denounce these provisions that we're seeing in the Senate bill that are rolling back the safeguards and protections for survivors that we have fought so very hard for, state Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago, said at a news conference. He was referring to Senate Bill 4228, a follow-up up bill sponsored by state Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign, who voted for the original SAFE-T Act and said he still favors implementing a system in which cash plays no role in whether an individual is released from custody while awaiting trial. Bennett, in a phone call last month shortly after he filed the legislation, said hes open to negotiations, but he filed it to clarify what he believed is the intent of the original legislation. That includes changes to the detainability standards laid out in the system that will replace cash bail. In the SAFE-T Act as it stands, judges will consider each individuals circumstances and can deny pretrial release if the offender is accused of certain offenses and is deemed a danger to the community, or if the person is a risk of willful flight from prosecution. All individuals are also detainable, regardless of the offense, if they commit a crime while already out on pretrial release. The law also created a presumption in favor of release for individuals who have committed a Class B or C misdemeanor or other petty or traffic offense. Bennett said while much of the current conversation regarding non-detainable offenses stems from misstatements on the right, he filed the bill to erase any potential doubt. The advocacy groups criticized a specific provision in Bennetts bill that would widen judicial authority to detain a defendant charged with any crime if the court believes they are a serious risk of skipping trial, pose a danger to the community, or are likely to threaten a potential witness or juror. They also faulted SB 4228 for removing language creating a presumption in favor of release, saying it instead creates an unconstitutional presumption in favor of detention. The original SAFE-T Act was designed to make initial detention hearings more robust than current bail hearings, which typically occur within 72 hours of arrest, last fewer than five minutes and end in a judge deciding conditions of release, including how much money, if any, the defendant must post. The new process will allow a prosecutor to petition for pretrial detention and a defendant can have a public defender present at detention hearings. The advocacy groups said the presumption in favor of pretrial release for lower-level offenses in the original SAFE-T Act was designed to free court resources to spend more time in cases where violence was involved or was likely to be involved. The advocacy groups said another concern is the removal of a requirement that states attorneys notify victims of upcoming detention hearings. They said the requirement is needed to ensure victims dont slip through the cracks when it comes to the administration of justice. Another change contained in Bennetts bill is a provision to ensure that the end of cash bail does not apply to individuals who were held in lieu of bail prior to Jan. 1, 2023. LAWSUITS: The wide-ranging criminal justice reform law is also the subject of a growing list of lawsuits from dozens of prosecutors and sheriffs throughout the state who are looking to halt the cashless bail rollout. Most of those complaints center on the legislative process of approving the bill, a process in which Illinois courts have historically not been willing to interfere. Another legal argument centers on a provision in the constitution regarding bailable offenses. The lawsuits from across the state were expected to be consolidated as the courts consider granting a preliminary injunction. * * * 'PANDEMIC IS OVER:' A legislative panel on Tuesday objected to an emergency rule put forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health, with one member declaring, The pandemic is over. The action came during a meeting of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which has oversight authority over state agency regulatory rulemaking. Its an action that does not block the rule from remaining in effect, but it does require the agency to respond to the objection within 90 days. The proposed rule expanded an existing program in which the state of Illinois sponsors international medical students for a waiver of normal visa requirements so they can remain in the country after they graduate if they agree to practice at a medical facility in designated Health Professional Shortage Area for a minimum of three years. Normally, agency rules go through a lengthy process that involves public notice and comment, as well as a review by JCAR. But state law allows them to enact emergency rules if they determine a threat to the public interest, safety or welfare requires rules to be adopted in less time than would be needed to go through the regular process. Emergency rules can take effect immediately after being filed with the secretary of states office, but they can only remain in effect for 150 days, after which they either expire or are replaced with permanent rules. They also are subject to review by JCAR. IDPH published the emergency rule on Sept. 19 and said in its explanation that it was needed so it could be in effect in time for the U.S. State Departments waiver review period that began in October. But at JCARs meeting in Chicago on Tuesday, state Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, objected, arguing that the department has been issuing an awful lot of emergency rules lately. IDPH has, in fact, issued numerous emergency rules since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. But Reick argued that the agency has used the emergency process even when there was ample time to go through the regular rulemaking procedure, including public comment. The pandemic is over, he said. It is time for us to get back to normal way of doing business, and the normal rulemaking process should be the one that is used instead of emergency rulemaking when the time is available to do that. Reick then offered a motion for JCAR to formally object to the emergency rule, noting that IDPH had ample time since the law went into effect on Jan. 1 to go through the regular rulemaking process. His motion also noted that IDPH included provisions in the emergency rule that went beyond the scope of addressing the need for forensic pathologists to apply for the waiver program. The motion passed on a voice vote with no audible dissent. EXECUTIVE ORDER: The JCAR vote came four days after Gov. Pritzker renewed his disaster proclamation his 35th since the pandemic began spelling out various mandates for mitigating the spread of the virus. In recent months, however, he has gradually rolled back many of those mandates. The most recent executive order removes the weekly testing requirements for unvaccinated health care and long-term care workers, removes the face covering requirement for health care facilities although they are still recommended in facilities in areas of high community transmission and removes the state-issued vaccine mandate for long-term care and health care employees. * * * HOUSING ASSISTANCE: The state will reopen a mortgage assistance program for pandemic-impacted homeowners on Nov. 1. The Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund, run through the Illinois Housing Development Authority, provides up to $30,000 in assistance to homeowners through payments made directly to mortgage servicers, taxing bodies or other approved entities. The program is funded through an appropriation from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and can be used for past-due mortgage payments and up to three months of future payments. The funding can also be used for delinquent property taxes, homeowners insurance, condominium or homeowner association fees, and mobile home lot rent. Funds received do not need to be repaid. More information is available at illinoishousinghelp.org/ilhaf, and the application portal will be open from Nov. 1 through the end of January 2023. To qualify, Illinois homeowners must: Have experienced a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic after Jan. 21, 2020, or a hardship that began before that date and continued afterward. Currently own and occupy the home in the state as their primary residence. Be at least 30 days late on their monthly housing payment. Have a household income at or below 150% of the area median income. Be able to demonstrate they have either communicated with their mortgage provider about their inability to pay or sought counseling with a federally approved counseling organization. Individuals who participated in a previous round of mortgage assistance may apply again in the upcoming round, but the maximum amount a person can receive is $30,000 cumulatively. IHDA and its housing partners will hold information sessions on the program, and a schedule is posted online at illinoishousinghelp.org. Information can also be obtained by contacting the ILHAF hotline at 1-866-454-3571. * * * MADIGAN PROBE: The federal case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan widened Friday after new charges were filed against him and his longtime ally, Michael McClain, alleging they conspired to accept a bribe from AT&T Illinois in exchange for favorable legislation. Prosecutors also announced that the company had admitted to using interstate commerce to facilitate passage of legislation and entered a deferred prosecution agreement while agreeing to pay a $23 million fine. The companys former president, Paul La Schiazza, 65, also faces charges for conspiring to influence Madigan. The latest indictments stem from legislation that AT&T pushed in 2017 known as a carrier of last resort, or COLR bill. The charges allege that the phone company paid $22,500 to a Madigan ally in exchange for efforts by Madigan and McClain to pass the bill. The payment was allegedly made through an intermediary to conceal its true purpose. A spokesman for the Citizens Utility Board, which opposed the bill, said in an email that the law relieves AT&T from its prior duty to offer land line service to any customer within their service territory, once it receives approval from the Federal Communications Commission. The bill passed the General Assembly twice in different forms. Both were vetoed by then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, but in July 2017 the General Assembly overrode the second veto and the bill became law. La Schiazza has been charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of corruptly giving something of value to reward a public official, and three counts of using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity, including bribery and legislative misconduct, which are violations of state law. Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled. We hold ourselves and our contractors to the highest ethical standards. We are committed to ensuring that this never happens again, an AT&T spokesman said in a statement. Madigan, 80, reigned over the Illinois House for all but two years between 1983 and 2021 and was considered by many to be the states most powerful politician. He also chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois from 1998 to 2021 but resigned that position amid the corruption scandal as well. But he lost his leadership role in 2021 after he was implicated in a bribery scheme involving electric utility giant Commonwealth Edison. He was eventually indicted earlier this year on multiple corruption charges related to that scheme and is still awaiting trial. The latest charges come less than four weeks before the 2022 midterm elections in which the entire General Assembly and all statewide elected officials are on the ballot. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Plentiful sunshine. High around 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving overnight. Low near 60F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. US woman sues L'Oreal, says hair products tied to cancer By AFP Published Oct 23, 2022 An American woman who contracted uterine cancer after using chemical hair straightening products sold by USA sued the company on Friday, her lawyer said. L'Oreal The woman, Jenny Mitchell, said in the civil lawsuit that she had used the products for more than two decades, then was struck with uterine cancer that forced her to undergo a full hysterectomy. The suit comes just days after the publication of a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute establishing a link between usage of chemical hair straightening products and uterine cancer. The study found that women who used the products more than four times a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who didn't use the products. Cancer of the uterus is relatively rare, but its incidence is rising in the United States, especially among Black women. "Black women have long been the victims of dangerous products specifically marketed to them," Ben Crump, a personal injury attorney for Mitchell, said in a statement. Friday's civil lawsuit seeks damages from the US branch of L'Oreal, the French cosmetics giant, among other companies. "We will likely discover that Ms. Mitchell's tragic case is one of countless cases in which companies aggressively misled Black women to increase their profits," Crump said. L'Oreal did not offer an immediate response to the suit. CHARLESTON Coles County is under a burn ban until at least Tuesday due to dry, windy weather conditions, which fueled field fires Saturday night in neighboring Clark County. Coles County Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Hilgenberg said in an announcement Saturday evening that all the fire chiefs for all of the rural fire protection districts in Coles County are in agreement that they and the agency will institute a countywide burn ban. He said this means there shall be no open burning of any kind allowed in Coles County until the ban is lifted. Burn bans have also been reported in Clark and Cumberland counties. Hilgenberg said in an announcement early Sunday afternoon that the Coles County burn ban will remain in effect and that outdoor burning is prohibited due to the increased fire danger. "The ban will remain in effect until significant rain is received, which is currently forecasted to happen on Tuesday," Hilgenberg said. Martinsville Fire Protection District in Clark County reported that its crews responded three fires Saturday, starting with a field fire at 4:29 p.m. along 1400 Road in which high wind had pushed the flames across a cut corn field and into a standing corn field. Casey Fire Protection District was requested for mutual aid with another brush truck. As Martinsville crews were getting back to their station, they were dispatched at 5:42 p.m. to an uncontrolled brush and property fire in the south part of their district, just off of Illinois Route 49. This call had minimal property damage and was quickly contained. The last call was for a fire at approximately 8:30 p.m. in a pit at a grain elevator along U.S. Route 40. This call was upgraded to a grain bin fire by 8:50 p.m. No injuries were reported for the three fire calls. "With the dry and windy conditions, please do not burn. A small fire in a trash barrel or campfire can turn into a serious issue very quickly," the Martinsville district reported. CHICAGO - The buses filled with migrants from the Texas border continue to arrive in Chicago, but its easy to forget that people are on those buses, people with stories often overshadowed by politics and conversation around the flawed immigration system in America, or by the desperate need to find shelter, warm food and clean clothes for the new arrivals. Nearly 4,000 migrants arrived in the city directly from Texas on the buses sent by Gov. Greg Abbott, according to city officials, but many more refugee seekers mainly from Venezuela have also been coming, on their own, to the promise of safety and job opportunities in Chicago. Without any governmental help, a small house of worship on Division Avenue, Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church, has turned into a temporary shelter that has housed nearly 100 migrants. Many have transitioned into more permanent housing and found jobs, establishing a network within the group to lend each other a hand in their new home, Chicago. At the church, the migrants share their journeys, fears, and dreams. As some move out, others make room for new arrivals by cleaning up the sleeping areas in between church pews. And during Sunday service, everyone those who have transitioned out and those who recently arrived is invited to have lunch together. They are creating a new home, we give God thanks for their new home, said Jacobita Cortes, the churchs pastor. Beyond the new reality that the migrants face and the story of their desperate need to flee their home countries to undergo a journey north where most are now homeless, are people who once had homes, and jobs. Here are some of their stories: My dream is to have a family As the sun sets in Chicago, a small church in Humboldt Park fills with the smells of Venezuelan food and chatter as migrants arrive at their temporary home after a day of looking for work. A joyful Erly Jose Tovar, 40, welcomes people as they walk in. He had been assigned to watch the makeshift shelter after arriving in the first week of September. He unlocks and locks the doors and makes sure that everyone is safe. Im glad to be here, he said with a smile, his long, blonde hair extensions carefully braided. Tovar is a hairstylist by trade who made his way to Chicago after being bused to Washington, D.C., where he heard of the beauty of the city and its job opportunities. Migrating to the United States was never part of his plans. In fact, through his childhood he only ever dreamed of moving to Spain to eventually open his own hair salon. But it all seemed so distant, Tovar said. Though full of dreams, his childhood was painful. When he was 5 years old, his troubled mother gave him away to an aunt, he recalled as his voice began to break. But his aunt also didnt care for him, leaving Tovar to practically live in the streets, begging for food through his childhood. In his teens, his mom took him in again, but his stepfather would beat him so hard that Tovar decided to leave once again, this time for his grandmothers home. Thats when he finally came out as gay, he said. But things took a worse turn. A family member raped him, according to Tovar, forcing him to seek refugee elsewhere. The family of one of his friends took him under their wing for the rest of his teen years. I began to grow up and looked for ways to support myself, Tovar said. He eventually learned to read with the help of a teacher who agreed to take him in their classroom without needing to register. As he grew older, he found a livelihood in working the cornfields in rural towns; also an attempt to run away from discrimination and bullying for his sexual orientation, he said. Tovar eventually learned to accept and embrace himself. He developed a love for hairstyling from a friend who had a beauty salon, he said. Those friends became my family, Tovar said. Before deciding to migrate north, he moved to Colombia with a distant cousin. There, he worked for several years until he saved enough money to make the journey north. It was a chance for a whole new beginning, he said. A chance to start over and leave all the pain of his childhood behind. So this new life, though uncertain, gives him hope of finally healing and finding peace, he said. My dream is to have a family, Tovar said emotionally. He wants to find a partner and get married. Hopefully adopt kids at one point. I would work so hard to give them everything, all the love and the things I didnt have. A family business that failed Sitting on a church pew after eating dinner, Marianella Hernandez, 47, still savored the dish. Theres so much food, I still cant believe it, I may even get a stomach ache, she smiled as she looked at her husband, Manolo Francisco Palma, 43, sitting next to her on a chair. In Venezuela, she said, their neighbors are struggling to feed their families because even working two jobs they cant make ends meet. The prices of the food, if available at all, are inflated, but the shelves at the stores (are) empty, she said. It was particularly heartbreaking for Hernandez to see her adult children unable to feed their own children. She shook her head and spoke a little softer when she recalled the days before the family decided to leave their whole life behind to make their way to America. I didnt want to come, I was scared to cross that jungle, I was worried for my grandchildren, but we really had no other option. People dont understand that, Hernandez said. Their older son, Jhonder Adrian Garabito, 32, was the first one to leave their native town of Santa Fe de Tuy. He sold his motorcycles and most of his assets, leaving his wife and three young girls with only their bed and a fan, his mother said. Hernandez gave him her blessing and he headed north. When he left, he promised he would immediately look for a job to save enough money to help the rest of his family reach the American Dream, Hernandez said. He did. After just a few weeks of arriving, Jhonder found a job at a factory. He sent enough money to help bring over his wife and children, his two brothers and his parents. The family was happy, and food was abundant. Marianella and her husband began their own business selling fruits and vegetables from town to town in a small truck. The business was sustainable, and even after the economic collapse that began in 2014, they were able to manage and in 2020, suddenly, the business picked up, she recalled. They even bought a new truck. Not once did it cross her mind that one day they would all flee their beloved town and leave their small home empty to migrate north, Hernandez said. But just as suddenly as business picked up, it all disappeared. We had to sell our truck, then some of our other belongings. Then it was hard to feed the family, she recalled. So when her older son made the decision to migrate north, she and her husband felt the responsibility to support him and eventually follow him. For a while she tried to convince her husband to let her stay in Venezuela because she didnt think she would survive the months journey to Chicago because of underlying health issues. But Manolo, her husband of 30 years, begged her to do it. I couldnt leave her behind. Weve spent a whole life together, it was already hard enough to leave everything behind, Manolo said wiping away tears. In Venezuela, the only thing left is their empty home and Hernandezs 67-year-old mother. Though she hopes to see her again one day, as much as it hurts, I dont know what will happen next, Hernandez said. But we are happy to be here together, she added. Manolo was specifically glad to be starting work already. His son was able to get him a job through a staffing agency. All we need is a place to live. He left the uniform behind For more than a decade, Robinson Briseno, 39, served as a police officer in Cojedes, Venezuela, a job that he grew into after joining the military in his youth. I fell in love with the uniform, with helping others, he said. After growing up in a rural town and working the fields, Briseno found a way to better his life through his profession. He then went on get a degree to teach physical education and was a substitute teacher at a local school, he said. Through those years, he fathered seven children and he intended to support them as they sought higher education. It all sounds nice, but one thing is to hear the story and another one is to live it, Briseno said while sitting on a church pew just two days after arriving in one of the buses sent from Texas transporting migrants. Though he tried to make enough to support his family, he couldnt. His salary was not enough. And even on the good days, seeing the other hungry children while I couldnt feed mine, didnt feel right, Briseno said. Its not easy to wear a uniform, to wake up every day in a country that is falling apart, to see people in the streets that are dying of hunger; and to then be forced to oppress those same people that are protesting and fighting against the corrupt government because they are hungry, he said. The only difference between those protesting and him was the uniform. So he left it left it behind and believes that he could never return for fear of retaliation from the governmental officials that he once served. In Chicago, he reunited with two other former officers who also chose to leave Venezuela to migrate to the United States. The three are staying at the church until they find a new job, far away from the one they had in Venezuela. I hope that people take the time to know more about us: Some of us are professionals, engineers, lawyers, and many more, Briseno said. A girl mom Zulmairys Massiel, 31, said, I love being a mom. Her three girls, one 10, another 5 and the youngest one 3, have finally started school since arriving in Chicago. I thought they were going to be scared, but they have been so excited, Massiel said. Attending school will give the girls some sense of normalcy amid so much uncertainty, she said. The months since early June have been traumatic for the three young girls. Their father, Jhonder Adrian Garabito, 32, first left them in Venezuela when he took on the journey to migrate to Chicago. For a few days, the family lost touch with Garabito and didnt know if he was dead or alive. It was one of the most difficult times of my life, Massiel said. To tell the girls that their father was OK when we had no idea of his whereabouts. But she kept positive. Garabito had told her that once he arrived in the States, he would find a job and send enough money to bring them over. Thankfully, he did. Massiel and her three girls began the migration north in mid-August and arrived in Chicago a month later. There was fear through the way, she recalls. People say they rape women and children, Massiel said. Her main concern was crossing the infamous Darien Gap, a jungle linking Colombia to Panama. Sequera was afraid she wouldnt be able to protect her three girls, or herself from harm. I prayed every step of the way, she said. In Chicago, Garabito waited for them. He had paved the way for his two younger siblings and his parents too. When he arrived, he found help at Cortes church in Humboldt Park he was one of the first migrants to arrive in the church but quickly found a job in a nearby factory packing toys, he said. Cortes helped him to find a place to rent, to make sure that his wife and children had a place to live upon arrival. The family has created a home out of an old empty storefront. Were getting ready for the cold, Massiel said. The girls are excited to see snow for the first time. In Venezuela, the daughters were used to spending time playing outside while their mother dedicated her time to doing nails and their father helped with the family business of selling fruits and vegetables. My family and I have always been so hardworking, we had our own business, he said. Garabito is Marianella Hernadez and Manolo Francisco Palmas oldest son. His parents and his middle brother were the last ones to arrive. So we are here to work and do better for our families, he said. Now in Chicago, Garabito and Massiel want to provide for their three girls and recover everything that they lost when they left their beloved Venezuela. I want my girls to attend a good school, to go to college and have a career, Massiel said. Back home, I couldnt afford to buy them their school uniform and there were few teachers. The beauty of Venezuela Just a days after arriving in Chicago from the Texas border, Jose Gregorio Rondon Benitez, 28, went out to look for work. Ill do anything, work at a factory, restaurant, construction, Ill learn and do the work, he said. Through his 20s Venezuela was already suffering economically, he said. There are few jobs and the salary is mediocre. He tried his luck in Peru, where he met the mother of his only daughter, he said. Before that also spent time in Colombia. He has worked the fields, as bank security and a cashier, and driving a motorcycle from town to town to transport people. But the pay was also low, so when he heard that people migrating from Venezuela were being allowed in the United States while they filed their asylum case, he saved his money and left. I told my family I would be back if things dont work out, Rondon said. But I hope its worth it. On the way, Rondon witnesses many more migrants, including women and children, returning to their home country, unable to continue the journey. Others were turned away at the border. So I feel blessed to have made it here, he said. He learned of the shelter at church through other migrants who gave him the pastors phone number. He called her and luckily there was room for him. He remembers learning of Chicago in movies. I loved Chicago after hearing of the stadiums, the snow and its lake, he smiled. If Im honest, I never thought I would actually come here. Rondon loved to live in Venezuela, he recalled. Though money was limited, he was set to make a life like many others had, working the fields or other blue-collar jobs. I loved everything, the beaches, the scenery, the food and our people, he said. While he now tries his luck in Chicago, he will think of his daughter and partner in Peru. Its all for them, he said. Rondon calls them almost every day. He also calls his mother in Venezuela. I feel destroyed because I need my family, but I also feel committed to work to make sure that I can help them, Rondon said. He wants to send money to help his daughter and younger relatives finish school so that they can too see the beauty of Venezuela before running away. I want my daughter to have everything I didnt have, Rondon said. But if it doesnt work out here, I will return with my family. All that matters is that at least I tried. World Insights: What does the 20th CPC National Congress mean to world economy? Xinhua) 11:06, October 23, 2022 BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- At week-long 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which concluded on Saturday in Beijing, a blueprint for China's future development has been mapped out. As the world economy is facing a tough situation this year, with probably tougher prospects for the next, China's economic outlook carries global significance. Voicing their confidence in China's future growth, business communities worldwide believe that China's modernization stride and innovation-driven growth will inject more certainty into the global economy. QUALITY DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS ALL China will accelerate creating a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development, said Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, while delivering a report at the CPC congress. "We must fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy, promote high-standard opening-up, and accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows," Xi said. Deeply impressed by the remarks, Wichai Kinchong Choi, senior vice president of the leading Thai bank Kasikornbank, said he can see China's future development direction focus more on high-quality and sustainable development. "This is good news for Thailand and other neighboring countries," he said. In the past few years, many Chinese high-tech enterprises have set up factories in Thailand, which is exactly what Thailand needs, he noted, saying that they have helped the Thai economy to transform and upgrade, and enhance its competitiveness. Over the past decade, China's gross domestic product has come to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy. It has become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions, leading the world in total volume of trade in goods. Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China, which has managed to coordinate pandemic control and economic development, still maintains a stabilizer of the global supply and industrial chains, and is keeping driving the world economic recovery. Moreover, its development is not achieved at the expense of the environment. Instead, China is striving to make its development greener and more sustainable. In pursuit of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, the country has cut its carbon emission intensity by 34.4 percent over the past 10 years, and pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. In the eyes of Chenhong Huang, global executive vice president of the German multinational software company SAP SE and president of SAP Greater China, China's green development will profoundly change the global energy, environment and economic landscape. "Chinese enterprises are using digital technology to make carbon emission data transparent and quantifiable, and promote a balance between green development and commercial development," Huang said. Meanwhile, China renewing its commitment in the CPC congress report to promoting a high-standard opening-up also strikes a chord with the international business community. U.S. automaker Tesla's success in China speaks volume for Beijing's determination to further opening-up. Thanks to the efforts of the Chinese government to facilitate foreign investment, Tesla became the first wholly foreign-owned auto enterprise in China, Vice President of Tesla Tao Lin said, adding that the U.S. company is seeking to further expand its presence in the Chinese market. German heat exchanger company Kelvion (China) has started operations in China over 20 years ago. Cheng Wenwu, general manager of the company, said doing business in China is becoming easier. Mentioning an effective market mechanism and a convenient and fast standardized administrative process in China, Cheng said the changes over the past years have lowered the costs of companies, facilitated market access and helped firms to adapt to international rules, benefiting the companies' operations. CHINESE MODERNIZATION MEANS OPPORTUNITIES Chinese modernization, a key term defining China's journey to national rejuvenation and another buzzword in the CPC report, has spurred a heated discussion in business communities both domestic and abroad. It contains elements common to the modernization processes of all countries, but more importantly, it features the Chinese context. It is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature and of peaceful development. For business leaders in many parts of the world, Chinese modernization means more opportunities. Jose Antonio Hidalgo, former president of the Ecuador-China Chamber of Commerce, said Chinese modernization will generate a positive impact in the global context, especially for the agri-food sector of Ecuador. "It is an opportunity for us because the middle-class consumers (in China) are going to need excellent quality agrifood and they are going to look for it in countries like ours," he said. In 2021, China announced that after eight years of strenuous work between late 2012 and late 2020, the country had lifted the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line out of poverty, and removed all 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages from the poverty list. Now the country boasts the world's biggest middle-income group -- 400 million people. That means huge potential for consumption. Hamdi Al-Tabbaa, president of the Jordanian Businessmen Association, also sees opportunities in the Chinese path to modernization. China's consistent efforts to improve people's living standards mean a significantly expanded middle-income group and upgraded consumption structure, which will offer more development opportunities for global enterprises, said Al-Tabbaa. From initiating the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank to taking the lead in implementing the UN sustainable development agenda, China has always been sharing its development dividends with the rest of the world. Woody Guo, senior vice president and managing director of Herbalife Nutrition in China, said the CPC report underlines the certainty of the Chinese market against the uncertainties of the global market, and makes foreign enterprises feel reassured about their development in China. The Chinese modernization "will provide more chances and opportunities, not only from the growing of markets, but also from an employment point of view," said Sara Vermeulen-Anastasi, head of group communication at Swiss technology group Oerlikon. "We will be able to attract more engineers and have more choices of new technologies," Vermeulen-Anastasi said. INNOVATION INSPIRES NEW MOMENTUM While invigorating its economy, China has made innovation a top priority in its planning. The country rose to 12th place on the Global Innovation Index 2021, up from 34th place in 2012, said the World Intellectual Property Organization. It ranked first among middle-income economies. "We must regard science and technology as our primary productive force, talent as our primary resource, and innovation as our primary driver of growth," Xi said in the report. "Everything is about innovation," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club. China is very forward-looking, as in every sector, China has the dynamic about "wanting to know where the world is going," he added. Amid the innovation drive, the number of Chinese companies on the Fortune Global 500 list has grown. In 2021, 145 Chinese companies made it to the list, climbing from 95 in 2012 and increasing for 19 consecutive years. In terms of telecommunication infrastructure, the country has built the world's largest 5G network, with a total of 1.43 million 5G base stations installed across the country by the end of 2021, accounting for over 60 percent of the world's total. Backed by technological advancement, China has accelerated the construction of high-speed transportation networks. With the world's most developed high-speed rail network, China now has more than 40,000 km of high-speed rail lines in operation. Oswaldo Navarro from Jalisco, an agriculture-producing state in Mexico, has purchased several pieces of agriculture and farming equipment from China. He told Xinhua that the seed cleaning machine he imported from China has a daily capacity two to three times that of the equipment from other countries, saving much time and cost. China's increased efforts in science and education will help turn scientific and technological achievements into productivity, said Navarro. Hichem Chorfi, an Algerian businessman working for a consulting firm in industrial technology and innovation, said China shares advanced development models and achieves economic complementarity with other countries, improving the well-being of people in various countries through advanced technologies. Chinese innovation will be featured in many important areas of human society in the future, he said. (Web editor: Liu Ning, Hongyu) What are companies really looking for? In my role with Goodwill of Northwest North Carolina, Im often asked for job-interviewing tips. One of the main questions deals with trying to decipher what an employer might really be looking for. My easy answer is that, like you, theyre seeking a good match. But what does that really mean? Lets explore that in more detail. Employers typically have many factors that they consider when interviewing and making hiring decisions, but their two primary factors are competency and culture fit. Competency: Can you do the job and do it well? On your resume and in your application, be sure to include relevant key words to show youve been exposed to their job functions and necessary skills. Ill call these your hard skills. Ill discuss soft skills later. Cite accomplishments as well, and, ideally, quantifying them with percentages, number of people, dollar saved or increased, time saved, etc. Do the same when youre face-to-face in the interview. Theyre interviewing you because theyve seen enough to want to know more about you. As you share your story, be concise in describing the challenge or situation, the actions you took, and the ultimate results. In some cases, perhaps you dont have the direct experience theyre seeking. If thats the case, be prepared to cite examples of how youve been adaptable and successful when taking on new responsibilities. Culture fit: While the competency question deals with hard skills, the culture question is more about your soft skills. This one is a bit more difficult to determine, at least from a quantifiable standpoint. But you can still cite examples of your teamwork, listening, dependability and problem-solving. Employers want to know that youll fit in. Do they like you? Ive interviewed people who seem nice but cant sufficiently demonstrate they can do a good job. Conversely, Ive interviewed even more people who, on paper, appear to be capable of doing the job, but who lack the soft skills to make me want them as a part of my team. Pro Tip: Enthusiasm is your ace in the hole. Id rather hire the personality and teach a few things than to hire a bump on the log with all the hard skills. Genuine enthusiasm, a desire to learn, citing examples of tackling challenges those may go a long way in an employers decision to select you over someone with more experience or education. As always, if youd like assistance with your job search, our centers services are free. Good luck! Creepy film RiverRun will mark the Halloween season with a 100th anniversary screening of Nosferatu at 8 p.m. Oct. 28 at Marketplace Cinemas, 2095 Peters Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem. A classic of silent cinema and the horror genre, Nosferatu is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stokers Dracula. Rather than depicting Dracula as a shape-shifting monster or debonair gentleman, Murnaus Graf Orlok (as portrayed by Max Schreck) is a nightmarish, spidery creature of bulbous head and taloned claws perhaps the most genuinely disturbing incarnation of vampirism yet envisioned. The distributor of Nosferatu, Kino Lorber, describes the new digital presentation as, mastered from the acclaimed 35mm restoration by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. Backed by an orchestral performance of Hans Erdmanns 1922 score, this edition offers unprecedented visual clarity and historical faithfulness to the original release version. Renata Jackson, professor of cinema studies and assistant dean of academics at UNCSAs School of Filmmaking, will introduce this classic film. RiverRun also anticipates a visit from Count Orlok himself for fan photos for those who are brave enough. The Nosferatu screening is free, but tickets are required at riverrunfilm.com. Visit riverrunfilm.com for more information. Dia de Los Muertos For the sixth year, the High Point Museum and the YWCA Latino Family Center will present a Dia de Los Muertos celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave. in High Point. The event is a hands-on learning experience and celebration of the Day of the Dead with ofrendas (or altars in honor of deceased family members) and kids activities. A family film is from 10 a.m. to noon and Dia de Los Muertos-themed crafts and games, including a trivia game, will be from noon to 2 p.m. Language interpreters will be on-site. The event is free and open to the public. The Day of the Dead ofrendas will be on display from Oct. 29-Nov. 5. The ofrendas help the souls of loved ones feel welcome and show they have not been forgotten. Most altars feature photos, personal items, candles, food, flowers and more. A Halloween-themed craft will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Little Red Schoolhouse. Exhibit Aquaverse will make its East Coast debut through Oct. 31 at Roar Brands Theatre, 633 N. Liberty St., Winston-Salem. Hours will be 4-9 p.m. Oct. 26-27; 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Oct. 28-29; and noon-8 p.m. Oct. 30. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children at roarbrandstheater.com. Event Stranger Queens in an 80s Arcade will be at 1 and 4 p.m. Oct. 23 at Boxcar Arcade, 120 W. Lewis St. in Greensboro. The event will feature games, prizes, a treat bar and more. Wear 1980s-themed outfits or Halloween costumes. Brenda the Drag Queen will host. Other performers will include Macaria Rage, Wylie Kylie Coyote, Jinxx Van Jester and Crystal Frost. Pizza and drinks will be for sale. Tickets are $15 at tinyurl.com/4w2rd74h. Use code spooky to get $5 off the ticket price. Proceeds benefit Alternative Resources of the Triad. Haunted event The Hollywood Horror Show will present Salems Lot haunted attraction at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, Gate 7 at 569 Fairgrounds Blvd, Winston-Salem. The walk-through attraction, which is produced by horror film director Dean Jones and producer Starr Jones, will feature movie experiences from films, including Sinister, The Conjuring, Silent Hill and Pirates of the Caribbean. Hours are 8-11 p.m. and 8-midnight on weekends through Oct. 31. Admission is $30 per person at ticketmaster.com or at the gate. Guests can add a fast pass for $15. Chorus, symphony Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Christopher Gilliam, will present a concert featuring Requiem, by Wake Forest University Composer-in-Residence Dan Locklair at 3 p.m. Oct. 30 at Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University. The chorus will be accompanied by Winston-Salem Symphony String Orchestra and Wait Chapels organ. Locklairs Requeim is quickly becoming a staple of the international choral repertoire. Dan Locklairs Requiem is a piece of music that speaks, as Beethoven wrote of his Missa solemnis, from the heart to the heart, said David Levy, Professor Emeritus of Music at Wake Forest University in his program notes for this concert. Because the concert date coincides with Reformation Sunday in the liturgical calendar, the program will open with Johann Sebastian Bachs A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Tickets cost $20. For more information, call 336-464-0145 or visit wssymphony.org. Exhibit Yadkin Arts Council is hosting the exhibit Handmade: A Portrait of the Artists Tools by Bryan Rierson through Oct. 28 at Welborn Gallery in the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center at 226 E. Main St. in Yadkinville. This large-scale, black-and-white photography exhibit features work from local artisans that they created with their tools (their hands). The love of handmade craft inspired Rierson to begin a project in 2019 in which he photographed portraits of creators at work. But he decided to shoot their hands, not their faces. He called it Handmade Portraits of the Artists Tools. Rierson began with Brandon Edwards, a wet plate collodion photographer. His portrait shows his chemical-stained hands holding a 4-inch tintype he made. Rierson has since photographed a variety of artisans displaying several mediums. Some of the artisan portraits will be accompanied by their 3D works on pedestals in the gallery. Bryan received funding for this project and exhibit from the North Carolina Arts Council as part of its Artist Support Grant program in 2021 and 2022. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend. Gallery hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Exhibit The Hispanic League 30th Anniversary Exhibition: Celebrating Our Legacy, Igniting Our Future will be on display through Oct. 29 at Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts main gallery, 251 N. Spruce St. in Winston-Salem. The exhibition commemorates the Hispanic Leagues 30 years of service in the Piedmont Triad and across North Carolina and showcases the talent and inspiration of local artists of Latin American and Hispanic heritage. For more information, visit intothearts.org or hispanicleague.org. Exhibit Stokes County Arts Council has a new exhibit of original art by Sarah Booze called Through the Woodlands through Nov. 15 in the Apple Gallery at Stokes County Arts Council, 500 Main St. in Danbury. Booze is a native of Stokes County, but her love for art, language and culture has led her to travel and live in countries around the world. She has held jobs in museums and education, and when she is not painting, she tutors Japanese and teaches art. Booze is a self-taught artist. She attributes her style and skills to observing techniques of her favorite artists and analyzing their style as well as her endless experimentation and practice. Play contest Creative Greensboro is accepting submissions for the 2024 New Play Project. The New Play Project has been presented annually for 30 years, awarding a $500 cash prize to a selected playwright along with a workshop production of the chosen play. Submissions are open to any North Carolina resident or student playwright. The deadline is Nov. 14. For rules and submission information, visit tinyurl.com/yc8xt3b3. The legal and financial woes of controversial Dr. Anne Litton White of Winston-Salem entered a new chapter this month. Bank of America Corp. filed on Oct. 7 a request for at least $332,000 from White for failure to meet the payment terms of a commercial business loan she took with the bank. The bank filed for a partial summary judgment in Forsyth Superior Court against White and her former businesses of Carolina Family Medicine and Dermatology PA and Carolina Laser and Cosmetic Center. White had been the operator of Carolina Laser and Cosmetic Center since 2004. The legal filing came nearly six months after White closed her businesses in mid-April to fulfill an N.C. Medical Board order to either take that action or sell her practice by April 16 as part of the indefinite suspension of her medical license issued in March. The restitution breakdown consists of $309,899 in loan principal, accrued interest of at least $20,164 and late charges of $2,086. The bank also is requesting being paid additional daily interest of $63.27 since May 24 through the date of judgment, as well as attorney fees. According to the complaint, Bank of America said it provided White and her businesses a 15-year loan in October 2013 with a principal amount of $504,798. White made a personal guarantee for the loan that had a monthly payment of $4,637. On May 13, 2022, the bank sent a letter to Whites attorney stating that she was failing to meet the terms of the loan and requested the full principal amount be paid. The loan was secured by Whites business assets. That letter was sent about a month after White closed her business. The loan has not been paid as agreed, and the borrower has stopped doing business, according to the banks letter to Whites attorney Joshua Bennett of Bennett & Guthrie PLLC of Winston-Salem. Bennett could not be immediately reached for comment. As we discussed, please provide more information concerning any proposal to sell the furniture, fixtures and equipment of the borrower. The bank asserts a property-perfected first and prior lien claim on all assets of the borrowers practice, including inventory and all accounts receivable. In the banks civil action complaint, it said that White has failed and refused to pay off the loan. Customer complaints It may take some time for Bank of America, as well as former customers, to resolve their financial and medical claims involving Whites practice. The Winston-Salem Journal has received emails and phone calls from former customers concerned about whether they will receive reimbursement or a refund for payments made ahead of services. The centers website said Whites booking fee for your personal treatment consultation is $110. The cost of the booking fee will be deducted from the cost of your procedure if the procedure is performed within 30 days of the consultation. Please note: booking fees are nonrefundable. Booking fee for skin care only is $95. Some customers told the Journal they planned to go to small claims court, while others considered filing a lawsuit to get their money back. The Medical Board referred customer inquiries related to reimbursements and refunds to Whites attorney. Attorney Dudley Witt, who represented White before the Medical Board, did not respond when asked what former customers of Whites can do to get refunds or reimbursements for treatments and procedures that were not performed before the closing of the clinic. Background The Medical Boards indefinite suspension of Whites medical license was issued at the conclusion of a Feb. 17-18 disciplinary hearing. The board ruled that White must wait two years before asking for her license to be reinstated and that she must tell her patients about her practices status. That two-year period began March 17. When asked why the 30-day wind-down period didnt begin Feb. 18, the board said in a statement that an indefinite suspension order is not in effect until it is in black and white and signed by both parties. Board attorney Brian Blankenship said that because White is the sole shareholder of the practice, accordingly she must divest herself of her shares to another licensee or shut down the practice. The board released its 10-page final report, as well as transcripts from the hearing. The focus of the hearing was how White ran her practice between March 18, 2020, to May 25, 2020. White told board investigators and a board-required monitor that her practice was one of the many businesses that closed under state order during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, former employees testified and provided documentation that White saw patients during that time. White testified that before the COVID-19 pandemic, she would average between $120,000 and $150,000 in monthly billings during a typical March through May period. The board also determined that White committed unprofessional conduct by failing to comply with a 2018 order under which she agreed to pay for outside monitoring of her practice. That determination allows the board to annul, suspend, revoke, condition or limit Whites North Carolina medical license. The board also said in the report the unprofessional conduct includes the committing of any act contrary to honesty, justice or good morals as it related to a separate complaint involving an insurance claim filed by White. We thought, based on the evidence, we respect the boards decision, Witt said March 17. Were disappointed in the outcome of the case. We will continue to look at options to get Dr. White back to practicing medicine as soon as possible. It was the sixth time White has been subject to a board notice of charges and allegations, the others occurring in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2017 and 2018-20. Before the Feb. 18 ruling, Whites license had been suspended for a combined 110 days since 2004, the last times from May 7-16, 2018, and from July 16-26, 2018. Her practice had been operational since the second suspension ended. No criminal charges have been filed in a June 28 incident in which a man shot one of three men he said attacked him inside Target on Hanes Mall Boulevard. No one was killed, and Winston-Salem police said the three men were part of a group against sexual predators that had lured the fourth man to Target to confront him. Kira Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Winston-Salem Police Department, said that the criminal investigation is still active. The Target incident remains an ongoing investigation and there are no updates at this time, she said in the email on Tuesday. The gunfire at Target happened on June 28, around 8:30 p.m. Police initially said that a man told authorities that he was approached by three other men inside the store and that after they started assaulting him, he pulled a gun and fired one time in an attempt to stop the assault. Dontaye Kentrell Wade, who was 25 at the time, told authorities that the three men continued to assault him after he fired the shot, took his gun and ran out of the store. Wade told police that he drove home after the assault, then went to a local hospital to be examined. Police said Wades injuries were minor and that he was released from the hospital after getting treated. The incident prompted a rare late-night news conference 24 hours later from Police Chief Catrina Thompson, who urged citizens not to conduct their own investigations into online child predators. She declined to say that the news conference was directly in response to the Target shooting. But on July 3, Winston-Salem police sent out a news release with additional details that made it appear that the Target assault was the reason behind the unusual news conference. In the news release, Winston-Salem police identified the three men alleged to have assaulted Wade as Jay Cameron Carnicom of Freemont, Ohio; Joshua Alvin Michael Mundy of Freemont, Ohio; and Jason Doane Chipps of Marion, Ohio. Carnicom and Mundy were 28 and 29, respectively, at the time of the news release, while Chipps was 37. Police said the three men were part of a group called DAP, or Dads Against Predators, on social media. Police said the three men lured Wade to the Target using a social media app called Meet Up. Once Wade came inside the Target, the three men approached him and asked him why he was at the store. Police did not say in the news release why the three men targeted Wade. Wade has not been charged with any crime. Winston-Salem police said that one of the men was recording the interaction when Wade slapped the phone away. During the ensuing fight, Wade brandished a handgun and fired once, striking Carnicom in the lower leg. The men took Wades gun, ran out of Target and got into a vehicle with Ohio tags. Around 3:13 a.m. on June 29, police got information that led them to Wades gun on Sunderlund Road. Then at 11 a.m. June 29, Winston-Salem police were contacted by law enforcement in Ohio that confirmed Carnicom had arrived at a hospital there. He had a gunshot wound to his leg and he was treated and released from the hospital. An assistant chief of the Freemont Police Department told WGHP/Fox 8, the Winston-Salem Journals newsgathering partner, that he has dealt with DAP for years and that members have been banned from various grocery stores in the Ohio area because their meet-ups turn violent. WGHP/Fox 8 did not identify the assistant chief in the story. Mundy told WGHP/Fox 8 that he could not go into the details but said that his group is cooperating with the investigation. Mundy told the news station that he and the two other men did not do anything wrong. He and Carnicom also appeared on a YouTube show where they talked about the Winston-Salem incident. Both men said in the video that they were involved in the Target incident and would no longer meet inside stores or in public places. Winston-Salem Police arrested and charged a man in connection with a robbery at Walgreens, 2125 Cloverdale Ave., early Sunday morning. Joshua Daniel Justice, 37, no permanent address, was picked up by police at the intersection of Melrose and Queen streets, about two hours after police were called to Walgreens to investigate an armed robbery, around 3 a.m. According to a police report, the man took several items to the cash register, threatened to harm employees and demanded they give him cash and several other items. Store employees complied, and he then fled. No employees were hurt. Police found him a few blocks from Walgreens at 4:43 a.m., the report said. Some of the stolen items were found. Justice was taken into custody and charged with robbery. It was not clear from police reports whether the man was armed. Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. are among six national financial institutions that have been served a form of a subpoena by 19 Republican state attorneys general addressing a key element of their environmental, social and governance policies. The others are Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley. The effort, led by Missouris Eric Schmitt and Texas Ken Paxton, represents the latest accusation from Republican attorneys general that the banking industry is participating in starving companies engaged in fossil fuel-related activities of credit on national and international markets. The attorneys general have served what is known as a civil investigative demand on the financial institutions. They want the financial institutions to provide documents related to their involvement with the United Nations Net-Zero Banking Alliance. According to the UNs website https://www.unepfi.org/net- zero-banking/ the 119-member alliance represents a collaboration between the global agency and the global banking industry. The banks represent about 40% of global banking assets, or about $70 trillion. Other participating U.S. financial institutions are Amalgamated Bank, Blue Ridge Bank and Climate First Bank. Blue Ridge, based in Charlottesville, Va., has banking operations in Greensboro. The alliance said it is committed to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050. Combining near-term action with accountability, this ambitious commitment sees signatory banks setting intermediate targets for 2030 or sooner using robust, science-based guidelines. The attorneys general claim the alliance is a massive worldwide agreement by major banking institutions, overseen by the U.N., to starve companies engaged in fossil fuel-related activities of credit on national and international markets. Schmitt said the attorneys general are investigating banks for ceding authority to the U.N., which will only result in the killing of American companies that dont subscribe to the woke, climate agenda. These banks are accountable to American laws we dont let international bodies set the standards for our businesses. The attorneys general cited 10 categories from which they want documentation of the financial institutions alliance agreements and/or their ESG integration practices, including how you have incorporated the Principles for Responsible Banking into your operations. They also are targeting involvement in any global climate initiatives, including whether the chief executive is a member of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero Principals Group. The global Glasgow alliance https://www.gfanzero.com/ is affiliated with the UN Net-Zero initiative, with a focus on accelerating the decarbonization of the economy in connection with the objective of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Centigrade from pre-industrial levels requires a whole economy transition. Banks involvement Bank of America and Wells Fargo could not be reached for comment on the attorneys generals actions. Wells Fargo announced on Oct. 15, 2021, that it had joined the alliance after setting a goal in March 2021 of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Net-Zero Banking Alliance recognizes the vital role of banks in supporting clients in their net-zero transitions and working with governments to deliver on their decarbonization policies and pledges, Wells Fargo said. As our chief executive Charlie Scharf shared when we announced our net-zero goal, climate change is one of the most urgent environmental and social issues of our time, and the risks of inaction are too great to ignore, said Nate Hurst, head of Social Impact & Sustainability for Wells Fargo. As a financial institution serving many sectors of the economy, we acknowledge our role in deploying resources and working closely with our clients to support their respective low-carbon transitions. Banks cannot do this alone together with government policies and investments, innovation, and collective action we can make progress toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and our own net-zero ambitions. Bank of America also joined the alliance in 2021, saying consistent with our approach toward responsible growth, we are helping finance this transition by setting and achieving milestone targets, partnering with clients to support their transition, investing in climate solutions, developing and reporting decision-useful metrics to drive progress, leading industry collaborations, and following guidance for transparency. Blue Ridge Bank chief executive Brian Plum said that we see the need to change and the urgency of that need, and bold action supplemented by embedded accountability will ensure Blue Ridge is doing its part as an agent of positive change. We are hopeful our actions inspire others to join the effort to address the critical issues of our day. Attorneys general target ESG Missouri attorney general Schmitt said his office has been a national leader in the fight against ESG. That includes in late July sending similar civil investigative demands to research analytical firms Morningstar and Sustainalytics, both containing 43 interrogatories for documents pertaining to Morningstars perceived anti-Israel bias in ESG ratings products like Sustainalytics Human Rights Radar. Schmitt said the other participating attorneys general in the financial institutions dispute are Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Five other states have joined, but cant be named due to state laws or regulations regarding confidentiality, according to Schmitts office. Texas attorney general Paxton said his participation centers on what he called potential violations of consumer protection laws ... alleged deceptive trade practices tied to Environmental, Social and Governance-related actions. The radical climate change movement has been waging an all-out war against American energy for years, and the last thing Americans need right now are corporate activists helping the left bankrupt our fossil fuel industry, Paxton said. If the largest banks in the world think they can get away with lying to consumers or taking any other illegal action designed to target a vital American industry like energy, theyre dead wrong. This investigation is just getting started, and we wont stop until we get to the truth. Analysts response Bowman Gray IV, a local independent stockbroker, said he considers the attorneys generals effort as sound and fury to support a political narrative. With this logic, West Virginia would sue to allow metallurgical coal ash to be dumped freely in our rivers again, Gray said. The free market demands that companies be more responsible for their environmental impact. If the petrochemical industry fails to innovate for the future, it is its own fault. Tony Plath, a retired finance professor at UNC Charlotte, said the heart of the ESG lending denial case in Texas will come down to a single word believed. Its one thing to believe that something is true; its quite another to prove that its true in federal court, based on a preponderance of the evidence thats submitted to the court, Plath said. As much as I agree with the position that the federal governments overt support for the ESG movement is an unconstitutional overreach by the Biden administration to influence the allocation of credit in the private sector of our economy, this simply aint the way to fix the problem. Michael Walden, an economics professor at N.C. State University, said the attorneys general have a difficult legal challenge to make since collusion cases are always difficult to prove. Businesses in the same industry often move prices in similar ways because the firms generally face the same factors, Walden said. Its difficult to distinguish coordinated, pre-planned actions from simply actions based on similar circumstances. Construction of Interstate 77 toll lanes from Charlotte to South Carolina could start in about five years, if elected officials on a regional transportation planning group recommend that a contractor finance, build and manage the lanes, state highway officials said this week. Thats one of the ways the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization board could suggest financing long-planned managed lanes for the stretch, N.C. Department of Transportation officials told the board Wednesday night. The second way: Having NCDOT add the lanes without such a public-private partnership, much like the NCDOT is doing with the I-485 toll or express lanes project. But that would mean construction starting many more years later, officials said. The project has no funding on the statewide list of future transportation improvements, and the earliest that could happen is 2029, said David Roy, chief financial officer of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority. While privately financed toll lanes could conceivably open in the 2030s, think the 2040s if the state built them through the traditional financing way, state highway officials said. CRTPOs crucial role Its up to the CRTPO to tell NCDOT which option to pursue, if any, NCDOT Division 10 Engineer Brett Canipe told the CRTPO board. NCDOT expects the widening to cost $2.1 billion, Canipe said. The board of the Charlotte-based CRTPO includes mostly elected officials from across the region who decide road and other transportation priorities in the area for NCDOTs list of future projects. The CRTPO submitted the I-77 South express lanes project to NCDOT in 2014. The stretch also was part of a fast-lane study years earlier, according to an NCDOT timeline of I-77 South expansion plans. The cost of adding lanes to the stretch is simply too steep for them to be traditional free lanes, Mineral Springs Mayor Rick Becker told the Observer on Friday. That ship has sailed, he said in an email. Thats why both potential I-77 scenarios will result in the addition of toll lanes only, Becker said. The difference is simply, will NCDOTs Turnpike Authority build and operate the managed lanes, or will a private entity build and operate the managed lanes, possibly up to 10-20 years sooner? Upcoming vote possible So whats next to get the corridor widened with managed lanes? The CRTPO board could vote Nov. 16 on whether NCDOT should further analyze an unsolicited proposal from Spain-based Cintra in March to build and manage toll lanes along the stretch, CRTPO officials told The Charlotte Observer. Cintra, among the worlds largest transportation network developers, financed, built and manages the 26 miles of I-77 toll lanes from I-277/Brookshire Freeway to Mooresville. Cintras proposal for the stretch from I-277 to the state line wasnt a formal offer, Canipe said. By law, competitive bids would have to be taken if the CRTPO were to ask NCDOT to have a private partner finance and build the toll lanes, highway officials said. $1 million study The analysis of Cintras proposal would take a year and include an in-depth cost comparison of the public-private partnership model in general and the taxpayer-funded option. The analysis would cost $1 million, most of that money involving the cost comparison, Roy said, not Cintras proposal. If the CRTPO board decides against NCDOT further analyzing Cintras proposal, adding the I-77 toll lanes is still in NCDOTs plans, officials said. But expect a considerably longer time frame for the lanes to get built if the CRTPO recommends the traditional state-funded option, Roy said. The earliest the project would receive funding is 2029, he said. Add 10 to 15 years to buy right-of-way, move utilities and build more lanes, according to Roy. A public-private partnership could potentially lessen or eliminate some of those funding constraints, according to an NCDOT statement to The Charlotte Observer on Friday. But more analysis is needed. State highway officials told the board they were simply laying out the choices for widening the highway. NCDOT is not advocating for a particular path forward, NCDOT spokeswoman Jennifer Thompson told the Observer. America currently has a de facto one-party system. But the nations democratic-republican form of government can only work when both parties actively compete in the marketplace of ideas. When one political party realizes its orthodoxy in the wilderness of divisiveness beyond the well-established democratic guardrails, the best-case scenario for the other party is to be mired in mediocrity. What would it do to the American narrative if a large swath of the American populace became de facto Democrats for the upcoming midterm elections? That does not suggest some unyielding allegiance to the Democratic Party. De facto Democrats would not be voting for the partys platform, but sending a clarion call that only those parties that wish to participate inside the well-constructed guardrails formally established in 1787 will deserve their vote. Among the 569 GOP candidates who advanced to the general election in key races for statewide and federal office, 51% have denied the 2020 election. Their elections would mean sending people to Washington who reject the legitimacy of the president of the United States. Undeterred by the dozens of failed lawsuits by President Joe Bidens immediate predecessor, along with former Attorney General William Barrs public finding that there was no evidence of fraud, disinformation of a stolen election persists among many who desire a seat in Congress. Moreover, when prominent conservatives, including former U.S. Sens. John Danforth and Gordon Smith, three former federal judges and a GOP election lawyer determined that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, they were unceremoniously dismissed as RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). Is it wise to send more flamethrowers to Congress, unconcerned with the mores of the position, hoping they will somehow work in the interest of the American people? As America becomes increasingly diversified, the Republican Party is tethered to a destructive homogenization. There is little attempt to conceal its racist underbelly. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville recently proclaimed Democrats to be pro-crime. He added, They want to control what you have. They want reparations because they think the people who do the crime are owed that. Where were the voices within the party decrying Tubervilles remarks? Is silence tantamount to consent? Isnt refuting racist comments the lowest moral hurdle available? Would Republicans rather wallow in conspiracy theories, titillating with fear and obfuscating with mendacity? In a staggering display of political disingenuousness, the Republican House leadership, including Minority Whip Steve Scalise, participated in a press conference in June that accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of delaying National Guard assistance during the Jan. 6 riots. Scalise, et al., sought to saddle Pelosi with blame to illustrate the committees partisan underbelly. But a video released by the Jan. 6 committee, which actually showed Scalise standing next to Pelosi as she talked with the National Guard, contradicted Scalises assertion. This recalls the words Joseph Welch uttered to Sen. Joe McCarthy: Have you no sense of decency, sir? The answer, based on the actions, quickly becomes self-evident. But accountability matters little when a growing number of Americans view each other as existential threats. Hypocrisy is an accepted political tool when conducted by the home team. Even those who vehemently oppose abortion could be de facto Democrats in the upcoming election because the outcome is perhaps the most overrated portion of a democratic-republican form of government. The process is just as important, if not more so. Would anyone offer that the goal achieved by the 6-3 conservative majority served the nations best interest? One need only examine the hypocrisy between denying Merrick Garland a Supreme Court nomination hearing in 2016 and fast-tracking Amy Coney Barrett in 2020. For those who understand the cyclical nature of politics, the failure to hold the Republican Party accountable will grant Democrats the freedom to do likewise, burrowing American democracy further into the abyss. With 20% of the 21st century in the rearview mirror, is this how we wish to proceed? As James Madison feared in the Federalist Papers, factions, in the form of political parties, have become preeminent, relegating American democratic traditions to a distant secondary position. Current polling doesnt suggest that de facto Democrats will flex their rebellious muscles. But then again, Nov. 8 is the only poll that matters. RALEIGH North Carolina is one of our countrys economic powerhouses. Blessed with a favorable business climate and a creative, hard-working population, our state is home to many thriving companies that export goods and services all over the world. Trade is integral to our economy. Most North Carolinians, like most Americans, generally favor free trade. But a sizable minority does not and they tend to care more about trade policy than the average voter does, as do special-interest groups seeking government protection. Thats how we end up saddled with costly tariffs (i.e. taxes) and regulations. In his well-timed new book The Next American Economy, Samuel Gregg seeks to explain this dynamic and how best to respond to it. He both explicates and updates Adam Smiths classic work The Wealth of Nations, which famously argued that the true source of a countrys prosperity isnt its natural resources or stock of precious metals. Its the productive capacity of the people and the strength of the public and private institutions that encourage and channel it. Like The Wealth of Nations, Greggs new book is no economics textbook. Its a work of political economy. Both legs of that discipline get a strenuous workout here. The economic case for free enterprise is solid. It drives innovation, which in turn drives growth. It boosts our standard of living both by increasing our opportunities to employ our labor effectively and by driving down the cost of goods and services we consume. As the scope of enterprise extends beyond national borders, these benefits broaden and deepen. American companies and workers gain new export markets. American households gain new consumer options and pocket significant savings from lower prices. Yes, some domestic industries prove unequal to the challenge and must retool to stay competitive. Some find that impossible and go under. But the direct and indirect costs of protecting them from competition are far greater than any gains for society as a whole. So the best way to help such displaced workers is to foster a robust market for education, training and employment opportunities elsewhere so they can be gainfully reemployed. All true and woefully insufficient as a case for free enterprise, Gregg argues. The political side of the equation deserves more attention. Americans are not simply economic beings, he writes, and America is more than an economy. You typically hear critics of free enterprise make that point, right before they propose high tariffs, central planning or other big-government policies intended to ameliorate what they see as the ill effects of robust international trade, inadequate public investment and unregulated capitalism. To respond effectively to these critics diagnoses and prescribed remedies, Gregg recommends we draw deeply from the intellectual well of the American experiment itself. When George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and other founders helped establish our new country and then defended the resulting political and civic institutions in works such as The Federalist Papers, the republican vision they articulated was that of a great, a respectable, and a commercial nation, as Washington put it in a 1788 letter. In their wisdom, the founders implemented a huge common market across the original American states, then extended it westward as the country grew. They also advocated and gradually implemented a broader system of trade with the rest of the Americas, Europe and the Far East. Their goal wasnt simply to enrich a few planters, manufacturers and merchants. It was to build, as Washington explained in his Farewell Address, a free, enlightened, and at no distant period, a great nation. If there is any hope of defending limited government and free enterprise in America against their many adversaries, it lies in reminding Americans that its not just our national prosperity but our national power and character that are at stake. Gregg urges us to embrace a political economy characterized by hope and a cheery confidence in the American way of liberty and virtue. Need a hope-and-confidence booster shot? Read The Next American Economy. They say theyre concerned with election integrity the leaders of organizations created in the last two years who have rallied and organized thousands of poll watchers across the country for this election cycle. They include North Carolina lawyer and Trump supporter Cleta Mitchell, who heads the Election Integrity Network. But theres an undercurrent of risk coming from some participants that cant be ignored. Theres a fear that some overzealous observers, expecting to find cheating at every turn, may become overly aggressive, even violent. Judging from election officials own reports, the possibility doesnt seem so farfetched. They include reports of intimidation and friction during the May primary elections from officials across the state and nation. They include Anne Risku, the election director in Wayne County, who had to tell a poll watcher to back off after she wedged herself between a voter and the machine the voter was using to cast his ballot. Risku reported 13 incidents involving Republican poll watchers to the state elections board. They include two occasions on which Wayne County Chief Judge Susan Wiley was followed from a poll back to the Goldsboro elections office, about a 20-minute drive. Poll watchers from broad swaths of the public are necessary; transparency is essential to ensuring that our elections are free and fair. But when poll watchers are convinced that every suspicious motion is evidence of cheating, their reactions can be unpredictable. At the very least, were likely to hear some very angry accusations especially if a poll watcher sees something he or she doesnt understand. That shouldnt be surprising. These new poll watchers have largely been recruited from those who still believe former President Trumps Big Lie. Thats why they signed up to prevent the next steal. Even though there was no steal to start with. To be clear, organizers of such groups insist that their motives are pure. We are not a threat, Mitchell told the Associated Press recently. Unless you think elections that are conducted according to the rule of law are a threat. We train people to follow the law. But so many local elections officials reported poll watchers breaking rules during the May primary that state election officials recently issued a 12-page memo outlining the rules for observers. Most pertinent for voters to know: Poll watchers can report concerns to supervisors, but they have no authority to interfere with voters or election workers. Theyre not allowed to take photos or videos of people voting without the voters permission and theyre not allowed to see anyones ballot or personal information. Any feeling of interference or intimidation coming from a poll watcher or a poll worker, for that matter should immediately be reported to a site supervisor. We arent going to put up with it, Wake County elections director Gary Sims told WRAL last week, speaking of election interference. People are just going to be able to vote. Everybodys going to get to vote their one ballot for this election, and people should not be harassed just to exercise their very right to vote. We agree. And we hope our fears are exaggerated. But were in an era in which there seems to be no limit to how far some people will go to overturn an election result they dislike. Despite the assurance of Republican election officials across the nation that the 2020 election was transparent and fair including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Arizona House Speaker Russell Rusty Bowers Republican officials in 43 states introduced sweeping new voting laws, tightening their grip on when, where and how voting could be done in the name of election integrity. Theres not a single conspiracy theory about election fraud that hasnt been credibly debunked many by Trumps own Department of Justice. What more needs to be done? How tight and secure do election laws have to be how many poll watchers have to be present, and how close to each voters screen before the skeptics simply admit and accept that sometimes Democrats win? Is the childish claim of cheating going to just be the standard GOP response from now on? Well see. At the corner of 17th Street and Sumner Street, an old light-up letterboard sign points toward a small brick strip mall, the new home of Indigo Bridge. Inside, patrons will find a coffee bar, shelves of books of all genres, and a small cafe space with a microphone and a stool in the front. Aaliyah Samci, director of operations for Indigo Bridge, says it's more than just a book store. "I like to describe us as a bookstore, coffee shop and community space." Samci and the rest of the staff celebrated the grand opening of their new location at 1624 S. 17th St. on Saturday with performances by local musicians and a raffle. Will Hutchinson, Jackson Agena, and Jack Rodenburg performed live music, and artist Ngozi Ramsay painted the faces of smiling children that visited. Laughter and music filled the shop while Isabel Kratville, a senior at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sat sipping orange juice in front of her laptop. "I think Indigo Bridge is going to be a wonderful safe space for a lot of people," Kratville said. "I'm excited to see the direction that Indigo Bridge takes, I know the people who work here and they put their whole hearts into it." Patrons scanned the shelves as Jackson Agena, a member of local band Wick O'rya, played happy tunes on his guitar and sang about his life and travels before the pandemic. Agena worked across the street from Ingido Bridge's original location at Seventh and P streets, and was impressed by the new scenery. "I prefer this location, it looks a lot nicer. The ceilings are extra high and they were able to take a more modern approach to the bar, which is nice." The Indigo Bridge's original location in the Haymarket opened in 2008. It closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Samci says that closing their doors led to a reevaluation of the goals and mission statement of the business. The company took the downtime to think about what they mean to the community. "The team at the time, and especially our owner, sat down and decided that this was the perfect opportunity in such an unfortunate situation to bring some light to it." This led them to leave the Haymarket and create a pop-up location at 1346 B St, which would be open until late August this year. Construction delays and a lack of space led to the closure of the B Street location, and they then found their new home thanks to their new neighbor, Sid Conner of Conner's Architectural Antiques, who had been using the space for storage. The mission of Indigo Bridge is to be an inclusive space for all, Samci said. The books they sell are written by women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community. "The books we sell here are all relatively new, especially because we do sell books from underrepresented communities. Anything predating a certain time honestly didn't have a lot of representation in literature," Samci said. Samci, who is part of the LGBTQ community, excitedly mentioned her favorite book, "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe," and praised author Benjamin Alire Saenz, a Latino man from Texas. "It was the first book I ever read that had queer protagonists. It made me feel seen and comforted, so it was definitely one of my striving reasons I ran for an opportunity to work at Indigo (Bridge)." Representation is important to Samci, and she wants the customers and community of Indigo Bridge to have a space where they feel welcome. "We want people to feel represented and comfortable in who they are, and come to a place where they feel like they matter." AURORA At the center of the race for the District 5 seat on the Nebraska State Board of Education are two words: teachers and trust. Staffing shortages one of education's most pressing post-pandemic issues continue to plague Nebraska schools, both urban and rural. Meanwhile, the controversy over health education standards has many wondering how the Nebraska Department of Education and the board can restore the public's trust. Those are just some of the issues on the minds of incumbent Kirk Penner of Aurora and challenger Helen Raikes of Ashland in District 5, which covers a wide swath of Southeast Nebraska, including south Lincoln. Penner, 53, who served for 16 years on the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education, was appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts to the board last December after Patricia Timm of Beatrice resigned, citing personal health reasons. When Penner joined the board in January, he quickly emerged as a critic of the state Education Department, putting forward a motion to permanently abandon writing health education standards, which he says the board does not have the authority to do. The motion was struck down 7-1. The first draft of the standards sparked a wave of backlash for including lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation that critics considered ideologically motivated. The references were largely eliminated in a second draft, but the standards were eventually tabled altogether over questions about the process to draft them. The Legislature directs the board to write standards in core subjects like reading, writing, mathematics and science. It has written standards in other subjects like fine arts, but unlike in core areas, districts are not required to adopt them. "I think the board would be very wise to permanently reject those health standards and let people understand that we want the local school districts to do a lot of this," Penner told the Journal Star. He says his conservative values and belief in local control more closely match the values of his district. He said the renewed focus on the state board will ultimately be good for accountability. "Sunlight is good," he said. "So I think ultimately education is going to benefit from this because we're getting parental involvement and we're pushing for some more local control." Among Penner's priorities if he's elected to a four-year term include directing state funding to career and technical education and addressing teacher shortages. Penner says the board's rules and regulations committee could possibly look at allowing teachers to take the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test again to acquire another endorsement instead of going back to school, for example. That "saves the teacher money" and gives superintendents flexibility in hiring, Penner argued. "It is a win and everywhere I go, they like it," he said. Penner said he would like to see a Nebraska superintendent throw their name in the hat to be the next state education commissioner after Matthew Blomstedt announced he would step down this January. He said having someone local would "go a long way to earn our trust back." Penner, a Republican on the officially nonpartisan board, is the president of Penner Bathing in Aurora, which manufactures bath equipment for assisted living facilities, nursing homes and hospitals. He is one of four conservative candidates endorsed by the Protect Nebraska Children political action committee running against candidates endorsed by the state teachers union. His opponent, Raikes, 78, said she jumped into the race to finish the work of her late husband Ron Raikes, a state senator who previously chaired the Legislature's Education Committee. Raikes, a retired early childhood education professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told the Journal Star she likes to challenge incumbents "because the purpose isn't to do something easy." She previously ran unsuccessfully against state Sen. Bruce Bostelman in District 23 in 2020. Raikes says the state board does have the authority to write health standards, but acknowledged "missteps" happened along the way and trust must be restored. Better communication would help with that, Raikes said. While sex education should be left up to local districts and ultimately to parents, Raikes said many other states have health standards and they would ultimately be voluntary for districts to adopt. Most of the proposed standards were not controversial dealing with things like nutrition and sleep she added. "And so I would say, 'Sure, why wouldn't we have health standards?'" she said. There's a lot under the purview of the board that could be done to tackle staff shortages in schools, Raikes said. Eliminating certification hurdles like restrictions for teachers who move in from another state could be useful, she added. Other ideas include future-teacher clubs at local schools, financial incentives and consultant support for graduates and new teachers. Better early childhood access, enhanced career and technical education, and communication between the state board and local districts could also go a long way in helping jump-start workforce development, according to Raikes. Raikes, an independent, disputed Penner's claim that he more closely represented District 5's values, saying that his "set of beliefs and policy mandates have come from out-of-state rhetoric, transplanted to Nebraska, and moreover, does not carry out the principle of Nebraska's nonpartisanship." Penner said he believes the health standards could eventually come back despite being tabled by the board over questions about the standards writing process. But that depends on November, he said. Four Republicans endorsed by the Protect Nebraska Children PAC Penner, Marni Hodgen, Elizabeth Tegtmeier and Sherry Jones are running. In District 6, Jones and Danielle Helzer, both of Grand Island, are running for the chair vacated by Maureen Nickels, who decided not to run again. Tegtmeier of North Platte faces off against incumbent Robin Stevens of Gothenburg in District 7. Meanwhile, incumbent Deborah Neary faces a challenge from Hodgen in Omaha's District 8. Raikes and Penner were the lone candidates in the primary, meaning they both advanced. Penner beat Raikes by more than 11,000 votes. Widespread, wind-driven grass fires that injured two firefighters swept through southern Lancaster County on Sunday, destroying homes, closing roads and prompting evacuation orders as a thin haze of smoke settled on Lincoln. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency ordered the evacuations as two separate blazes in the southern part of the county crept north over the course of the afternoon, fueled by winds from the south and dry conditions. By the time night had descended, crews had contained the the fires to an area bordered by Southwest 86th Street to Southwest 100th Street and Panama Road to Apple Road in Gage County, the management agency said in a news release. Three houses were destroyed and two firefighters were injured in the hours-long fires, according to a news release from the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office. One of the firefighters suffered serious injuries Sunday, the sheriff's office said. Its unclear which fire departments the firefighters belonged to. Firefighters from 18 agencies responded to the blaze. Many of them remained on scene overnight into Monday, according to the emergency management agency. Lancaster County declared an emergency at about 7 p.m. and a relocation center was set up at Lincoln Southwest High School for displaced residents. Officials asked those who left their homes to not return. Several roads in the southern part of the county were blocked off, the sheriffs office said. The public was asked not to drive around barriers. The Nebraska State Patrol, Games and Parks officers and Saline County Sheriffs Office deputies assisted with traffic control and checking on the safety of residents. The first evacuation orders came around 2:44 p.m., when a fire that had started at the Lancaster-Gage County border threatened areas in Lancaster County south and west of Southwest 12th Street and Saltillo Road. The Hallam Fire Department requested deputies begin evacuating residents in the path of the fire, while a phone alert from the sheriffs office also ordered evacuations. Officials later said the order was voluntary. Around that time, another evacuation order was issued for people living in the area bound by South 38th and 54th streets and Olive Creek and Apple roads a swath of rural land roughly between Cortland and Firth due to a blaze southwest of Firth quickly advancing north. Christopher Smith was one of several people gathered at a farm near Southwest 72nd and Panama roads near Olive Creek State Recreation Area in southwestern Lancaster County, just east of one of the fires. The farm's residents and neighbors were making a plan to move cattle and other valuables to Smith's farm a few miles south. "Everybody's just trying to help out," Smith said as the farm's owner scrambled to spray down the home's back porch with water and set up sprinklers in case the fire got close. At about 4:45 p.m., the fire had burned much of the area around Olive Creek State Recreation Area in southwestern Lancaster County and was spreading rapidly to the north. A red flag warning had been in effect for central and eastern Nebraska, including Lancaster County, until 8 p.m. The National Weather Service said high winds from the south gusting as high as 55 mph combined with dry land and low humidity made for dangerous fire conditions. Temperatures were also unseasonably warm, climbing to the upper 80s and setting records for late October. As of 8 p.m., the fire that started southwest of Firth was contained while firefighters continued to battle hotspots near Southwest 100th and West Panama roads north of Olive Creek Lake and near Kramer. Additionally, the Norris School District announced that there will be a two-hour late start on Monday. The city of Lincoln was not considered to be threatened. In addition to the numerous fire departments who responded including Lincoln Fire and Rescue farmers used irrigation pivots to battle the blaze, the devastation of which will come into clearer focus Monday morning. The communities of Nebraska City, Red Cloud and Hastings are to be commended. Members of each community have undertaken steps to address rural poverty, according to a Flatwater Free Press story published on Monday. EDGE Nebraska City focuses on children by providing kids with books and encouraging literacy in hopes of fostering greater academic achievement. The Valley Child Development Center aims to give parents -- and businesses -- access to day care, enabling parents to work and and businesses to find workers and grow. And Hastings' Bridging Forward tries to prepare residents with opportunities to grow into careers with higher earning potential. The jobs already exist. The demand is there. People just need training. All three communities identified a problem and designed a solution aimed at lifting people out of poverty. The Flatwater Free Press story noted how different poverty can look in a rural community. There are fewer programs and services. And there can be a greater stigma attached to seeking help. The U.S. Census has a very precise and clinical measurement of poverty based on household income and the number of children under the age of 18 residing in a household. It doesn't differentiate based on community size or proximity to services. In 2021, a family of four with two kids under 18 making less than $27,479 is living in poverty, no matter where they are living. And that may be fine for counting people and looking for broad trends. It might even work for simple computations when it comes to qualifying for aid or relief programs. But establishing the extent of a problem based on a cold calculation is difficult. As Brady Rhodes, with Community Impact Network and a partner of Bridging Forward told writer Addie Costello, "Rural poverty can be very deep and hidden. A lot of folks are maybe not used to asking for help and so finding the folks who need the help, who maybe have been in that situation for multiple generations, that's half the battle. That's what makes community-based solutions so vital. A templated state or federal program can do much good -- perhaps addressing the most basic and immediate needs of food or shelter. But real and systemic change will come when communities take stock of what their needy really need. That's true of rural communities and true of urban ones. Lincoln's Vital Signs study is one example a community taking stock of itself. And Prosper Lincoln put that data into action. Nebraska City, Red Cloud and Hasting have put their data into action. These examples, in communities small and large, offer a path to stronger communities across Nebraska. Even prior to schools going temporarily' virtual in 2020, kids across the board were being assigned more homework than any previous decade. Teenagers in particular are doing about twice as much as when their parents were in school. With a new school year in full swing, homework is once again a daily fixture in the lives of many students, parents, and teachers. However, a recent Twitter post by Amy DeAngelo, M.Ed., challenged the usefulness of homework as a curriculum tool. While DeAngelo's tweets garnered primarily positive comments, @angryPenelope tweeted, "I have to disagree. We teach, they practice at home, then collaborate for meaningful use of knowledge gained. When we started teaching skills in isolation, we lost the enthusiasm of kids. The skills aren't the goal; the knowledge is. So they have to practice skills at home." Her comment sheds light on the importance of homework and how the role of homework has shifted in the post-pandemic classroom. As long as students are assigned homework, the debate over how much is too much continues. Homework overload As a former educator and parent of high school and college students, our family has seen its share of homework, class projects, and studying for tests. Naturally, our kids have complained over the years, especially when studying for final exams and working on school projects. Still, they have gained knowledge and immense personal satisfaction from completing stellar school projects and doing well on semester exams. My husband and I have always felt the homework our kids have had over the years has been purposeful, reasonable, and manageable, except for one year. When our son started sixth grade, other parents warned us about the increase in homework for junior high students. I didn't think our son would have difficulty with an increased workload as he had always been a top student. However, my optimism was dashed when we were up until 11:30 one night with additional homework still left undone. This was not laziness on my son's part but a lack of communication among his teachers and school policy dictating that junior high students receive grades on 11 subjects. I emailed his teachers and the principal to voice my concerns over the amount of homework my 11-year-old had. At the time, I described the situation as "mind-numbing and spirit-crushing homework." Apparently, other parents had sent similar emails, and the excessive homework situation was addressed and remedied. Interestingly enough, for all the emphasis on homework in junior high, now that our son is in high school, his homework load is less. Understandably, the role of homework in elementary school serves to prepare students for high school just as high school homework prepares students for college. Homework as a growth tool "To some extent, education should be uncomfortable," said Penny Yurkew, assistant principal of academics at Boylan Central Catholic High School in northern Illinois. "Learning new concepts pushes a student's boundaries, and that's how they gain knowledge. I'm not advocating for school to be so difficult that a student becomes discouraged, but the learning process should expand a student's horizons." While there is no set homework policy at Yurkew's school, daily work (homework, class participation, and in-class assignments) makes up about 33 percent of a student's overall quarter grade. The school's current freshman class includes students from over 20 different grade schools, all of whom have had varied homework experiences. "Some of our first-year students are used to having homework every night, and it's not a huge concern to them. Others in the class may not have had regular homework before high school, so homework concerns them," Yurkew said. " At our freshman parent orientation, I talk to parents about the different facets of homework and how it affects their student's grades. If tests are problematic for a student, keeping a high homework grade can help to offset a lower test grade." Yurkew sees homework as a dialogue between teachers and students that also enhances students' critical thinking skills. "Homework helps kids control their grades. It's also a communication piece with the teacher. If a student comes into class with unfinished homework, that could indicate an issue with time management, the subject matter, or the student's ability to grasp the concept." The overall approach to homework, Yurkew said, has changed in the past 30 years. "I think teachers today are more likely to assign homework that focuses on critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and higher order learning instead of the past where homework was often just a regurgitation of facts." Fostering time management Tricia Rozanski is head of the English department at Boylan and teaches honors English classes for mainly juniors and seniors. She contends that giving homework has always been integrated into her classes but said the mechanics of homework have evolved in the 25 years she has been an educator. "The methods for completing and submitting homework and the types of homework have changed, but homework has always been a part of my English curriculum. Teaching at a college prep high school with high-achieving students means that part of my job is to teach students how to complete work independently, manage their time outside of my classroom, and realize the value of homework to reinforce classroom lessons. One can only improve by practice, and that's what homework is." Homework in Rozanski's classes is designed to foster higher-ordered thinking skills. "The homework I assign allows students to creatively and personally connect to the literature we are reading. Learning becomes more meaningful and attainable when a student connects to the subject personally," she said. "Class discussion is integral in English because many students learn best in a community of shared ideas and opinions." Regular purposeful homework in grade school and high school is often the basis for a student's success in higher education. Elizabeth Russo, a life science professor at Rock Valley College, a community college in northern Illinois, finds that students who are used to doing homework assimilate better into college coursework. "Any homework students have done in a high school science class prepares them for college science. Additionally, students with established good homework habits know how to study and prepare for college classes." Higher education success Russo sees a correlation between the homework work she assigns and how well a student performs in her class. "The main reason students fail my class is because they don't do the at-home online quizzes assigned before and after lab work. Many students forget to do those assignments. If a student is accustomed to doing homework, then completing the online work is not an issue and their grades are typically better." In Russo's microbiology class, there are more quizzes and homework, which she views as a teaching tool. "The increased workload in microbiology is meant to train my students on how to study," she said. "Many of these students thank me at the end of the semester for helping them to establish good study habits." As the debate on homework's usefulness and volume continue, it remains a necessary aspect in many school systems helping to reinforce classroom learning and teach responsibility to their pupils. Rozanski sums it up, "A strong work ethic among students happens when a teacher makes learning engaging and holds students accountable for their progress." 1. Yes. Using marijuana odor to determine probable cause is vital to police investigations. 2. Yes. As the ordinance is written, it targets police; that shouldnt be allowed to stand. 3. No. The council should leave the ordinance alone and respect the will of the voters. 4. No. The council should repeal the ordinance altogether. It conflicts with state law. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the council should proceed on addressing the ordinance. Vote View Results Helzer for ed board The District 6 State Board of Education election gives us an opportunity to vote for someone with a true servant leader's heart. Danielle Helzer is that person. What impresses me the most about Danielle is her belief that listening to all perspectives is a key component to serving as an elected official. She has taken the time during her campaign to follow up with people who may not agree with her or have a question about her positions. She talks "with" people and not "to" them. That is a practice she has promised to continue once she is elected. She firmly believes in fostering relationships, two-way communication and working together for the common good of our schools and our students. Danielle believes that strong schools equal well-educated students, which in turn helps us build strong Nebraska communities. Danielle does not buy into the messages that paint our schools and teachers in a negative and destructive manner. She will not lead from a position of fear and misinformation, but rather bring a collaborative, respectful approach to serve Nebraska students, teachers, families and our public school system. Danielle brings a wealth of experience as an educator in both rural and urban settings, K-12 as well as the college level. She understands the importance of doing her homework to make thoughtful, educated decisions. Please join me in voting for Danielle Helzer on Nov. 8. Annette Dubas, Fullerton Vote for Helzer As a mental health professional who has practiced in school settings, the increase in mental health difficulties in students has been a salient concern. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported that 20% of children ages 13-18 have a mental health disorder. 50% of mental health diagnoses begin by age 14; however, there is an average 10-year delay before these children receive interventions for their symptoms. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in children ages 10-14. Teachers, school counselors and other staff struggled during the 2021-2022 school year to adequately address the increase in behavioral and emotional needs of children. When children experience intense emotions and behaviors in the classroom, it prevents them from learning. It also hinders their classmates' ability to learn due to disruptive behaviors that require immediate attention from their teacher. In order to fully address children's needs, we need adequate supports in place to ensure their emotional safety and well-being. District 6 needs a candidate who can provide a strong voice for the needs of children, especially their mental health. Danielle Helzer is the candidate we need. She believes in mental health. She is an advocate for increasing mental and behavioral health support for students. Danielle also recognizes the importance of ensuring staff have access to adequate mental health support to reduce teacher burnout. Addressing emotional and mental health needs for students and staff will assist schools to teach our children in the healthiest, safest environment possible. Michelle Smith, Hastings Song Ho-sung, CEO of Kia, speaks during the company's CEO Investor Day event, March 3. Kia said Sunday that its CEO left for Europe to visit Serbia, Albania and Greece to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group By Baek Byung-yeul Hyundai Motor Group is rallying European support for Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030. Europe is home to 48 out of 170 member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). The automotive group said Sunday that Song Ho-sung, CEO of Kia, left for Europe to visit three countries there Serbia, Albania and Greece. During his week-long trip, the CEO is scheduled to meet high-ranking officials of those countries to seek their support for Korea's bid to host the international event. Song will convey the country's capability and willingness to host the big event, explaining to them that Korea is serving as a bridge between developing and developed countries and has experience presenting solutions for global issues, such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the digital divide. He will also promote the southern port city of Busan as the best city to host the World Expo 2030 given the country's second-largest city has top-class tourism infrastructure, cultural content and experience hosting a number of large international events. Plus, Song plans to explain the competitiveness of Hyundai Motor Group, which is a global leader in electric vehicles (EVs), so that the group can seek ways to cooperate with these European nations. Korea is currently competing to be the host city of the World Expo 2030 against Saudi Arabia and Italy. The host city will be decided by the votes from the member countries of the BIE in November 2023. "The Busan World Expo will be a meaningful event to think about issues the world is facing, such as climate change," a spokesman for the automotive group said. "Hyundai Motor Group plans to actively inform Busan's attractive points and what kinds of value the city can deliver when it hosts the World Expo 2030." By John J. Metzler The U.N. General Assembly just concluded its election for 14 new members in the Human Rights Council. Delegates have chosen a conclave of candidates who sit in somber judgment of global freedoms and virtues, though ironically, many of these new members selected are actually among the very abusers and rights violators the Council is presumably monitoring. Among the U.N. General Assembly delegates, we are speaking about countries ranging from China, Cuba and Eritrea, to Sudan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela you get the picture. In balance there are also members such as the U.S., France, Poland and South Korea. Voting for the Geneva-based 47-member Council is based on regional groupings where customary back-room selection usually produces an unopposed candidates list that only sometimes goes to an actual contested election. There were 190 ballots being cast in each of the groupings. So let's take a quick overview of the new members winning three-year terms starting in 2023. Africa The African continent gets four new members which were all selected, four out of four. South Africa came in first with 182 votes followed by Algeria and Morocco, and then Sudan. While South Africa still retains a democratic framework, its rights and freedoms are sadly deteriorating under a system of corruption, cronyism and crime. Then there's Algeria anything but democratic which holds poor ratings on the respected Freedom House scorecard. Morocco, though facing some challenges, remains a close friend of France and the U.S. Sudan, a true standout, remains one of the continent's least free countries. Asia-Pacific Here it got unexpectedly interesting. There were six countries contesting four seats. Bangladesh came in first with 160 votes (let's be fair, Bangladesh as a poor country, has done so very much to help the Rohingya refugees fleeing Burma). Then it was the Maldive Islands, Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan who won. South Korea (the Republic of Korea) scored poorly with 123 votes and was not re-elected. Afghanistan received a measly 12 ballots. Vietnam by no stretch of the imagination could be seen as a democratic state nor could Kyrgyzstan. Both rate poorly on the Freedom House democracy index and are listed as "Not Free." But South Korea is not only a thriving democracy but a major contributor to the U.N. system. Why did they lose? Seoul's government opposed China in a recent human rights resolution and this vote may be Beijing's payback. Afghanistan lost for all the right reasons; the Taliban regime was happily neither honored nor humored with a win. Eastern Europe Here it was two out of two. Both Georgia and Romania won seats. Romania is a member of both the European Union and NATO. The Bucharest government, which has become far more pluralist in recent years, has gone the extra mile in aiding Ukrainian refugees. Georgia, parts of which remain under Russian occupation, rates as only "Partly Free" by the Freedom House measure with 58 out of 100 points. In April, reflecting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the General Assembly approved a U.S.-backed resolution suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council because of its rights violations. Later the assembly voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the Council. Poetic justice indeed! Latin America This region was the most watched vote, where two democracies were facing off against Venezuela for only two places. Chile and Costa Rica both proudly hold serious democratic credentials in the realms of civil and political rights. Venezuela is sadly on the other end of the spectrum, with a corrupt, repressive regime in place which has turned a once prosperous country into a tragic basket case. In the balloting, Chile won 144 votes, Costa Rica 134 and Venezuela only 88. Thus, Venezuela lost its bid for a second term on the Council. The respected monitor, Human Rights Forum, firmly opposed the election of Venezuela. "The defeat of Venezuela's candidacy is certainly something to celebrate. A brutal dictatorial regime that created one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history has no business being part of the U.N. Human Rights Council," said Alvaro Piaggio, HRF's senior policy officer for Latin America. The New York-based HRF plainly stated that Afghanistan, Algeria, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Vietnam and Venezuela were equally unqualified for membership. Western Europe Here there were two countries running for two seats: Belgium and Germany. Both democratic countries were elected and are richly qualified to sit on this Council. Among the new members, sadly many are human rights abusers sitting in positions of judgment. Indeed, the real tragedy remains that the Council may actually reflect the world in more ways than we would care to admit. John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China." A band that has more than 43 No. 1 hit singles can pose unique problems for musicians putting together a tribute show. Just ask Tom Uecker, vocalist for Roll On A Tribute to Alabama. Its the first show of the 2022-23 season at West Salems Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts, and its scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29. Although well do maybe 23 or 25 of their hits during our show, they put out so many good songs, well often have people come up afterward and say, Oh, you didnt play this one or that one! Uecker said. Although the Heider Center appearance will feature a couple dozen or so Alabama tunes songs like Mountain Music, Tennessee River, Roll On and Take Me Down they could never play all of Alabamas hits of in one show. There are just too many. Still, Uecker said that Roll On is working on adding all 43 of those tunes to their repertoire. His seven-piece band was formed two years ago from friends who are longtime musicians from other country and rock n roll bands playing in the St. Cloud area of Minnesota. That kind of background turned out to be the perfect fit since Alabama was one of the first bands to combine country, rock n roll and great vocals into a winning formula. Uecker had been in a band of his own for 15 years, but after COVID hit, he was casting about for something different. Thats when the idea of a tribute band came up and Alabama eventually stuck as the one everyone wanted to do. I thought: Hey, were all friends and it would be kind of fun to play together, Uecker said. They have been doing the show before appreciative audiences ever since. Uecker said that he loves singing Alabama songs. With a great band like that its hard to miss on a song! he said. Two of his personal favorites are Old Flame and Jukebox in My Mind, but the band will also perform audience favorites like Dixieland Delight, Feels So Right and Love in the First Degree, plus many others. One of the most fulfilling aspects of the show for Uecker is what happens afterward. A couple came to a recent Roll On show because they had seen Alabama for their 20th wedding anniversary. They told Uecker they were amazed at how much his group sounded and even looked like Alabama. I think it kind of reignited memories for them, Uecker said. He also gets people coming up and saying that the music brought them to tears because it reminded them of a departed parent or a grandparent. Those kinds of moments can make you feel good about what youre doing, Uecker said. This will be Roll Ons first visit to the Heider Center and Uecker said the band is excited about it. After a summer lull it marks the start of the busy concert season. Were looking forward to get things rolling again, Uecker said. All around Western Technical College this week, manufacturing was the big theme. At a full crowd on Tuesday, businesses from around the region came together to hear more about high school and college career and technical educational opportunities for students. Workforce needs are a recurring theme, according to Western President Roger Stanford. Nearly every business I talk to, our conversation always turns to how to get skilled workers, said Stanford. Whether its manufacturing, health care or technology. The need is all over. October is Manufacturing Month in Wisconsin, a chance to celebrate and highlight the various industries that make Western Wisconsins economy strong. Its why businesses were gathered at Western this week, a chance to discuss ways to improve the manufacturing pipeline. Still in 2022, manufacturing remains the biggest industry in Wisconsin, with billions invested into the regional economy. In total, Wisconsins Technical Colleges, including Western, offer more than 150 associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificates and short-term credentials in the field. The events featured speaker was Sean Mullan, global plan engineering and operational effectiveness leader at 3M. Mullan discussed the importance of high school partnerships and how changing technology continues to make career and technical education important for students and the economy. Following the luncheon, area middle school students were on hand to present STEM projects to business partners. We have found that getting students involved in STEM education at a younger age is actually beneficial, said Stanford. Its providing an avenue from which students can learn more about careers in those fields. But from there, the day wasnt done. Following the presentations, Westerns Career Services held a Manufacturing Career Fair for students and the general public. More than 20 employers, including City Brewing, Inland and Kwik Trip, were on hand to speak with interested individuals about career opportunities in the manufacturing field. The job market is tremendous right now, said Barb Kelsey, director of advising and career services at Western. Now more than ever, these type of events help connect students, alumni and the public with potential employers that badly need skilled labor. The event participation exceeded expectations, as this was the first career fair open to the public since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In all, its a sign that the job market is in full swing, and manufacturing remains the centerpiece. Like nearly all of the industries we serve, its nearly a guarantee that a graduate will have a job waiting for them at the finish line, said Stanford. Its just about getting them interested in the field and into our classrooms. La Crosse County voters will choose a new sheriff in the Nov. 8 general election. Republican Fritz Leinfelder and Democrat John Siegel are on the ballot. Incumbent Republican Sheriff Jeff Wolf isnt seeking re-election after serving a single four-year term. The Tribune sent the two candidates a series of questions. Below are their responses, along with their submitted biographies: What motivated you to run for sheriff? Leinfelder: I am a lifelong resident of La Crosse and have dedicated over 29 years to the sheriffs office. I care about our community. When Sheriff Jeff Wolf made his retirement announcement, I jumped at the opportunity to run for sheriff. My experience, skill sets and my lifelong connections to the community and businesses have made running for sheriff an easy decision; I am eager to run the office that means so much to me. Siegel: I want to lead the sheriffs office into the next generation of policing. Law enforcement has evolved during my 29 years as a deputy sheriff, especially during the past few years when we have faced new challenges and new expectations. La Crosse County has always been a leader in the criminal justice field. I want to continue that tradition and be even better every day. From a personal perspective, I have a diverse family and background. As sheriff, I would bring a much-needed understanding of challenges faced by diverse elements of our community along with my willingness to listen and collaborate to find solutions to make our county safer and healthier. What steps can the sheriffs office take to reduce drug trafficking? Siegel: There is no easy answer to this question. Using our state and federal partners, along with our local West Central Metropolitan Enforcement Group, to identify sources of drugs in our community and who is trafficking them is a key component to reducing the supply. Those bringing meth and heroin into our community must be held accountable. There is also a demand for those drugs from users in our community. Law enforcement can be a component in breaking the cycle of addiction and demand, in partnership with local health care and addiction care providers. Patrol and jail deputies are often the first contact with users who might be seeking help. That needs to be a positive opportunity to connect them with our partner resources. Leinfelder: My campaign platform focuses on ridding our communities of drug trafficking organizations flooding our streets with heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, so our children feel safe when they go out to play. I have been an active member of the West Central Metropolitan Enforcement Group (drug task force), a collaboration of 15 agencies across five counties that serves Western Wisconsin in drug investigation and enforcement. I have spent 20 years learning and developing my investigative skills in combating our drug dilemma. I have cultivated several strong relationships with local, state and federal entities that share in the same vision. Interrupting drug trafficking organizations takes focused effort on the shoulders of multiple players across many jurisdictions. The most effective way to become successful is to continue growing partnerships and encouraging communication. La Crosse County hasnt always been successful in keeping lines of communication open between local law enforcement partners. It is my hope to be able to repair and rebuild those trusted relationships to work as a cohesive unit to tackle our toughest assignments. Describe your views on traffic safety and enforcement. Leinfelder: I believe that the enforcement of our traffic laws is critical to providing and improving safety within our community. Consistent enforcement saves lives and reduces accidents. However, enforcement activities alone are simply not enough. Education is essential. Not only am I for enforcing traffic safety laws, but I also want to educate and interact with the community, so they understand the laws as well. Siegel: Traffic enforcement is a small but important role of the sheriffs office. I believe enforcement begins and ends with making sure the sheriffs office has a presence on our highways and rural areas where housing additions continue to grow. I would like to create a community oriented policing shift that is deployed several times a week in high traffic areas and areas where speed zone and stop sign complaints are received. The purpose is to create a presence and deterrence, along with educating people on safety concerns where they live or travel through. What kind of training is necessary to prevent racial profiling? Siegel: The sheriffs office recently added instructors trained in fair and impartial policing. Providing more in-depth education to deputies in areas such as unconscious bias and privilege is an important component to understanding and reducing profiling. This includes training deputies to understand that some calls for service they respond to might include an unconscious bias from the reporting person. Our approach must include collaboration with members of the community in educating our deputies. We have some outstanding resources in La Crosse County in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. I have experienced bias toward my family, and I share those real-life experiences with others. Bringing in diverse people from our county to assist in educating our department and having them share some of their own feelings and experiences will create a deeper understanding and connection. Leinfelder: My number-one vision for my campaign is to provide current and relevant training and education to all levels at the sheriffs office, to ensure all employees and citizens feel safe. Effective communication is key. I want to implement learning strategies to improve communication skills for all staff at the sheriffs office. I want the community to feel comfortable engaging in simple communication, no matter what the situation entails. Currently, the sheriffs office provides in-service training to all jail and road employees on a yearly basis. In-service is held the same time each year. I would like to expand upon this mandatory training to provide subsequent training throughout the year, to keep both physical and mental skills sharp. Through education and by implementing small changes, I hope to create long-lasting habits that positively impact employees reactions and problem-solving skills. How does the sheriffs office attract and retain qualified personnel? Leinfelder: I believe that the sheriffs office has done a great job of attracting excellent personal for both our patrol and jail divisions. We in law enforcement have seen a decline in the number of applicants, but we are still able to hire good quality people. I will connect with my employees and let them know that their ideas and efforts matter. I will keep lines of communication open by listening to understand my employees needs. I will ensure change when and if change is necessary. I will invest in my employees by providing them the training opportunities they need so they can develop the tools to assist them in staying safe and handling difficult situations we in law enforcement are often called upon to handle. Siegel: As sheriff, I have to make sure that men and women considering a career in law enforcement in our community know it is a good profession, and the La Crosse County Sheriffs Office is a great place to work. I truly believe it is. A big part of recruitment and retention is making sure everyone knows they are appreciated and will receive the training, tools and support they need to be successful. Setting up a patrol operations team and jail operations team of deputies and supervisors to evaluate what we do well and where we can be better, safer or more efficient is a priority for me. I believe giving our staff a voice in how we operate creates a positive environment that attracts good officers. What steps can a sheriff take to ensure that sworn officers are professional and accountable? Seigel: The sheriff and command staff have to set clear expectations of what professional means. This includes educating deputies on behaviors and actions that will be considered inappropriate and the consequences to those actions. Every new administration should set their expectations. I also believe it is beneficial to use incidents (positive or negative) that occur in other parts of our state and country as a training opportunity. It allows our deputies to assess how they might have responded and how it correlates to La Crosse County training and expectations. Leinfelder: The sheriffs office has both sworn and unsworn public servants who serve and protect La Crosse County. Our correctional staff is unsworn and our deputies assigned to patrol are sworn. As sheriff, I would hold both groups of law enforcement professionals accountable and expect them to act professionally in their roles at the sheriffs office. Training will be an essential part of making sure that we at the sheriffs office maintain a standard of conduct insuring our citizens feel safe and respected. What is your opinion about seeking a law enforcement position with a partisan label? Leinfelder: There is a large population of the voters that are/were unaware that the sheriffs election is a partisan election. The way that Wisconsins constitution is written is the reason the sheriffs election is partisan. The constitution doesnt say that it is a partisan position, it just mandates the sheriffs election is on the same ballot as the president and members of congress. All ballot positions in a November election have to be partisan positions. That being said, the sheriffs office enforces the laws that are on the books. We protect and serve ALL members of our county. Our job is to make our community feel safe, secure and respected no matter who they are or what their beliefs are. Siegel: The elected office of the sheriff is written into our state constitution. The sheriff of our county and any county should represent everyone, regardless of political affiliation and should strive to make sure this is a safe and healthy place to work and live. I do not consider myself a politician. I am running for sheriff of La Crosse County because I am committed to having a positive impact on our community and continuing to lead our office forward after Sheriff Wolfs retirement. That commitment would not change if the election of county offices was moved to the nonpartisan April election cycle. Derrick Van Orden, Republican candidate for the 3rd Congressional District in western Wisconsin, has raised nearly $6 million for his 2022 campaign, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission. Thats compared to about $1.4 million for his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Brad Pfaff. Those figures are accurate up to Sep. 30, the most recent reporting deadline. With five weeks of fundraising needing to be reported before the election, Van Orden has, on his own, already shattered the record amount he and Democratic Rep. Ron Kind raised for their tight election about $5 million in 2020. Van Orden nearly won the district that year, when he gave Kind his first serious challenge in years, losing by about 3% and about 10,000 votes. Considering that finish, his fundraising, and former President Donald Trumps winning the district in 2016 and 2020, Van Orden has to be considered the frontrunner, said Joe Heim, a political science professor emeritus at UW-La Crosse. The district is so large that just getting your name and face around is a major undertaking, Heim said. So his name is much better known than a first-term state Sen. Pfaff. Wisconsins 3rd Congressional District runs along the Mississippi River from Platteville nearly 200 miles north to Eau Claire. All this has given Van Orden a distinct advantage, Heim continued. Add into all this is the normal national historical pattern of the out of White House party gaining seats in Congress, you have an environment favorable to a Republican. Federal campaign limits allow an individual donor to give a candidate for federal office a maximum of $2,900 per election, and candidates face a primary and a general, so one person can give a total of $5,800 to one candidate per election cycle. More than 100 people have donated the maximum $5,800 to Van Ordens campaign, according to filings with the FEC. Notable names giving the max include Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn and his wife Andrea Wynn, Kwik Trip CEO Don Zeitlow, billionaire Republican megadonors Dick and Liz Uehlein of ULINE, billionaire Diane Hendricks and Kim Hendricks of ABC Building Supply, and Ross Perot Jr. Big donors to Pfaffs campaign include Judith Faulkner, CEO and founder of Epic, the health care software giant based in Dane County, her husband Gordon Faulkner, and Kevin Conroy, the CEO of the Madison-based Exact Sciences, all of whom have given $5,000. The retiring Kinds campaign committee has given Pfaffs campaign at least $4,000. Kind and his wife, Tawni Kind, also personally gave Pfaffs campaign at least $3,000 and $3,750 each. Pfaff previously worked for Kinds congressional office. Former Democratic state legislator Tim Cullen gave him $3,400. Lynde Uihlein, a Schlitz heir, major Democratic donor and relative of Dick Uihlein, has given Pfaff $2,800. Former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl has given Pfaffs campaign $2,700. Asked about the huge fundraising difference in the campaign, Pfaff said in an email, When you have a record that you have to run away from and be scared of, you need more money to do it. Pfaff criticized Van Orden for his written admission that he exposed another male soldiers genitals to female soldiers in his book Book of Man: A Navy SEALs Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood. Pfaff also noted that Van Orden was put on probation for trying to board a plane with a loaded handgun last year. And he pointed to Van Ordens attendance at Trumps rally on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., that devolved into a violent attack on the Capitol and the police guarding it. Thats why millions of out-of-state dollars are flowing in to help Derrick, Pfaff wrote. But lets also be clear, when Im on the campaign trail, I dont hear about who is winning the fundraising war. I hear about real challenges that voters are dealing with like rising costs, job opportunities that are few and far between, and a feeling of being left behind by Washington politics. Van Orden did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment. Independent spending in the district So far, outside groups have spent about $600,000 promoting Van Orden and another $600,000 on ads attacking him, according to a database created by OpenSecrets, an organization which collects and publicizes campaign finance data. Outside groups have spent only about $25,000 supporting Pfaff and about $725,000 attacking him. The Center Forward Committee, which has ties to the Blue Dog Coalition of centrist Democrats, has spent $600,000 attacking Van Orden. The Republicans Congressional Leadership Fund has spent more than $400,000 and the National Republican Congressional Committee more than $300,000, both to attack Pfaff. Two law enforcement Super PACs have spent nearly $500,000 supporting Van Orden. Disclosure of personal finances Per federal law, candidates for federal office must file reports disclosing their financial holdings, including assets, earned income and liabilities. Van Orden has not disclosed any earned income since Jan. 1, 2020, according to his reports. He has been running for Congress for most of that time. He also reported checking account holdings between $1,001 and $15,000. His campaign did not respond to questions on how he has supported himself with no income. On a disclosure form filed in August 2021, Van Orden reported he was a partner in Van Orden Properties LLC and a co-owner of JIC Global LLC doing business as Juarez Industries. He did not report holdings in those companies on a disclosure form filed in June. His campaign did not respond to questions asking about those companies. Pfaff reported his annual state Senate salary of about $55,000, farmland holdings valued between $100,000 and $250,000, between $100,000 and $250,000 in stocks, and a pressure-washing business in Madison. Other issues Van Orden was present at Trumps rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, where the president fraudulently claimed the election had been stolen from him. Trump has repeated that lie despite numerous court cases, recounts and audits across the country finding no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Van Orden said he left the rally when attendees attacked police and broke their way into the Capitol. To pay for the trip, Van Orden used campaign funds at a time when he was not a candidate, but the FEC rejected a formal complaint against him, saying the sum was too small to pursue, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The Republican candidate has refused to debate Pfaff. He told Channel 8 News that he wanted to do a town hall-style debate, but then refused or ignored his challengers offer to do some. Van Orden participated in a debate against Kind in 2020. And Van Orden was fined and placed on unsupervised probation in Iowa in 2021 when he tried to board a plane with a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage. A judge ordered he pay $360 and show he had taken a firearms safety course, which he did, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The Transportation Security Administration also fined him, the newspaper reported. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers nominated Pfaff in 2019 to be the states agricultural secretary, but the Republican-controlled Senate, which must approve the appointees, voted against Pfaff after he criticized Republicans for delaying funding for a farmer suicide prevention program. Pfaff then ran for state Senate in the district that includes La Crosse in 2020 and won a tight and expensive race. His state Senate term will end in 2024. Should you vote 3rd Party? Not this year if you want to protect our democracy. This election, the danger is too real to symbolically vote for someone to show your dislike of the two-party system. The Republican side of your ballot has actual election deniers on our ballot and candidates whose party platform plans to eliminate Social Security and remove our freedom to decide what we do with our own bodies. Let that sink in: one major American political party is ready to rip the rug out from under seniors and take away your choice and your voice. This November is truly an historically dangerous moment for democracy. We know the election will come down to a narrow margin and, more than ever before, EVERY vote will count. This November you can choose candidates who are on record defending your right to live how you want, love who you want, and make your own most personal decisions. You can choose the candidates who have visited our area frequently over the past six months. You can choose candidates whove knocked on over 15,000 doors and shown up consistently to listen and talk to voters like you. I know, it sometimes feels good to buck the system and show the world youre going to do your own thing. But this November, I encourage you to reconsider, vote DFL, and use your voice to defend our choice. Julie Fryer Concerns about short-term rentals in the City of Lake Geneva are not going away. A group of residents from the citys Maple Park Historic District attended the Oct. 3 city council committee of the whole meeting to discuss issues they have had with short-term rental properties in their neighborhood and proposed some possible solutions. The Maple Park Historic District includes areas of Main Street, North Street, Cook Street and Maxwell Street. Wisconsin lawmakers approved legislation in 2017 which requires municipalities to allow short-term rental properties in residential areas, prompting Wisconsin communities to implement rules and regulations on such properties. The Lake Geneva City Council approved an ordinance in May 2018, which outlines rules and regulations for short-term rental properties in the community. Emily Hummel, president of the Maple Park Homeowners Association, said she is concerned about the growing number of short-term rental properties and questioned whether city ordinances regarding short term rentals are being enforced. It bothers me that what I thought would be my happy retirement home is becoming a place where I have hotels beside me and behind me, Hummel said. So I cant go anywhere on my property without seeing short-term rental guests. Hummel said she recently witnessed about 20 college-age people exit a bus and enter a short-term rental property across her home at about 3:30 a.m. She said the people did not cause any issues but feels there are too many short-term rental properties in her neighborhood. It just doesnt feel like home, and we want our home back, Hummel said. I know its a place where tourists come, but its also a home for many of us who are very dedicated to the city. Caroll Pearson said she also is concerned about the increasing number of short-term rental properties in the Maple Park District. She said there are two short-term rentals near the back of her property, one next door and another one across the street. I didnt buy my house so I could have short-term rentals next door, obviously, Pearson said. To me, it feels like Im losing my neighborhood. Im losing that sense of community. Half of the year the house sits vacant, no lights, no activity. It doesnt seem much of neighborhood if the house is sitting empty. Ideas discussed Pearson proposed that the city update its ordinances which regulate short-term rental properties and limit the number of short-term rentals by having it based on the percentage of residential properties in Lake Geneva. However, limiting the number of short-term rentals is not an option in Wisconsin, the way the state law is currently written. Pearson offered other suggestions including forming a committee to develop ideas for handling short-term rental property issues or hiring a part-time employee to handle short-term rental complaints. They would know the laws. The would know how to handle it, Pearson said of the part-time employee. It wouldnt necessarily be that consuming as far as time. Pearson encouraged residents and city officials to contact local state legislators regarding the issue. Maybe they can work with us and make some changes for the better, Pearson said. I love the town, I love the neighborhood, and we need to be ahead of next years people applying to do the short-term rental so we know what limits we can set and be smart about this. Violations observed Amy Sienkowski said she recently noticed a short-term rental property being occupied by more than one group of people during a seven-day period, which violates the citys ordinances. She said she contacted Code Enforcement Officer James Flower regarding the issue, and he informed her that he would send the property owner a letter to inform then that they were in violation. Sienkowski said when the issue happened again, she contacted Flower and he advised her to call the police. They need to be tending to more important issues regarding law enforcement, community safety and community well being, Sienkowski said. Its not their job to be enforcing these ordinances. Ad hoc committee proposed Sienkowski proposed that Mayor Charlene Klein form an ad hoc committee to develop ideas to revise the citys short-term rental ordinances. She also said the city could hire an employee to help enforce the ordinances. Maybe this could be a college intern, somebody studying public government where they could get some credits, Sienkowski said. City officials have discussed the short-term rental issue during previous meetings and proposed several possible solutions. Some city officials proposed revising the short-term rental ordinances. Other officials recommended requiring short-term rental property owners to present a record to the city of the people who have stayed at their property each month. Another proposal includes hiring someone or a group to enforce short-term rental complaints during the weekends. City officials are set to continue to discuss the issue. Dear W.C., My sisters husband passed away unexpectedly six months ago. He had his own business and did not have any life insurance. He left my sister with a lot of expenses shes been trying to keep up with. She had to sell their home and she had just enough money from that to pay off the mortgage and a few other debts. They have three children all in their teens. I let them live with me for a while, but my landlord told me they had to leave because there are only two bedrooms and I have two children also. I am not able to help her out financially. My sister works full-time. She was able to pay for the security deposit at an apartment she found but saving up for that caused her to fall behind in her car payment. I know she is struggling with her food expense. She just cant seem to get back on her feet no matter how hard she tries. I heard about The Time is Now to Help and was hoping and praying you would be able to help. Dear Readers, Sometimes life gives us the unexpected and unplanned for. Not only do these unexpected changes cause stress and heartbreak, but they also can bring financial distress. When your income comes to an abrupt halt, you must make some major life changes. I was relieved the woman had already sold her home and was able to find an available rental. She had already done some of the things I would have advised her to do. I called the sister who had written to us on the womans behalf to find out contact information and other details. We spoke for some time as she shared with me everything she could. Her brother-in-law had died due to COVID, even though he was only 51 years old. The woman told me some of what her sister and children had gone through due to his unexpected death. His loss was felt deeply as they struggled with their grief. We planned to meet the following day at the sisters apartment. The woman said she knew her sister would try to make light of her situation as she was never one to ask for help. The woman said, Even when my sister sold her house and had nowhere to go, she never asked me if they could move in. When she did not have enough food, she never asked me for any. When I offered, she accepted the help. That is just how she is. Keeping what the sister said in mind I met the sisters at the apartment the following afternoon. All the children were in school when we met so it was easier to speak freely. The woman cried as she shared with me what they had endured during the terrible time of her husbands illness and the devastation she and the children had felt. Then I listened as she shared how she had spent the past six months trying to be strong and doing everything she could to keep her children safe and fed. We went over the womans budget, and I could see the expenses that had caused her to fall behind. As so many have been doing lately, she had been cutting back in food and toiletries for herself. The woman was already too thin, so I provided gift cards for food and other daily necessities to help them get through this difficult time. We also would help with one months rent, two car payments and gift cards for gas for work and winter clothing for the children. The two sisters both began to cry as I shared how we would be able to help. They hugged each other and rocked back and forth. It had been a long time since the sister had felt any relief from the constant stress of poverty. Before leaving I looked at the womans apartment, which had been sparingly furnished with some of the belongings she had not sold from her house. I checked her car on my way out and after seeing it was overdue for service, I made arrangements for the service to be done so it would continue to provide safe travel to and from work. With our assistance this woman and her children would be able to move into the next chapter of their lives without falling into further poverty. Our poverty relief has lifted them up when their despair was great. Thank You and God Bless You for making our good works possible. Health & Happiness, Love & GOD Bless Everyone, Sal Please Help: There are many coming to us in desperation. Our good fellow creations need our compassion. Together we make a big difference. Make checks payable to: The Time Is Now to Help, P.O. Box 1, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. The Time Is Now to Help is a federally recognized 5013 charitable organization. You will receive a tax deductible, itemized thank you receipt showing how 100% of your donation was used for providing poverty relief. Please visit our website for more information, to read more of our past and current columns and/or to make a donation: www.timeisnowtohelp.org. A Very Special Thank You: John and Valerie Lincoln, Jeff Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schuberth, Kunes Country Auto Group, Martin Group, John Stensland and family, Paul Ziegler, Ziegler Charitable Foundation, Lake Geneva Area Realty, Paper Dolls, Linda West, Michael and Deborah Halverson, Albert and Ellen Burnell, John and Mary Beer, Carol Hinners, Duane and June DeYoung, Church of Jesus Christ LDS, James Dyer, Peter Popik, Patricia Erickson, Ritas My Salon, James Shannon, all of our anonymous donors and ALL of you who support The Time Is Now to Help donation boxes. Anyone who would like a Time Is Now donation box in your business, please call (262) 249-7000. Memorials: Mike and Christine Gunderson in memory of Lois Harry. Prayer Chain: The power of prayer and positive thoughts comes from the true healer, our Lord answering our prayers. Please pray for healing for the following people: Brian, Talyn, Mike, Sylvia, Richard, Jennifer, Jayden, Maria C., Alex, Lily, Kaitlyn, Sheila, Rhonda, Deda Lee, Betty, Marilyn, Helen, Dennis, Mary, Joseph, Jordan, Jean, Tom L., Dr. Peter, Alyce, Matthew, Pam E., Jenene B., John S., Patricia H., Darlene, Ron K., Marian K., Judy, Wendy, Eric, Anthony, Mary, Charlie, Tom P., Christina, Billy, Mike, Cheryl, and Ellie. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SUNDAY OCTOBER 23, 2022 A Huge Social Explosion in Germany Oct. 22, 2022 (EIRNS)Speaking from Germany today, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, leader of the Schiller Institute, gave an interview to EIR Editor Paul Gallagher, during which she described Germany as being in the middle of a huge social explosion. She said, Just today, there are many demonstrations, and there have been many demonstrations in the last days and weeks, not only in East Germany, but especially there, but also, today, in many West German cities (Frankfurt, Hannover, Dusseldorf and many others). And what people were saying in these demonstrations is that it is exactly like it was in 1989: These were the demonstrations in which the Berlin Wall came down as a result. And the demands are, stop the sanctions against Russia, stop the weapons sales to Ukraine; this is not our war, we demand a diplomatic solution. As this happens, both the nuclear war danger, and the suffering from combat and destruction in Ukraine continue needlessly, because the core Global NATO network intends it that way. Look at how this network is enforcing silence in Europe about who perpetrated the attacks on the Russia to Germany, submarine Nord Stream pipelines. Zepp-LaRouche described and denounced in some detail, pointing out that nothing in this highly surveilled area of the Baltic Sea could have been done without the control and OK of the United States. Now there is another major infrastructure attack threat, this time on the water supply for Crimea, made by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He addressed the EU Council meeting by video on Oct. 20, telling them to expect that the Kakhovka Dam and Hydropower Plant on the Dnieper River will be struck by a false-flag operation from Russia, and blamed on Kiev. What he did not say, is that this would end the source of the critical water supply canal serving Kherson, including coolant for Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, and Crimea. As the protesters say in the streets of Germany today: Stop this war. Gallagher put the question to Zepp-LaRouche, What can make it possible to reach a situation of peace, and perhaps even development, before we are in an unsurvivable nuclear war? He referred to the fact that the Schiller Institute is mobilizing a large number of people and young people around the world. She replied, Migrants, especially Venezuelans, are struggling with a new United States policy meant to prevent border crossings. And many Venezuelan migrants trying to enter the U.S. are now stuck in a small town in southern Mexico. The town of San Pedro Tapanatepec had 7,000 migrants when The Associated Press visited at the beginning of October. About 75 percent were Venezuelans. Just weeks later, Mayor Humberto Parrazales estimated the number was now 14,000. The town has a population of just 15,000. Many Venezuelans had planned to make their way to the U.S. border. But the new U.S. policy says only those applying online, and arriving by air, will be admitted. Border crossers by foot will be expelled. That leaves many living in Tapanatepec in five large tent shelters wondering what they will do next. San Pedro Tapanatepec is not where the migrants wanted to be. The town is about 300 kilometers from the border with Guatemala. Since August, the town has served as a stop for migrants. They would wait there for a few days while Mexican immigration officials gave them a travel pass to make it to the U.S. border. But Parrazales said the process for giving out the passes has slowed down. Now many more migrants wait in Tapanatepec, a poor town unprepared for so many people. I don't understand anything," Venezuelan migrant Robinson Rodriguez said by phone from Tapanatepec. If everything at the border is closed, then they shouldn't be handing out these passes. And if you ask (the officials), they say they don't know, but they keep handing them out. The migrants do not have much time. Rodriguez had received a seven-day travel document, which required him to leave Mexico within a week. But he had to use his time raising money to pay for transportation to the northern border. But by the time he got the money, his pass had expired. Many people are confused. Nicaraguan migrant Luis Martinica showed a paper with an internet link for Venezuelans to apply. But he wondered if he, a Nicaraguan, would be expelled at the U.S. border. Mayor Parrazales has his own problems. The town can no longer provide the electricity needed for the camp. Health care, cleaning and water are also problems. Still, migrants are bringing in some money to the town. Parrazales said the town has seen about $15 million in extra business selling migrants food, places to sleep, medicine, taxi and bus rides. He said they pay money to charge their phones. Mexico has released about 77,000 passes to Venezuelans so far this year, mostly in the last three months. Because of political reasons, Venezuelans, like Cubans, are hard to expel, both for Mexico and the United States. Mexico's National Immigration Institute did not answer questions from the AP about how the camp will be operated following the new U.S. policy. There is a big lack of information, Parrazales said. This is a pressure cooker I'm trying to contain here. Im Dan Novak. Dan Novak adapted this story based on reporting by The Associated Press. ______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story expire v. to no longer be valid after a period of time confused adj. unable to understand or think clearly pressure cooker n. a situation or place that causes you to feel a lot of stress or pressure A new study suggests Neanderthals formed small, close communities where females may have traveled to move in with their mates. The research used genetic investigation to offer an idea of Neanderthal family life including a father and his daughter who lived in Siberia more than 50,000 years ago. Researchers were able to pull DNA out of tiny bone pieces found in two Russian caves. In their study, which appeared recently in the publication Nature, they used genetic data to map out relationships between 13 different Neanderthals and get information about how they lived. Bence Viola of the University of Toronto helped write the study. When I work on a bone or two, its very easy to forget that these are actually people with their own lives and stories, Viola said. He added, Figuring out how theyre related to each other really makes them much more human. The Neanderthals, our ancient relatives, lived across Europe and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. They died out around 40,000 years ago, shortly after our species, Homo sapiens, arrived in Europe from Africa. Scientists have only recently been able to study these early humans DNA. New Nobel prize winner Svante Paabo who was one of the writers of this latest study published the first study of a Neanderthal genome more than 10 years ago. Since then, scientists have sequenced 18 Neanderthal genomes, said study lead writer Laurits Skov of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. But it is rare to find bones from multiple Neanderthals from the same time and place, he said which is why these cave discoveries were so special. If there was ever a chance to find a Neanderthal community, this would be it, Skov said. The caves, located in hills above a river valley, have been a rich source of materials from stone tools to fossil pieces, Viola said. With their view of animals in the valley below, Neanderthals may have used the caves as a hunting stop. Researchers digging at the caves have found remains from at least 12 different Neanderthals, Viola said. These remains usually come in small bits and pieces a finger bone here, a tooth there but theyre enough for scientists to get valuable DNA details. The researchers were able to identify a couple of relatives among the group. Along with the father and daughter, there were two other relatives. Overall, the study found that everyone in the group had a lot of DNA in common. That suggests that at least in this area, Neanderthals lived in very small communities of 10 to 20 individuals, the authors concluded. But not everyone in these groups stayed together. Researchers looked at other genetic information from mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down on the mothers side, and the Y chromosome, which is passed down on the fathers side. The female side showed more genetic differences than the male side. This suggests females may have moved around more, Skov said. It is possible that when a female Neanderthal found a mate, she would leave home to live with his family. University of Wisconsin anthropologist John Hawks, who was not involved in the study, said the research was an exciting use of ancient DNA evidence, even as many questions remain about Neanderthal social structures and lifestyles. Figuring out how early humans lived is like putting together a puzzle where we have many, many missing pieces, Hawks said. But this study means there are more pieces on the table. Im John Russell. Maddie Burakoff reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story DNA -- n. a substance that carries genetic information in the cells of plants and animals actually adv. used to stress that a statement is true especially when it differs in some way from what might have been thought or expected species n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : sequence v. to determine the order in which things happen puzzle n. an image made of many small pieces that are cut into various shapes and can be fit together to form a picture Few are surprised to learn Madison and Milwaukee are hubs for tech-based innovation involving young companies. Visual evidence, surveys, rankings and studies have shown as much over time. Its a familiar story to many Wisconsin observers and now getting the national attention it deserves. What may surprise people is the extent to which young companies are emerging in places outside the states largest urban centers. Some recent events illustrate the point. Companies applying to the annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, which will be held Nov. 9-10 in Madison, include a mix of young firms from the Capitol area and the Milwaukee region as is often the case. This years crop also includes companies from farther afield in Wisconsin, demonstrating that tech-based enterprises can be built in smaller communities if conditions are right: Adequate broadband connections, a support structure that may include accelerators or other mentors, and at least a decent shot at access to early stage capital. Wisconsin communities with at least one qualified applicant to this years conference are Appleton, Beloit, Eau Claire, Fontana, Fort Atkinson, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Oconomowoc, Pardeeville, Sturgeon Bay, Waupun and Wittenberg. Out-of-state firms are taking notice of Wisconsin, as well, with applications from Kansas, Texas and Minnesota. Applicants may be selected to make five-minute presentations, a 90-second elevator pitch, or to meet briefly one-on-one with investors. Its often a combination of two out of the three, as investor groups attend from Wisconsin, the Midwest and beyond. Earlier this year, a similar pattern showed up in the annual Governors Business Plan Contest, in which more than half of Wisconsins 72 counties were represented by at least one entry. Among the 55 semifinalists, 30 came from outside the states two largest cities. There are a handful of reasons behind the growth in entrepreneurism outside the biggest cities. Remote work has allowed more people to live where they want while still working for a large company elsewhere or themselves. In that environment, mid-size cities and even smaller communities can be attractive places to live. or themselves. In that environment, mid-size cities and even smaller communities can be attractive places to live. Some communities are blessed with successful business patrons who want to give back by backing investors, entrepreneurs or accelerator projects that can spur economic growth. These patrons are usually entrepreneurs who made it big and want to help others do so. Eau Claire, Beloit and La Crosse are solid examples. Investors outside Wisconsin are putting more money into more deals, in part because they believe the talent is solid, the valuations are reasonable and the costs of doing business are lower than what is found in coastal tech hubs. State-backed and private support systems are much more developed than even five or 10 years ago. A nationally known private accelerator, gener8tor, began in Madison and Milwaukee but has a growing presence elsewhere in Wisconsin. The Badger Fund of Funds has five recipient funds statewide that have invested in about three dozen companies thus far. Faculty and students in UW System schools outside Madison and Milwaukee are filing more disclosures and patents, which sometimes sparks company formation. For example: WiSys, which handles intellectual property filings for 11 campuses, has created a Venture Home program to help young firms get a start. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has an arm dedicated to spurring startups. A final factor is harder to prove, but some people who lost jobs during the peak of COVID-19 may have elected to strike out on their own rather than rejoin the workforce in roles they held before. That may explain a recent surge in state business filings. Its too early to declare an irreversible trend, but its clear that promising startups can be found in places beyond Madison and Milwaukee. Wisconsin needs them all to prosper. The indictment charges Dery McDuffy, 33, with three counts of distributing heroin, one count of distributing 100 grams or more, two counts of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possessing a kilogram or more of heroin with intent to distribute, and possessing 500 grams or more of cocaine with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Timothy OShea said in a statement. After a gunshot was heard, a person was found dead during a search for a driver who had driven at a deputy during a pursuit, prompting the deputy to shoot at the driver, Wisconsin authorities reported. The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement that it is investigating the officer-involved critical incident that happened during a pursuit across Lafayette and Green counties. Statements from the sheriffs offices of those two counties directed questions to DCI. The pursuit began in Grant County after an unspecified incident in Dubuque, Iowa, DCI said. Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill said in a statement that his agency was notified at 2:20 p.m. of the incident in Dubuque. A Lafayette County deputy picked up the pursuit after it entered that county. The deputy deployed a spike strip in an effort to flatten the vehicles tires shortly after 2:30 p.m., with the vehicle that was being chased driving in the direction of the deputy, who fired at the vehicle, DCI said. The DCI statement doesn't say whether the deputy's shot struck anything. The vehicle later crashed in Green County, and the driver fled on foot. As law enforcement personnel were searching for the driver, a gunshot was heard and a person was found near Highway 11, west of County M, near Browntown, DCI said. First responders administered first aid, but the person, who was not identified, died at the scene. A firearm was recovered at the scene, DCI said. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident, DCI said. Highway 11 was closed at County M until 3:38 a.m. Sunday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The Lafayette County deputy who fired at the driver was placed on leave, per department policy. DCI is leading the investigation, assisted by the State Patrol, DCI crime response specialist, State Crime Lab and Belleville Police Department. All involved law enforcement are cooperating with the investigation, DCI said. After it completes its investigation, DCI said, it will turn over its reports to the Lafayette County district attorney. The young Afghan couple raced to the airport in Kabul, clutching their baby girl close amid the chaotic withdrawal of American troops last year. The baby had been rescued two years earlier from the rubble of a U.S. Special Forces raid that killed her parents and five siblings. After months in a U.S. military hospital, she had gone to live with her cousin and his wife, this newlywed couple. Now, the family was bound for the United States for further medical treatment, with the aid of U.S. Marine Corps attorney Joshua Mast. When the exhausted Afghans arrived at the airport in Washington, D.C., in late August 2021, Mast pulled them out of the international arrivals line and led them to an inspecting officer, according to a lawsuit they filed last month. They were surprised when Mast presented an Afghan passport for the child, the couple said. But it was the last name printed on the document that stopped them cold: Mast. They didn't know it, but they would soon lose their baby. This is a story about how one U.S. Marine became fiercely determined to bring home an Afghan war orphan, and praised it as an act of Christian faith to save her. Letters, emails and documents submitted in federal filings show that he used his status in the U.S. Armed Forces, appealed to high-ranking Trump administration officials and turned to small-town courts to adopt the baby, unbeknownst to the Afghan couple raising her 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers) away. The little girl, now 3 years old, is at the center of a high-stakes tangle of at least four court cases. The Afghan couple, desperate to get her back, has sued Mast and his wife, Stephanie Mast. But the Masts insist they are her legal parents and "acted admirably" to protect her. They've asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit. The ordeal has drawn in the U.S. departments of Defense, Justice and State, which have argued that the attempt to spirit away a citizen of another country could significantly harm military and foreign relations. It has also meant that a child who survived a violent raid, was hospitalized for months and escaped the fall of Afghanistan has had to split her short life between two families, both of which now claim her. Five days after the Afghans arrived in the U.S., they say Mast custody papers in hand took her away. The Afghan woman collapsed onto the floor and pleaded with the Marine to give her baby back. Her husband said Mast had called him "brother" for months; so he begged him to act like one, with compassion. Instead, the Afghan family claims in court papers, Mast shoved the man and stomped his foot. That was more than a year ago. The Afghan couple hasn't seen her since. "After they took her, our tears never stop," the woman told The Associated Press. "Right now, we are just dead bodies. Our hearts are broken. We have no plans for a future without her. Food has no taste and sleep gives us no rest." *** PULLED FROM THE RUBBLE The story of the baby unfolds in hundreds of pages of legal filings and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, as well as interviews with those involved, pieced together in an AP investigation. In a federal lawsuit filed in September, the Afghan family accuses the Masts of false imprisonment, conspiracy, fraud and assault. The family has asked the court to shield their identity out of concerns for their relatives back in Afghanistan, and they communicated with the AP on the condition of remaining anonymous. The Masts call the Afghan family's claims "outrageous, unmerited attacks" on their integrity. They argue in court filings that they have worked "to protect the child from physical, mental or emotional harm." They say the Afghan couple are "not her lawful parents," and Mast's attorney cast doubt on whether the Afghans were even related to the baby. "Joshua and Stephanie Mast have done nothing but ensure she receives the medical care she requires, at great personal expense and sacrifice, and provide her a loving home," wrote the Masts' attorneys. The baby's identity has been kept private, listed only as Baby L or Baby Doe. The Afghan couple had given the baby an Afghan name; the Masts gave her an American one. Originally from Florida, Joshua Mast married Stephanie and attended Liberty University, an evangelical Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia. He graduated in 2008 and got his law degree there in 2014. In 2019, they were living with their sons in Palmyra, a small rural Virginia town, when Joshua Mast was sent on a temporary assignment to Afghanistan. Mast, then a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, was a military lawyer for the federal Center for Law and Military Operations. The U.S. Marines declined to comment publicly, along with other federal officials. That September in 2019 was one of the deadliest months of the entire U.S. occupation in Afghanistan, with more than 110 civilians killed in the first week alone. On Sept. 6, 2019, the U.S. attacked a remote compound. No details about this event are publicly available, but in court documents Mast claims that classified reports show the U.S. government "sent helicopters full of special operators to capture or kill" a foreign fighter. Mast said that rather than surrender, a man detonated a suicide vest; five of his six children in the room were killed, and their mother was shot to death while resisting arrest. Sehla Ashai and Maya Eckstein, attorneys for the Afghan couple, dispute Mast's account. They say the baby's parents were actually farmers, unaffiliated with any terrorist group. And they described the event as a tragedy that left two innocent civilians and five of their children dead. Both sides agree that when the dust settled, U.S. troops pulled the badly injured infant from the rubble. The baby had a fractured skull, broken leg and serious burns. She was about 2 months old. Mast called the baby a "victim of terrorism." His attorney said she "miraculously survived." *** 'DO THE RIGHT THING' The baby was rushed to a military hospital, where she was placed in the care of the Defense Department. The International Committee of the Red Cross told the AP that they began searching for her family with the Afghan government, often a plodding process in rural parts of the country where record-keeping is scant. At first, they didn't even know the baby's name. Meanwhile, Mast said, he was "aggressively" advocating to get her to the U.S. Over several months, he wrote to then-Vice President Mike Pence's office, according to exhibits filed in court. He said his colleagues in the military tried to talk to President Donald Trump about the baby during a Thanksgiving visit to Bagram Airfield. Mast also said he made four requests over two weeks to then-White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, asking for help to medically evacuate the baby "to be treated in a safe environment." The Masts were represented by Joshua's brother Richard Mast, an attorney with the conservative Christian legal group Liberty Counsel, which says it is not involved in this case. None of the Masts responded to repeated requests for interviews. In emails to military officials, Mast alleged that Pence told the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to "make every effort" to get her to the United States. Mast signed his emails with a Bible verse: "'Live for an Audience of one, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." Pence's spokesman, Marc Short, did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Embassy never heard from Pence's office, said a Department of State official, who requested anonymity because they did not have permission to speak publicly about the situation. But they did begin getting highly unusual inquiries about the possibility of sending the baby to the U.S. The diplomats were rattled by the suggestion that the U.S. could just take her away; they believed the baby belonged to Afghanistan. "I was aware that it may not be smooth sailing ahead, but that just made me more determined to do the right thing," the State Department official said. About six weeks after the baby was rescued, the U.S. Embassy called for a meeting, attended by representatives of the Red Cross, the Afghan government and the American military, including Mast. The State Department wanted to make sure everyone understood its position: Under international humanitarian law, the U.S. was obliged to do everything possible to reunite the baby with her next of kin. At the meeting, Mast asked about adoption, the State Department official said. Attendees from Afghanistan's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs explained that by Afghan law and custom, they had to place the baby with her biological family. If that did not work, the Afghan Children's Court would determine a proper guardian. The American concept of adoption doesn't even exist in Afghanistan. Under Islamic law, a child's bloodline cannot be severed and their heritage is sacred. Instead of adoption, a guardianship system called kafala allows Muslims to take in orphans and raise them as family, without relinquishing the child's name or bloodline. American adoptions from Afghanistan are rare and only possible for Muslim-American families of Afghan descent. The State Department recognizes 14 American adoptions from Afghanistan over the past decade, none in the past two years. Yet two days after the embassy meeting, a letter was sent to U.S. officials in Kabul from Kimberley Motley, a near-celebrity American attorney in Afghanistan, the State Department official said. Motley wrote that she was representing an unnamed concerned American citizen who wished to adopt this baby. Motley declined to be interviewed by the AP. Mast also continued his appeals to American politicians. The U.S. Embassy began hearing from Congressional staffers about the baby, and diplomats met with a military general, the official said. The general in turn put a "gag order" on military personnel about the baby and said "no one was to advocate on her behalf," Mast wrote in a legal filing. But he wasn't ready to give up. *** HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD The Masts searched for a solution halfway around the world in rural Fluvanna County, Virginia, where they lived. They petitioned the local Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, describing the baby as a "stateless minor recovered off the battlefield." In early November 2019, a judge granted them legal custody. The name of this judge is not publicly available because juvenile records are sealed in Virginia. A few days later, a certificate of foreign birth listed Joshua and Stephanie Mast as parents. The custody order was based on the Masts' assertion that the Afghan government specifically now-deposed President Ashraf Ghani intended to waive jurisdiction over the child "in a matter of days," according to a hearing transcript. The waiver never arrived. In an email to the AP, Ghani's former deputy chief of staff Suhrob Ahmad said there is "no record of this alleged statement of waiver of Afghan jurisdiction." Ahmad said he and the head of the Administrative Office of the President do not remember any such request going through the court system as required. The U.S. Embassy heard that Mast was granted custody. Military lawyers assured them that the Marine was just preparing in case Afghanistan waived jurisdiction, but would not interfere with the search for the baby's family, according to the State Department official. Yet all along they planned to adopt the baby, according to records obtained from the state of Virginia under a Freedom of Information Act request. Richard Mast wrote the Attorney General's office in November 2019 that the Masts "will file for adoption as soon as statutorily possible." In the meantime, Joshua Mast enrolled the baby in the Defense Department health care system, made an appointment at a U.S. International Adoption Clinic and asked to have her evacuated. Then came a surprise: The Red Cross said they'd found her family. She was about five months old. In late 2019, Afghan officials told the U.S. Embassy that the baby's paternal uncle had been identified, and he decided his son and daughter-in-law were best suited to take her, according to court records. They were young, educated newlyweds with no children yet of their own, and lived in a city with access to hospitals. The young man worked in a medical office and ran a co-ed school, which is unusual in Afghanistan. His wife graduated from high school at the top of her class, and is fluent in three languages, including English. They had married for love, unlike many Afghans in arranged marriages. Mast expressed doubts about the newly-found uncle, describing him in court records as "an anonymous person of unknown nationality" and claiming that turning the baby over to him was "inherently dangerous." He asked the Red Cross to put him in touch, but they refused. In emails to a U.S. military office requesting evacuation, Mast alleged that he read more than 150 pages of classified documents, and concluded the child was a "stateless minor." Mast believed she was the daughter of transient terrorists who are citizens of no country, his attorney said. He also speculated that if reunited with her family, she could be made a child soldier or a suicide bomber, sold into sex trafficking, hit in a U.S. military strike, or stoned for being a girl. But Afghanistan did not waver: the child was a citizen of their country. Mast's attorney sent the U.S. Embassy a "cease and desist" letter warning them not to hand the baby over, according to the State Department official. But on February 26, 2020, the Masts learned that the U.S. was preparing to put the baby, now nearly 8 months old, on a plane early the following morning to join her family in another Afghan city. The Masts, represented by Richard Mast, sued the secretaries of Defense and State in a federal court in Virginia, asking for an emergency restraining order to stop them. The Masts claimed they were the baby's "lawful permanent legal guardians." Within hours, four federal attorneys two from the Justice Department and two from the U.S. Attorney's Office were on the phone, and Richard Mast was in Federal Judge Norman Moon's office. Richard Mast said the baby should not be "condemned to suffer." He complained that the Afghan government had not conducted DNA testing to confirm the family they found was truly related to the child. But the Justice Department attorneys said they had no right to mandate how the Afghan government vets the family, and that the Red Cross which has reunited relatives in war zones for more than a century had confirmed it was done properly. Further, the federal government's attorneys described the Masts' custody documents from state court as "unlawful," "deeply flawed and incorrect," and "issued on a false premise that has never happened" that Afghanistan would waive jurisdiction. Judge Moon asked Richard Mast: "Your client is not asking to adopt the child?" "No sir," Mast responded. "He wants to get her medical treatment in the United States." Justice Department attorneys argued that the United States must meet its international obligations. Attorney Alexander Haas put it simply: Taking another country's citizen to the United States "would have potentially profound implications on our military and foreign affairs interests." Judge Moon ruled against the Masts, and the baby stayed in Afghanistan. The next day, she was united with her biological family. The Afghan couple wept with joy. "We didn't think she would come back to her family alive," said the young Afghan man. "It was the best day of our lives. After a long time, she had a chance to have a family again." *** AN EXTRA MEASURE OF TENDERNESS As the months passed in her new home in Afghanistan, the girl loved getting henna painted on her hands and dressing up in new clothes, the Afghan couple said. She always wanted to do her new mother's makeup, or brush her hair. "She knew about Allah, about clothes, about the names of food," the woman wrote. The couple cared for her as if she was their own daughter, but with an extra measure of tenderness because of the unimaginable tragedy she'd already suffered. "We never wanted her to feel she couldn't have something she wanted," said the young man. Meanwhile, Mast continued to worry that the child was "in an objectively dangerous situation," Richard Mast wrote in court documents. The Masts asked Kimberley Motley, the attorney, to track down the family, saying he wanted to get the child medical treatment in the U.S, Motley said in court records. Motley contacted the Afghan family in March 2020, about a week after the baby was placed in her new home. Motley is named as a defendant in their lawsuit, but her attorney, Michael Hoernlein, told the AP the claims against her are "meritless." In court documents, Motley's attorneys describe her role as professional and above-board, and asked that the claims against her be dismissed. Motley had originally gone to Afghanistan in 2008 under an American-funded initiative to train local lawyers. She stayed, largely representing foreigners charged with crimes. She took on high-profile human rights cases, gave a TED Talk and wrote a book. Over the course of a year, Motley called for updates about the child and occasionally asked for photos. In July, around the baby's first birthday, the couple sent Motley a snapshot of the child in swim trunks, smiling and splashing in a wading pool. At the same time, the Masts' adoption case was still winding through the court system in Fluvanna County, Virginia. In December 2020, the state court granted the Masts a final adoption order based on the finding that the child "remains up to this point in time an orphaned, undocumented, stateless minor," according to a federal lawsuit. Fluvanna County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Richard E. Moore did not respond to repeated requests for clarity on how the cases progressed. International adoption lawyers were baffled. "If you have relatives there who are saying, 'no, no, no, we want our daughter, we want our little girl,' it's over," said Irene Steffas, an adoption and immigration attorney. "There is no way the U.S. is going to get into a match with another country when it comes to a child that's a citizen of that country." Karen Law, a Virginia attorney who specializes in international adoption, said state law requires an accredited agency to visit three times over six months and compile a report before an adoption can be finalized. The child must be present for the visits but this baby was thousands of miles away. On July 10, 2021, around the baby's second birthday, Motley facilitated the first phone call between the Afghan couple and Joshua Mast, with the aid of translator Ahmad Osmani, a Baptist pastor of Afghan descent. Mast told the Afghan couple that unless they sent the child to the United States for medical care, she could "be blind, brain damaged, and/or permanently physically disabled." But the Afghan man now raising her, who had worked in the medical field, did not think her burn scars, a leg injury and mysterious allergic reactions amounted to a life-altering condition in the way Mast described. The couple declined sending the baby to the United States. The woman was pregnant, and worried about the risk of such a long flight. They said they asked Mast: Could they take the baby to Pakistan or India for treatment instead? The answer was no, their lawsuit says. The conversations continued for months. Osmani, the translator, vouched for the Masts and described them as kind and trustworthy, according to the lawsuit, which names him as a defendant. Osmani did not respond to requests for comment. He asked a federal judge to throw out the lawsuit, and said he never deceived anyone. He was only a "mere translator." His attorneys wrote: "No good deed goes unpunished." *** 'LIVING IN A DARK JAIL' In late summer 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Mast said he contacted the family to bring the baby to the U.S. "before the country collapsed." He said he was "extremely concerned that they may not get another chance." The couple agreed. Mast applied for special visas for the Afghan family and for relatives of Osmani, the translator, according to court records. They characterized the Afghan couple as an escort for a "U.S. military dependent" the baby. In an email to U.S. officials filed in court, Mast wrote that Osmani was "very instrumental to helping a U.S. Marine adopt an Afghan child." Soon, the Afghan family began their days-long journey to the U.S. Joshua Mast told them to say he was their lawyer. "If anyone asks to talk about your documents, show them this text: I am Major Joshua Mast, USMC. I am a Judge Advocate ," Mast texted them detailed directions for how to deal with U.S. authorities, their lawsuit says. When the family arrived in Germany for a stopover, Joshua Mast and his wife greeted them at the air force base. It was the first time they had met in person. In Germany, the Masts visited the Afghan family's room three times to try to get the baby to travel separately with them, "insisting that it would be easier for the toddler to enter the United States that way," the Afghan couple recalled in their lawsuit. They refused to let the girl out of their sight. When the Afghans finally landed in the United States, they began explaining that the child was too young to have Afghan documents. That's when they claim Joshua Mast pulled out an Afghan passport. Inside was the same photo of the child in the wading pool, but altered to change the background, add a shirt and smooth her hair. Mast told the Afghans to "keep quiet" about having his name on her passport, their lawsuit alleges, so it would be easier to get medical care. The Afghan couple asked to be taken to Fort Pickett Army National Guard base, a location specified by Mast, according to the lawsuit. Thousands of Afghan refugees were temporarily housed there. Soon after, they said, soldiers came to their room and told them they were moving. A strange woman sat in the back of the van next to a car seat, according to court records, and the baby fussed as she buckled her in. The van pulled up to a building they didn't recognize, where a woman who called herself a social worker said the Masts were the girl's legal guardians. Confused and frightened, the child cried and the couple begged. But it did no good. Mast took the baby to his car, where his wife was waiting, the lawsuit says. They had lost her. In their heavily redacted response to the lawsuit, the Masts acknowledge they "took custody" of the child; they said their adoption order was valid and they did nothing wrong. Richard Mast is also named as a defendant in the Afghan family's lawsuit. He wrote in legal documents that his brother's adoption of the child was "selfless;" it saved both the child, and the Afghan family fighting to get her back, "from the evils of life under the Taliban." The Afghan couple believed that their baby was stolen, and they immediately sought help at Fort Pickett to get her back. "But the playing field was not level," their attorney, Ashai, told the AP. The couple "were forced to navigate a complex and confusing system in a foreign country in which they had just arrived, after having survived the greatest trauma of their lives." Meanwhile, the couple says in court documents, Osmani warned them not to contact a lawyer or the authorities, and suggested that Mast might give them the baby back if they dealt directly with him. And so they tried to maintain contact with Mast. They were also scared of him. If he could abduct their child in broad daylight, they worried he might hurt them too, their lawyers wrote in legal filings. The Afghan woman plunged into a deep depression and, despite being nine months pregnant, stopped eating and drinking. She could not sleep. Her husband was afraid to leave her alone. "Since we have come to America, we have not felt happiness for even one day," the Afghan man told the AP. "We feel like we are living in a dark jail." His wife gave birth to a girl on October 1, 2021. The young mother's grief became overwhelming. A month later, she considered suicide and was hospitalized. Soon the couple sought legal help; by December 2021, the Afghan couple had asked the Fluvanna judge to reverse the adoption. But those proceedings, almost one year in, have been opaque and slow. On Feb. 27, 2022, when the Afghan baby was 2 years old, the Masts traveled to the Mennonite Christian Assembly in Fredericksburg, Ohio, to share their joy during a special church service. In a video advertising the event called "Walking in Faith," the pastor apologized to congregants that it would not be online, because the Marine would share "very confidential, classified information." "Unforeseen events gave the couple an unexpected opportunity to stand up to protect innocent life," read the program flyer. "Come hear how God's mighty hand allowed for a remarkable deliverance." Pastor John Risner told the AP that the Masts had requested the service be confidential, and he didn't want to betray their trust by disclosing any details. All he would say is that their story is "amazing." *** NO HAPPINESS HERE The fate of the Afghan child is now being debated in secret proceedings in a locked courtroom in the village of Palmyra, Virginia, home to about 100 people. Earlier this month, Joshua Mast arrived at the Fluvanna County courthouse along with his wife and his brother Richard. Mast was dressed in his starched Marine uniform, holding his white and gold hat in his hand. The hearing stretched on for roughly eight hours. The proceedings have been completely shielded from public view, mandated by presiding Judge Moore. The AP was not allowed inside the courtroom. Court clerk Tristana Treadway refused to provide even the docket number, saying she could "neither confirm nor deny" the case existed at all. More than a dozen lawyers streamed into the courthouse, carting boxes of evidence, and each said they were forbidden from speaking. Mast remains an active duty Marine, and has since been promoted to major. He now lives with his family in North Carolina. The Afghan toddler has been with them for more than a year. In Texas, the Afghan couple continues to grieve the loss of the child. The baby the woman gave birth to shortly after arriving in the U.S. just turned 1. The young mother had planned to raise the girls as sisters. But they've never met. "There is nothing to celebrate without her. There is no happiness here," the Afghan man said. "We are counting the moments and days until she will come home." *** What if Democrats in both chambers of Congress lose their majorities in November? The deniers of the 2020 election will take control of the House of Representatives and appoint former President Donald Trump as their speaker. They will move to impeach both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The Senate, now controlled by Republicans, could vote to remove them from office. If the GOP had wide enough majorities, it could remove Biden and fill the presidency with Trump, who could declare that no more elections will be required. Trump might try to stay in the position as long as he desires. Our democracy would be replaced with fascism. Trump would seek revenge on his perceived enemies and behave in the manner of role models such as Vladimir Putin and other dictators. These things can happen if we fail to vote in November. Just because our democracy has survived this long does not mean it will last forever. We have to cherish and protect it. Do not be lulled into complacency. After Roe v. Wade, we thought women would always have control over their own bodies. We all know how that worked out. Use your right to vote for Democrats in November. Reject fascism. Save democracy. Vote. Susan Swoboda, Whitewater Im a lifelong Republican voter, but I cannot support Tim Michels for governor. For one thing, he entertained the idea of overturning the 2020 election results. The mere fact he would consider invalidating an election is disqualifying. Michels wants to abolish the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission and centralize the oversight of elections. He seems to want a loyalist in charge who can overturn elections whose outcomes he doesnt like. Michels has supported an 1849 abortion ban that offers no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. During his 2004 Senate run, Michels said it was not unreasonable to force a rape victim to give birth. Most Wisconsinites -- myself included -- find this position too extreme. Michels calls himself an outsider, and he certainly is. He has lived in a Manhattan penthouse and a $17 million Connecticut mansion for much of the last nine years. Its not clear why Michels wants to be governor, or what he would do as governor. But what is clear is that he shouldnt be. Andrew Markiewicz, West Allis U.S. workers have been at the forefront of three big trends in recent months. First there was the great resignation, in which record numbers of workers were quitting their jobs. That coincided with a flurry of unionizing efforts at major U.S. companies, including Starbucks and Apple. Most recently, youve probably heard about quiet quitting, an often-misunderstood phrase that can mean either doing your jobs bare minimum or just not striving to overachieve. As a management professor who has studied worker behavior for over two decades, I believe these are all reactions to the same problem: Workers are dissatisfied in their current jobs and feel they cant speak up, whether about organizational problems, unethical behavior or even just to contribute their knowledge and creative ideas. So in response, they generally either leave or decrease their effort while suffering in silence. It doesnt have to be this way; but its also not easy to change. Put simply, it will take courageous action from not only workers but lawmakers and companies as well. It's not always easy to raise one's hand in the workplace. AnVr/E+ via Getty Images The problem of organizational silence Workplace courage is actually the main focus of my research. That is, how often do workers speak up when they see a problem or have an improvement or innovation to suggest? In our field, we call the failure to speak up organizational silence, and my colleagues and I found it everywhere we looked in Americas workplaces. An online survey Ive been conducting since 2018 suggests workers stand up to their boss or other higher-ups about illegal, unethical, hurtful or otherwise inappropriate behavior roughly one-third of the time. The frequency isnt much higher when the questions involve speaking up about less thorny issues, such as operational problems or ways to improve the organization. The numbers are similar even when the other person is a colleague who has no power over them. Colleagues who study whistleblowing likewise find that only a fraction of people who see serious wrongdoing take sufficient action to get it stopped, while others have documented how rarely workers say anything when they witness microaggressions. My own small experiment related to this is illustrative. In my Defining Moments class, I teach students how to speak up competently in challenging situations. During the course, I record individual simulations in which students pitch suggestions for improving an unidentified organizations diversity and inclusion efforts to two actors playing the role of senior executives. I instruct the male actor to express at least three microaggressions, such as Sweetie, you take the notes, toward his female peer during their short interaction with each student. About half the students who range in age from about 25 to 50 never say a peep in response to the offensive comments. As for the rest, they react to only about half the microagressions they hear, and typically its in the form of helping the victim Ill take the notes rather than confronting the remark itself. These findings, collectively, demonstrate the significant problems that occur and are likely to fester when people stay silent. They also contribute to massive employee disengagement and leave a whole lot of people feeling inauthentic and impotent at work or just regretful over their failures to act. Starbucks workers have unionized over 200 locations in the past year or so. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images The four fears Its not, for the most part, that people dont recognize the problems they could or should respond to. On the survey that immediately followed my microaggression simulation, for example, more than three times as many participants noticed the first problematic comment than spoke up about it. Managers I work with in all sorts of consulting engagements readily admit to a gap between what should and would be done in situations in which something difficult needs to be said to a boss, a peer or even a subordinate. Asked to explain the gap, I hear the same response that research consistently documents: People are afraid to initiate those conversations. In part, this is the nature of working in America today. About three-quarters of all U.S. workers are at will, meaning they can be fired for nearly any reason or none at all. This is why you hear stories of people being fired for speaking up about issues that seem pretty important or reasonable. And for what its worth, there is no free speech in the workplace, as the First Amendment does not apply to private actors. As I describe in my 2021 book Choosing Courage, there are four common fears that keep people from speaking up or being completely honest when they do: Economic or career consequences push your boss to be more flexible about work hours or where you work from and you might find yourself off the promotion track or even told to find a new job. Social exclusion confront your peers about missed deadlines or their comments toward those of another race or gender and you might be eating lunch alone. Psychological pain offer a novel improvement idea that gets harshly shot down and you might start doubting yourself. Physical harm stand up to a customer or co-worker who is violating a policy or speaking inappropriately and you might get punched or threatened with a weapon. Even if you havent recently experienced any of these negative consequences, you probably still have a set of internalized beliefs about the dangers of speaking up that, as my research with management scholar Amy Edmondson showed, leads toward self-censoring in situations where it might actually be safe to speak up. A way forward While I believe workers bear some responsibility when they dont speak up, companies and other organizations are also at fault for creating cultures and conditions that dont encourage honesty. For example, there are systemic barriers to giving workers more of a voice such as the steady decline of union membership since the 1950s and the lack of a sufficient safety net that decouples necessities like health care and a secure retirement from a specific employer. Traditionally, unions have sheltered workers from some of the adverse consequences listed above, such as by preventing those who speak up about an ethical lapse from being arbitrarily fired or otherwise punished. As I see it, there is a mixture of ways to turn this around. Lawmakers could strengthen laws intended to support workers who wish to form a union particularly helpful at a time of labor revival and fierce anti-union pushback from some employers. Corporate, nonprofit and government leaders could do more to actually encourage their workers to raise their voices by consistently soliciting their input and celebrating rather than punishing them for offering it. Incidentally, if leaders did more to create these conditions, employees would likely see less need for a union. For workers who fear repercussions, there are skills they can learn to help them speak up more effectively and minimize the negative consequences of doing so. Sometimes merely changing the framing makes a significant difference for example, asking managers to address a safety issue because its an opportunity to improve efficiency can resonate better than pointing to the moral reasons to take action. None of these steps are easy. They will require more courageous action by members of each of these groups. But I believe finding ways to help workers speak their minds about issues like safety, misconduct and performance is critically important because what happens in these instances shapes the places where people spend the majority of their waking hours and whether they even want to be there. ___ James Detert 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. ___ JEROME Three Democrats and three Republicans are vying for seats in the Idaho State Legislatures District 26 that covers Blaine, Lincoln and Jerome counties. Two out of three candidate forums have taken place so far, giving candidates for Idaho State Legislature in District 26 an opportunity to size each other up and make their case to voters. The first forum was held Wednesday in Jerome; the second was Thursday in Hailey. At least one more candidate forum is scheduled for Oct. 27 in Hazelton. Republican Laurie Lickley from Jerome, now in her second term in the House, is running on the November ballot for the Senate. On the Democratic side, retired fire captain and EMS paramedic Ron Taylor, seeks to uphold Blaine Countys tradition of Democratic representation. In the House, Rep. Ned Burns, a Democrat from Bellevue, is running to retain his seat after being appointed by Gov. Brad Little in 2020 to replace Muffy Davis, who resigned from the Legislature. The seat is being contested by Republican Mike Pohanka, a retired Idaho Power industrial representative and economics professor who has served on the chambers of commerce for both Twin Falls and Jerome. Republican Jack Nelsen and Democrat Karma Metzler Fitzgerald face off in the race for Idaho House of Representatives Seat B. Nelsen has served as a trustee of the College of Southern Idaho, Jerome Planning and Zoning, and as an educator, and water conservation board member. Fitzgerald has worked to develop community resources such as the Lincoln Youth Center and continues to collaborate on other community enhancement projects such as transit and daycare for Shoshone and Richfield. All six candidates met for their first moderated forum held at the Jerome Public Library. They each responded to written questions from the audience and asked by moderator Linda Helms of the Jerome Civic Club. The Jerome forum saw the candidates being civil, courteous, and largely in agreement on the broadest issues Idaho faces such as water, growth, infrastructure, education, the budget surplus and the special session to fund education and issue tax rebates. The second forum was held Thursday in Hailey. While still civil, the questions posed by Idaho Mountain Express editor Mark Dee and from the audience allowed the candidates more room to demonstrate their differences. The first question in Hailey was about abortion, with a follow-up question about contraception. Burns, Fitzgerald and Taylor all said the decision for medical care is between a person and their doctor, and did not support Idahos restrictions on abortion. All three said they would resist any attempt to limit access to contraception. During the 2022 session, Burns was a vocal critic of Idahos abortion ban which was signed by Gov. Little. Nelsen also said he opposed the governments interference into personal medical decisions on any matter, whether it be vaccines or abortion, and supported a right to choose. Im not a rightwing Republican, Im a moderate Republican, Nelsen said. Im a firm believer in peoples rights. My body, my choice. Nobody should tell you you have to get a vaccine. That should be between you and your doctor and Im exactly the same thing on womens health care. There is no reason for the government to be sitting in the office with you and your doctor. Lickley and Pohanka identified themselves as pro-life, although both said they did not support efforts to eliminate all abortions without exception for rape, incest, or the safety of the mother, nor did they support criminal charges for people receiving or people performing abortions. Lickley voted in favor of the bill banning abortion during this years session. She said she is pro-life, and the bill had many aspects that she agreed with. Sometimes the votes we make, we like components of them but we dont like all of them, Lickley said. And that is a piece of legislation that I look back on and I liked components of it, but criminalizing our women and our young ladies and our doctors is just not acceptable to me and I will not support that. Lickley said she supported contraception, and would not support efforts of some in the GOP to outlaw certain types of contraception. Contraception is pro-life, Lickley said. Any time we can get additional contraceptive measures in front of our populace, I believe we will save lives. Another area of difference was on display regarding affordable housing and cost of living. Republicans Nelsen, Pohanka and Lickley said that the economy takes care of itself. Ron Taylor said raising the minimum wage was an important way to help Idahoans keep up with rising costs, and to keep workers from leaving the state. Idaho continues to lose its good people, Taylor said. Were training them, we cant pay them, they go to a different state and take all of their experience with them. Lickley said the businesses took care of themselves. Lickley said she didnt now if that was the legislatures decision to make, that it was best addressed by the market. I think the economies and supply and demand and the economics of things let those things work out, Lickley said. Taylor also pointed to Idahos flat tax rate of 5.8% as a giveaway to corporations. I believe corporations and businesses that are making millions and billions should be taxed appropriately as well, Taylor said. 5.8% is a gift to them. Lickley responded that the variations in agricultural income and debts would feel a burden of a higher tax rate. My Ag community, many of them have gross receipts of a million dollars, their net receipts may be less than $10,000, Lickley said. So if youre going to tax them on that million, thats going to be a bit of a challenge, too. 5.8% is fair. Nelsen and Fitzgerald were both asked how each intended to represent such a diverse district with large populations of both Democrats and Republicans. As a Republican, Nelsen said being part of the majority party means greater likelihood of committee assignments, and the majority party controls committee composition. A democrat was less likely to be assigned to top committee spots, thereby lessening their chance of getting legislation through a committee. There are people that make decisions, they control pressure points of how laws come through the legislature, Nelsen said. I firmly believe that a Republican has more traction in Boise than a Democrat. Fitzgerald said as a Lincoln County Democrat, theres about eight other Democrats, but she had been able to get things done by working collaboratively with people in many settings of many backgrounds and many philosophies. Ive had to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time I know how to work with people on the other side of the proverbial aisle, Fitzgerald said. So if theres something that is right for this district and it doesnt look like Im going to be able to make that happen personally, I am going to find someone on the other side that will work with me and carry it forward. Asked about ways to alleviate the rising cost of living in Idaho, Burns proposed using some of the states budget surplus to pay off the outstanding 800 million bonds and levies for school facilities funding. If we take some of that surplus money, pay off those bonds and levies, that would cut every single persons... property tax by 50%, Burns said. Pohanka said that one change that would yield big savings on property taxes was to return the standard homeowners exemption to the indexing system that was abandoned in 2016 in favor of a flat rate. If we went back to that they were saying right now it would be approximately $250,000, Pohanka said. I think thats the quickest thing we could do to get tax relief to the citizens of Idaho. Asked about how the legislature would respond to climate change, Burns said that, while many state agencies were well aware of the consequences of climate change, getting 105 legislators to make policy on the matter was a big obstacle. Its going to be a real challenge given the supermajority situation that were in right now to get enough buy-in from folks to start creating good environmental policy in the state, Burns said. Pohanka directed attention back to the role of the private sector lead the way in environmental adaptation with the example of Idaho Powers goal to be 100% renewable by the year 2045. We will eventually get there, but it doesnt happen over night. It takes a little time, Pohanka said. Idahos top federal prosecutor has created a task force to combat fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit this week announced in a news release the creation of the District of Idahos COVID-19 Fraud Task Force, made up of a broad group of law enforcement agencies, with prosecutors who will work jointly to hold accountable criminals who unjustly enriched themselves at the expense of taxpayers by defrauding economic aid programs. The task force will include representatives from the law enforcement and investigation arms of the Small Business Administration, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Treasury, FBI, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Secret Service. The task force will identify, investigate and prosecute fraud cases involving the abuse of programs that were created to help people and small businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, such as the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program, Emergency Rental Assistance Program and enhanced unemployment payments. The task force is seeking tips from the public. Make a report to the COVID-19 Pandemic Fraud Hotline at www.pandemicoversight.gov/contact/about-hotline or directly to the U.S. Attorneys Office at 208-334-1211. Investigators and prosecutors have identified and charged several Idahoans in connection with allegedly creating businesses or falsifying information to claim COVID-19 assistance. Among them are the following: Nicholas Jones, a 36-year-old Boise resident and small business owner who unsuccessfully opposed U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher in the 2020 Republican primary. Jones was sentenced Oct. 19 to 30 months in federal prison and a $100,000 fine, for wire fraud and filing false campaign finance disclosures, the news release from Hurwits office said. Jones received $753,600 in PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loan payments. Instead of using them for his business, the release said, he used a significant portion for personal expenses, such as car payments, life insurance, mortgage payments and to buy a significant amount of stocks and investments. Jones also spent the funds on political advertising for his congressional campaign, and to pay his restaurants employees for their work on his campaign, the release said. Douglas Wold, of Meridian, who was sentenced in December to 41 months in federal prison for wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering related to a COVID-19 testing scheme. Wold deposited the funds he received into a bank account he controlled and did not pay the health provider that actually conducted the testing, the release said. Wold used $69,116 of the ill-gotten gains to buy a speedboat and trailer, the release said. Jeff C. Vogt, of Caldwell, who received $250,000 in CFAP funds by claiming he produced but couldnt sell 22.5 million pounds of dry onions in the first few months of the pandemic. Vogt did not respond to a civil lawsuit; the court entered a default judgment for $761,665 against him. Lawrence Sikutwa, of Boise, was indicted this month on charges of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Sikutwa allegedly filed fraudulent applications and obtained $337,976 in PPP loans from two banks, then used the money for personal and non-business related expenses, the release said. Three defendants from other states, who were indicted in July with bank fraud related to more than $2.4 million in PPP loans they received from a financial institution in Boise, the release said. The Russia-Ukraine war has witnessed a noteworthy combat first: Russian and Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) dueling in the skies. Reports Ive read include variations of the phrase drone versus drone dogfights. Drone is slang for UAVs, whether they are remotely piloted (like the famous Predator), or autonomous (a robot guided by its onboard computer), or semi-autonomous (the variations in human interfaces get complicated). Dogfight echoes WWI over France, with British Sopwith Camels battling the Red Barons Flying Circus, and the implicit comparison is apt. WWI, however, wasnt the first air war. The obscure Turco-Italian War of 1911-1912 has that distinction. Fought in Libya, Italian pilots in monoplanes and dirigibles dropped grenades on the Turks Arab auxiliaries. Fact: The dirigible attacks foreshadowed Germanys WWI zeppelin attacks on London. Sobering fact: the utterly unprovoked Italian invasion of Ottoman Turkeys Libyan backwater was the first in a chain of three wars involving the Ottomans. The other two bloodlettings are better known: the First and Second Balkan Wars. Sarajevo, Bosnia is in the Balkans. One, two, three the little wars led to The Great War, WWI. Military historical fact: the Turco-Italian War offered bloody glimpses of WWI. The Italian invasion bogged in trenches outside Tripoli and Tobruk. Attrition warfare ensued, with artillery and machine guns. A contemporary speculation: Yes, Ukraine could seed a much larger war in Europe and Central Asia. Vladimir Putin says so every other day. WWI did witness the first recorded air to air combat, as opposing pilots fired pistols at one another or tried to damage an enemy observation plane by executing a very careful collision that didnt send the attacker down in flames. Aerial ramming usually leads to mutual immolation. So, planes quickly mounted light machine guns. Which takes us back to 2022s drone dogfights over Ukraine. The first alleged engagement occurred Oct. 13, the second Oct. 18. As best as I can ascertain from the two video clips circulating via Twitter, the drone dogfight score is Ukraine 2, Russia 1. In the Oct. 18 engagement, the Ukrainian drone rams the Russian drone, and both fall from the sky a mutual immolation. I saw the 16-second Oct. 13 video via a Twitter post by Serhiy Prytula. His Twitter profile describes him as Ukrainian politician, army volunteer. From his Tweet: WW1-style duel. Ukrainian Mavic-drone, which we have delivered to one of the airborne units in Donetsk region, destroys russian opponent. Amazing! ... The Mavic is a quad-rotor copter drone used for surveillance. Its Russian opponent was a quadcopter. The Ukrainian drone rammed, and the Russian fell from the sky. The video indicates the Ukraine drone survived. Janes Defense Weekly wrote the video showed the first time an engagement entirely between unmanned systems has been recorded not just in that conflict, but in the history of warfare. Quite an accolade and deserved if the video is accurate. On Oct. 18 Forbes called attention to a second video where a Ukrainian drone rams a Russian opponent from above... sacrificing itself in the process. The Forbes article adds: Better air-to-air armament is surely in the works. Actually, for years better armament has been in the works. In 2007 I received a briefing from a senior Air Force officer on attack arrays of armed drones, jammer drones and manned aircraft. Yes, humans in the loop, but so were drones attacking enemy drones. Forbes mentioned the Navy has been exploring combat between competing drone swarms for years. The Army is exploring land systems where artificial intelligence assets and robots are fundamental combat components. Drone-robot war isnt bloodless the unmanned can slay the manned. Artificial intelligence can make very unintelligent mistakes a point the Air Force officer made when he advocated humans having override ability. A warning to fanatics who think the future is robotic: High-intensity cyber- and electronic interference, of the caliber many analysts think China is capable of generating, can fry computer brains. But it appears drone versus drone is now historical fact. (For readers interested in learning more about the Turco-Italian War, chapter five of my 2011 biography of Kemal Ataturk, Ataturk: Lessons in Leadership from the Greatest General of the Ottoman Empire is a place to start.) COVID school closures hurt American kids. American parents have seen it: The longer schools were closed and replaced with remote learning, the more students fell behind. It didnt have to be this way. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didnt recommend universal long-term school closures after its 45 days to slow the spread campaign. Sadly, some state and local officials saw virtue in closing schools beyond the guidance, and it is students who will pay the penalty. The Acalanes Union High School District in Californias Bay Area shuttered its schools for some 18 months, over the objection of many parents. Three of those parents now are running for the school board to make sure that if there is another crisis, the board doesnt overreact and deprive students of a strong education. For that, two of the three are being smeared in the worst way possible in the Bay Area: Theyre being tied to Donald Trump. Its a guilt-by-association smear worthy of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy. School board candidate Gabe Ledeen, a lawyer and former Marine who did two tours of duty in Iraq, is the son of Barbara Ledeen, a conservative activist very close to Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She wrote a $250 check for Ledeens campaign and now he is being pilloried for a family friends generosity. I learned about this story from Barbara, who is a friend. I disagree strongly with her (and Thomas) about the 2020 election. President Joe Biden won. Still, I find the effort to use a mothers activism against her politically unaligned son offensive. Mark Woolway, a former PayPal executive, was a member of Trumps Treasury Department transition team, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Parent Chad Curran told the Chronicle that he thought the reform slate looked off. He researched Woolway and learned of the to my mind, tenuous Thomas connection. Ledeen and Woolway see themselves as moderates. During an Oct. 12 candidates debate, the two gushed about the districts Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging program and voiced support for the program for trans students. They also think their local schools should have been open, just as many other American schools were. A funny thing about the Oct. 12 debate: The moderator asked the candidates about their donors, but she did not ask the panel, which included members of the school board, about COVID closures, which directly affected children. They did not perform well during the crisis, Ledeen said over the phone of the current board. And: The only way that were going to reverse that is if the folks in the middle who are quiet, who dont want to get involved, let it be known that school closures were unacceptably long. Incumbents on the board are betting that the largely left-leaning residents identity politics and anti-Trump sentiments will drown out the damage they did to students. So heres the issue facing district voters. They can vote to reelect board members who shuttered schools for 16 more months than recommended by the CDC. That sends the message that virtue-signaling is more important than educating. Or they can support candidates who pledge to pay attention to the data and show leadership, not a stampede from the classroom. A July appeal on the front page of my local newspaper, The Austin American-Statesman, shamelessly screamed for public assistance: Tell your members of Congress to support the JCPA and save local news. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act is a modest proposal meant to protect local papers from having their journalism pillaged by such thieving Big Tech monopolists as Facebook and Google. It would require them to start paying for news stories and other content they now essentially steal from local journalists, giving our hometown papers a better chance of survival in the critical public service of news delivery. Good! But, uh-oh, here come SoftBank, Alden, Chatham et al., scheming to funnel future JCPA payments meant for local journalism straight up to their bank vaults. Bad! Theyre trying to take us on a dizzying spin aboard the Monopoly-Go-Round, twisting a law intended to fight exploitation by tech monopolists into a tool enabling financial monopolists to tighten their stranglehold on local journalism. At a minimum, JCPA must be amended to mandate that any and all revenue it provides for local journalism actually stays local and pays for journalism. The general claim of SoftBank and the other money syndicates is that most people no longer value print media enough to subscribe and sustain a broad network of local papers, so contraction, consolidation and homogenization are just good business practices. They add that they should be hailed as media heroes for salvaging some remnants of local journalism in their investment portfolios. Before they break their arms patting themselves on the back, lets note that, ONE, actual surveys of local people reveal that they do in fact value hometown newspapers and resent that theirs has been diminished or liquidated, feeling a deep loss of community power and connection; TWO, readers quit subscribing to these remnants because theyre nothingpapers, empty news calories that dont inform, enliven or unify; and, THREE, the gross cuts the syndicates are making even as they jack up prices are not for the survival of the papers they own, but for the extravagant enrichment of themselves, the funds investor elite, who demand an untenable 30%-and-up annual return, rather than a more honest profit of around 8% to 10% that could allow for more top-quality journalism for America. And theres the rub. Maximization of profits for the very few is wholly contrary to the greater good of maximizing news and democracy for the many. Independent, free-ranging journalism is an essential public necessity for a democratic people (which is why the one enterprise singled out in the Constitution for supreme protection is the free press). But town after town has now learned that the press is not free if theirs is just another profit center for hedge fund hucksters. Its a personal loss to have your local newspaper shut down (or just be reduced to a waste of paper), but the greatest loss is in civic power. Despite shortcomings, a decent newspaper is a communitys main repository of shared information, its broadest public forum for shaping and monitoring a common agenda and its principal outlet for exposing and rallying opposition to corporate and governmental corruption. No other medium does that. Sure, theres the internet (so sketchy in so many ways) and theres TV news, but come on its not even deep enough to be called shallow, and the news snippets it does present are mostly taken from newspapers. Americans have lost a quarter of our local papers just since 2005, with an average of two more folding every week and nearly every survivor cutting back to a fraction of what it was. Halloween needs a new name. I propose Hallosteria. Heres why. Every year, busywork bureaucrats and media masterminds issue warnings or even laws to prevent Halloween problems that are either minor or nonexistent. This year? The Consumer Product Safety Commission just issued a press release and infographic warning about all the dangers abounding in... pumpkin carving and kiddie costumes. Begin crafting with safety in mind, it tells parents. If youre sewing costumes, use only polyester or nylon, because cotton burns rapidly. Should kids not wear cotton the other 364 days of the year? Is cotton right up there with radium? The agency also warns against oversize costumes, lest kids trip and fall. How big a problem is this? On its infographic, the Commission estimates that last year there were 3,200 Halloween related injuries. How serious? No clue. But it does admit that the majority of those injuries were incurred by... adults! And only 25% of the injuries involved tripping, so were down to 400 injuries, or 1 for every 100,000 kids under age 10, by my calculations. That includes tripping over decorations, or while just plain walking. So, warning about oversize costumes is sort of like warning about beans up the nose: Something thats a bad idea, but not a terribly common problem. The CPSC goes on to tell parents to never let their kids carve a pumpkin (they can scoop out the innards if they absolutely insist on having fun). And finally: Keep safe from COVID by following CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) advice to wear a mask. Is that actually the CDCs current mask advice? Its almost impossible to tell from its site. Try it! The mask recommendations I could find were from 2021. But I did find an article from September headlined, CDC no longer recommends universal masking in health facilities. If people working with sick people, inside, dont need masks, why should kids need them for walking OUTSIDE, where COVID-19 is much less likely to be caught? Thats turning a fun and healthy walk into a stumble-a-thon virus-catching death trip. And after all those warnings including the advice to not put candles in your pumpkins, which is sort of like warning junior not to sit too close to the gramophone it fails to mention: BEWARE OF CARS! Thats the No. 1 danger to kids on Halloween: traffic injuries! Candles, masks, tripping on your too-long, killer-cotton Batman cape THOSE merit mention, but not LOOK BOTH WAYS? So thats the CSPCs contribution to Hallosteria. Meantime, theres the ritual warnings from the media about people on the sex offense registry. This year, Jacksonville, Florida, is particularly focused on the issue. Ever since 2010, Jacksonville has required registrants to put a sign on their lawn: No candy here. Those on probation risked six months in prison if they didnt comply, says Ray Taseff, an attorney at the Florida Justice Institute working to get the lawn sign law repealed. While repeal has yet to happen, this year Jacksonville will not enforce the law because a very similar one was declared unconstitutional in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Compelling citizens to post those signs amounts to compelling speech, the court ruled, and that violates the First Amendment. Maybe the no candy sign laws would make sense nonetheless if trick or treaters were being molested. But a Johns Hopkins study found: The idea that sex offenders are more likely to harm children on Halloween is simply unfounded. The data dont prove it. This did not stop News4Jax TV from telling viewers to use the Sex Offense map when planning their trick-or-treaters route scaring families needlessly. And speaking of needless scares, dont forget the Drug Enforcement Agency cautioning parents that drug dealers could be giving kids rainbow fentanyl this year even though tots who overdose represent a lousy sales trajectory. Long story short: Halloween used to be about candy, independence and joy. Now its about all the ways kids could die. Happy Hallosteria! Reversion is the act or process of returning to a former state or condition, says the Oxford English Dictionary. Martinsville was incorporated as a town in 1873, progressed to a city by court order on Dec. 6, 1928 ,and is now seeking to return to something it was 149 years ago. The difference between a city and a town is essentially this: Towns are political subdivisions that are part of the counties in which they are located, while cities are politically and administratively independent with counties whose borders are shared. There was a time when cities in Virginia had the authority to annex (expand their boundaries) as a means to increase revenue. As a result, five cities in the state expanded their boundaries until they subsumed the county that surrounded them: Elizabeth City County became the city of Hampton, Warwick County is now Newport News, Virginia Beach subsumed Princess Anne County, Norfolk County was made extinct by the city of Chesapeake and Nansemond County is now Suffolk. In 1987 the state put a stop to annexation with the idea that cities with a population of 50,000 or more were big enough to take care of themselves. Cities with fewer than 50,000 residents have since then been allowed to revert to towns. In the 36 years since this moratorium was enacted, only three cities have become towns: South Boston in 1994, Clifton Forge in 2001 and Bedford in 2013. The general consensus among these localities is this: The cities did not see as much savings as they had anticipated by reverting, and the counties that surround them did not incur as much expense by taking on some of the previous responsibilities of the former city. Its also worth adding that these three cities were half the population of Martinsville and had either consolidated their school districts or contracted school services with the surrounding county before reverting. The late Benny Summerlin, former Henry County administrator, wrote his college thesis about reversion, and he makes the argument that for a city to be successful in reverting to a town consolidation of the schools must come first. There are 38 incorporated cities in Virginia today and two-thirds (25) of them have populations under the 50,000 threshold, the qualifying number for reverting. There are eight cities in the state with populations less than that of Martinsville. Williamsburg became the first incorporated city in Virginia in 1722 and this year, its 300th birthday, its population is a modest 15,034. But, it shares three constitutional offices with James City County, and they operate a combined school system. There are 133 counties in Virginia, and 22 of them have lower populations than the city of Martinsville. There are also four cities that are a part of the Commonwealths history that no longer exist: The city of Manchester consolidated with Richmond in 1910 on the condition that Richmond build a bridge connecting the two localities; the city of Nansemond merged with Suffolk in 1974; the City of South Norfolk merged with the city of Chesapeake in 1963; and the city of Warwick incorporated in 1952 and lasted less than six years before it consolidated with Newport News in 1958. It has been debated and considered whether Martinsville should revert from a city to a town since the late 1990s, but the possibility of Martinsville progressing to a city with a population of 63,678 by subsuming Henry County, or the possibility of Henry County becoming an independent city on the condition that Martinsville consolidates with it, has not been discussed since the 1970s. After much studying of the option, Martinsville and Henry County found much to favor it, but concluded both localities simply lacked the political will to do it. The law provides that just as qualifying cities do not require the approval of the county they are in to revert, counties are not required to receive the approval of the towns within them to become independent cities. (Much of the data used in this article comes from the Encyclopedia Virginia, a project of Virginia Humanities in partnership with the Library of Virginia.) Libertarian John Lamb looked like hed be more at home in a field than behind a podium when he appeared at an October forum held in a Helena hotel conference room where congressional candidates answered questions on all things agriculture for an hour and a half. At the end a line of blazers and business attire, Lamb wore a pair of jeans and snap-button shirt the uniform for his role as a farmer who also operates a few other businesses from his land in Norris. The visual served as a representation of the role Lamb says he wants to fill in the western U.S. House race of an outsider option for those dissatisfied with the two-party system. I just want to give people a third choice, someone that can be more like the people, represent the people. I dont like (political) parties, either. And I really dont like politics in a lot of ways, Lamb said that night. I just want common people representing me, and if I get elected I want to be that common person. But others paint him as a wolf in sheeps clothing, a spoiler and a pawn in the contest between Republican Ryan Zinke and Democrat Monica Tranel. They're vying for the most votes in a new congressional district that, while still favoring the GOP, gives Democrats a better chance than theyve had in decades of electing someone to the House. Tranel and Zinke have both given Lamb far more attention than a third-party candidate normally sees in a congressional race, something the Montana Libertarian Partys chairperson says is an indicator the party is gaining footing in an increasingly polarized political environment. Lamb isnt shying away from the part, embracing the sections of his biography and background as an activist whos shown support for those like the Bundy family and going on offense at times against Zinke. Ryan Zinke was quoted just recently in the Bozeman Chronicle saying he has a Libertarian streak. Ryan Zinke isn't a Libertarian at all. He's not even a Republican. He's a RINO if anything. I am the best candidate for this, Lamb said. I am the conservative, radical, extremist candidate in this race. I am the best candidate to represent Montana. Becoming involved Lamb lives in Norris on a farm with his wife and 12 children, where they farm and sell items at local farmers markets. He grew up in Indiana, also on a farm, and was raised in what he calls a kind of Amish-Anabaptists'' setting. Lamb was born at home and said he doesnt have a birth certificate or Social Security number. His wife was living in a Mennonite community when they got married, and after some time in an Amish community in Missouri, the family moved to Montana permanently in 2007 after Lamb had traveled to the state for work in previous years. I came out here and loved it and stayed, Lamb said. Lambs oldest daughter has been his campaign manager and he said hes not actively soliciting money for his race. His interest in politics, he said, is rooted in being involved in the communities he grew up in. Helping our neighbor was always our goal, Lamb said. His first foray into a more activist role was a case in Kentucky, where members of an Amish order were prosecuted for not having a bright safety triangle displayed on the back of their buggies because it went against their religious beliefs. To us, it was a religious persecution, Lamb said. That involvement over time turned political. In the 2020 election, Lamb ran for a state Senate seat against incumbent Republican Jeff Welborn and got a bit more than a quarter of the vote. In an August interview, Lamb said he has intentions of running for that seat again. He acknowledged winning the congressional race was a longshot and his candidacy this year is, in part, a way to keep his name fresh in voters minds. Lamb did say, however, he would seize the opportunity if elected to Congress. I didnt see any other opportunity to get my name out there, any other jobs or opportunities I could run for this time. I could just wait two more years and run for this job that I really want. So I thought, Well, Im giving this a try. Its also going to keep my name out there. People will hopefully remember it, Lamb said. Because I dont think Ill win this race. Itd be great if I did. Id love to be in the Congress and try to see what I can do to change things. On the issues Lamb describes himself as a Ron Paul Libertarian and at one campaign event described Randy Weaver, a participant in the Ruby Ridge standoff, as his Montana hero. As a Libertarian, Lamb believes in limited government and has called for criminal justice reform. If I got elected to Congress, prison reform is my No. 1 issue, Lamb said. I see the suffering, I see the problems in there, and we need to be putting other resources to work instead of putting people in prisons." At forums, he often talks about the imprisoned people hes met who hes advocated for, and calls for treatment over incarceration. Sometimes he speaks about high-profile cases like Leonard Peltier, a Native American who was convicted in the deaths of two FBI agents following the Pine Ridge shooting in the 1970s. Peltier has long maintained his innocence and now in his late 70s is asking the Biden administration for clemency. Our prisons are full of Native Americans and Blacks and Hispanics, way more than whites, Lamb said. In an event with Tranel in Dupuyer in early October, Lamb spoke about another man hed met who was in prison and struggled with drug addiction without sufficient treatment. I advocate for so many prisoners all the way across the country, some that deserve to be there (and) some that don't deserve to be there. He went in for a nonviolent crime. It was drug addiction. He really didn't deserve (or) need to be in prison. He needed mental health (care), he needed so many other things, Lamb said. Libertarian role in the race The forum in Dupuyer was one of more than 15 set up by Tranels campaign across the district. The events are not the same as forums held by independent, nonpartisan groups like news organizations. Those are organized by the outlets, who handle invitations, write the questions, set rules for the exchanges and have no partisan affiliations. Tranels campaign issued the call for forums early in the summer, found partnerships with community leaders and organizations to serve as moderators in some cases and the events have drawn some news coverage. They serve as a venue to discuss issues and hear questions from voters, but also as way for Tranel to take digs at Zinke for not coming. Lamb agreed to attend them all. Lamb being there gives those attacks more weight, as Tranel can say one of her opponents decided to attend while one did not. Sid Daoud, the chair of the Montana Libertarian Party, said that setup shows the growing power of Libertarians in Montana. The two big parties basically used to ignore us and that was a good tactic for them, and they cant afford to now because we are pulling too much of the vote, Daoud said. Theyve been engaging with us the last couple cycles, which has been kind of interesting. Monica is a great example of some of that engagement, Daoud continued. We actually become a tool to make things happen. She wanted to have a debate against Zinke in every county in the western district and basically got no response. She talked to John and he was totally willing to do that, and it gives her some leverage now to say Hey look, the Libertarian candidate is joining me in these debates, why cant you? Zinke in an interview called the forums a "political ploy." "Im traveling around Montana too, and what Im hearing is a lot different than what Monica Tranel is. Im not sure where shes going, but Im hearing a lot of things different. They dont like the tone, they dont like woke, they dont like what they see as abandonment of principles, so its a political ploy," Zinke said. Tranel said the forums provide a vital way for voters to hear from candidates. Voters notice when candidates show up, and they notice even more when a candidate doesnt show up. Ive put over 43,000 miles on my minivan this cycle meeting with voters across the district to hear and learn from Montanans on the issues that matter to them, Tranel said in a press release Friday. Montanans want a leader who will put them first. Ill take on anyone in any party if they threaten to hurt Montanans, its the work Ive done my entire career. We gave Ryan Zinke a chance and he embarrassed us, we wont let him do that again. Back in August, Lamb was critical of Zinkes campaigning too. He pretty much thinks he knows he's going to win the race, so I don't think he has to fight as hard. He just has to put his big advertisements out there and spend all the money he's got, so he has a lot easier role, Lamb said. Plus he has one of the largest parties in Montana backing him, so I don't think he has to work at it as hard on the ground as much as with money. We have to work harder on the ground. And (Tranel) has probably the second hardest fight there. The district is ranked as leans Republican, changed from likely for a GOP victory, by political rankings websites recently. Unlike the Green Party, the Libertarians have had ballot access in Montana for two decades because theyve secured enough votes in previous elections. Theyve been called spoilers before, most prominently in 2012 when Democrat Jon Tester won re-election to the U.S. Senate by a narrow margin over former Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. Some attributed Testers victory by a little more than 18,000 votes to the 31,892 votes captured by Dan Cox, the Libertarian candidate in that race. Cox was boosted by a half-million dollar television ad campaign that called him the real conservative in the race. It was paid for by a group linked to another group that backed Tester. This cycle, some of the amplification for Lamb is more apparent. Recent emails from the Montana Democratic Party reference Lamb as a candidate who has outperformed his party. The strength of the Libertarian candidate John Lamb is remarkable, one email reads. Lamb told a Montana State News Bureau reporter over the summer that Zinke had asked him to drop out, and Zinke spent time at a forum in Butte directly attacking Lamb over his stance on the southern border. Lamb has said his participation in the forums has aided him in gaining name recognition. It does help out me, because I dont get publicity as a Libertarian Even if I dont win this election, my goal is to keep fighting for Montanans, Lamb said at a forum in Ravalli County. Shes not gonna lose any votes, and Im probably gonna take them away from Zinke. Bundy family One of the activities Lamb has gotten attention for in recent years was the Bundy occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon. Lamb was quoted in several news stories about the occupation and subsequent court case, and a photo taken by Oregon Public Broadcasting shows him grilling hot dogs in downtown Portland while awaiting a verdict in the trial. It was a case he first had no intention of ever going to, Lamb said, until Robert LaVoy Finicum was shot and killed by law enforcement on the way to a meeting in John Day. All I did, and I didn't know what I was doing, I guess, I knew the gentleman who got shot in Oregon, so I went there. I thought it was horrific that the police shot this man, Lamb said. The shooting, which was deemed justified by the Malheur County district attorney, drew wide criticism and led to a trial where an FBI agent was found not guilty of charges that he lied about what happened during the incident. I believe they should have arrested (Finicum) instead of killing him, Lamb said. That even took me, I guess, to a different level because I met so many different people, like-minded in some ways, not with the guns because I'm not a gun guy, but I'm just for the civil rights. Lamb was also a leader in protests in late 2020 at the home of the former public health officer in Gallatin County. Reporting from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle said that Lamb and fellow Libertarian Roger Roots organized the protest that lasted more than two weeks against public health measures put in place because of the pandemic. Abortion One of the places Lamb has diverted from a previous version of the Libertarian Party's platform is on abortion. He was a part of changing both the state and national party's planks on the issue recently. The abortion thing has been a tough deal for me, Lamb said. That's my personal faith, and I don't believe my personal faith should be pushed on anybody else. (But) politics is forced on us, so its kind of there. At its most recent convention, the Libertarian state party removed any reference to the issue from their platform. Lamb was one of the delegates from Montana that went to the national convention and voted abortion off the plank at that level. Lamb squared the Libertarian ideals of a hands-off government with his opposition to abortion which would put government squarely in the picture by saying he felt it was a situation that warranted involvement. I believe the government should be out of our lives unless we harm somebody, Lamb said. At a forum in Missoula, Lamb said when his son, now age 3, was born, doctors determined his wifes life could be at risk. The doctors saved both lives, Lamb said. We have great medical doctors today that can save lives, both lives. I don't believe abortions in this day and time is necessary. We can save both lives. The plank before, according to party chair Daoud, essentially said government should not be involved, which he said was technically a pro-choice stance. Thats something else that sets us apart from the two big parties, Daoud said, attributing the Libertarian view on abortion as one of the reasons the party is gaining traction in Montana. The two big parties, not only are they polarized but they are now really being controlled by the far left and the far right and what that means for a lot of people is that theyve been kind of left in the middle, Daoud said. Libertarian support growing Statistically, Daoud said, the Libertarian Party is the fastest-growing in Montana. How the trend is going, its not going to be too long before we start having a Libertarian in the state House, Daoud said. We already have some in local government and county government. Its a changing landscape here. He disputes the idea Libertarians serve little more of a role than making Republicans lose in tight races. Weve heard concerns from Republicans that Hey, youre just going to make the Republican lose if you get into this race, but what theyre forgetting is were a political party, were not in this game to be spoilers, were in this game to win and we have to trudge on and if it makes one candidate lose or another candidate win because we happen to be in the race while were struggling to improve the percentage of the vote we get, they just have to live on. The ultimate goal is to destroy all political parties so people can just run as individuals." The Montana State News Bureau's Sam Wilson and Tom Kuglin contributed to this story. When Lee Cooper strolls through her neighborhood this fall, there are constant reminders of the damaging effects of Rock Creek overflowing its banks in a historic mid-June flood. River rocks and silt still rest atop some properties, carried there by the diverted creek waters. Entire homes have been torn down, nothing but smoothed gravel marking their location. Homemade signs thanking volunteers are propped on porches and hang in windows. Most startling, and a testament to the force of the floodwater, is the log-sided home on the corner of Broadway Avenue and 19th Street West. Inside one room where two outside walls were washed out by the force of flood waters and a section of tree now acts as a roof support tree branches are piled several feet deep, atop which rest lopsided dining room chairs. Hanging over the destroyed room is a decorative lamp, a quaint sign of domesticity in a ravaged structure. The city is working with the state to get a grant to buy the property, tear down the house and turn the property into a park, but city planner Courtney Long said they wouldn't know until spring if they were successful. Theres really a quarter of the town working on flood recovery, Cooper said. So were not back at all. High water On June 13, the stream gauge measuring the water flows in Red Lodge down Rock Creek halted at around 2,500 cubic feet per second before the device was torn loose. Historically, the median discharge for the stream on the same date over the past 74 years was no more than 500 cfs. The creeks previous recorded peak on the flood gauge was 7.78 feet in June 2011. Measurements on June 13 this year were roughly a foot higher. More than 300 homes were damaged by the flooding just in Carbon County, which also includes the Fromberg area where the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River overran its banks. About 100 homes in Red Lodge were affected, along with bridges washed out, power and water lines damaged and portions of roadways destroyed. No estimate of the destruction has been made, but in Red Lodge alone a figure of $5 million to $10 million has been rumored. Nobody is going to be made whole, whether through their insurance, donations or federal and state aid, said Tracy Timmons, executive director of the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. Thats certainly the case for Kat and Mike Porco, owners of the Red Lodge restaurant One-Legged Magpie. The garage at the rental home they owned on Platt Avenue South was picked up by the floodwaters and smashed into the house, moving it off its foundation. Rather than repair the damaged 1940s structure, they tore the old home down. Their long-term renters are now living in a camp trailer as they look for a new rental. Eventually, the Porcos would like to rebuild on the lot to provide housing for their restaurant workers. They already have rentals for two other employees. We hope were going in a direction to where people understand how important long-term housing is here so people dont have to commute in winter, Kat Porco said. National news Because the flooding drew nationwide news coverage, donations have poured in from across the United States, raising funds so the foundation can help residents. Initial grants of up to $3,000 were given to homeowners to help them get back into their homes, paying for things like a new water heater or to fix mold issues. The $275,000 in funding was quickly depleted. Now the foundation has transitioned to recovery case management. The foundation has trained four case managers to help residents work through the quagmire of forms needed to process requests for FEMA aid. We applied for a grant for case managers for three months, Timmons said. But they recommended a minimum of six and maybe a year for some. Timmons said FEMA personnel responding to the emergency told her not to move too fast in awarding grants. Since government funds can be slow to process, Timmons was cautioned to wait to ensure the foundation was covering unmet needs. The foundation is based in the old Roosevelt School in downtown Red Lodge. Groundwater seeped into the basement of the 100-year-old school in June, flooding the lowest sections in 5 -feet of water. Even after pumping out the water and vacuuming up the puddles which took more than a week water returned to the basement during a heavy rainstorm. It was then discovered that the drain for the buildings downspouts had been damaged by the flood, allowing drain water to back up into the building. Were not quite sure how much damage was done, said Kat Healy, Roosevelt Center director. Just down the block, another residence has a pump continually running in its crawl space as the water table has changed under the home. For sale Across Rock Creek, Kristan Apodacas family had just put her grandmothers Red Lodge home up for sale a week before the flood hit. Because of its location on the eastern bank of the stream, access to the home on Kainu Avenue was temporarily closed. Tearfully, Apodaca watched as water rushed through Red Lodge, uncertain if the creekside home would survive. Luckily, there was only 18 inches of water in the basement of the log home, she said, noting other homeowners suffered a much worse fate. The neighbor next door had their entire deck ripped off. Our biggest issue was getting permits, Apodaca said. There are so many people you have to talk to. New riprap is now stacked between the home and creek. Where a gentle bank used to slope down to the water, the land now drops straight off. A beach that once stood below the home was where Apodacas family gathered to spread some of her grandmothers ashes after she died last spring. Her grandfather and uncles built the home, making the sale even more fraught with sadness. Now, nobody wants to be near the creek, Apodaca said. We have our fingers crossed it will sell. What next? Timmons and Red Lodge Mayor Kris Cogswell are already worrying about next spring. The June flood sent tons of river rock crashing down Rock Creek, raising the elevation of the streambed. Plus there are still numerous trees and trash crowding the creek. Cogswell said the state is still gathering engineering data to determine what actions to take. Thats the big question right now, she said. Is this going to happen next year? What can we do to prevent it? The mayor said several other issues still remain unresolved. Its hard to talk about anything because were not at the end and dont know how its going to go, she said. All of the businesses are concerned because so many things are contingent on other things. Tom Kuntz, Red Lodge Fire Department chief and a local restaurant and hotel owner, said the temporary closure of the Beartooth Highway to make flood repairs hurt hotels in town especially hard. Even after the road was quickly repaired and reopened, fewer people passed through Red Lodge because the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, over the top of the pass, was closed due to flood damage. We saw a lot of cancellations in July and August, Kuntz said. September has been a little closer to normal. Kuntz predicted it may take a year before things seem back to normal in the mountain community. Two residents refused to talk for this story, citing the trauma caused by the flood. Timmons said there were a lot of difficult emotions brewing inside flood victims, along with guilt felt by those unaffected. She noted her foundation can connect people to mental health services. Were going to get through this and get our community back to better than it was before, Kuntz said. This is an opportunity to make improvements. Hope Nearly everyone who spoke to the Gazette for this article said, like many disasters, the June flooding brought out the best in neighbors, as well as the regional community. More than 500 volunteers poured in to help muck out basements and homes. It was amazing how well everyone worked together, Timmons said. It was kind of like a symphony. The people who sent donations to the company from states throughout the U.S. also were helpful, she said, saying it was such a relief not to be alone. Lee Cooper said now she knows what its like to be involved in a natural disaster, although noting that Red Lodge got off pretty easy, while Kentucky, which was flooded in early August, suffered almost 40 casualties. The Red Lodge flood has been documented as a possible 500-year flood event, Timmons noted, But theres no guarantee it wont happen again next year. Molded Fiber Glass is expanding in Morganton and plans to add new jobs. Gov. Roy Coopers Office and the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced Thursday a $200,000 Building Reuse grant to support the growth of Molded Fiber Glass Co., according to a release from Burke Development Inc. BDI has been using the code name Project Vette when discussing the expansion. Molded Fiber Glass (MFG) is a premier producer of fiberglass reinforced plastic parts through compression molding for the heavy trucks, automotive and bath industries, BDI said. The company will use the grant to add 10,283 square feet to its current building in Morganton, according to Coopers office. Part of the terms of the grant is that it leads to the company creating new jobs, according to BDI. The company plans to add 30 new jobs by the end of 2023. It currently employs approximately 320 temporary and permanent full-time employees, said BDI. The new jobs are projected to pay, on average, $41,000 per year, which is higher than the county average, according to the economic development organization. We are very excited Molded Fiber Glass Co. is expanding their operations in our community, said Scott Mulwee, chairman of the Burke County Board of Commissioners. Burke County is committed to creating opportunities for everyone. We welcome this project as they take steps toward achieving our shared goals for the community. The grant, which the city of Morganton applied for, requires a 5% local match ($10,000) that will be split between Burke County and Morganton. In addition to creating new jobs, the project is expected to create approximately $7 million in new capital investment, according to BDI. Not only are the new jobs important but solidifying existing jobs was key to this project, said Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson. We are grateful for the hard work of all the partners in this project, striving to keep our county competitive. MFG is expanding its facility to increase capacities and take on new projects in the automotive industry. The new space will allow for a new manufacturing line to be placed within the current facility and manufacture molded products, BDI said. MFG is a vendor for GM, Freightliner, American Standard and Hummer. General Motors is requiring new housing for high compression molding presses, that includes a single 1,100-ton press and a single 600-ton press, BDI said. MFG has been in operation since 1993 in Burke County and has steadily grown over the past 30 years. Helping our existing industries grow is at the core of our efforts, said Alan Wood, president and CEO of Burke Development Inc. We love the creativity of MFG and appreciate their efforts to diversify and grow in Burke County. Burke Development Inc. thanked all its partners for their efforts on the project, including N.C. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, city of Morganton, Burke County, Western Piedmont Community College and the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. It also recognized the continued support of local legislative representatives N.C. House Rep. Hugh Blackwell and Sen. Warren Daniel. Burke Development Inc. is a nonprofit organization supported by private and public funding that is charged with accelerating economic growth in Burke County. BDI works with industry leaders, site selection consultants, government agencies and other entities to facilitate expansion strategies for existing businesses and recruit target industries to Burke County. For more information about BDI, visit www.BurkeDevInc.com. Eugene Bobrovskyy hesitates to think of the moment he first thought of leaving his country as prophetic, but he also doesnt know what else to call it. You know how you get that feeling, where you feel something is wrong, Bobrovskyy said. I spoke to my wife and told her that, you know what? We should leave this country. I dont know why, but I cant feel like Im home here. This was in 2013, long before the Russian invasion earlier this year and even before Vladimir Putins forces took Crimea and began occupying portions of Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Bobrovskyy believes it was God preparing him to resettle in the U.S. when he and his brother, Dima, would have to flee their homes during the early days of this years Russian invasion. While this moment may have led him to the U.S., it was a chance meeting with Morganton youth pastor Eddy Bunton at a refugee camp in Moldova that would finally land the two families in Burke County more than six months after escaping their war-torn homeland. By all rights, Bobrovskyy should have had few reasons to feel out of place in Ukraine. Born and raised there, he lived in Odessa with his wife Ana and his two children while working with Dima in a successful construction business. He even built his own house there in 2008. However, by 2014, the Ukrainian government was trying to force him back into military service. Bobrovskyy had been trained as an officer years earlier, but now, he said military service conflicted with his religious beliefs as a Baptist. As believers, were not supposed to take up guns and shoot other people, he said. So, Bobrovskyy contacted World Relief, a Christian nonprofit organization that helps move people from former Soviet Union countries to the United States. It would take six more years and numerous delays before he was finally ready to leave the country in early 2020, but then COVID shut everything down. After two more years or waiting, the Bobrovskyys new departure date was set for March 8, 2022. And then 24 February happened, and everything was cancelled again, Bobrovskyy said. Almost immediately, his hometown of Odessa began taking shelling from Russian forces. When you hear this for the first time, youre not paying to much attention to this, he said. But then you can see the destruction and you come to realize that this is real and then you see tanks and soldiers driving on the same road you are driving your car. Bobrovskyy said it was a shock to him because, in 42 years, he had never seen any kind of military action before. By day three, the brothers knew it was time to leave. That morning, Eugene, Dima, their brother-in-law and all three families loaded as much as they could fit in their cars and left everything else behind. When they reached the Moldovan border, Ukrainian customs officers stopped the three men. Even though they had already been approved to leave the country, the officers cited President Zelenskys order forcing all men aged 18 to 60 to stay and fight. The three men sent their families and spent the night in Bobrovskyys car. The next morning, they found a border crossing where they could bypass Ukrainian border patrols and speak directly to Moldovan officers. We heard from the Moldovan officers, you have a couple of hours to go, Bobrovsky said. But the line of cars was four or five miles long. He knew they would never make it in time so the three men abandoned their vehicle and crossed on foot, finally joining up with their families later that morning. The three families were finally safe in Moldova, but they were far from comfortable. Before arriving at Baltata Camp, where they would spend nearly two months, they stayed in small a house with around 20 other people. I slept on the floor or used a chair, Bobrovskyy said. It was too many people. Camp Baltata was not much better with 300 people crammed into six nearly finished buildings and the horrors of war still close by. But at least there, everyone had a bed. Staying at the refugee camps, you could hear bombs every night, Bobrovskyy said. We were really close to the border. Despite the cruelty of the war he had left behind, though, he got a front-row view of the kindness humanity is capable of in Moldova. There were so many people from different countries, they just came to Moldova to help , he said. Everything was free. I was really impressed and shocked by how people were treating each other. Bunton, traveling with a team from Burkemont Baptist and Salem United Methodist churches in Morganton, was one of these volunteers. Bobrovskyy and his wife Ana worked for Buntons group as interpreters during their time at the camp. It was an immediate family connection, said Bunton. We were all impressed with their genuine spirit and the positive attitude they had, despite the hardships they had been through. The Bobrovskyy families finally made it to Sacramento in June and as soon as their paperwork was processed and they were allowed to leave the state, Eugene contacted Bunton about visiting North Carolina. During the visit, everything seemed to fall into place for he and Dima once again. During these six days, we did more than we did in three months in California, Bobrovskyy said. We found a job, we found a place for living. So, we went back to Sacramento, and the next day I booked a ticket. Bunton said helping the the Brobovskyy families resettle in Morganton has been a team effort that has included members of his church and Salem United Methodist as well as Hudson First Baptist, Grace Baptist in Morganton and Dan Chiz, owner of Telco Connect. Now that his six-month journey has finally come to an end, Bobrovskyy has found a new appreciation for the ordinary things he once took for granted. Getting up early in the morning, going to work, my wife goes to the grocery store and drives the kids to school, he said. Thats a regular life. Its kind of routine. It is really hard when you are not able to do these things because of the war. He said his ordeal has also taught him the value of patience and strengthened his faith that everything happens for a reason. God really knows the best time and the best place, Bobrovskyy said. I probably wouldnt be able to come to North Carolina if we didnt face all these things that happened to our family God really provided this way and the only thing we should do is just wait, thats the hardest thing. He said while he worries a little bit for the safety of those he left behind in his homeland, he worries more even for the hearts of his people. My concern right now is more about the Ukranians hearts, Bobrovskyy said. I understand that a lot of Ukrainians lost their relatives, their children, their houses. Some of them, the only thing they have right now is their revenge. Im really afraid they will live with this idea for the rest of their lives. Two often-touted, Butte born and bred businesses long-established Headframe Spirits and a Montana Craft Malt venture still in its infancy say the county would put them out of business if proposed wastewater fees are enforced right now. County officials say pretreatment regulations have been years in the making, fees for noncompliance are in line with other Montana cities and Butte-Silver Bow is under the gun from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish and enforce them. Simmering tensions between the companies and county reached a boiling point last week as commissioners moved close to voting on ordinance changes that include the fees, which are essentially fines for noncompliance. Frictions subsided following a sit-down this week and a path forward was charted that both sides say they can live with, at least for now. In a nutshell, the county would put the fees in place and give the companies more time to comply. But the episode put the county and two businesses it usually champions in the odd position of fighting each other, rhetorical swipes were taken in public, and there are still uncertainties going forward. The roots of the dispute might go back months or longer, but the controversy in public came on quickly. During an edgy discussion before a council committee last week, leaders of the companies implored county officials to put the proposed fees on hold for 90 days so changes could be considered and made. County leaders and a hired environmental consultant resisted those calls, Mick Ringsak offered support for the companies and commissioners weighed in too some backing a temporary delay and some saying the companies have had enough time to comply. Commissioner Jim Fisher said the county has been generous and accommodating to Headframe and Montana Craft Malt and residents paying a large share of operating costs for the $30 million Metro Wastewater Treatment plant shouldnt foot any bills for large, industrial users. The goal of the regulations is to block chemicals or pollutants from entering treatment plants and their collection systems that could damage them or pose health dangers to workers and the public. The fees are the teeth to enforcing the rules and getting users to comply with them. The ratepayers of Butte-Silver Bow are paying the bills right now, Fisher said, speaking to the companies. What makes you people think we should put the burden back on the ratepayers rather than you coming into compliance and paying your fair share? The companies say they support regulations and want clean water as much as anyone but there are other ways to structure fees that would be acceptable to the EPA. The precise ones proposed were sprung on them just recently, they said, and are simply unaffordable. Headframe operates a distillery at the Kelley Mineyard, a locale it leases from Butte-Silver Bow. Montana Craft Malt was built in the tax-increment district and business park just west of Butte and started operations just before COVID hit in March 2020. If its implemented as proposed, Headframe cannot afford to operate the distillery at the Kelley, co-owner John McKee told commissioners last week. We have 30 employees. Weve had a $10 million economic impact on this town in the last 10 years, he said. Weve got your back. Were just asking you to give us a little more time to get this right. Jennifer OBrien, president and CEO of Montana Craft Malt, gave the same forecast. The company was founded by renowned Butte businessman Ron Ueland, and after he died suddenly in May 2018, OBrien, his daughter, took over and with others got the plant built. Were not at all against a fee structure being in place just the way its constructed now will take us out, too, OBrien told the council. We care deeply about the community as well. We dont mean any harm to the treatment system or the community as a whole. I think theres lots of ways that we can work together to reach mutually beneficial solutions that we need. County officials say theyve been painted in recent council meetings as a big bad wolf but theyve been working toward the regulations and fees since an EPA audit put them on notice in 2018. They also say theyve worked with the two companies and with a third affected by the regulations Montana Precision Products but only the latter has installed systems to pretreat its discharge. And because of that, Montana Precision wont have to pay fees for noncompliance. Gallagher says hes a big fan of Headframe Spirits and Montana Craft Malt but hes very reluctant to consider changes to a fee structure already OKd by the EPA. Drag the matter out much longer, he said, and the EPA could lose patience and hammer the companies and the county and thus taxpayers with its own fines. I think theyre both highly successful companies that are great for Butte and its important for us to work with them and thats what were trying to do, Gallagher told The Montana Standard on Monday. But the fact of the matter is, we need them to come into compliance, he said. Otherwise, the EPA is going to come down on Butte-Silver Bow and on the users and we dont want to limit industrial users from coming in and saying this is a good place to come and do business. The proposed fees were held up by the councils Judiciary Committee last week and on Tuesday, county officials sat down with McKee and OBrien to discuss the issue some more after consultation with the EPA. All said the discussions were positive and McKee and OBrien say they will drop opposition to the fees if county officials, as they have pledged, give them time to get costly pretreatment systems in place before actually assessing the fees. Meanwhile, a council vote on the fees is pending. ORIGINS OF THE DISPUTE Pretreatment regulations and programs have been around since the late 1970s as part of the Clean Water Act but only apply when certain discharge and industrial user thresholds are met. They became pertinent in Butte about a decade ago, according to Butte-based Water & Environmental Technologies, which has been paid to work on the countys program for several years now. The program is required to protect the treatment plant and all its infrastructure and shift costs associated with industrial users from residential ratepayers to the companies themselves. Regulations and enforcement apply to other sectors as well, including restaurants that can send gobs of grease, fats and oils into sewer pipes that flow into the treatment plant. The ordinance changes will require them to have grease interceptors, among other things. Josh Vincent, a founding partner and principal engineer at WET, briefed commissioners on the program and proposed fee structure a few weeks ago and has provided more details since then. In developing the fee schedule, WET and county officials looked at programs and ordinances in Montanas other larger cities. Vincent acknowledged that EPA allows other fee schedules but said the ones proposed are on the books elsewhere. Theres a way to do this and its very similar across all of these cities and thats why we did it, he said. We didnt necessarily dig into the weeds on some of this stuff because theres a playbook out there. We used it. Headframe says it discharges about 12,000 gallons a day of what McKee says can best be described as non-alcoholic beer toward the treatment plant. Montana Craft Malt says it discharges about 24,000 gallons a day of water after it is used to soak grain. The companies say those amounts are only a fraction of what flows into the plant from residents and other users and nothing in the discharges is toxic or harmful to people. But the county says the amount of flow is not the problem, its what is in it. It says the discharge from Craft Malt exceeds EPA guidelines for certain organic materials and sometimes includes grains that get into the system. The discharge from Headframe includes pH levels that exceed guidelines. McKee says the levels are below that in Coca Cola, but county officials say its too acidic for the system. There are also concerns about suspended solids. The pretreatment program and fees are not only required by EPA, county officials say, they are meant to protect a $30 million plant that is designed mostly to handle wastewater from residents, not industries. Its the whole system we have to look at, Budget Director Danette Gleason told commissioners in response to push-back from Headframe and Craft Malt. We have to look at all the ratepayers, not just the three industrial businesses in town (that use the system). Those ratepayers are still paying back bonds for the plant, Gleason said, and paying for repairs and chemicals and other operating costs. Gleason said the EPA assessed fines and civil penalties against a large malting plant in Great Falls and the city itself for not complying with pretreatment requirements several years ago. County officials dont want that here. They have previously given compliance schedules to the companies and they arent certain how much longer the EPA will go without cracking down. Gallagher and Public Works Director Mark Neary emphasized that point during an interview with The Montana Standard this week and said the EPA is scheduled for another audit of the plant this year. If we dont get this handled, its going to come down on us (the county) and the rate payers and the (industrial) users, Neary said. HOW THE COMPANIES SEE THINGS McKee and OBrien have said repeatedly that they understand the need for pretreatment regulations and are glad the county is pursuing them. For those who dont know me, I run rivers all year long, McKee told commissioners. It means something to me when I say that I care deeply about clean water and no one in any way should be allowed to discharge pollutants that would hurt the waters of western Montana. McKee said he had known for several months the county was working on a fee structure and had asked often to be included in the conversations but was rebuffed. He only knew the details and rates when county officials unveiled a draft ordinance about a month ago, he said. If imposed immediately as proposed, he told commissioners, Headframe would be charged $150,000 a month, or $1.7 million in one year, for discharging 12,000 gallons a day, which amounts to 0.2% of daily flow into the plant. Ill say it differently, he said. If its implemented as proposed (now), Headframe cannot afford to operate the distillery at the Kelley. There were ways to structure the fees on a case-by-case basis that were more affordable and still acceptable to the EPA, he said, and they should be considered. OBrien said Montana Craft Malt started in early 2020, right at the onset of the COVID pandemic, and operations were light the first year because their market was shuttered. The plant is now operating at 60% of its ultimate expected capacity and is still ramping up. OBrien said she knew she would need pretreatment equipment eventually but it made sense to wait and install a system that matched full capacity. The board that oversees the industrial tax district gave Craft Malt a $400,000 grant to help get a system in place. OBrien says it would probably take twice that to pay for one and getting everything right was complex. She, too, said there were other ways to set the fees that would allow Craft Malt to remain financially viable until they had the right system in place. We are very much in favor of the fees when done the right way, she said. We dont believe it is the communitys or taxpayers responsibility to remedy our water if it causes harm to the treatment plant. McKee and OBrien say their goal is to install the equipment necessary to pretreat their water discharge, they just need more time to do it right. Things came to a head last week when it appeared the councils Judiciary Committee might endorse the fees and rates and move them to the full council for a vote this week. McKee urged the committee, and by default the whole council, to put the fees on hold for 90 days so the issues, facts and different options could be discussed. The EPA, he said, welcomed the kind of public participation he was seeking. OBrien made the same plea, saying they had not had a seat at the table when it came to the actual fees and rates. Some commissioners supported that request while others wanted the proposal sent to the full council. Thats when Ringsak weighed in. He is a longtime member of the board that oversees the industrial tax district that includes Craft Malt and is a close, longtime supporter of both companies. The solution is really damn simple and easy, he said. Give these people 90 days and sit down tomorrow morning in the conference room here or someplace and work it out. Lock the door if you have to until you have an agreement. The committee did not advance the proposal to the full council that night and this past Tuesday, county officials essentially did what Ringsak had pitched. GOING FORWARD The results, according to all involved, were positive. McKee said the county feels pressured by the EPA to approve the fees now and hes OK with that, with the caveat that Headframe gets enough time to get a pretreatment system in place before fees are actually levied. After Tuesdays discussion, hes more certain that will happen. Headframe has until April to present a compliance plan and he thinks the grace period could extend through most of next year. OBrien is also OK with the council approving the fees if county officials dont impose them right away. Discussions this past week allow for that softer landing, she said. We are going to support the ordinance with the understanding that it wont go into play right away and well have some time to get the infrastructure in place to get us into compliance, she said. Neary said the discussions Tuesday were positive and included input from Eric Gonder, the countys pretreatment coordinator, and others. The bottom line is that fees will soon be in place and the companies will have time to comply. As long as they are working towards the end goal we will not charge fees, but (if) they stop doing it and theyre sitting there doing nothing, thats when it will happen, Neary said. But both of them agreed that they want to work for us and we want them to succeed, because their successes are our successes, he said. The workers, secured by ropes, wrangled steel bars to lever and pry rock from the steep slopes of Flint Creek Pass. They inflated air bags to pressure and fracture rock, sending it sliding and tumbling to the blacktop below. They installed steel drape designed to secure rock in place or attenuate the force of its descent. They removed fallen rock from the roadside ditch beneath the slopes to restore the ditchs capacity to capture rock but not passing vehicles. They reinforced or repaired previous structures meant to reduce the danger of rockfall to motorists traveling this narrow, curving stretch of Montana Highway 1 between Georgetown Lake and the Flint Creek Valley. Employees of Hi-Tech Rockfall Construction, in work supervised by the Montana Department of Transportation, have used these techniques and more to address the perennial problem of rockfall on Flint Creek Pass. The work began September 6 and will likely end in November. The goal of the nearly $1.8 million project has been to focus on troubling portions of the rock masses suspended like the sword of Damocles above the highway below. Matt Straub, an engineering project manager for the Montana Department of Transportation, said he believes the work has made the road safer. Yet the exposed rock slopes at Flint Creek Pass will always tend to slide and slough, he said. There is a lot of rockfall potential in this canyon, Straub said. We could have been here for five years. It was impossible for us to mitigate all the potential. The varied approaches to addressing rockfall threats did not include blasting, he said. Theres a fine line between mitigating a hazard and opening a can of worms, Straub said. The Department of Transportation closed the road through Flint Creek Pass from October 10 to October 14. Hi-Tech Rockfall Construction, based in Oregon, brought workers down from Alaska and essentially doubled the workforce at Flint Creek Pass during the closure. Straub said the anticipated intensity of the rock scaling during the closure required protecting the road surface from cascading rock by temporarily applying a cover layer of gravel. A sub-contractor has hauled rock from the site to fill a pit near Georgetown Lake. Aside from the closure, traffic has continued on this stretch of Montana Highway 1, restricted to one lane and alternating the direction of travel. Straub pointed out rock whose surface resembled dried, cracked mud. This ancient evidence of an interior sea is referenced in Roadside Geology of Montana, co-authored by Rob Thomas, a professor of geology at the University of Montana Western and geologist Donald Hyndman, professor emeritus at the University of Montana. A giant roadcut 3 miles east of Porters Corner on a steep highway grade exposes sloping surfaces in red Missoula Group mudstones. These spectacular exposures are full of perfectly preserved mud cracks and ripple marks that look like they just dried up yesterday but yesterday was nearly 1.5 billion years ago! In an email Sunday, Thomas offered more information. As the water receded, ripples formed in the shallowing water and retreating shorelines exposed mud that cracked as it dried up, he said. An active shooter at Jackson Hot Springs was arrested without causing any injuries early in the morning of October 22, according to a press release from the Beaverhead County Sheriff's office. The release stated multiple 911 calls came in to dispatch reporting potentially multiple shooters at the lodge located in Jackson, near Wisdom. Beaverhead County Sheriffs Deputies, Dillon Police, Montana Highway Patrol and Wisdom Ambulance all responded, totaling 11 law enforcement personnel. A single armed suspect was "quickly detained," said the release, and after a search officers secured the area without finding any additional suspects. Undersheriff David Wendt reported, "During the investigation it was determined that this incident started after an alcohol fueled fight took place in the Lodge, and the males were asked to leave. The males left and one returned from his cabin with a pistol and began firing at the Lodge. The male would continue firing aimlessly, and wandering around the area until he was apprehended by Law Enforcement. During this time he forced his way into two occupied cabins near the Lodge. After further investigation it was determined that there had only been one shooter and the others in his party were not involved." The shooter was not identified by name in the release, but has been booked into the Beaverhead County Detention Center pending multiple felony charges. Three firearms were seized in the search, all either used or prepared for use in the incident. "The Beaverhead County Sheriffs Office would like to give a special thanks to all the officers who responded in a quick and coordinated manner, and the various agencies who sent resources to aid. We would also like to thank our dispatch team, including the off-shift ones who came in to lend a helping hand. They showed their true skills in fielding multiple 911 calls, coordinating with other agencies, and manning all of the radio traffic in the near four hour event. We could not have done it without you. And last but not least, thank you to the staff of the Jackson Hot Springs Lodge whose quick thinking to lock the doors, and watch the event on live camera footage giving responding Officers a first hand knowledge of the situation, kept lives safe. Not a single person was injured during the incident and everyone returned to their families safely," the release stated. This is my favorite of all the small towns on the Mississippi we have stopped at, Cindy Drain commented as the group she was with made its way back to the docked American Queen steamboat Saturday morning. In-law and traveling companion Ricky Jourdan also said that Muscatine is a great little town and has plenty going on for people to do much of which most people wouldnt be able to tell at a casual glance. While the group of four Mike and Cindy Drain and Ricky and Billie Jourdan had started their tour of Muscatine on the buses that sat in Riverside Park, they quickly took to walking around the downtown area. They found the weekly farmers market in the downtown area, as well as many of the shops in the area. They all commented on the friendliness of the people they met. Cindy Drain expressed her love of Megs Vintage. The trip on the American Queen began for the group as Ricky and Billie were celebrating their 50th anniversary with a trip. The Drains decided they wanted to go along to see what it was like on the Mississippi, which brought them to Muscatine for the first-ever stop of the American Queen. As they made their way to the gangplank, over 100 people who had gathered in the park to welcome the ship waved to them and invited them to return. The stop will be one of the final hurdles for the city to be put on American Queen Voyages 2023 port calendar. The city should learn early next year if it made the cut. Gregg Brown, captain of the American Queen, commented one reason American Cruise Lines liked stopping in towns like Muscatine was the amount the community got involved in welcoming the visitors. He also commented how easy it was to get the Queen in and out of its docking area. As the boat left, there was only about a five-minute time between the mooring lines being unhooked and the ship being underway downriver. Thats not entirely up to me, but I know the company wants to stop here more often, Brown said when asked about future dockings. From an operational standpoint they are looking for in my opinion how well did it go? Was it easy to get the boat in and out? Is it a safe place? All those boxes are checked right away. He said the flat-bottomed riverboat drew only about 9 feet of water, making the shallow water around Muscatine easy work for docking. Brad Bark, mayor of Muscatine and executive director of the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, commented the stopping of the steamboat the largest passenger steamboat in the world was absolutely wonderful for Muscatine. He thanked all the people involved in making the visit a success, saying it was all a team effort. He also said that he loved hearing from people not native to Muscatine about the charm of the riverfront town. If they did start docking here there wouldnt have to be any real changes at all, except we definitely want to look at updating our ramp sections at a time, Bark said. Bark also commented how happy he was to see all the people who turned out to give the American Queen a sendoff. As the boat backed from its stall on the riverfront and the big wheel started turning, calliope music rang out from the ship as it steamed down river. In my office, as in many offices, there is a phone. That phone has a feature where a portion of the top of the handset glows red if there is voicemail. Those messages are a mixed bag: sometimes people call with issues about the content or delivery, sometimes people call with semi-obscure questions about an article published 10 or 20 years ago, and sometimes they call just to rant. A somewhat memorable example of the latter happened earlier this week. A woman left a four-minute long monologue about, I think, an issue with her son and a library exhibit. When I called back to understand what was going on, she hung up on me with a curt no thank you after I said I was from the Register. I guess she thought I was selling something. But sometimes, just sometimes, you get a juicy news tip. This was one of those weeks. Ruben Frias, the foreman at Moulds Family Vineyard off Dry Creek Road just north of Napa city limits, got third place in the famed Half Moon Bay giant pumpkin contest a few weeks ago with a 2,118-pound gourd. His boss, owner Betsy Mould, sent in the hot tip. So on Monday, I trekked over to the vineyard where Mould and Frias were showing off the pumpkin, sitting on the bed of a heavy-duty pickup truck. Its massive off-white body peaked over the top of the cab, casting a long shadow despite it only being early afternoon. It looked primordial, the type of thing a Triceratops might have found appetizing. How do you get it off, I asked. With a forklift! Frias laughed. But thats not how it got there in the first place, Mould noted, saying that Frias had structured a tripod-type device to delicately lift the pumpkin from its patch to ready it for the contest. Though heavyweight fruit competitions (and yes, a pumpkin is a fruit) are not beauty contests, any blemishes or scarring are potentially disqualifying, so you best be careful. There are a surprising amount of rules, actually, set down by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, which sounds a bit like a United Nations-like deal headed by the Peanuts character Linus. In addition to the no-scarring rules, there are ones designed to keep folks from unfairly bulking up their prize pumpkins with lead or water. And, once a pumpkin is entered into a contest, its automatically DQd from any additional ones, so you need to be strategic about which one is taken where. Frias jumped into the world of oversized pumpkins after being introduced to it in 2009 by his brother-in-law Leonardo Urena. In fact, his bronze-medal entry used one of his mentors seeds Urena 1940 crossed with a Mendi 2183. He explained that seeds named after the grower with the pumpkin size as the appellation from different plants are cross-pollinated to create ever-bigger pumpkins. The seeds from this latest science experiment, then, are Frias 2118. You have to get up before the bees, around 5 a.m. he said. You have to pollinate the flowers by hand. The bees, theyll just pollinate the flowers from the same vine. He said he has to carefully prune the vines, keeping anything that might distract the plant from growing its biggest and best pumpkin. And, of course, keeping it fed and watered and away from any non-extinct animals that might want to take a bite. At the peak of its growing season, it gains up to 70 pounds a day, and it needs a lot of care. Its a ton of work, literally. So, you know, why? There is some money involved. Frias said the winner of the Half Moon Bay contest Travis Gienger of Minnesota took home about $23,000 for his 2,560-pound gourd, or $9 a pound. Frias, who placed higher than anyone else in California, got $2,500 for third and Gary Miller, also from Napa, got $1,000 for fifth place. But how much does it cost to grow it and transport it to contests? Moulds laughed and Frias sighed with a smile. I dont know, she said. I dont want to think about it. Theres also a bit of public relations, too. The pumpkins are displayed at some of the wineries that use the Mould grapes a rather different type of fruit and photographed by visitors more often than Gavin Newsom at the French Laundry. The latest Frias masterpiece can be found at the Dakota Shy Winery in St. Helena, while its 1,604-pound sibling can be found at the Behrens Family Winery on Spring Mountain. But for the most part, its just a hobby. An obscure, slightly odd hobby, but one just the same. Its also a reminder that though Napa is mostly known for wine and grapes, there are plenty of other things grown around here even in the middle of a vineyard. If you enjoy surfing, the sun, and everything waterfront life offer, a hidden paradise awaits. Nicaragua has incredible potential whether you want the ultimate vacation or relocation to an alluring oasis. Still considered under the radar, there are countless opportunities to invest in property in this beautiful country. Learn more about real estate and travel opportunities in this surfers dream come true destination. Ride the Wave Like surfing, investing in real estate means riding the wave to get the best possible deal. After Surfing Nahua, many travelers want to own vacation or full-time homes in Nicaragua. Surfers travel worldwide to catch the most challenging waves. Living in Nicaragua means youll have amazing waves right outside your doorstep whenever you feel ready for adventure. Retire in Comfort Finding the right retirement location often means traveling extensively to discover hidden gems. One is Nicaragua, which is quickly becoming a preferred place for savvy retirees. Properties include dream homes, condos, and land for sale to make any housing dream a reality. So imagine yourself retiring in a surfing hotspot where having fun in the sun is always on the daily schedule. The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes Few things are more intriguing than natural wonders, and Nicaragua offers plenty of natural appeals. Known as the land of lakes and volcanoes, there is never a dull moment when you live in this naturally wonderful country. From waterfront activities to mountainous hikes, the opportunities for outdoor enjoyment are limited only by your imagination. Investing in real estate in Nicaragua means being surrounded by this natural beauty all the time. Great Attractions With panoramic views throughout the country, there are also great attractions to keep everyone entertained in Nicaragua. Whether you live there full-time or invest in a vacation escape, there is never a dull moment in this delightful destination. Dive into the colorful local culture for dining, dancing, and delicious cuisine you wont find elsewhere. Housing Options The booming housing market in Nicaragua proves the largest country in Central America is quickly becoming a preferred location. Search for beachfront homes in desirable areas such as San Juan del Sur and the Emerald Coast. Youll find housing choices for almost every budget and preference, from grand colonial homes to cozy apartments. Work with local professionals to find plenty of options in this gorgeous country. Land Available Some of the hottest spots in the world offer few opportunities to create a customized home on the land you choose. Fortunately, Nicaragua also has land for sale in waterfront and picturesque locations that make the ideal backdrop for your new house. So, work with local experts to design and build a beautiful home nestled in one of the worlds prettiest destinations. Plus, you can create the house according to your specifications to have the dream getaway in a place you cant wait to explore every morning when you get out of bed. If surfing is your passion and waterfront life sounds exciting, look no further than Nicaragua for your next vacation. Once you experience the sensational waves, picturesque views, and friendly vibe, youll want to return for more. Talk to a real estate pro about homes, condos, and land for sale in Nicaragua to find your ultimate dream house where all the pleasures of paradise await. Process of US granting market economy status to Armenia is discussed (PHOTOS) Reuters: Turkey ready for ground invasion in northern Syria Cavusoglu: Turkey may appoint an ambassador to Egypt in the coming months Dollar, euro go up in Armenia Indian political analyst: Pakistan supported Azerbaijan during aggression against Karabakh Belgian police officers protest after officer killed Citizens of Western countries arrested in Iran for participating in riots Armenia parliament opposition leader: Its not that we, as opposition, like everything in CSTO Political analyst: Cooperation with Yerevan becomes more important amid contradictions between powers New Ecuador ambassador presents copy of credentials to Armenia deputy FM Erdogan: Realization of the grain deal showed the possibility of diplomacy in Ukraine Armenia parliament speaker to head for Qatar, to watch World Cup match from stadium Toivo Klaar: Many challenges remain; restraint, strong political will be needed by Azerbaijan, Armenia Armen Baibourtian: Armenia-India cooperation on North-South road corridor started back in 2000s Armenian envoy: India becoming more sensitive about Azerbaijan ambitions towards Armenia India MFA: Cooperation with Armenia should be further deepened Deputy FM: Armenia can make use of progress with India to increase its security level Armenia Kurdish community staging protest outside UN office Pashinyan: Armenia attaches importance to development of cooperation with Albania Azerbaijan president receives Philip Reeker MP: Tourists visiting Armenia have difficulty making purchases over 300,000 drams at duty free shops Marukyan: 2 years ago Azerbaijan president signed ceasefire agreement where Nagorno-Karabakh is mentioned 5 times US diplomatic mission reveals details of CIA head with Naryshkin Karabakh army did not open fire at Azerbaijani positions in occupied territories UK intends to maintain military assistance to Ukraine in 2023 Copper prices falling World oil prices falling Gold falls in price Armenia PM, wife attend charity concert in support of soldiers undergoing treatment Azerbaijan army fires towards Armenia positions Eurasianet: Azerbaijan's Russian natural gas deal raises uncomfortable questions for Europe The Hill: Will a strong dollar trigger a global recession? Stanislav Zas: CSTO proposed several measures to help Armenia MOD: Artsakh Defense Army did not fire at Azerbaijani positions Princess Diana was 'murdered' because she was pregnant with Dodi Al Fayed's baby, claims his father Israel will fall apart, says Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps chief Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan leaders summit to be held in Ashgabat Elon Musk announces he will support Ron DeSantis if Florida governor runs for US president Armenia MOD dismisses Azerbaijan disinformation Baghdad ready to help Tehran-Riyadh negotiations resume, Iraq FM says Russia presidential spokesman: Attempts to interfere with CSTO work will continue Protests staged in Shanghai over China COVID curbs Iran parliament approves law on country's membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization Worlds biggest nuclear-fusion project faces delays due to component cracks Erdogan announces Turkeys Bayraktar UAV fighter manufacture by end of 2023 Venezuela authorities and opposition resume talks, eyeing US sanctions relief Azerbaijan's Armenophobia policy to be presented in Australia (PHOTOS) Armenia FM: I am deeply shocked by news of Vladimir Makei's death The New York Times: Artillery breaking in Ukraine, becoming problem for Pentagon Karabakh MOD dismisses Azerbaijan statement Americans spend record $9.12bn on online shopping on Black Friday North Korea aims to have world's strongest nuclear force, Kim Jong Un says What is best age to seek jobs? Scholz says Germany will allocate another 10 million to ensure grain supplies from Ukraine Azerbaijan opens fire on Armenian border positions Parapolitika: U.S. drone base is being set up near the Greek city of Larissa Belgium to send to Ukraine 100 instructors who fought in Afghanistan U.S. household spending up $433 for the year Authorities of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine signs Declaration of Lublin Triangle PMs CIS Executive Committee says they agreed with CSTO, SCO on combining anti-terrorist exercises Over 10 people are missing in Italy after landslide Finns saving on alcohol Kyodo: Japan ready for joint counterstrikes with U.S. in case of attack OSCE PA session in Warsaw kicks off in darkness as sign of solidarity with Ukraine Times: Britain may triple its nuclear energy production by 2050 IAEA tells what blow to spent fuel at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant will lead to AFP: Macron wants to dissuade Biden from unequal competition with EU ARF Dashnaktsutyun delegation meets with Spanish PM India launches vehicle with 9 satellites on board Bloomberg says cost of chartering oil tankers exceed $100,000 Belgium to provide Ukraine with underwater unmanned drones and mobile laboratories Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan has phone talks 22 people injured in Turkish minibus accident Xi Jinping says he wants to develop relations with North Korea amid global changes Inauguration ceremony of Tokayev takes place in Astana Greta Thunberg and 600 more eco-activists sue Sweden Secretary of Armenian Security Council to visit France and Germany US starts transferring 80 power generators to Ukraine Another disinformation: Armenian soldiers did not shell Azerbaijani positions New York builds world's thinnest skyscraper Armenian Defense Ministry: Azerbaijan shells Armenian border positions Ford Motor Co. recalls 634,000 SUVs worldwide due to risk of fire Chinese man becomes famous for looking after 320 wolves at once Taliban bans women from visiting doctors without men in Nangarhar province Norway to provide almost $14 million for the EU mission of training AFU World economy predicts to roll back to the level of the 2008 financial crisis UN: Every hour more than five women are killed by their families around the world Drone use bans in Tatarstan Russian MOD advises Azerbaijani MOD not to question activities of Russian peacekeeping contingent Dutch ambassador summoned to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry French MFA: Paris is committed to supporting negotiations between Pashinyan and Aliyev Sweden says it will not wait for Turkish elections to join NATO Germany's economy grew slightly more than expected in third quarter Putin says there is no need to recruit more people through partial mobilization Spiegel: Bundestag will vote on recognizing the holodomor as genocide Putin informs participants of Security Council about trip to Yerevan Hungary to receive exception to EU's planned price cap on Russian oil imports Uruguay's first resident ambassador presents his credentials to Armenian president Scholz surprised by companies' dependence on China Armenian PM receives Managing Director of European External Action Service of EU Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have held talks as they edge closer to the deadline for nominations in the contest to replace Liz Truss as UK prime minister, BBC News reported. Two separate sources told the BBC the meeting took place, but neither camp has disclosed what they discussed. Sunak continues to forge ahead in the race, gathering the support of 128 MPs from all wings of his party, including former Johnson allies. Johnson is in second place with 53 backers, according to the BBC's tally. However his campaign claims he has the support of 100 MPsthe number required to officially enter the race. Sunak's supporters raised doubts over this and called for the former PM to show proof. Penny Mordaunt is the only candidate to officially declare they are in the race, but she lags behind on support with 23 MPs. The hopefuls have until 14:00 BST on Monday to get enough support to run, qualifying them for the next stage of the race. If the party's MPs get behind just one candidate, we could have a new prime minister by Monday afternoon. But if not, it will then go to an online ballot of the Conservative party membership, with the result to be announced on Friday. Polling suggests Johnson, who has returned from a Caribbean holiday to consider his options, would be favorite to win a members' vote. Throughout Saturday, MPs were publicly declaring support for their favored candidate. Sunak picked up backing from all wings of his party, including the right, and from figures like Johnson's former Chief of Staff Steve Barclay, his former Brexit Minister Lord Frost, Kemi Badenoch, the International Trade Secretary, and Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker. Sunak, who has yet to officially declare he is standing, also has the support of former chancellor and health secretary Sajid Javid, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab. Pointing to the parliamentary probe facing Johnson, Raab told the BBC: "We cannot go backwards. We cannot have another episode of the Groundhog Day, of the soap opera of Partygate." The former PM has so far won the support of six Cabinet ministers: Ben Wallace, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke, Chris Heaton-Harris, Alok Sharma, and Anne-Marie Trevelyan. Also among supporters of Boris Johnson is former home secretary Priti Patel, who said Johnson could bring together a united team and lead the UK to a stronger and more prosperous future. Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Frost's Descent 11:11, October 23, 2022 By Xue Yanyan, Zhang Wenjie, Xiang Shizhen ( People's Daily Online October 23 this year marks the beginning of the Frost's Descent, also known as "Shuangjiang" in Chinese, the 18th solar term on the Chinese lunar calendar. It is the last solar term of autumn, making it a transitional period into winter. As the name suggests, Frost's Descent sees a drop in temperature along with the first appearance of frost in the Yellow River region. During this change in temperature, taking care of your health is especially important. We should focus on protecting our bodies from dryness, depression, and cold. To keep healthy, what should we eat during Frost's Descent? Apples are recommended during Frost's Descent thanks to the old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." In traditional Chinese medicine, apples are said to moisten our lungs, quench our thirst and improve digestion. Pears can promote the secretion of our body liquids, clear away heat and reduce phlegm, so are highly recommended during this time of year. Dates are popular during the Frost's Descent, and huge batches can be found on the market. Nutritious and with a high number of vitamins, dates can nourish our blood, decrease blood pressure, and improve our immunity. However, eating too many dates could be harmful, and rotten dates can cause headaches, dizziness, and have even said to be life-threatening. With a warm and sweet flavor, chestnuts, as the recommended nut during Frost's Descent, are beneficial for our health, as they are said to nourish our spleens and stomach, invigorate the circulation of blood, relieve coughs and reduce sputum. It's a custom to eat duck on the first day of Frost's Descent in south Fujian and Taiwan provinces. There is a saying in Fujian, which goes "nourishing all year is not as good as nourishing the human body on the first day of Frost's Descent." Except for food, what can we do during this term to keep our moods up, which will result in good health? During this period, we can celebrate the Frost's Descent Festival. With a history of more than 360 years, the festival commemorates Cen Yuyin, a heroine who battled against foreign aggression. People in areas such as Daxin county in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region celebrate the first day of Frost's Descent. During the festival, the Zhuang people offer sacrifices, dance and sing folk songs. Related: Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Cold Dew Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Autumn Equinox Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: White Dew Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: End of Heat Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Start of Autumn Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Major Heat Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Minor Heat Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Summer Solstice Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Grain in Ear Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Grain Buds Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Start of Summer Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Grain Rain Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Qingming Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Spring Equinox Calendar for Chinese 24 Solar Terms: Awakening of Insects (Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Hongyu) While doing research for his book on Cuban opposition leader Oswaldo Paya, David E. Hoffman was sifting through documents in the University of Miami Libraries' Cuban Heritage Collection one day when he suddenly hollered with glee. I let out a shout which I was reprimanded for, but I was that excited, said Hoffman, a contributing editor and member of the editorial board for The Washington Post, during a Thursday night presentation about his recent book Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswaldo Paya and his Daring Quest for a Free Cuba, sponsored by the Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC). Hoffman realized he was holding a 90-year-old political party manifesto of what would later serve as a draft for key elements of Cubas 1940 constitution, one of the most progressive documents of its time because of its commitment to social, political and economic freedom. That constitution also contained a provision allowing for citizen initiatives to propose and change laws, one that would survive the Cuban Revolution and make its way into the islands socialist constitution of 1976. It was also this provision that Paya used to create a petition calling for democratic reforms to the Cuban government in the early 2000s. It was just a tremendous contribution . . . and Im hopeful that the Cuban Heritage Collection will become an even greater center of scholarship, so that many other authors will shout in the reading room, Hoffman joked. In 2012, Paya was killed in a highly suspicious car crash in Cuba, and today, most of his family members no longer live in Cuba. In his book, Hoffman wanted to investigate why Paya decided to oppose the Cuban government. Many of the documents that Hoffman unearthed at the CHC would prove critical to his narrative about the life of Paya and the origins of the activists Varela Project, which was the name he gave to his citizen petition to amend the island nations 1976 constitution. More than 11,000 Cubans signed the petition, but when it was presented to the government in 2002, then-head of state Fidel Castro dismissed the document. Meanwhile, Paya had widely presented his idea to people as high-ranking as the Pope and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. To craft the story, Hoffman also consulted often with Cuba scholar Michael Bustamante, associate professor of history and Emilio Bacardi Moreau chair in Cuban and Cuban American Studies at the University. Bustamante led the conversation on Thursday with Hoffman and asked what led him to pivot from writing about Cold War politics in his previous books, to writing about Cuba. David E. Hoffman and Michael Bustamante Hoffman started his career at The Washington Post in the 1980s, covering the White House during the Reagan and Bush administrations. He then spent six years as the Moscow bureau chief, writing and editing stories about the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. He also served as the newspapers foreign editor. During his time in Russia, Hoffman said he was intrigued by the success of political dissidents like Andrei Sakharov, a nuclear physicist who designed Soviet nuclear bombs and then spoke out against his own government. He also wrote a book about another Soviet opposition leader, Adolf Tolkachev, who spied on the Soviets for the United States and lost his life. Sakharov saw all around him the dysfunctional Soviet communismthe repression, denial of rights, and its complete squeeze on peoples creativity. He alone didnt see it, millions of Soviets saw it. But only one person stood up to protest it, Hoffman said. I saw some of the same in Oswaldo Paya. It always struck me that it took a lot of courage and exceptionalism for somebody to stand up to the system like that. I wanted to know for years how he had done it. Paya was born in 1952, just 10 days before the coup detat that brought Fulgencio Batista to power and later fueled the Cuban Revolution, according to Hoffman. Paya grew up visiting the Catholic church often, but that religious freedom was soon forbidden by the government. His fathers business was confiscated by the government while Payawas standing at the cash register one day, and Paya later spent three years in a forced labor camp. Paya was also pressured to leave the University of Havana for his outspoken views. Later, he formed the Christian Liberation Movement to encourage democratic reforms in the Cuban government, and he read about the formation of the 1940 Constitution in order to craft the one-page document that would become the Varela Project petition. Heres a guy who is not a philosopher. He is not drawing philosophy from books but is learning it as he walks through the streets, Hoffman said. He comes to a couple of really big messages and lessons, and one of them is that rights are something bestowed on us by God at birth, not by the state. So [he thought] we all have a right to rights. And for Cuba in his time, that was a very counter-revolutionary idea. Hoffman visited the CHC and the Library of Congress several times with his research assistant, Mylena Vazquez. He also traveled to Cuba; Spain; and Stockholm, Sweden, to find information about Paya and to interview his friends, associates, and relatives. In particular, the CHC documents helped him learn more about the life of Gustavo Gutierrez, the author of the citizen initiative provision of the 1940 constitution. The pair also examined 41 boxes donated to the CHC from Cuban activist Jose Ignacio Rasco, who opened his Miami home to Paya in 1999, photos showed. And there was even a copy of the Varela Project petition at the CHC, Hoffman noted. The Varela project was so important because what Oswaldo was doing was taking the law of the state and using it against the state, he said. It was actually a genius idea. To learn more about Paya and to get additional information on Hoffmans book, visit the authors website. The Universitys Cuban Heritage Collection is the largest collection on the history of Cuba outside of the island, and it is the largest collection about the Cuban diaspora in the world. To learn about future events, visit their website. The Mumbai-headquartered Bank on late Saturday said it had its net interest income (NII) increased to Rs 5,099 crore, from Rs 4,021 crore in the year-ago period, an increase of 27 per cent. Net interest margin (NIM) was 5.17 per cent for Q2FY23. The Bank also said its operating profit for the second quarter was Rs 3,567 crore against 3,120 crore in the year-ago period. The Bank also said that its number of customers reached 36.6 million against 28.5 million in the year-ago period. Advances increased over 25 per cent to Rs 2,94,023 crore during the reviewed quarter, against Rs 2,34,947 crore in the year-ago period. Current account savings account (CASA) ratio as on September 30, 2022, stood at 56.2 per cent. During the reviewed period, gross non-performing assets (GNPA) was 2.08 per cent. Credit cost on advances for the second quarter was 26 basis points (bps). The Bank also said its provision coverage ratio stood at 73.7 per cent. (ANI) On the occasion of Diwali, the stocks will go to trade during the evening from 6.15 pm to 7.15 pm. After studying the lists that brokerages came out for Muhurat trading, ANI has also chosen some stocks which could be really worth for investment. Bank of Baroda The second largest public sector bank in terms of business has a strong consumer franchise post its merger with Dena Bank & Vijaya Bank and has been posting consistent profits since many quarters, according to LKP Securities. Federal Bank Federal Bank having posted its highest-ever net profit this quarter has seen its stock price rise 40% in the last one year and LKP Securities expects the Bank to continue that trajectory during the next one year as well Schnieder Electric LKP Securities says its strong presence in infrastructure, power, building, industry and IT segments, coupled with its ability to offer services cutting across these segments, provides a distinctive advantage to serve its customers, further supported by strong parental support. Asian Paints According to Religare, Asian Paints has posted strong financials in the last 5 years wherein its revenue/profit after tax (PAT) has grown by 14 per cent/9.6 per cent over FY17-22. Further, the brokerage said it is estimated that its revenue/Ebitda/PAT to grow at 19.9 per cent/22.9 per cent/27.8 per cent CAGR over FY22-24E, driven by strong demand from housing and real-estate sectors, new product launches as well as focus on premium products and growing across segments. Maruti Suzuki India After two years of consecutive decline (FY19-22 volume CAGR of -3.1%), the domestic PV industry witnessed a healthy rebound in FY22 led by easing lockdown restrictions and strong pent up demand. Further, In FY23 the passenger vehicle industry is expected to grow by 12-15 per cent on the back of economic activities picking up pace. Religare estimates Maruti Suzuki (MSIL)'s revenue/ Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (Ebitda)/ profit after tax (PAT) to grow at 19.5 per cent/56 per cent/62.7 per cent CAGR over FY22-24E. It also recommends a Buy rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 9,898 valuing the company at 30x (10yr Average) FY24E EPS. UltraTech Cement The demand for cement sector is expected to grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8-9 per cent from 345-350 mt to 500-550 mt over FY22-27. Religare believes the growth will be driven by government spending on infrastructure development as in the Union Budget 2022-23, the government has provided higher allocation for infrastructure, affordable housing and road projects. Besides, pickup in rural and urban housing as well as growth in industrial and commercialisation will further aid demand for the cement sector. (ANI) The cause of death for the late 'Harry Potter' actor Robbie Coltrane, who played the role of Rubeus Hagrid in the superhit franchise, has finally been revealed. According to Deadline, multiple UK reports tell that Coltrane died at the age of 72 following multiple organ failure. His death certificate also noted he had been suffering from sepsis, lower respiratory tract infection and heart block. The 'Harry Potter' star had also been diagnosed with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Following Coltrane's death on October 14, his film costars paid tribute to the late actor with personal messages. Rupert Grint, who played Ronald Weasley wrote on Instagram, "Heartbroken to hear that Robbie is gone. I'll never forget the smell of cigars and beard glue- a wonderful combination. No one else on this planet could of played Hagrid, only Robbie." In a statement to Deadline, Daniel Radcliffe also remembered him. It read, "Robbie was one of the funniest people I've met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set. I've especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on 'Prisoner of Azkaban', when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid's hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up." Coltrane was born on March 30, 1950, in Glasgow, Scotland as the son of a doctor and teacher. After graduating from Glasgow Art School, he continued his studies in art at Moray House College of Education in Edinburgh, The Hollywood Reporter reported. He took up stand-up comedy in Edinburgh clubs and changed his last name in honour of the jazz legend John Coltrane as he turned to act in London. (ANI) According to recent research, the more hours every week someone works in a stressful job, the more likely they are to develop depression. Working 90 or more hours per week was associated with three times as many changes in depression symptom ratings as working 40 to 45 hours per week. Furthermore, compared to those working fewer hours, a greater proportion of those working many hours had scored high enough to be diagnosed with moderate to severe depression, which is serious enough to require therapy. The University of Michigan-based research team employed sophisticated statistical techniques to simulate a randomised clinical trial while accounting for numerous other aspects of the doctors' personal and professional life. With an average symptom increase of 1.8 points on a standard scale for those working 40 to 45 hours, and going up to 5.2 points for those working more than 90 hours, researchers discovered a "dose-response" relationship between the number of hours worked and depressive symptoms. They come to the conclusion that, out of all the stressors that impact doctors, working a lot of hours is a significant factor in depression. The team from Michigan Medicine, the academic medical institution of the University of Michigan, reports their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine after examining 11 years' worth of data on more than 17,000 first-year medical residents. The recently graduated physicians were undergoing training at numerous hospitals throughout the country. The information comes from the Michigan Neuroscience Institute and the Eisenberg Family Depression Center's Intern Health Study. Every year, the project enlists fresh graduates from medical schools to participate in a year-long tracking of their depressed symptoms, work hours, sleep, and other factors as they finish the first year of residency, also known as the intern year. The impact of high numbers of work hours. This study comes as major national organizations, such as the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Medical Colleges, grapple with how to address the high rates of depression among physicians, physicians-in-training, and other healthcare professionals. Though the interns in the study reported a wide range of previous-week work hours, the most common work hour levels were between 65 to 80 hours per week. Resident work weeks are currently limited to 80 hours by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which establishes national standards for residency programmes. However, this maximum can be averaged across four weeks and there may be exceptions. Additionally, the ACGME places restrictions on how many days in succession and how long one shift can last for residents. Studies on the effects of these restrictions on resident well-being and patient safety hazards have produced conflicting results. According to the authors, their findings show a definite need to significantly cut back on the typical amount of hours inhabitants work each week. "This analysis suggests strongly that reducing the average number of work hours would make a difference in the degree to which interns' depressive symptoms increase over time, and reduce the number who develop diagnosable depression," says Amy Bohnert, PhD, the study's senior author and a professor at the U-M Medical School. "The key thing is to have people work fewer hours; you can more effectively deal with the stresses or frustrations of your job when you have more time to recover." (ANI) Researchers in Berlin have spent decades researching a peculiar hereditary illness that results in extraordinarily short fingers and incredibly high blood pressure in half of the members of specific families. By the time they become 50, affected persons typically succumb to a stroke if untreated. The findings of the research were published in the journal Circulation. Researchers at the Max Delbruck Center (MDC) in Berlin identified the cause of the disease back in 2015 and were able to prove their hypothesis five years later using animal models: a mutation in the phosphodiesterase 3A gene (PDE3A) causes its encoded enzyme to become overactive, affecting bone growth and causing blood vessel hyperplasia - resulting in elevated blood pressure. Immune to hypertension-related damage "High blood pressure almost always leads to the heart becoming weaker," said Dr. Enno Klussmann, head of the Anchored Signaling Lab at the Max Delbruck Center and a scientist at the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK). As it has to pump against a higher pressure, Klussmann explains, the organ tries to strengthen its left ventricle. "But ultimately, this results in the thickening of the heart muscle - known as cardiac hypertrophy - which can lead to heart failure greatly decreasing its pumping capacity." But in hypertension patients with shortened fingers and mutated PDE3A gene, this doesn't happen. "For reasons that are now partly - but not yet fully - understood, their hearts appear immune to the damage that usually results from high blood pressure," said Klussmann. The study is the result of a collaboration between researchers at the Max Delbruck Center, Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, and the DZHK. In addition to Klussmann, professors Norbert Hubner and Michael Bader from the Max Delbruck Center were involved as final authors, along with Dr. Sylvia Bahring from the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) - a joint institution of Charite and the Max Delbruck Center. Together with 43 other researchers from Berlin, Bochum, Heidelberg, Kassel, Limburg, Lubeck, Canada, and New Zealand, the team has now reported its findings on the protective effects of the gene mutation - and why these results could change the way heart failure is treated in the future. The publication has four first authors, three of whom conduct research at the Max Delbruck Center and one at the ECRC. Two mutations with the same effect The scientists performed their tests on human patients with hypertension and brachydactyly (HTNB) syndrome - i.e., high blood pressure and abnormally short digits - as well as on rat models and heart muscle cells. The cells were grown from specially engineered stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells. Before testing began, researchers altered the PDE3A gene in the cells and the animals to mimic HTNB mutations. "We came across a previously unknown PDE3A gene mutation in the patients we examined," reports Bahring. "Previous studies had always shown the mutation in the enzyme to be located outside the catalytic domain - but we have now found a mutation right in the center of this domain." Surprisingly, both mutations have the same effect in making the enzyme more active than usual. This hyperactivity ramps up the degradation of one of the cell's important signalling molecules known as cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate), which is involved in the contraction of the heart muscle cells. "It is possible that this gene modification - regardless of its location - causes two or more PDE3A molecules to cluster together and thus work more effectively," Bahring suspects. The proteins stay the same The researchers used a rat model - created with CRISPR-Cas9 technology by Michael Bader's lab at the Max Delbruck Center - to try to better understand the effects of the mutations. "We treated the animals with the agent isoproterenol, a so-called beta-receptor agonist," says Klussmann. Such medications are sometimes used in patients with end-stage heart failure. Isoproterenol is known to induce cardiac hypertrophy. "Yet surprisingly, this occurred in the gene-modified rats in a manner similar to what we observed in the wild-type animals. Contrary to what we expected, existing hypertension did not aggravate the situation," reports Klussmann. "Their hearts were quite obviously protected from this effect of the isoproterenol." In further experiments, the team investigated whether proteins in a specific signaling cascade of the heart muscle cells changed as a result of the mutation and if so which ones. Through this chain of chemical reactions, the heart responds to adrenaline and beats faster in response to situations such as excitement. Adrenaline activates the cells' beta receptors, causing them to produce more cAMP. PDE3A and other PDEs stop the process by chemically altering cAMP. "However, we found little difference between mutant and wild-type rats at both the protein and the RNA levels," Klussmann said.More calcium in the cytosol. The conversion of cAMP by PDE3A does not occur just anywhere in the heart muscle cell, but near a tubular membrane system that stores calcium ions. A release of these ions into the cytosol of the cell triggers muscle contraction, thus making the heartbeat. After the contraction, the calcium is pumped back into storage by a protein complex. This process is also regulated locally by PDE. Klussmann and his team hypothesized that because these enzymes are hyperactive in the local region around the calcium pump, there should be less cAMP, inhibiting the pump's activity. "In the gene-modified heart muscle cells, we actually showed that the calcium ions remain in the cytosol longer than usual," said Dr. Maria Ercu, a member of Klussmann's lab and one of the study's four first authors. "This could increase the contractile force of the cells." Activating instead of inhibiting "PDE3 inhibitors are currently in use for acute heart failure treatment to increase cAMP levels," Klussmann explains. Regular therapy with these drugs would rapidly sap the heart muscle's strength. "Our findings now suggest that not the inhibition of PDE3, but - on the contrary - the selective activation of PDE3A may be a new and vastly improved approach for preventing and treating hypertension-induced cardiac damage like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and heart failure," Klussmann said. But before that can happen, he says, more light needs to be shed on the protective effects of the mutation. "We have observed that PDE3A not only becomes more active, but also that its concentration in heart muscle cells decreases," the researcher reports, adding that it is possible that the former can be explained by oligomerization - a mechanism that involves at least two enzyme molecules working together. "In this case," said Klussmann, "we could probably develop strategies that artificially initiate local oligomerization - thus mimicking the protective effect for the heart." (ANI) A Special Court of Rouse Avenue Court has issued fresh summons against three Malaysian firms accused in the Aircel Maxis money laundering case. The Special Judge MK Nagpal in an order passed on October 20, 2022, allowed Enforcement Directorate (ED) application sought the issuance of fresh summons against three accused namely M/s Astro All Asia Networks Pic, M/s Maxis Mobile Sdn Bhd. and Augustus Ralph Marshall. Hence, in view of the submissions made, the ED application is allowed and fresh summons of the three accused at their given addresses of Malaysia are now directed to be issued for 27.02.2023 and the same may be collected dasti by the Investigation officer to be served through the Ministry of Home Affairs as it has been stated that atleast three months time is required for service of the summons through the diplomatic channels, said the court. ED, before the court submitted that summons of the three accused, along with summons of some other accused, were earlier issued by this court on December 21, 2021, and December 24, 2021, for April 18, 2022, and summons of M/s Astro All Asia Networks Pic. and M/s Maxis Mobile Sdn Bhd. were issued through the Malaysian Authorities and summons of Augustus Ralph Marshall were issued through the Malaysian as well as Mauritius Authorities, as per their given addresses on record. ED stated that though the summons of Augustus Ralph Marshall was subsequently returned back by the Mauritius Authorities with a report that he had left Mauritius for Australia on December 15, 2021, but the summons of this accused as well as of the other two accused have not been returned back by the Malaysian Authorities till today and since the date given for effecting their service has expired long back, Malaysian Authorities have now asked for issuance of fresh summons against. All these accused persons by this court. The same Court in March this year, had granted regular bail to former union minister P Chidambaram, his son Karti Chidambaram and others in the Aircel Maxis case of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). Earlier Former finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti were granted anticipatory bail in the CBI and Enforcement Directorate case of Aircel Maxis. Former Union Minister P Chidambaram, his son Karthi Chidambaram and 15 other people including 6 firms were named as accused in the Aircel-Maxis case by the probe agencies. CBI and ED had earlier informed the court that agencies have sent LRs to different countries and there are some developments in that regard. Both agencies have filed the status report too in court. Earlier, the court had directed the agencies to file a status report in the Aircel Maxis case involving P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram which was adjourned sine die. The court, while asking for reports from the agencies, said that the allegations mentioned in the chargesheet appeared to be "quite serious in nature." The case, which is being probed by the CBI and ED, relates to alleged irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal. The FIPB approval was allegedly granted in 2006 when Chidambaram was the union finance minister. The CBI and the ED had alleged that Chidambaram, as finance minister, had granted approval to the deal beyond his capacity to benefit certain persons and received kickbacks. (ANI) BJP on Saturday expressed confidence that the party will come to office again in Himachal Pradesh due to work of central and state governments over the past five years and alleged that the hill state is a "tourist spot" for Congress leadership. Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the state has made significant development strides in the past five years. "BJP is a political party which is strengthening the nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP is a party which considers every family of the country as its family," he said. "A new trend will be set. A trend which will reward honesty, and dedication towards the people of Himachal Pradesh. A trend that will say loud and clear if you perform, we bless you and if as opposition also you are destructive, we will punish you. We don't look at past trends, we create trends, we create history. Some corrupt parties are relying on old trends of changing the government every five years but they do not know that Modiji is known to set new trends," he added. Bhatia said the new term that is being used in Indian politics and in various states is pro-incumbency. "The people of Himachal Pradesh are the most hard-working people in the country and are loyalists to the core. If they have better living conditions, infrastructure, and health facilities, why would they not bless the BJP," he asked. "Historic achievements have been made in the state under the BJP rule. When AIIMS Bilaspur was completed, it was a historic moment for everyone. The foundation stone was laid on October 3, 2017, and the Prime Minister made sure that it is inaugurated in five years. This is a big achievement. Not only AIIMS but we have also seen how medical colleges were built in Himachal Pradesh. The way Ayushman Yojna, and Sahara Yojna were implemented in the state, it shows how much BJP cares about Himachal Pradesh," he said. Terming Congress as "trouble engine", he alleged it has "no concern for people". "On one side there is a double engine and on the other side is trouble engine. The double engine goes to one side and the trouble engine has no direction. There are some corrupt people saying 'sarkaar aayegi baari baari' where as public is saying 'BJP ki double engine ki sarkaar rahegi jaari'. "Himachal is a tourist spot for Congress whereas for us it is 'kartavya bhumi and karam bhumi'. The Congress leadership comes to Himachal only for a holiday. We don't have to worry about them because the people of Himachal will grant them a permanent holiday," he said. Referring to "guarantees" being given by Congress, he said the party had "not fulfilled" its promises in other states. "It is being said there are guarantees of Congress. Congress had given similar guarantees in other states too, which were rejected by the people. The promises were not fulfilled in the states of Rajasthan Chhattisgarh where they are in power," he said. "They have a pariwarwad model. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went to Uttar Pradesh also. They said that there is a wave of Congress in UP. Congress contested on 399 seats and their security was forfeited on 387 seats. "If there is any guarantee or credibility more than the ISI mark in the country, then it is the honest leadership of Narendra Modi. PM Modi is the biggest guarantee for the corruption-free development of the country," he said. "For more than eight years there is no allegation of corruption at the government at the Centre. The name cohesiveness and work of Modi-Jairam is the biggest guarantee in Himachal Pradesh today," he added. Asked about BJP giving tickets to five candidates from political families, Bhatia said party workers have moved up due to their hard work. "All the presidents that we had including JP Naddaji are not presidents because of the virtue of their last name, they are presidents because they have worked hard like a commoner, worker and by the virtue of their leadership qualities, sincerity, they have risen up the ladder." Himachal Pradesh will go for elections on November 12 and the counting of votes will take place on December 8. The state has 68 assembly seats. The BJP won 44 seats in the previous assembly polls while Congress won 21 seats. (ANI) "The KPCC leadership has assessed the explanation given by the MLA was not satisfactory. Considering the concessions given by the court in its verdict allowing anticipatory bail and the need to perform his duties as a legislative member in his constituency, KPCC has suspended him from KPCC's and DCC's day-to-day affairs for a period of six months. Party will observe him in this period and further action will be decided accordingly," the suspension order cited. A woman had recently filed rape and attempt to murder case against the Perumbavoor MLA. The court granted anticipatory bail to Eldhose Kunnappilly on Friday. Further, he appeared before the investigation team for interrogation on Saturday. (ANI) A total of 250 school children who had lost a parent during the COVID-19 were gifted with free tablets, school bags and a year's worth of stationery during Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya's 'Bengaluru South School Leaders' Summit' in the city on Saturday. While "Feeding India by Zomato" provided the tabs, bags and stationery, edutech startup Unacademy provided an unlimited subscription to their courses to the children. The NGO will also provide ration every month to the children and support their upbringing. The tabs were distributed in the presence of over 450 school leaders and representatives from about 40 top schools of the constituency with the idea that this will spur the students to support the marginalised and underprivileged sections of society when they become the leaders of tomorrow. "My journey in public life started in my school, where I contested an election to become a Headboy. That's why I wish to see these school leaders, captains, vice-captains, head boys and head girls who are present today also develop their civic responsibility, team building and leadership skills through this summit," Surya said. The MP also instituted a 'Bengaluru South School Leaders' Council' comprising these school leaders, who will be responsible for independently conducting quarterly events on the environment, sports, arts, culture and civic responsibility. The Bengaluru South School Leaders' Council will comprise 25 students nominated by the schools to form a cluster, consisting of 1 student leader from each school. They are also expected to organise a grand 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' fest with participation from at least 75 schools during their tenure. "The most memorable moment during my time as the Headboy of my school was asking former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam a question on the non-proliferation treaty of India back in 2005/06. That one moment inspired me so much to work for the good of the community and the progress of the nation. I wish to create a similar platform for schoolchildren, where they can actively interact with leaders from different fields and learn about handling operations through experience," Surya added. State Revenue Minister R Ashoka, Renowned actor Ramesh Aravind, Unacademy founders Gaurav Munjal and Roman Saini and Surobhi Das, Head of Growth for Zomato also addressed the school students. (ANI) Criticising the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government for its liquor policy, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday said the state is on the process of replacing Punjab as the "capital of drugs". Governor Khan said that while everyone was carrying out campaigns against the consumption of alcohol, the state government of Kerala was encouraging it. "Here, we have decided that lottery and alcohol are enough for our development. What a shameful situation for a state which has 100 per cent literacy. As head of the state, I feel ashamed. What is the lottery? You are robbing them. You are making your people addicted to alcohol. Do you know today what is the position? Kerala is replacing Punjab as the capital of drugs. Everybody carries campaigns against liquor consumption and here liquor consumption is encouraged. What a shame?" Khan said at a book launch event. Khan was speaking at a book launch event where he released a book- CH Muhammed Koya: Ariyatha Kathakal, written by Advocate VK Beeran about Kerala's former Chief Minister CH Muhammed Koya. Governor Khan also pointed out the issue of the appointment of vice-chancellors to various universities in Kerala and said the Supreme Court itself had earlier made it clear that the appointment of the vice chancellors was the responsibility of the Governor. "Supreme Court has made it clear appointment of Vice Chancellor is the only responsibility of the Chancellor. The state government has no role in it," he said. Giving reference to the recent human sacrifice case in the state, Khan said, "Human sacrifices are happening in Kerala. How can you put these criminals with the ordinary people of Kerala?" Governor Khan also attacked the Kerala ministers who questioned his authority. "A Kerala minister is asking whether a governor from Uttar Pradesh can understand the education system of Kerala. Please don't cross the line. Yesterday the SC made it clear. If you will say, these judge is from Maharashtra, then you will land yourself in trouble," Khan said and termed it as ignorant. Kerala Governor, who is at loggerheads with the state government over various issues questioned the government over unemployment in the state. "They have a minister who has the language of Pakistan. If they continue with them, it's up to them," he said. (ANI) After the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh's accused three prominent leaders of the ruling CPI(M) of sexual assault, opposition in the state demands action against the party leaders. Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan said that government should take cognizance of revelations made by the lady who was accused in the gold smuggling case and take the required action. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran said that the case should be registered against CPM leaders on the basis of the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh's revelations. Notably, the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh in her interview with a Malayalam channel, made allegations of sexual misconduct against former ministers Kadakampally Surendran and Thomas Issac and Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan. She also said that Chief Minister and his family including his daughter Veena have benefited from government projects. She said that she was part of the case and had some restrictions and once the investigation of the case gets over, she would release more evidence. Alleging an officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), she said, "I had given the evidence to the ED officer, but he stood with CM." She also made allegations against MLA Kadakampally Surendran of sexual misconduct and said Surendran wanted sexual favours from her. Earlier on October 4, Swapna Suresh had appeared before the CBI officials at the agency's Kochi office for interrogation in connection with the LIFE Mission case.The case pertains to the Life Mission project of the Kerala Government. The project was intended to build houses for 140 families in Wadakkanchery in Thrissur district through the Life Mission by spending Rs 14.50 crore out of Rs 18.50 crore granted by the Red Crescent via the UAE consulate. The contract noted the construction of a health care centre using the remaining amount.UNITAC builders, who have the contract of the project, earlier alleged via its managing director Santhosh Eapan that the accused including Swapna had received a bribe worth Rs 4.48 crore for the project. Earlier in August Kerala High Court had dismissed the petition filed by Swapna Suresh in the Kerala Gold Smuggling Case seeking to quash two cases registered against her for alleged conspiracy after she gave a confidential statement under section 164 of CrPC and raised serious allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (ANI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the Upper Bhadra scheme will become the state's first national project. Talking to reporters before leaving for the Hosadurga function on Saturday, he said this scheme has got the approval of the PIB and the Union Jal Shakti Minister has been requested to get it passed in the Union Cabinet. Once the approval comes through, the grants will come to start the work. All efforts are being done in this regard as the Upper Bhadra is set to become the state's national project. Rail connectivity to Chitradurga via Tumkur, Davangere will be started. The CM said the Tumkur-Davangere railway line has been reviewed and directions are issued to acquire land for the project. Once this work is done, then all steps will be taken to start the project. Necessary funds will be released. Asked about the languishing of the acquisition of 1.7 acres for the Upper Bhadra scheme for the last two years, Bommai said there are problems of a few farmers and it will be resolved soon. On the Cabinet expansion and representation for Chitradurga district, he said he will be going to Delhi soon. Ruling out any step-motherly attitude for the district, Bommai said it has not been possible to give representation to Chitradurga district due to the changed Political scenario and this time efforts will be made to give representation, he added. Bommai on Saturday stressed bringing reforms in the judicial system so that adjudication of water disputes by tribunals is done speedily in order to avoid wastage of water sources. Speaking at the inauguration of the golden jubilee celebrations of Hosadurga Court organised jointly by the Department of Judiciary and Bar Association of Hosadurga here on Saturday, he said judges and advocates must be in a position to understand the relevance of court rulings. "According to the Interstate Water Disputes Act, a tribunal is constituted when any state suffers injustice. Once the tribunals are constituted it will take decades for the disputes to get resolved," Bommai said. "Many disputes in Karnataka are stuck in tribunals for two to three decades, and they have remained vexed without any solution. This will result in a waste of water resources. If no changes are brought in this direction, it will pose problems for the government, judges, and judiciary," Bommai added. He said justice must not become the most challenging thing to get in society but must be received easily. Now, fast-track courts and special courts are constituted with the help of advanced technology. But there is a need for litigants to get proper legal guidance and cooperation at the grassroots level. If society is honest, any shortage in the judiciary does not make a difference. But now there is injustice prevailing everywhere and the intervention of the judicial system is needed. Bommai said disputes are increasing in society and people are spending more time to get justice. This has become a bane to the country's progress. Judiciary is one of the pillars of democracy and in the current social system ensuring justice is quite challenging. But India has the best legal system and the need of the hour is to strengthen this system. As change is continuous, it requires reforms too, he added. The CM said the Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice A S Bopanna has come for this function and it is very rare that a judge of the country's highest court has come to a taluk-level court. This shows that even the Supreme Court cares for the magistrate court as most of the litigations of farmers come to taluk courts. (ANI) The woman who levelled abduction and gang-rape charges against five men with whom she had a property dispute was arrested from Delhi on Saturday. The development came two days after the police had arrested three accomplices of the complainant woman for hatching the conspiracy. "The woman was arrested by our police team from Delhi. The woman was admitted to GTB Hospital in Delhi some time ago," Superintendent of Police, Ghaziabad, Nipun Agarwal said. The police earlier had said that the alleged case was fabricated to implicate the accused over an ongoing property dispute.Police have arrested three accomplices of the complainant woman for hatching the conspiracy. "An acquaintance of the complainant woman, Azad, and two other accomplices, Gaurav and Afzal, had planned this (gang rape) in a dispute over a property. All three were arrested. The woman is also involved in the conspiracy. Action will be taken against her too," said Meerut range Inspector-General of Police Praveen Kumar. "As soon as information regarding the incident was received at Nandgram police station, the victim was taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Three people have been arrested in the case," IG Praveen Kumar said. The case pertains to the matter where a woman was found lying in a pool of blood in a jute bag after she was allegedly abducted and gang-raped for two days. "A car and other materials have also been recovered. Further investigation is underway," IG Praveen Kumar added. According to the police, they were informed about the gang rape in a complaint filed by the woman. "We got the information about the gang rape two days ago in which a woman had complained about the incident. As per the rape survivor, all the accused were known to her and a property dispute between the two has come to light," Superintendent of Police (SP) City Ghaziabad Nipun Aggarwal had said. The woman claimed that she was abducted while she was returning from a birthday party on September 16. She told police that five men in Ghaziabad gang-raped her over two days.SP Nipun had further said, "After her brother dropped her off, 5 people -who were known to her- took her away and gang-raped her. FIR was registered and four people were nabbed. It is being said that they have a property dispute and the matter is sub-judice. We are taking all necessary action." "On October 18, police in Nandgram, Uttar Pradesh received information that a woman was lying near Ashram Road. They took her to the hospital. She's a resident of Delhi and had come to her brother's residence in Nandgram," SP, Ghaziabad said. (ANI) Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed its Karnataka leg from Yermarus village, Raichur in Karnataka on Sunday. "The march started at 6:00 am from Yermarus today and will halt at Ground Tai Road, Gudebellur Mahbubnagar in Telangana at 10 am," Congress Party tweeted. Adding that the Yatra is scheduled to have a stay in Telangana. "After a simply awesome public meeting at Raichur last evening, on Day 46, Bharat Jodo Yatra is walking from Yermarus near Raichur to Mahbubnagar dist. in Telangana. When I was MoS Power in Jan 2009, the first 2 800 MW BHEL power units were approved & later commissioned at Yermarus," Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said in a Twitter post. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi resumed the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Yeragera village, Raichur in Karnataka on Saturday. Rahul Gandhi addressed a gathering around 5.30 pm at Basaveshwara Circle Ground yesterday. Taking to Twitter, Congress' official handle posted pictures of Rahul Gandhi during his address. A ray of light will come out of this darkness...The crowd gathered in Raichur's public meeting is indicating the same thing," Congress Party tweeted in Hindi The Yatra which began on September 7 from Kanniyakumari will cover a further distance of 2355 km in its 3570 km long march. The Andhra Pradesh leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra concluded on October 21. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday thanked the people for their overwhelming support and promised to fulfil the commitments made by him to the people the State. In a letter to the people of Andhra Pradesh, the Wayanad MP said, "This morning, as the Bharat Jodo Yatra completes its journey through Andhra Pradesh, we thank the people for their overwhelming support and encouragement. It has truly been a memorable experience."He said that the interactions with diverse groups during the Yatra in Andhra Pradesh have brought to light several significant issues impacting the people. "The Congress party stands committed to granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh and develop a single capital at Amaravati. We support the continued public sector status of the Visakhapatnam steel plant as an asset of the Indian people. We noted that the state government has systematically undermined the Panchayati Raj system in Andhra Pradesh, and are strongly opposed to this assault on democratic institutions. We will also continue to amplify the voice of farmers, youth, women, workers and many other stakeholders whom we interacted with over the last three days," the Congress leader said. Recalling the commitments made in 2014 to the people of Andhra Pradesh, the former Congress president said that his party is determined to ensure that the commitments made by them are fulfilled. The Andhra Pradesh leg of Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra concluded on Friday as the march once again crossed into Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi resumed the padayatra at Mantralayam Temple Circle in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning.He crossed the Andhra border at Panchmukhi Arch, Gillesugur, Raichur in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi had earlier said that the Yatra drew a tremendous response in Andhra Pradesh and pointed out that his party leaders were also quite surprised at the enthusiasm and response that the Bharat Jodo Yatra had. The Yatra entered Andhra Pradesh on October 18. The Bharat Jodo Yatra launched on September 7, 2022, will cover as many as 12 states. The Yatra started from Kanyakumari and will end in Kashmir the following year by covering 25 km every day. The 3500 kilometres yatra will be a historic event for the Congress and the entire country. It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress said earlier in a statement. (ANI) The deceased IPS officer has been identified as former Inspector General of Police Dinesh Chandra Pandey. Pandey's wife and son, who were present in the house with him, sustained injuries and are admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Both are currently being treated at Chandan Hospital in Lucknow. After receiving the information, Indira Nagar Fire Station and police reached the spot. "Retired IG Dinesh Chandra Pandey died after being trapped in a fire that broke out in his house in Indira Nagar yesterday late at night. Pandey's wife and son, who were present in the house with him, sustained injuries and are admitted to the hospital in critical condition," said DCP North Qasim Abidi. He further said that during the search operation, a joint team of fire and police rescued the three trapped from the first floor. "Immediately, they took them to the nearby hospital. where the doctors declared the retired IPS officer dead while his wife and son are in critical condition," the DCP added. Further investigation is underway to find out what caused the fire. (ANI) Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami has termed the activities of convicted Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as "anti-social" and demanded the Centre and state government stop them immediately. Dhami's demands came as a reaction to the recently made announcement of the "opening of a Dera" in Punjab's Sunam. Dhami said, "Ram Rahim's character is anti-social and the charges levelled against him are heinous." Ram Rahim, the main accused in sacrilege cases, has been serving a jail term after being convicted in rape and murder cases and was released from Sunaria jail on 40-day parole on Saturday. The SGPC president has called Ram Rahim a "controversial person" and alleged that the announcement to open Dera in Punjab has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs. "The announcement by this controversial person to open a Dera in Punjab has hurt the Sikh sentiments and this may spoil the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab, SGPC president Dhami said adding that the Punjab government should play its role responsibly in this "very serious" matter and resolve that no branch of Dera Sirsa is established in Punjab." He further said that the Sikh mentality is being hurt by repeatedly granting parole to Ram Rahim, who was imprisoned due to his bad character and crimes and it is a "conspiracy" to announce the opening of his Dera in Sunam. "The Sikh community will never tolerate this act of his. The government should not allow the convict of heinous acts to play with the religious sentiments of the people," he added. While underscoring that any activity of Ram Rahim will not be accepted in Punjab, Dhami demanded the Centre and the state government stop Ram Rahim's online speeches while he is out on parole and facing serious charges. Ram Rahim on Wednesday organized a virtual 'Satsang' which was attended by many political leaders including the Karnal Mayor and many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, sparking a fresh controversy. The Dera chief's family had submitted an application to the jail authorities seeking month-long parole for him. However, the opposition had demanded a justification from the Bharatiya Janata Party over its leaders' participation in the Satsang and Karnal mayor Renu Bala Gupta, deputy mayor Naveen Kumar and senior deputy mayor Rajesh Aggi continuously tried to defend their participation in the event. The senior Deputy Mayor said, "I was invited to the Satsang by the 'sadh sangat'. Online Satsang was done from UP. Many people in my ward are associated with Baba. We attended the programme with a social connection and it has nothing to do with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the upcoming bypoll." Notably, the opposition also alleged that Ram Rahim was granted parole due to the forthcoming bypolls in Adhampur that are slated to be held on November 3. Besides, the state is also scheduled to hold panchayat polls soon. Ram Rahim was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017 for raping two women followers. While, on October 8, 2021, the court convicted Ram Rahim and four others in connection with former Dera manager Ranjit Singh's murder case. Ranjit Singh was murdered in 2002 on the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda. CBI had registered the case on the orders passed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana in the year 2003 and taken over the investigation of the case earlier registered at Police Station Sadar in Kurukshetra. It was alleged that Ranjit Singh was murdered on July 10, 2002, while he was working in his fields at village Khanpur Kolian of Kurukshetra district in Haryana. (ANI) A huge throng gathered at the footbridge of the Anand Vihar Metro Station in the national capital ahead of the festival season. The people have assembled at Anand Vihar Bus Stop and Metro Station to leave for their hometowns for the auspicious festive season of Diwali and Chhat Puja. Ahead of the holiday season, people were seen neglecting every safety measure as the tightly-packed crowd stood for hours in long queues with heavy loads of luggage over their heads. "I have to go to Bulandshahr. I was in the queue for half an hour. It usually happens during festivals. I put my phone and money inside the bag in my pocket because in such a rush the possibility to get robbed increases, let's see if I would get a bus," said one of the passengers Satyapal who was waiting for the bus to his hometown. Some people also complained about the hike in fares and said that the trains for short distances are unavailable. "The bus fare doubles during this festive season but I could not even go by train. The festival trains run only for long distances," said Vijendra Singh Thakur, another commuter at Anand Vihar bus stand. The people leaving for their hometowns avoided wearing masks and did not even bother to follow any safety protocol amid the health crisis in the city. People had to stand in queue for an hour to enter the bus stand from the Metro Station, and almost all had heavy luggage on their heads. No one was wearing masks to maintain the highest degree of safety protocols amid the health crisis. The health concerns in the country rose as World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Friday said that there were over 300 sub-variants and XBB being a recombinant virus is a matter of concern as it is immune evasive. XBB, a recombinant lineage between two Omicron sublineages BJ.1 and BA.2.75, is a fast-spreading variant, which was seen to have caused a spike across Singapore recently. Last week, a high-level meeting of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with the senior health officials regarding the emergence of Omicron's new sub-variants concluded with the decision to continue masks and COVID-appropriate behaviour across the country. Besides, the coronavirus, the country, especially the national capital New Delhi has another challenge of rising pollution levels even before the festive season began. A day before Diwali, the Delhiites woke up under a blanket of smoggy sky as the air quality remained in the "poor" category with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 266. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the AQI index in the overall Delhi region was in the 'poor' category at 266, 'very poor' category in the Delhi University area at 329, 'poor' quality in Mathura Road and Lodhi Road at 293 and 218 respectively on Sunday morning. The levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 were recorded at 110 in the 'poor' and 237 in the 'moderate' category respectively. Meanwhile, Noida's overall air quality also stood in the 'very poor' category with the AQI at 311. However, the air quality in Gurugram stood in the 'moderate' category with an AQI of 139. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. Such high levels of pollution and smog levels become a cause of severe health diseases and ailments as they affect the breathe. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has banned the production, storage, sale, and bursting of crackers this year as well as fines and jail terms in case of violation. In a bid to reduce vehicular pollution, the Delhi government also announced the 'Red Light On Gaadi Off' campaign. Under the campaign, public representatives and officials will motivate commuters to turn their vehicles off at red lights in a bid to curb vehicular pollution. The air quality in the national capital is also affected because of stubble burning in surrounding Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan in the winter. As Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) continue to breathe toxic air, Chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute Dr Ashok Seth said that the pollution not only damages the lungs but it also affects our hearts. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condoled the demise of Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly Anand Mamani and said that he was a formidable leader who worked extensively for social empowerment. Mamani passed away late on Saturday night after battling ill health for over a month. Mamani was an MLA from the Savadatti Yellamma constituency. "Pained by the passing away of Shri Anand Mamani, the Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly. He was a formidable leader who worked extensively for social empowerment. He also worked to strengthen BJP across Karnataka. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," PM Modi said in a tweet. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also expressed grief over the death of the Assembly Deputy Speaker. In a condolence message, he said, "Manani had represented the Saudatti Assembly constituency for the last three consecutive times. His style of functioning was worth emulating. His concern for the poor was. unparallel. The state has lost a good politician and he has lost a good friend." "May the soul rest in peace and let God gives strength to his family members and fans to overcome this great loss," the Chief Minister added. Chief Minister also visited the Manipal Hospital in Bangalore to pay tribute to the Deputy Speaker. 56-year-old Anand Chandrashekhar Mamani inherited a political family. His father Chandrashekhar Mallikarjun Mamani was also the Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in the mid-1990. He also died when he was a deputy speaker. Anand Mamani joined BJP in 2008 after quitting JD(S). Consecutively for the three terms, he won from Savadatti Yellamma constituency for three terms in 2008, 2013 and 2018 on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket. (ANI) Education Department of Karnataka on Saturday withdrew an order to collect Rs 100 as monthly donations from parents for the development and management of the government primary and high schools after facing criticism from political parties and parents. On October 20, the Minister of School Education and Time, the Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) in Government Primary and High Schools, in its order, instructed the government primary and high schools to collect Rs 100 as a monthly donation from parents of each student for development work. The Government of Karnataka issued a statement by the Department of Public Education stating that "the circular issued on 20-10-2022 regarding acceptance has been withdrawn with immediate effect." Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy slammed the Karnataka government for collecting money from the parents of school students. "This government has become bankrupt that is why reason they are collecting money shamelessly," said the JDS leader. Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah claimed that the BJP wanted to loot the parents and all the previous programs announced by his government was stopped by the present BJP government and shamelessly this government is collecting money from the students for the development of the schools and the maintenance of the schools which is drastic. "@BJP4Karnataka government has now targeted poor students of government schools. After looting 40 per cent commission from government coffers, they now want to loot from the parents too," he said in a tweet. Siddaramaiah said that his government gave milk, cooked meals, uniform-shoes, vidyasiri and hostel facilities to the students. "This @BJP4Karnataka government took all these back one by one and now wants to take their money also," the former chief minister tweeted. The Congress leader further demanded the immediate withdrawal of the order. "The education department should immediately withdraw the order to collect money from the parents," he said and urged the government "to restart all the programs meant for students". (ANI) All the shops in the vicinity were closed after the accident. According to reports, the area is communally sensitive as a temple is located in an area with a Muslim population. "A large number of police personnel are deployed in the area," officials said. "We are investigating the case. Senior forensic experts have been called to the spot. Preservation of evidence is being done," P Thamarai Kannan, ADG Law and Order said. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained, the ADG said. "Prima facie it suggests that a gas leak from the vehicle led to the explosion soon after the vehicle went past a speed breaker at high speed," officials said. An investigation is underway in this matter. Further information is awaited. The driver of the car died on the spot. The body has been sent to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital Mortuary for post-mortem. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ayodhya for taking part in the Deepotsav celebrations today. Prime Minister was welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel. The 'janmbhoomi' of Lord Rama is all set to witness the grand 'Deepotsav' celebrations in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Deepawali. The Deepotsav, which is setting a new benchmark of records, will see Ayodhya adorned with countless indigenous and exotic flowers. Every intersection of Ayodhya is embellished with rangolis made of flowers to make the Deepotsav 2022 more magnificent. The bank of river Saryu has been beautifully decorated with earthen lamps set in a pattern that awaits their lighting as soon as the Sun sets. Security in Ayodhya has beefed up ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. The Yogi Adityanath government through the organisation of 'Deepotsav' will promote not only the state's spiritual and religious significance but also the 'Dhobia', and 'Faruwahi' dance artists. "The artistes of 'Braj' in Awadh will mesmerise the audience with the culture, language and unique characteristics of the land of Rama-Krishna," an official statement read. The banks of river Sarayu await to be lit up with lakhs of earthen lamps on the occasion of 'Deepotsav'. This year, out of 16 chariots 11 chariots are being prepared by the Information Department and 5 will be digital, which will be taken out on open trucks by the Department of Tourism. It will be based on scenes from the Ramayana era, in which the model of Ram temple and the model of development of 2047 Ayodhya will be presented. (ANI) A man was arrested for allegedly blackmailing, harassing and extorting Rs 7 lakh from the complainant in exchange for the deletion of pictures circulated online, said police officials on Sunday. The accused has been identified as Anshul Srivastava, a one-sided lover who bullied the accused through emails, messages and uploading pictures on social media without the consent of the complainant. "The woman filed a complaint that one person is continuously harassing, threatening, and bullying her through emails, messages and uploading pictures without her consent on various social media platforms. The accused was defaming her by sending her pictures to her friends and family and demanded Rs. 7,00,000 from the complainant to delete/remove the pictures from the sites," said Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West District, New Delhi, Manoj C. The police officials informed that one mobile phone, two sim cards, two ATM cards and one bank chequebook have been recovered from the accused's possession. "On October 21, the team with the help of local police staff succeeded to apprehend the accused and after sustained interrogation, he disclosed the commission of the crime. In his instance, one mobile phone, two alleged sim cards, two alleged atm cards and one bank chequebook were recovered," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police. On further interrogation, it was found that the accused was in love with the complainant and became over-possessive about her colleagues and friends. "Despite her not responding to his activities, he kept trying to impress her and kept sending e-mails. He used the app INDYCALL to use proxy numbers to call the complainant. Thereafter, he even threatened her elder sister to give him Rs. 10,00,000 or be engaged with him for his lustful desire to delete her sister's photos," said Manoj C. The police have registered an FIR under 354A/384/506/499/420/509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Ayodhya for taking part in the Deepotsav celebrations, on Sunday said the idea of "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas" has been inspired by the values and the rule of Lord Ram. On the eve of Diwali, Prime Minister performed the Rajyabhishek of the symbolic Bhagwan Shree Ram in Ayodhya. Addressing the gathering here, PM Modi said, "Shri Ramlala's 'Darshan' and then 'Rajyabhishek' of King Ram, this good fortune is obtained only by the grace of Lord Ram. When Shri Ram is consecrated, the ideals and values of Lord Rama become firm in us. Lord Ram is the inspiration behind Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas - he took everyone along, did not leave anyone behind," From the teachings of 'Kartavya Bal' by Lord Shri Ram, Prime Minister said the country has come up with the 'Kartavya Path' to honour his governance and establish India's identity globally. "Lord Rama is called Maryada Purushottam. Maryada teaches us to have respect and to give respect. And Maryada is the realization is the duty itself. Ram does not leave anyone behind. Ram does not turn his face away from duty. Ram, therefore, embodies the spirit of India, which believes that our rights are self-evident by our duties. This Deepawali has come at a time when we have completed 75 years of independence. 'Sankalp Shakti' of Lord Ram will take India to new heights," he added. Prime Minister arrived in Ayodhya for taking part in the Deepotsav celebrations today. He was welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Deepotsav of Ayodhya started six years ago with the guidance and inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This festival of Uttar Pradesh became a festival of the country. Today, it is touching new heights of success." Reaching Ayodhya, PM Modi inspected the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra site here on Sunday. He offered prayers to Lord Ramlala Virajman in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi. The Deepotsav, which is setting a new benchmark of records, will see Ayodhya adorned with countless indigenous and exotic flowers. Every intersection of Ayodhya is embellished with rangolis made of flowers to make the Deepotsav 2022 more magnificent. The bank of river Saryu has been beautifully decorated with earthen lamps set in a pattern that awaits their lighting as soon as the Sun sets. Security in Ayodhya has beefed up in view of the Prime Minister's visit. The Yogi Adityanath government through the organisation of 'Deepotsav' will promote not only the state's spiritual and religious significance but also the 'Dhobia', and 'Faruwahi' dance artists. The sixth edition of 'Deepotsav' celebrations started on Sunday morning with sixteen spectacular tableaux based on episodes from the Ramayana taken out in the holy city. Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh flagged off the themed tableaux, which were taken out from Udaya Intersection to Ram Katha Park in Ayodhya. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Ayodhya, on Sunday said Lord Ram is like a beacon for the entire world. PM Modi inaugurated the 'Deepotsav' celebrations in Ayodhya on Sunday. Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister said, "We begin our celebration with the declaration of 'Satyamev Jayate'. This celebration will revive the ethos of cultural India. Today is the day of a ray of hope, a ray of humankind, a ray of Janbhagidari, a ray of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas." "Lord Rama is the giver of light to the whole world. He is like a beacon for the entire world. From Deep to Deepawali, this is the philosophy of India, this is the thought of India, this is the eternal culture of India. Deepawali diyas are the living energy of India's ideals, values and philosophy," he added. PM Modi offered 'aarti' at New Ghat, Saryu River in Ayodhya. Earthen lamps were lit up on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya as part of the Deepotsav celebrations. On the eve of Deepawali, the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya turned into a sparkling utopia with innumerable diyas. Crackers lit up the skies of Ayodhya. The Ram Janmabhoomi witnessed a laser show as lakhs of earthen lamps lit up the Saryu river. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is on a visit to Ayodhya for taking part in the Deepotsav celebrations, on Sunday said the idea of "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas" is inspired by the values and the rule of Lord Ram. Prime Minister performed the Rajyabhishek of the symbolic Bhagwan Shree Ram in Ayodhya.Addressing the gathering here, PM Modi said, "Shri Ramlala's 'Darshan' and then 'Rajyabhishek' of King Ram, this good fortune is obtained only by the grace of Lord Ram. When Shri Ram is consecrated, the ideals and values of Lord Rama become firm in us. Lord Ram is the inspiration behind Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas - he took everyone along, did not leave anyone behind," From the teachings of 'Kartavya Bal' by Lord Shri Ram, Prime Minister said the country has come up with the 'Kartavya Path' to honour his governance and establish India's identity globally. "Lord Rama is called Maryada Purushottam. Maryada teaches us to have respect and to give respect. And Maryada is the realization is the duty itself. Ram does not leave anyone behind. Ram does not turn his face out of duty. Ram, therefore, embodies the spirit of India, which believes that our rights are self-evident by our duties. This Deepawali has come at a time when we have completed 75 years of independence. 'Sankalp Shakti' of Lord Ram will take India to new heights," he added. Prime Minister arrived in Ayodhya for taking part in the Deepotsav celebrations today. He was welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Deepotsav of Ayodhya started six years ago with the guidance and inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This festival of Uttar Pradesh became a festival of the country. Today, it is touching new heights of success." Reaching Ayodhya, PM Modi inspected the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra site here on Sunday. He offered prayers to Lord Ramlala Virajman in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi.The Deepotsav, which is setting a new benchmark of records, will see Ayodhya adorned with countless indigenous and exotic flowers. Every intersection of Ayodhya is embellished with rangolis made of flowers to make the Deepotsav 2022 more magnificent. The bank of river Saryu has been beautifully decorated with earthen lamps set in a pattern that awaits their lighting as soon as the Sun sets.Security in Ayodhya has beefed up in view of the Prime Minister's visit. The Yogi Adityanath government through the organization of 'Deepotsav' promoted not only the state's spiritual and religious significance but also the 'Dhobia', and 'Faruwahi' dance artists. The sixth edition of 'Deepotsav' celebrations started on Sunday morning with sixteen spectacular tableaux based on episodes from the Ramayana taken out in the holy city.Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh flagged off the themed tableaux, which were taken out from Udaya Intersection to Ram Katha Park in Ayodhya. (ANI) After the Central government cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), Congress MP and General Secretary Incharge of Communications Jairam Ramesh on Sunday called it a move by the Centre to divert public attention from the "deep crisis caused by spiralling prices, galloping unemployment and a falling rupee". Issuing a statement, Ramesh said the economy is in deep crisis caused by spiralling prices, galloping unemployment and a falling rupee. The Bharat Jodo Yatra has evoked a huge public response. He said people are fed up with the politics of hate and divisiveness. Over the Diwali weekend, he said the Ministry of Home Affairs cancelled the FCRA registrations of both the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT). "They recycle old charges against the RGF and RGCT. This is to defame and divert public attention from issues of day-to-day concern to them," Ramesh alleged. The Congress leader said the RGF was established in 1991 and has been engaged in development programs in various parts of India. Lakhs of people, including children, youth, women, and the disabled have benefited from the programs of these Trusts. The RGCT works in Northern India with a focus on the poorest regions of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan through development initiatives. RGCT was registered in 2002 as a professionally managed, not-for-profit institution to fulfill former PM Rajiv Gandhi's vision of an inclusive India, he said. The Trusts, Ramesh said have always been purely charitable in nature and comply with all laws and regulations. All statutory requirements of audit, program activity and financial disclosure, and filing of returns have been scrupulously followed every year by the Trusts. The background for the cancellation of the FCRA registration should be obvious to anyone who understands the nature of the present dispensation.He further said the RGF and RGCT will of course be responding to the charges hurled at it and take whatever action it deems appropriate legally. Their activities are completely open and transparent. They have rendered yeoman public service, Ramesh added. The Central government has cancelled the FCRA license of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, a non-government organization associated with the Gandhi family, for alleged violations of the foreign funding law, the government sources said on Sunday. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the registration of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) based on recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate investigations into violation of various legal provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. The committee formed by the MHA in July 2020 has pointed its findings about the violations of various FCRA norms that have resulted in the cancellation of the registration of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which was established in 1991, the officer privy to the development said. An inquiry started against the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in July 2020 when the MHA constituted an inter-ministerial committee headed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer to investigate three Gandhi family foundations-- Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust-- for possible violations of the money laundering act, Income Tax act and FCRA. The committee comprised officers from the MHA, Ministry of Finance as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and was mandated to investigate if the trusts, run by the Gandhi family and other Congress leaders, manipulated any documents while filing income tax or misused and laundered money received from foreign countries. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Among other trustees of the NGO are former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, and members of Parliament Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.Rajiv Gandhi Foundation came under the scanner in July 2020, when the MHA set up an inter-ministerial committee headed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer to investigate three Gandhi family foundations-- Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust-- for any possible violations of the money laundering act, Income Tax act and FCRA. The committee comprised officers from the Union home and finance ministries as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It was mandated to investigate if these trusts run by the Gandhi family and other Congress leaders manipulated any documents while filing income tax or misused and laundered money received from foreign countries. (ANI) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) politburo member and former minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Sunday accused Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy of pushing the future of youth in the state into "oblivion". "YSRCP Government in the past three years has only been trying to defend itself from the blunders it has committed and also making every effort to come out of the huge debts. There is no development in the YSRCP rule and the welfare schemes are not being implemented at all," he said. The Former Minister alleged that poverty and social imbalance are rising in the state of Andhra Pradesh under the current regime. "As per the reports submitted by international organizations, poverty in the State is going up every day, and the imbalances in the society to are on the rise. As Jagan Mohan Reddy is utilizing the funds raised through debts for his personal use development is taking a back seat," he said. He further accused the government of submitting "false accounts" to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in fear of getting "exposed". "The CAG report clearly mentioned that the debt burden on the state is far higher than the permitted levels. This apart, the Government is submitting false accounts to the CAG. The Ministers concerned are totally misleading the CAG and other wings with a fear that the Government's misdeeds will get exposed," he said. "There is no revenue for the State and the entire system got collapsed, he said adding that the State Government is also not taking any measures to increase the resources thus pushing the future of the youth into total uncertainty. This Government has no right to continue in power even for a day," he further said. The TDP politburo member also demanded that the centre take proper action on the matter. "Except issuing warnings to the State proper action has not been initiated yet by the Centre and at least now stringent action be taken against the State Government in the interest of the people," he added. Yanamala Ramakrishnudu further said that if the state is to progress economically and industrially, the people should "bid goodbye" to Jagan. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and performed darshan and pooja of Lord Rama here on the eve of Diwali. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "I had the privilege of worshipping Lord Shri Ramlala on this holy land of Ayodhya. I wished for the progress of the nation and well-being of all the countrymen." The Prime Minister inspected the site of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. He also interacted with people associated with the project. "Inspected the ongoing construction works in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. It is going to be a wonderfully grand complex, which will attract devotees from all over the world," he said in another tweet. Modi inaugurated the 'Deepotsav' celebrations in Ayodhya on Sunday. He also offered 'aarti' at New Ghat, Saryu River in Ayodhya. Earthern lamps lit up on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya as part of the Deepotsav celebrations. A new Guinness World Record for the 'largest display of oil lamps' was set when more than 15.76 lakh earthen lamps were lit at the 'Ram ki Paidi' during the Yogi government's Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is on a visit to Ayodhya for taking part in the Deepotsav celebrations, on Sunday said the idea of "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas" is inspired by the values and the rule of Lord Ram. Prime Minister performed the Rajyabhishek of the symbolic Bhagwan Shree Ram in Ayodhya.Addressing the gathering here, PM Modi said, "Shri Ramlala's 'Darshan' and then 'Rajyabhishek' of King Ram, this good fortune is obtained only by the grace of Lord Ram. When Shri Ram is consecrated, the ideals and values of Lord Rama become firm in us. Lord Ram is the inspiration behind Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas - he took everyone along, did not leave anyone behind." From the teachings of 'Kartavya Bal' by Lord Shri Ram, Prime Minister said the country has come up with the 'Kartavya Path' to honour his governance and establish India's identity globally. "Lord Rama is called Maryada Purushottam. Maryada teaches us to have respect and to give respect. And Maryada is the realization is the duty itself. Ram does not leave anyone behind. Ram does not turn his face out of duty. Ram, therefore, embodies the spirit of India, which believes that our rights are self-evident by our duties. This Deepawali has come at a time when we have completed 75 years of independence. 'Sankalp Shakti' of Lord Ram will take India to new heights," he added. Prime Minister arrived in Ayodhya for taking part in the Deepotsav celebrations today. He was welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel. Speaking at the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Deepotsav of Ayodhya started six years ago with the guidance and inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This festival of Uttar Pradesh became a festival of the country. Today, it is touching new heights of success." (ANI) Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu on Sunday hit back at Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and said that his order demanding the resignation of the vice-chancellors of nine universities in the state was unfortunate. Addressing the media here on Sunday, R Bindu said, "The governor's action is a unilateral one. The order, which was taken without consulting the government, is regrettable. "This is an attempt to create stagnation in the higher education sector. The decision is a setback for the sector without a doubt," she further said. "To date, has any governor issued such an order in the country? This is a painful situation. This can be seen as part of a thought to interfere in government activities. In the higher education sector, our universities are making exceptional achievements," she added. She also said that the universities were doing well under the vice-chancellors whose resignation was demanded by the Governor. "Under the leadership of these VCs, Kerala University has got A++ and Calicut, Kaladi and Cusat Universities has got A +," she said condemning the move. Meanwhile, Kerala Law and Industries Minister P Rajeev on Thursday reacted to the order of state Governor Arif Mohammad Khan to sack 15 members of Kerala University and said that he would check if the passed order was procedural."Everything must be legal here, I will check whether the order was based on some procedure or not," Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev said. Terming the university an "autonomous institution", Rajeev had said that he will probe the orders of the governor."The University is an autonomous institution. Everything must be legal here. If you look at the court's judgments, you will understand how to use the concept of pressure. At first glance, this is not a common occurrence by the Governor. I will check whether the order which sacked the senate members was based on procedures," Rajeev said addressing a press conference in Kochi. Kerala Governor, who is at loggerheads with the state government over various issues, criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government for its liquor policy earlier on Saturday and said that the state is on the process of replacing Punjab as the "capital of drugs". Governor Khan said that while everyone was carrying out campaigns against the consumption of alcohol, the state government of Kerala was encouraging it. "Finance minister whose main source of revenue is alcohol and lottery, is raising the question whether the governor who is from UP can understand the Kerala education system. But I would advise him that don't make the same comment about the judges of SC," he said. (ANI) Researchers have said that combining two strategies - spacing and retrieval practice - is key to success when trying to ace a test or pick up a new hobby. Iowa State Psychology Professor Shana Carpenter is the lead author of a paper in Nature Reviews Psychology that examined more than 100 years of research on learning. "The benefits of spacing and retrieval practice have been confirmed over and over in studies in labs, classrooms, and workplaces, but the reason why we're showcasing this research is that these two techniques haven't fully caught on. If they were utilized all the time, we'd see drastic increases in learning," said Carpenter. In the paper, Carpenter and her co-authors describe spacing as a strategy to learn in small doses over time. It's the opposite of cramming the night before an exam. In one study, medical students who received repeated surgery training over three weeks performed better and faster on tests 2 weeks and 1 year later compared to medical students who had the same training all on one day. Carpenter says there isn't a universal rule about how much time to schedule between practice sessions. But research shows returning to the material after forgetting some - but not all - of the content is effective. Retrieval practice is a strategy that involves recalling what was learned previously. It can take many forms, including flashcards, practice tests and open-ended writing prompts and helps learners recognize what they do and don't know. The paper's authors emphasize that people who check their responses for errors or get feedback right away learn even better. More than 200 studies show people generally retain more information for longer periods of time with retrieval practice compared to strategies that do not involve retrieval (e.g., re-reading a textbook.) The authors argue people who combine spacing and retrieval practice have the best chance of remembering information. "Forgetting is a very natural thing; you can't stop forgetting even if you try, but you can slow down forgetting by using retrieval practice and spacing," said Carpenter. Highlighters and illusions of learning Students studying at Iowa State University. Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University Carpenter says false beliefs about learning are part of the reason retrieval practice and spacing aren't used more widely. "Probably the number one misconception is that learning has to feel easy in order to be working, and that's just not true at all. You'll learn more durably and more effectively if you persist and get through those challenges than if it had felt easy the whole time," said Carpenter. Simply highlighting or re-reading a textbook feels easier than writing responses to practice essay questions. But without the knowledge check that comes with trying to retrieve learned information, there's a greater risk of being lulled into what the authors call an "illusion of learning." Carpenter acknowledges many people do not like making mistakes or realizing they don't understand the material as well as they thought. It may dredge up insecurities, a fear of failing or some other emotion they want to avoid. But there's a good chance they'll eventually have to confront what they don't know when the stakes are higher, like during an exam or presentation at work. Bringing it into the classroom Carpenter says she uses digital tools (e.g., online practice quizzes, and clicker questions) to incorporate retrieval practice and spacing into her university courses, but there are other ways to bring these strategies into the classroom. She gives the example of an elementary school math teacher whose techniques were highlighted at a recent conference. A few days after a lesson on fractions, the teacher asked her students to share whatever they could remember about fractions. It was an open-ended and communal activity. "The more they talked, the more they started to remember, and those kids were excited to talk about fractions," said Carpenter. She shares another story of a middle school teacher who routinely projects practice questions from previous lessons on a screen. The students jot down responses on note cards and then check their answers on their own or discuss them as a group. Carpenter emphasizes the teachers in both examples did not grade the activities. Rather, they provided low- and no-stakes practice opportunities to help students learn and recognize mistakes as an important part of that process, which benefits students beyond the classroom. "Learning how to learn is going to ensure that anywhere you go after the formal education years, you're going to know how to learn something and be successful," she said. (ANI) Photo: The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck A woman walks past a person using a glass pipe to smoke drugs in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. More than a million Americans have lost their lives in this century on account of drug overdoses. In Canada, the number of daily opioid-related deaths has grown dramatically, from eight in 2016 to 21 in 2022. This crisis is not going away, and the views of the two countrys residents can differ greatly. Research Co. and Glacier Media asked Canadians and Americans earlier this month about the current situation. In Canada, we see no change on one item from our previous survey in 2021: 45 per cent of the countrys residents describe the current situation related to the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in their community as a major problem. In the United States, 60 per cent of Americans call the opioid crisis a major problem, up seven points since our poll in 2020. There is a significant gender gap when it comes to the perceptions of the opioid crisis. Two-thirds of American women (66 per cent) and half of Canadian women (50 per cent) concur about the gravity of the problem. The proportions of men who feel the same way are lower in both the United States (53 per cent) and Canada (38 per cent). Canadians and Americans find common ground on some possible solutions. More than four in five endorse two courses of action: launching more education and awareness campaigns about drug use (84 per cent in Canada and 88 per cent in the United States) and creating more spaces for drug rehabilitation (82 per cent in Canada and 84 per cent in the United States). Three in four Canadians and Americans (75 per cent in each country) also think it is time to reduce the prescription of opioids by medical professionals. In Canada, where this component has not been debated as heavily as in the United States, support for this policy is up by six points. Majorities in each country agree with two other ideas: establishing safe supply programs where alternatives to opioids can be prescribed by health professionals (74 per cent in Canada and 80 per cent in the United States) and setting up more harm reduction strategies, such as legal supervised injection sites (63 per cent in Canada and 56 per cent in the United States). On a different proposal, the perceptions of Canadians and Americans are growing apart. For the first time, two in five Canadians (40 per cent, up seven points) are in favour of decriminalizing all drugs for personal use. In the United States, just over a third of residents feel the same way (35 per cent, down 12 points). Politically, the notion of a blanket drug decriminalization resonates positively with Canadians who voted for the New Democrats (50 per cent) and the Liberals (48 per cent) in the 2021 federal election, but not with those who cast ballots for Conservative candidates (27 per cent). In the United States, the fluctuations are not as severe: 40 per cent among Democrats, 34 per cent among Independents and 31 per cent among Republicans. Age plays a big role in the national numbers. While 45 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 would decriminalize all drugs for personal use, support drops to 41 per cent among those aged 35 to 54 and 34 per cent among those aged 55 and over. In the United States, most residents aged 18 to 34 (53 per cent) endorse decriminalization, compared with 36 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and just 24 per cent of those aged 55 and over. When asked to rate the performance of political leaders on the opioid crisis, Canadians are ambivalent. More than a third (36 per cent, up two points since 2021) rate the work of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal government as very good or good. The satisfaction levels are similar for Canadas mayors and councils (38 per cent, up one point), premiers and provincial governments (36 per cent, down three points), members of Parliament (34 per cent, up one point) and members of provincial legislatures (35 per cent, up two points) The decline is precipitous for American policy makers. Only 34 per cent of Americans think President Joe Biden has handled the opioid crisis properly. Two years ago, almost half (46 per cent) thought Donald Trump was doing a good job. We also see major drops in the proportion of Americans who are satisfied with the work of Congress (19 per cent, down 25 points), their governors and state administrations (36 per cent, down 22 points) and their mayors and local governments (39 per cent, down 19 points) to deal with the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in their community. There is a continental consensus on some aspects of the opioid crisis, but not on others. While Canadians are just as worried as they were a year ago, they are now more supportive of decriminalization. Americans, who will participate within weeks in local and federal elections, appear to be more growing tired of their elected officials but are less likely to embrace a major policy change. Mario Canseco is president of Research Co. Results are based on online studies conducted from Oct. 15 to Oct. 17, 2022, among representative samples of 1,000 adults in Canada and the United States. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian and U.S. census figures for age, gender and region in each country. The margin of error which measures sample variability is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Unidentified attackers killed a police constable stationed in the Turangzai Muftiabad area of Charsadda, The Express Tribune reported. The assailants managed to escape after the incident, the report added. Another policeman was killed in indiscriminate firing at the Azam Warsak police station in South Waziristan. The surge in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat District has given rise to the fear that the presence of militants and violence is making a comeback after more than a decade. Residents of Swat returned to the streets earlier this month against the wave of terrorism this week, triggered by the attack on a school van, killing the driver and injuring two children, the Dawn newspaper reported. They demanded authorities clamp down on the increased militant activity in the region. In a report titled "Swat: The Valley of Doom", the Al Arabiya Post said, "Swat is strategically located in the Malakand division, forming a core around which the rest of the Malakand districts border with." "If the militants are able to strengthen themselves in the region, it could affect the neighbouring countries as well," the report said. Earlier this month, Pakistan's State Minister for Law Shahadat Hussain conceded that terror activities had witnessed a sharp increase. 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 said in an earlier report 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). (ANI) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping who secured an unprecedented third term as the leader of the Chinese Community Party. Xi was elected general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the state media outlet Xinhua reported today. "The results of the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party fully confirmed your high political authority and the unity of the party you head," Putin said in his congratulatory message posted on the Kremlin website. "I am certain that the resolutions of the Congress will help successfully implement the grand social and economic tasks facing China, and will assist in strengthening the country's position in the international arena," he added. Putin also expressed hope for "constructive dialogue and close joint work to develop the relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic alliance between our two states." Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, China has been among the few countries that have refused to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and continue to provide tacit support to Putin's Russia. The US-led sanctions have trimmed Russia's oil revenue but China remains one of the largest buyers of Russian oil, at a much cheaper rate than before the start of the conflict. Writing for Portal Plus, Valerio Fabbri contended that under the current geopolitical scenario, diplomatic relations between Russia and China are getting stronger as Russia has become dependent on China. "But for China's reliance on Russia as a geopolitical partner, however, is more of a dilemma especially given its stance for peace," he added. Oksana Lesnyak, an academic at the Kyiv-based Center for Global Studies Strategy XXI, pointed out that China's imports from Russia jumped a record 80 per cent in May over the same month last year. Lesnyak said Chinese car brands ranked second in sales in Russia in July while Chinese smartphones accounted for two-thirds of all new sales in Russia between April and June, Portal Plus reported. (ANI) Britain's former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday declared his candidature to contest the UK Prime Ministerial race after Liz Truss resigned as PM and left the country in a state of political turmoil. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer of Indian descent confirmed the decision through his social media and said that he wants to fix Britain's economy which is in a major crisis at present. In a tweet, Sunak tweeted and said, "The United Kingdom is a great country, but we face a profound economic crisis. That's why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister." "I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country," Sunak wrote. Sunak's announcement comes after Truss' resignation as Prime Minister on Thursday as the opposition reiterated its demand for a general election. On Friday, Penny Mordaunt, the Tory leader in the House of Commons too threw her hat in the ring. "I've been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest," Mordaunt tweeted. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson also landed in Britain on Saturday from a Caribbean holiday to launch a formal bid for the Conservative Party leadership. Johnson was forced to step down on July 7 following a series of resignations of cabinet members, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership. However, Johnson now expressed his willingness to enter the PM race, saying he is "up for it." Tory MPs will vote on Monday, and two candidates will be put forward to the Tory leadership unless one backpedals from the race. The result will be announced on Friday, October 28. Notably, Truss became the shortest-serving British PM after she stepped down just 45 days after she was elected as Britain's leader, stating that she recognizes she "cannot deliver the mandate" on which she was elected. Truss said she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week. In view of Truss' resignation, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer issued a scathing statement that ripped into the Conservative Party and called for a general election. "After 12 years of Tory failure the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos. We need a general election now," he said. The resignation of Truss was preceded by the sacking of UK Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng and the resignation of Home Secretary Suella Braverman. (ANI) Afghanistan's representative to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq demanded a committee to investigate and report the targeted attacks against the Hazaras, which he termed as "acts of genocide". While speaking at the Committee on Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Affairs of the UN General Assembly, he accused the Taliban of not being able to establish security till now, the Khama Press reported. His statement came in the wake of the deadly attack on the Kaaj education centre in the Afghan capital. He expressed his concern about the targeting of children from a particular ethnic group. Faiq demanded a committee to investigate and report on serious human rights violations, citing the most recent attack on the Kaaj education centre as evidence that Hazaras are systematically targeted in these attacks. The representatives of the country in the UN also termed this situation as "extremely worrying", reported Khama Press. He elaborated his demand saying that a fact-finding committee will be able to look into and report on all serious violations of human rights, such as the genocide of Hazaras, forced migration, and extrajudicial killings of people without a fair trial. A serious violation of human rights, according to him, includes "killings without trial, torture, harsh treatment, and arbitrary arrests of former security forces, journalists, human rights defenders, and people connected to the resistance front." The Afghan representative also highlighted the Taliban's "hostility" against Afghan women and termed the situation as worrying. "The Taliban must be put under the necessary pressure by the international community in order to hold them responsible for their crimes," Faiq said. This comes at a time when the international community is concerned about the growing human rights violations of the Taliban resulting in the deterioration of the human rights situation in Afghanistan, reported Khama Press. Earlier on September 30, a terrorist attack at the Kaaj education centre west of Kabul killed over 54 students, mostly girls. It led to worldwide protests and Twitter campaigns around the world raising the topic of the Hazara genocide. After the attack on the Kaaj education centre on September 30, protests around the world began in Sydney, Australia, and later spread to more than 100 cities, parallel to the Twitter campaign. The Hazara demonstrations still continue bringing numerous people to the streets screaming for justice. Thousands marched in London, the capital of England on Wednesday to raise the topic of the Hazara genocide to the British Parliament, reported The Khaama Press. The violent persecution of the Afghan Shia Hazara goes back more than a century but has reached unprecedented levels in the last year under the Taliban. The targeting of Hazara houses of worship, schools, and other public places has intensified since the Taliban took control last year. In the last year, the Islamic State of Khorasan has claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against Hazaras. Approximately 700 people have been killed or injured in these attacks. (ANI) As crime charts continue to climb in Pakistan, a police official was killed in a terrorist attack on Friday night at a police station in the tribal district of South Waziristan. Dawn reported that the attack occurred in the Azam Warsak area of the South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to police officials, the attackers fired rockets at the police station near the Afghan border, which resulted in the killing of an officer on duty who was identified as Moharrar (investigating officer) Fazal Malik. Notably, it was the third attack on the police station in the Azam Warsak area near Wana town in Pakistan. In a separate incident, a police constable was killed when unidentified armed men on a motorcycle gunned him down in the Muftiabad locality of Tarangzai in the Charsadda district on Saturday. The victim was identified as Bilal who was posted at the rank of constable to the Munda headworks police post, Tangi. He was going to the election commission office in Charsadda when he was attacked by armed men and later succumbed to injuries, Dawn reported. The attackers fled the scene after the incident. An investigation is underway. Clashes between security forces and suspected terrorists in the North Waziristan tribal district have become quite frequent in recent months. In recent months, several cases of firings and bomb attacks have been reported in Pakistan. These increased terror activities in Pakistan border areas, especially in the North Waziristan district have been claiming the lives of several Pakistani soldiers. Reportedly, these militants have their bases in Afghanistan. They enter Pakistan from Afghanistan and after launching attacks on the former, retreat to their bases in Afghanistan. (ANI) Asad Majeed Khan, former Pakistan's Ambassador to the US signed the most expensive contract with an American lobbyist. He had already signed one of the most expensive lobbying deals with another firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP for the same purpose, reported The News International. During his tenure as ambassador to the United States, he signed one of the most-costly contracts. As per the agreement, a copy is available with The News, Pakistan Embassy had agreed to pay USD 100,000 monthly (USD 1.2 million annually) to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP. However, despite having an active lobbying contract with such an expensive firm, the ambassador had signed a new agreement with Fenton Arlok for the same purpose. The monthly payment as agreed with Fenton Arlok was USD 30,000. On March 21, 2022, just five days before Imran Khan disclosed the alleged regime change conspiracy, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan signed a lobbying deal with Fenton Arlok LLC Later, the same organisation became PTI's lobbyist too, reported The News International. It's interesting to note that over four months prior to this agreement, Asad Majeed Khan had already recruited Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, another lobbying company, to enhance ties between the United States and Pakistan. Five months later, in August 2022, Imran Khan's party engaged Fenton Arlok LLC to promote the party's image in the United States. The PTI, on the other hand, agreed to pay the lobbying company USD 25,000 every month, reported The News International. As per the contract signed between the Pakistan Embassy in the United States and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, "The Firm shall provide general governmental relations services, to include providing policy advice and advocating on behalf of the Embassy before the US Congress, the Executive Branch, and relevant third-party organisations in Washington, DC. "Upon execution of this agreement, our monthly retainer fee for this matter will be USD 100,000 inclusive of charges and expenses saved for business-related travel to Pakistan, effective for an initial annual term, at which time this agreement will be re-evaluated. Pakistan will be invoiced for this retainer quarterly in advance and no work will begin until the invoice has been paid," reads the agreement. Diplomatic sources raised the question - when the embassy already had a lobbying firm on its retainership and that too at a very high price, what was the reason for hiring another firm for the same job? reported The News International. What was the urgent need for hiring Fenton Arlok when the embassy already agreed with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP? The sources also questioned if the prime minister was in the loop while signing the deal with the firm. This comes at a time when Pakistan is going through one of the worst floods in its history and is asking for aid from various countries to fight back the water-borne diseases, such as typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis and hepatitis A and E and vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever. (ANI) Cultural Counsellor of the Iranian Embassy, Dr Muhammad Ali Rabbani on Sunday said that Kashmir is a safe and peaceful place and appreciated the natural beauty of Kashmir. In a conference organized by the Jammu and Kashmir People's Justice Front on the common cultural and heritage relations between Iran and India at Gund Khawaja Qasim village of Tehsil Pattan in District Baramulla, Rabbani was the chief guest. Rabbani in his address said, "After visiting Kashmir, I really felt that this is a safe and peaceful place. I am very happy to see people from different parts of the world who come to see and appreciate the natural beauty of Kashmir." He requested the people of Iran to come to Kashmir so that they too can enjoy the hospitality and natural beauty over here. Other scholars of Kashmir valley and India also participated in this conference. JK People's Justice Front's Chairman Agha Syed Abbas Rizvi presided over the conference. At the conference, scholars shed light on the common cultural and heritage relations between India and Iran. Rabbani while addressing the conference said that since ancient times there have always been good relations between Iran and India and in the future will continue. There will be no decline in the affinity and relationship between the two nations. "Being in India, I felt that the Shiites are safe here, as, in some countries, images of anti-humanity come out, but on the contrary, in India, there is clear evidence of philanthropy. In India, Hindus and Brahmins also participate in the religious festivals of the Shias. This is the finest example of religious harmony, visible to the world," said the Iranian counsellor. Speaking about Kashmir, he said, "God gave me this great privilege that we visited Kashmir and got the love of people. I am thankful to Rizvi Sahib for inviting me to come to Kashmir." In his address, Dr Rabbani said that in other countries, issues of humanity, language and religious enmity occur, but that is not the case in India. He said, "You see how other countries have relations with each other, but in every respect, the strong relationship between Iran and India in terms of culture, is unmatched. We have learnt here to date that there is no discrimination between Shia or Sunni or Sikh or Hindu in India. People are taught to live together. India is an example of complete religious harmony and coexistence." Rabbani also mentioned the academic achievements of India in his address regarding educational links. He said, "Before Islam, medicine, astrology, philosophy and other education streams were taught in the educational institutions of Nishapur, in which experts from India were present and used to teach." "People were enlightened by the light of education. After Islam, the four things that were focused on were intellect, mysticism, the sermon of Ahl al-Bayt and literature and respect which is found especially in India and Kashmir," added Rabbani. Agha Syed Abbas Rizvi also addressed the conference and said that Kashmiris are lucky that they are living in India where there is religious freedom while the neighbouring country does not have this kind of freedom. He also stressed the mutual relations between Iran and India. He said that India and Iran should always be with each other in every respect. (ANI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday extended his wishes to Xi Jinping after he clinched the third term in a historical election as a leader of the Chinese Communist Party. As the once-in-five-year National Congress concluded on Saturday, the Chinese top leader, Xi was elected general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Taking to social media, Shehbaz Sharif said that the Chinese Presidents' re-election is his "unwavering devotion" to serving the people of China. In a tweet, he wrote, "On behalf of the entire Pakistani nation, I congratulate President Xi Jinping on his reelection as CPC General Secretary for the 3rd term. It is a glowing tribute to his sagacious stewardship and unwavering devotion to serving the people of China." The all-men Politburo Standing Committee, including four newcomers, are all Xi loyalists, and the top aides of Xi Jinping were promoted in Communist Party of China's Politburo Standing Committee but no woman could find a place in the top leadership position for the first time in years, according to the newly released list by state media. CCP's new Politburo has no female members for the first time in over two decades. American broadcaster CNN reported that the last time there were no women among the full Politburo members at the 15th Party Congress was in 1997. Meanwhile, Pakistan President Arif Alvi also congratulated his Chinese counterpart on securing the third term and described him as a true friend of Pakistan. "I extend my heartiest congratulations to H.E. Xi Jinping on his reelection as CPC General Secretary and my best wishes for his health and happiness. He is a true friend of Pakistan and champion of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China," Alvi tweeted. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday also congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping who secured an unprecedented third term as the leader of the Chinese Community Party. "The results of the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party fully confirmed your high political authority and the unity of the party you head," Putin said in his congratulatory message posted on the Kremlin website. "I am certain that the resolutions of the Congress will help successfully implement the grand social and economic tasks facing China, and will assist in strengthening the country's position in the international arena," he added. After being elected as the country's top leader, Xi Jinping is now among the most influential leaders China has seen since the Chinese Communist Party was founded by Mao Zedong. The congress took place at one of the most perilous periods in international affairs in recent years. A war is raging in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin attempts to burnish his credentials as a great Russian leader, and China remains a staunch supporter of this would-be tsar.At the same time, Taiwan Strait tensions are at their highest in decades, as Beijing attempts to pummel Taipei into acquiescence. Furthermore, at the closing ceremony of the Chinese National Congress, the Communist Party claimed Taiwan as its territory, despite the fact that they have never controlled it, reported CNN. (ANI) In a rare instance, the defence secretary of the United States had a telephonic call with the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu on Friday and discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported citing the defence ministry from both countries. The talks came straight after the Kremlin officials in Ukraine said they were turning the country's southern city of Kherson into a "fortress" due to the advancement of Ukraine forces. Giving slight details about the call that took place between the two countries as the war between Russia and Ukraine escalate, the Pentagon on Friday emphasised the need for lines of communication amid the war in Ukraine. "Topical issues of international security - including the situation in Ukraine - were discussed," Al Jazeera reported citing Russia's defence ministry. Since the Russia-Ukraine war started on February 24, the recent call is only the second one taking place between the two nations. Earlier in May, Austin had urged Moscow to implement an "immediate ceasefire". Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also held a call with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Sunday. Russian defence minister, Shoigu alleged that Ukraine was planning actions facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine, responding to which the British defence secretary Wallace said that such allegations should not be used and refuted all the claims, according to the official statement of Government of UK. The Defence Secretary also reiterated the UK and wider international support for Ukraine and the desire to de-escalate this conflict. "It is for Ukraine and Russia to seek a resolution to the war and the UK stands ready to assist," the official statement read. Furthermore, Ukraine claimed recently it had retaken a total of 88 towns and villages in the region. Russia started its military operation in Ukraine in the last week of February this year, resulting in a large-scale humanitarian situation. The war between Russia and Ukraine has only escalated after a truck recently exploded on the Crimea road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. (ANI) In an open letter to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the former NA speaker Asad Qaiser wrote that the situation should be looked into as the Constitution guarantees the protection of life, ARY news reported. "The Parliament possesses extraordinary sanctity in the political system in terms of role and status He added that the Constitution guarantees the protection of life, property, dignity and honour of the citizens," Qaiser wrote in his letter. Adding further, Qaiser stated that Islamabad police violated the rules and regulations and arrested the PTI MNA Muhammad on a baseless charge, adding that the officials showcased bad behaviour with the MNA Saleh Muhammad by releasing his photo with a white slate that showed his details around his neck, according to ARY news. "As the leader of the House, it is necessary for you to take notice of this action by the police," he wrote in his letter to the NA speaker. Qaiser further criticised the police misconduct and stated the action caused pain to the MNA, his family and the political party, and the police defamed and insulted the parliament. Demanding the summon of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the former member of the National Assembly, Qaiser said that those responsible for the misconduct should be suspended with immediate effect, ARY News reported. (ANI) Photo: Contributed Have you ever been in a situation where a stranger made a wrong assumption about you? I experienced that twice in a 12-hour period of time recently. As I signed myself and a friend into the pool at the hotel we were staying at, the man taking the information assumed I was my friend Meaghans mother. Yes, Im old enough to have given birth to her, but I didnt. Then, the next morning, a similar thing happened. I stepped into the elevator with my coffee in hand at the same time as a man I didnt know. We were soon joined by a third person who struck up a conversation that made it clear he thought we were a couple. Later, when we were floating in the ocean, my friend saw something bobbing in front of her and assumed it was a log. It wasnt until someone asked us if wed seen the turtles that she realized it wasnt driftwood that she had spotted. Her assumption stopped her from looking closer at the object in the water. Fortunately, we didnt miss our chance to see those amazing creatures. They were still swimming around us once we realized what they were. Assumption: something you accept as true without question or proof. Cambridge Dictionary Everybody makes assumptions, but theyre sneaky. You probably dont even notice youre doing it. If a car speeds past you, you may assume the drivers an idiot. But maybe theyre rushing someone to the hospital. The human brain likes to make sense of the world. Give it a few dots and it will join them together. It isnt really concerned whether the conclusion it draws is true or not. You may think you understand why a person made a specific decision, took a particular course of action, or uttered certain words, but do you really? Assumptions are typically based on your own past experiences and desires, rather than facts and evidence. The problem with assumptions is you use them to make judgements and decisions. Believing you wont be considered for a job you want might stop you from applying for it. Thinking a co-worker doesnt like you can affect how you feel about going to work. Assuming your romantic partner isnt in love with you anymore has the potential to make you pull away. As with any personal development, awareness is the first step to transformation. The next time you notice youve arrived at a conclusion about someone or something, stop and ask yourself, How do I know that? Do I have evidence, or am I indulging in an assumption? By stopping to do some fact-checking first, you can avoid falling into the assumption trap and avoid potential problems and drama. After all, arent we all craving a peaceful life? This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Afghans complained of a lack of good markets for their products to be displayed and expressed frustration in the 27th autumn exhibition of agriculture products held recently, Khaama Press reported. The participants of the exhibition called upon the Taliban to facilitate markets for their products at the national and international levels as the economic slump does not provide for the selling of products in the country. "We hope that next time when such exhibits are being held, the participants who come from the provinces will not be asked to pay for the rent of their exhibits," said Naseema, a participant. "They must improve it. They must pay attention to the marketing and encourage the people," another participant said, reported Khaama Press. Separately, a visitor said, "Any government that comes into power should support the private sector, whether they are small or big private sector organizations." The Afghanistan Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock (ACAL) stated that holding such exhibitions is very important for supporting local products, Khaama Press reported. Several Afghan experts said the establishment of an inclusive government could be a pathway to ending challenges that currently exist in Afghanistan. The international community has spelt out at least four conditions before recognizing the Taliban government: forming an inclusive government, respect for the rights of women and girls and other minorities, as well as that Afghanistan not becoming a haven for insurgent groups. This comes at a time when Afghanistan is facing a dire situation as a result of the takeover by the Taliban in August 2021. The Taliban's swift rise to power resulted in economic disorder and food shortages that pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis. (ANI) An International Conference titled "INSTC (International North South Transport Corridor) and Chabahar Port in Iran: An alternative to BRI" was held on Friday at Ala-Too University in Kyrgyzstan's capital city Bishkek. The conference was jointly organized by the Ala-Too University, Bishkek, and a think tank Burana Institute, Bishkek. The conference was jointly inaugurated by Dr Zhydyzbek Zhakshylykov, Head of Science and Innovation Department, Ministry of Education, Kyrgyz Republic, and Dr Sanzharbek Erdolatov, Rector, Ala-Too University, Bishkek, the think tank informed in a release. Eminent scholars from Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Poland, Sweden, England, India, and Kyrgyzstan presented papers highlighting the importance and advantages of INSTC and Chabahar port for land-locked Central Asian, CIS countries and Russia. Professor Ali Omidi from the University of Isfahan, Iran while speaking at the conference, spoke on Iran's role in strengthening Eurasian cooperation through the corridor. He also quoted the phrase "If you want to become Powerful, First Make a Road." While talking about the geopolitical importance of INSTC and Chabahar Port for India, the author said "The INSTC and Chabahar-Central Asia Corridors are of strategic importance for India, as they facilitate trade with Russia, Europe, as well as Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing its regional rival, Pakistan." "But the main goal of New Delhi through the North-South Corridor and Chabahar-Central Asia is to increase its geopolitical influence in the resource-rich republics of Central Asia, which India considers as a source of energy supply and a large market for Indian goods," he said. "Chabahar port for India will reduce the transportation costs by 60% and the time of transporting goods to Central Asia by 50%. India's first export shipment from Chabahar was destined to Afghanistan in 2017 in the form of a 130,000-ton wheat shipment," he said as per the think tank. Emphasizing Iran's geographical location, he called Iran's position as strategic by saying "Iran's position in the INSTC and Chabahar-Central Asia is strategic because of its geographical location that connects the Persian Gulf to Afghanistan and Eurasia." "Of course, Iran does not see itself as the stage of geopolitical rivalry between regional and global powers and welcomes infrastructure investments from different countries," he said. Professor Sos Khachikyan from the Armenian State University of Economics during her presentation focussed on India-Iran relations within the INSTC-Armenia context. She spoke in detail about the INSTC project from the Armenian perspective, which is a thought-provoking one. In his speech, he said that India and Iran have the potential, as well as the necessity to be involved in worldwide transnational projects because of the following two factors: - "Firstly, India is one of the emerging countries of the world with significant technological achievements and an increasing role in the Pacific region. Secondly, Iran proved the ability to provide technological development under the sanctions and to have a decisive role in regional stability," she said. "India and Iran, as emerging Asian countries with strong traditions of trade, don't have direct lines between each other within Eurasian corridors," she added. She also said that Armenia could play a significant role to offer an alternative corridor to connect India and Iran with Europe through Georgia and the Black Sea. "Armenia is the only country that signed the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the European Union, as well as is membership to the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)," she said. Dr Shatlyk Amanov, Suleyman Demirel University, Almaty, Kazakhstan gave a presentation on "India's Eurasian ambitions and the INSTC: Insights from the 'South-South Cooperation 3.0' model". Dr Amanov said India's Eurasian ambitions are based on the "Connect Central Asia Policy". INSTC was agreed upon in 2000 and ratified in 2002 by India, Iran, and Russia, and trial runs were conducted in 2016. "The INSTC is a burgeoning multimodal connectivity project designed to link India to Iran and, through the Caspian basin, to Russia and reaching further to the North. Since its announcement, the project has been accompanied by active scholarly debate over its viability, relevancy, and scope," he said. Dr Amanov quoted "India is building its position as a leader in South-South cooperation, much like it played a key role in the Non-Aligned Movement. South-South cooperation has traditionally been an important pillar of India's foreign policy and diplomacy." (OECD, 2012). Dr Rajkumar Sharma, Post-Doc Fellow, Delhi School of Transnational Affairs, University of Delhi gave a presentation (via video conference) on "India has the geographical and economic potential to bring together Eurasia and Indo-Pacific via INSTC". During his speech, Dr Sharma said that there has been big power jostling in Eurasia for connectivity as the US, Russia, China, European Union, and India have been making efforts to achieve their respective connectivity visions in the region. "India, by the virtue of its geographical location, is a continental (Eurasian) and maritime (Indo-Pacific) power. India has the geographical and economic potential to bring together Eurasia and Indo-Pacific via INSTC," Sharma said. "The proposed INSTC plan is 40% shorter and 30% cheaper than the BRI - an enticing economic opportunity for India. The impact of INSTC could potentially decrease Afghanistan's economic dependency on Pakistan. Chabahar route is 800km shorter than the Karachi port route," Sharma added. Rouslan Jalil, Lecturer at the OSCE Academy, Bishkek, and co-founder and Director of the Burana Institute, a Bishkek-based think-tank concluded the session by speaking on the "Concept of Democracy is not alien to India" "INSTC might serve as a soft power tool for establishing India's economic and political influence. However, China promoted BRI is shaped by Chinese political ideology, and one cannot have any expectations of movement of democratic ideas, concepts or practices along the BRI route," Jalil said. "A concept of democracy is not alien to India and whether India will also export such concepts along this route to Central Asia and further?" he asked while concluding the session, the think tank stated. (ANI) Fresh fighting in eastern Congo has forced hundreds of people to cross to neighbouring Uganda to seek refuge. Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), a local humanitarian agency, said on Sunday that among the new arrivals include those who had returned recently thinking the situation was getting better, Xinhua news agency reported. Irene Nakasiita, URCS spokesperson, said it is not yet possible to estimate the number of asylum seekers who crossed to Uganda through the border town of Bunagana on Saturday. Esther Anyakun, Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, told Xinhua by telephone preparations were in high gear to receive the refugees. "According to the reports we have so far received, there are many, many refugees who have re-entered the country. The World Food Programme is already on the ground to offer some support," Anyakun said. She added that government was in the process of relocating the previous entrants from holding centres to resettlement camps and with the re-entrance of more refugees, they will have to work faster. "They rushed to return home, because the situation was not yet stable. We had given some of them transport to go to resettlement camps but they opted to return home. Now you can see they have come back to Uganda," Anyakun said. She added that the UN Refugee Agency had dispatched a team to offer humanitarian assistance to the refugees. "Over 1,000 Congolese refugees have already crossed into Uganda following fresh fights between the M23 rebels and the Congolese government forces. They are currently camped at Bunagana border town in Kisoro district," Ismail Ndayambaje, a local leader, told Daily Monitor, a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. "We appeal to the humanitarian organisations in liaison with the office of the Prime Minister to transport these refugees straight to Nyakabande refugee transit camp where they can be accommodated. We faced a lot of challenges as we accommodated them here at Bunagana town council in March this year when they crossed into Kisoro district because of similar fights," Ndayambaje added. --IANS int/khz/ ( 351 Words) 2022-10-23-20:30:05 (IANS) Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu has shared concerns with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu of a possible provocation by Ukraine with the use of a "dirty bomb", media reports said. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, Shoigu and Lecornu spoke by phone on Sunday, discussing "the situation in Ukraine, which is consistently veering towards further uncontrolled escalation", RT reported. Shoigu, in an apparent reference to previous media reports, voiced concerns about a "possible Ukrainian provocation" which could involve the use of a "dirty bomb", it said. Earlier on Sunday, RIA Novosti cited "sources in different countries including Ukraine" as saying that Kiev is preparing to detonate "a dirty bomb or a low-yield nuclear weapon" on its own territory. According to the Russian news agency, the goal would be to accuse Moscow of using weapons of mass destruction in a ploy to "launch a powerful anti-Russia campaign". The report claimed that two Ukrainian institutions have already been tasked with manufacturing a "dirty bomb", with the work now at "the final stages". Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's administration is reportedly engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with British officials in a bid to secure the transfer of nuclear arms components to Kiev, RT reported. A so-called dirty bomb uses a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material. While it could not rival a nuclear warhead in terms of power, such a device could disperse a radiation cloud within several kilometres of the explosion. The talks between Shoigu and Lecornu come days after the Russian Defence minister had a rare telephone conversation with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin. While the details of the talks are scarce, the sides are said to have discussed "issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine". --IANS san/vd ( 307 Words) 2022-10-23-21:20:04 (IANS) Three men were fatally shot and two were wounded early Sunday in gunfire at a Chicago intersection taken over by a drag-racing caravan of more than 100 cars, media reports said citing police officials. Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, representing the area where the shooting occurred, urged the police to crack down on the drag-racing caravans. "This is not just fun and games on the street," Lopez said at Sunday's news conference with Jerome. "We are seeing gangs and criminality join into the drifting and drag-racing," reported ABC News. At about 4 am, a shooting erupted at an intersection in the Brighton Park neighbourhood on the city's Southwest side, commander Don Jerome of the Chicago Police Department said at a news conference. Police officers were responding to complaints of a drag-racing caravan. They received information that several cars were peeling rubber (accelerating the cars rapidly) and doing doughnuts (make the car spin in tight circles) in the middle of an intersection, Jerome said. "There was drifting in the middle of the street and approximately 100 cars had gained control of the intersection," he added. Later the officers received ShotSpotter (gunshot detection system) gunshot detection alert. Officers at one of the police department's Strategic Decision Support Centers were monitoring the incident via a live video feed. The alert received was of at least 13 shots at the intersection and "people hitting the ground (drop down to the ground suddenly when the gunfire started) ", reported ABC News. Once the police officials arrived the scene, they found that five people had been shot and were all taken to hospitals in private vehicles. According to Jerome, four men with gunshot wounds were taken to Holy Cross Hospital. One was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Upon arriving at a hospital three men were declared dead while two others were in serious condition. Two 20-year-old men were among those who died, police said. Authorities did not release the age for the third man fatally shot. Moreover, their names were also not immediately released. The two men who were injured were a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old reported ABC News. At the crime scene, investigators recovered multiple shell casings. The recovery suggested that more than one gunman was involved, Jerome said. However, no arrests have been made till now. "All three of the decedents did have a gang affiliation," Jerome said. He added police are searching for "one or two" people police suspect were involved in the shooting, adding, they "are not necessarily those in the hospital." (ANI) More than 600 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates will be on the ballot Nov. 8 up from the 432 candidates in the previous midterm elections in 2018 according to the political action committee LGBTQ Victory Fund. Dozens of these political hopefuls, including the 10 highlighted below, will have the opportunity to make history. Becca Balint Vermont state Sen. Becca Balint, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination to run for Vermont's vacant U.S. House seat, speaks to voters in Colchester on July 24, 2022. (Wilson Ring / AP file) Running for: U.S. House of Representatives, Vermont's At-Large Congressional District If elected, would be the first: Woman and LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Vermont Becca Balint, a former middle school teacher, is no stranger to political firsts for Vermont's women and for the LGBTQ community. In 2020, Balint became the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person to serve as the Vermont Senate president. But even as an LGBTQ political leader, Balint, who is a lesbian, has faced pushback for her sexuality. In a campaign video, Balint said that when she and her now-wife first moved into their house in Brattleboro, their neighbor had an anti-gay sign. "I get out of the car, and I'm pregnant, and at that moment, I felt like 'How are we going to make this work?'" she said. "From a wave to a conversation to a borrowed lawn mower, things changed and the sign came down, and we felt the relief that comes when we stop turning away from each other and start meeting each other face to face." Balint, 54, won her Democratic primary against Lt. Gov. Molly Gray with the backing of progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Vermont icons Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerrys ice cream. She is heavily favored to win against her Republican opponent, Iraq War veteran Liam Madden, in November. Vermont has not sent a Republican to Congress since the re-election of former U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords in 2000. Currently, Vermont is the only state in the country to have never sent a woman to Congress. That could, of course, change if Balint wins. Robert Garcia Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia in Long Beach, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2021. (Brian Feinzimer / Sipa USA via AP file) Running for: U.S. House of Representatives, California's 42nd Congressional District Story continues If elected, would be the first: LGBTQ immigrant elected to Congress Robert Garcia is an example of how intersectionality can translate into political success. At 36-years-old, Garcia was elected mayor of Long Beach, California, in 2014, becoming the city's youngest, first LGBTQ and first Latino person to assume the office he stills holds today. Garcia, a Democrat, has also had various political identities over his lifetime. While attending college at California State University, Long Beach, Garcia served as the president of his school's Long Beach Young Republicans club. He previously told NBC News that his Republican political affiliation was a result of his family's affection for former President Ronald Reagan. Garcia's family members, who are originally from Peru, were among the millions of immigrants who applied for citizenship after Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. My worldview and politics havent changed much. But with immigrants rights and the war, and me being gay, we all realized that we were more progressive, Garcia said, adding that his family has since switched parties. Jamie McLeod-Skinner Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner speaks at a debate with Republican Lori Chavez DeRemer for Oregon's 5th Congressional District in Lake Oswego, Ore., on Oct. 17, 2022. (Steve Dipaola / AP) Running for: U.S. House of Representatives, Oregon's 5th Congressional District If elected, would be the first: LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Oregon In a political upset, Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a small-business owner who had unsuccessfully run for Congress in 2018, defeated seven-term Rep. Kurt Schrader in this year's Democratic primary. "For far too long, Oregons LGBTQ community has not had a voice in Congress," Annise Parker, president of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in a statement following McLeod-Skinner's primary win. "With anti-LGBTQ attacks spreading like wildfire and lawmakers in Congress bent on outlawing abortion and reproductive health care, her election could not come at a more critical moment in our nations history. In her primary, McLeod-Skinner ran mainly as a progressive alternative to Schrader. Schrader voted against the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill and helped topple a drug pricing plan in President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill. Schrader also referred to former President Donald Trump's second impeachment as a "lynching," which he later apologized for. In the general election, however, McLeod-Skinner's shift to the left may play to her opponent's advantage. Oregon's 5th Congressional District has not elected a Republican since 1994. The Cook Political Report rates the race a Toss Up." Eric Sorensen Democrat Eric Sorensen. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune via Getty Images file) Running for: U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois' 17th Congressional District If elected, would be the first: LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Illinois Before entering the political arena this year, Eric Sorensen spent 22 years as a weather forecaster in Illinois. His victory would make him the first meteorologist elected to Congress in more than 50 years, at a time when federal lawmakers are increasingly challenged with helping the nation avert the worst effects of climate change. "There is not a single climate communicator in Congress who matches the communication and climate science backgrounds of Eric," Sorensen's campaign website reads. Maura Healey Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey faces Geoff Diehl at their final debate in Needham on Oct. 20, 2022. (Carlin Stiehl / The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Running for: Governor of Massachusetts If elected, would be the first: Lesbian governor in the U.S. Maura Healey has a long history of shattering glass ceilings for the countrys LGBTQ community. In 2009, Healey, who is now the Massachusetts attorney general, led the nations first successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages. And in 2014, she broke barriers again, becoming the nations first out lesbian to be elected state attorney general. If I can be someone who represents and also gives others the belief that they can be anything they want to be and do anything they want to do, regardless of race, gender, identity, religion, thats where I want to be, Healy, 51, recently told NBC News. Thats something I take seriously, and I think thats what other LGBTQ+ leaders do as well recognizing that were not just in a vacuum. If Healy wins as expected against her Republican opponent, former state representative Geoff Diehl, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, shell also become her states first elected female governor. Tina Kotek Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek holds a rally on Oct. 22, 2022, in Portland, Ore. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images) Running for: Governor of Oregon If elected, would be the first: Lesbian governor in the U.S. Tina Kotek, like Healey, has also been a breaker of glass ceilings. In 2013, Kotek became the countrys first out lesbian speaker of a state House of Representatives. She made history again by becoming Oregons longest-serving House speaker, before stepping down in January to run for governor. For Kotek, a Democrat, the odds of success in November are less promising than Healeys. Kotek not only faces Republican Christine Drazan, the former minority leader of the Oregon House, but also a third-party candidate, Betsy Johnson, who recent polling suggests is dividing Democratic voters. Erick Russell Running for: Connecticut Treasurer If elected, would be the first: Black LGBTQ statewide elected official in the U.S. Erick Russell was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, where he currently resides with his husband, Chris. Russell earned both his bachelor's and law degrees in the state, receiving his undergraduate degree in criminal justice from the University of New Haven and his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is currently a partner at a Connecticut law firm, where, according to his campaign website, his practice focuses on "representing municipalities, state agencies and the state in financing critical infrastructure projects, such as schools, affordable housing, child care facilities, and transportation infrastructure, managing debt and restructuring pension obligations." Celia Israel State Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, listens to fellow lawmakers in the House Chamber in Austin on May 6, 2021. (Eric Gay / AP file) Running for: Mayor of Austin, Texas If elected, would be the first: LGBTQ mayor of Austin and the first Latina mayor of a major U.S. city Celia Israel currently represents District 50 in the Texas House of Representatives. Throughout her roughly eight years as a state representative, Israel, who is a lesbian, helped found the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, was named a "Champion of Equality" by Equality Texas and was inducted into the Austin Womens Hall of Fame. Jennie Armstrong Running for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 16 Andrew Gray Running for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 20 If elected would be the first: LGBTQ state lawmaker(s) in Alaskan history. Alaska is one of four states with zero out LGBTQ state lawmakers, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund. For far too long, Alaskas LGBTQ community has lacked representation in the state legislature and they have the wounds to show for it, Parker of the LGBTQ Victory Fund said in a statement after endorsing Armstrong and Gray. It is critical the LGBTQ community and our allies unite behind exceptional LGBTQ leaders like Jennifer and Andrew who have the grit and experience to fight for and defend our freedoms. Armstrong, a small business owner who is pansexual, and Gray, a former member of the Alaska National Guard who is gay, are both political newcomers and parents. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A 14-year-girl was wounded Sunday after she was stabbed on a Manhattan train, police said. The victim was on a southbound No. 1 train rumbling toward W. 191st St. in Washington Heights when she got into an argument with two girls she had been beefing with around 4:10 p.m., according to cops. One of the girls stabbed the 14-year-old in the side, police said. The attackers took off when the train doors opened at the W. 191st St. station, police said. Medics rushed the girl to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia in stable condition. Police are still searching for the girls they believe stabbed her. Good Morning America First lady Jill Biden on Monday unveiled this year's White House holiday decorations, announcing the theme as "We the People." More than 150 volunteers from across the country spent a week helping to decorate the inside and outside of the White House with 25 wreaths, 77 Christmas trees and over 83,615 holiday lights. There is also a gingerbread White House that was made out of 20 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 30sheets of gingerbread dough, 100 pounds of pastillage, 30 pounds of chocolate, and 40 pounds of royal icing, according to the office of the first lady. Lakiesha Belin and Justin Charles, the parents of 8-year-old Jayceon Charles, are demanding answers after their son sustained severe burns during a sleepover at a friends house in Warren, Arkansas. Reportedly, mom and dad allowed Jayceon to spend the night at his friends house on Aug. 9 so that he could join their family on a trip to Magic Springs, a local amusement park the following day. However, they became alarmed went heir son called them during his sleepover and quickly hung up the phone. When his father called back, the parents heard Jayceon screaming in the background. Lakiesha and Justin rushed to the house where they found their son covered in Vaseline and plastic wrap. According to the family at the home, Jayceon was roasting hot dogs with his friend when an explosion happened and caused severe burns to the 8-year-old. Lakiesha and Justin, who questioned why the family neglected to call 911, promptly rushed their son to the hospital. The devastated parents tell WKRC that over 80% of the childs body was burned and that he suffered kidney failure and brain damage. The couple also says that their boy had a large portion of his small intestine removed and has undergone several surgeries. To make matters more frightening, during his hospital stay the third grader was put on a ventilator and had to be resuscitated twice. My biggest fear is that my child might not be the same person that he was at first, Belin told KARK. Earl Charles, Jayceons grandfather, said the family reached out to the police, but officers havent contacted anyone for interviews or reviewed medical records. The childs loved ones believe they may be facing discrimination because they are Black and the other family is white. The stories thats been told never sat right with me from the beginning, he said in a Facebook video according to Atlanta Black Star. I never understood why so many people dropped the ball and just didnt show any concern. Story continues Jayceons parents also suspect the other family, saying they might be covering up what really happened at the home. Jayceons father echoes the sentiment that everyone involved dropped the ball. I really feel like it shouldve been investigated from day one when we came in the hospital, said the father. They didnt even call the police at the hospital. Two months since the traumatic incident and Jayceon is slowly recovering from his injuries. However, he still has a long way to go. The family remains optimistic and has taken to social media to thank the community for their ongoing support. The Charles family says they are still struggling to get answers from authorities but were told Thursday that Arkansas State Police will be taking over the investigation. They have since set up a GoFundMe page as they seek help with Jayceons ongoing medical expenses. Three people in a large car caravan in the Brighton Park neighborhood where drifting took place were among nine people fatally shot overnight in Chicago, police said. A 16-year-old boy shot in North Lawndale was another victim, according to police. In a news conference Sunday morning, 9th District Commander Don Jerome said three people were killed and two wounded in a car caravan shooting at the intersection of South Archer Avenue and South Kedzie Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood early Sunday. About 4 a.m., officers responded to the 4300 block of South Kedzie Avenue, where vehicles were drifting in the middle of the street. According to the city code, drifting refers to when a driver purposely makes a vehicle spin, skid, slide, turn abruptly or sway upon acceleration or braking, often to make circles or figure eights. A shot spotter alerted at least 13 rounds had been fired. As initial police units arrived, officers discovered five people shot. Three succumbed to their injuries. All the people shot at the caravan were males, Jerome said, and those who died were between 15 to 20 years old and were gang-affiliated. The two people injured were in serious condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, he added, but they are expected to recover. Detectives recovered casings but no guns on scene. There were several calls of car caravans citywide, all over, this was the first we responded to in the 9th District. ... I dont know the specifics of the other car caravans, Jerome said. Caravans (are) a semi-recent phenomenon where they gather throughout different points of the city, and there were several others last night of no consequence. Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, who represents the Brighton Park area and is running for mayor, said drag racing and drifting have been a problem not only in his ward but in the city of Chicago. I think what were seeing is the merging of this drag racing circuit with gang life. And now, those ramifications are unfolding on our streets, he said. But this emergence of people coming armed to these events and shooting at each other that is a relatively new but growing trend, from what Im told. Story continues He added that vehicles need to be boxed in and impounded where they are drag racing and drifting, in order to get these cars off the streets, show that were serious about this. Because right now, they know that we are doing everything as passively and as weakly as possible, the alderman said. We have to do better, because Im not going to be a leader whos quietly watching the bodies pile up because were too timid to act. In another shooting Saturday night, a 16-year-old was standing outside in the 1200 block of South Fairfield Avenue at approximately 8:20 p.m. when two men climbed out of a dark-colored sedan and shot at him, police said. The men then returned to the car and fled the scene. The teen was struck once on his back and paramedics transported him to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:03 p.m. The Cook County medical examiners office identified the boy Sunday morning as Rishiwn Hendricks of the 1200 block of South Washtenaw Avenue. A 13-year-old girl was also in the area when the shooting of the 16-year-old occurred, and she was shot twice in the neck. She was transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition. No arrests had been made as of Sunday morning in connection to the shooting, and detectives are investigating. Shortly after, police responded to a call of a person shot at approximately 8:23 p.m. in Austin. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to the head in the 500 block of North Leclaire Avenue. A woman who was at home and heard a loud noise outside had discovered him. The man was pronounced dead on scene at 8:34 p.m. According to information by the medical examiners office, the victim has been identified as 18-year-old Joshua Stokes of the 3900 block of West Polk Street. No one was in custody as of Sunday morning and detectives are investigating, police said. Approximately one hour later, police found a male victim unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 7200 block of South Phillips Avenue. According to information by the medical examiners office, the unidentified man was 63 years old. He was transported to UChicago Medicine, where he was pronounced at 9:52 p.m. No one was in custody as of Sunday morning and the shooting remains under investigation. At 9:32 p.m., officers responded to a verbal altercation between two 31-year-olds in the 8300 block of South Marshfield in Auburn Gresham. One of them took out a gun and shot the other multiple times. The victim suffered gunshot wounds to his back and his head. He was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition, where he was pronounced at 9:55 p.m. Police were able to apprehend the offender on scene. Detectives are investigating. A 37-year-old man was inside a residence in the 4600 block of West 87th Street when another man shot at him at around 2:05 a.m. Sunday. The offender then fled the scene on foot. The 37-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and paramedics transported him to Christ Advocate Medical Center, police said, where he was pronounced at 2:55 a.m., according to information by the medical examiners office. No one was in custody as of Sunday morning and detectives are investigating. At 4:14 a.m. Sunday, a 29-year-old man was found unresponsive in the 4900 block of South King Drive, according to police. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced on scene. No arrests had been made as of Sunday morning, and area detectives are investigating, police said. adperez@chicagotribune.com Photo: The Canadian Press The MV Kelly Ovayuak barge is shown in this 2019 handout photo. The N.W.T. government announced late last week it was cancelling the annual barge delivery to Sachs Harbour due to bad weather and a late start to the sailing season because of climate change, delayed buoy placement, and flooding in Hay River and Inuvik this spring. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Northwest Territories Department of Infrastructure *MANDATORY CREDIT* Austin Larocque says he doesn't know when he may get most of his worldly possessions, currently sitting in a shipping container in Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., after a barge set to arrive in the High Arctic community this season was cancelled. Larocque moved with his young daughter from Sachs Harbour to Hay River, N.W.T., in July with just two suitcases, hoping to get the bulk of their belongings once the barge returned from the territory's northernmost community. He said it cost more than $7,000 to purchase a sea can to store and ship their things. "Pretty much our life is in that sea can," he said. "Certain things are replaceable, but certain things are not. Certain things you can't put a price on it." Larocque said he is waiting for everything from baby pictures to the tools he needs to make his living as a mechanic. He said he hasn't been able to get a hold of anyone with Marine Transportation Services, which provides barging services in the territory. The N.W.T. government announced late last week it was cancelling the annual barge delivery to Sachs Harbour due to bad weather and a late start to the sailing season because of climate change, delayed buoy placement, and flooding in Hay River and Inuvik this spring. CBC reported in July that staffing shortages with the Canadian Coast Guard were responsible for the buoy delay. The territorial government said a tug and barges will be kept in Paulatuk over the winter due to weather and ice conditions. Larocque said he feels the N.W.T. government is not taking accountability by blaming the cancellation on climate change. "It just leaves a sour taste in your mouth the way they did business," he said. Many coastal communities in the North rely on annual barges to move freight, food and fuel as they are not connected to the south by road or rail and transporting items by air is costly. Shelby Lucas, manager of the Ikahuk Co-op in Sachs Harbour, said cancellation of the resupply barge has had a big impact on her community, which is home to just over 100 people. "Everybody was pretty upset about it," she said. The hamlet's only store has been getting low on some supplies, Lucas said, adding it hasn't had pop for about five months and it's possible some cargo on the barge has now frozen. Several residents are also waiting on snowmobiles. "A big part of our community is people going out hunting to have food," Lucas said. Marine Transportation Services, which was taken over by the N.W.T. government in 2016 after its previous owner filed for bankruptcy, offers barging services from the Port of Hay River to locations along the Mackenzie River and in the western Arctic. It completed marine resupply for nine N.W.T. communities and one Nunavut community this year, along with private contracts. Jackie Jacobson, member of the legislative assembly for Nunakput, recently questioned in the legislature why Marine Transportation Services did not prioritize community resupply and left it until the end of the shipping season. Before the barge arrived in Paulutuk and Ulukhaktok this year, he said, diapers and other essential goods had to be flown in at a high cost to residents as shelves in the communities were bare. "The people of the Northwest Territories should be put first," he said. Diane Archie, the territory's minister of infrastructure, said she could not commit to reimbursing those costs, but did promise that residents in Sachs Harbour would not have to pay additional costs to fly items from the barge into the community. She said her department is working to ensure necessary freight and fuel "arrive in a timely manner," but said there will "have to be some hard conversations on dealing with the oversized freight." The N.W.T. government did not respond to a request for further comment. This is not the first time in recent years goods have had to be flown into communities. The territorial government cancelled barges destined for Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay in Nunavut and Paulatuk in early October 2018, citing impassable ice conditions. It was later revealed that a bad fuel shipment that had to be returned from Alberta also played a role in delaying the barges. While essential items were flown into the communities others, such as vehicles and construction materials, were stored in Inuvik over winter. The territorial government quietly settled three lawsuits outside of court this August, which were filed in federal court by two companies in Cambridge Bay and one in Paulatuk seeking damages related to the barge cancellations and claiming their cargo was damaged. The government filed statements of defence and counterclaims in all three cases. By Tim Hepher, Aziz El Yaakoubi and Yousef Saba (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia is in advanced negotiations to order almost 40 A350 jets from Airbus as part of a broader, multi-billion-dollar drive to launch a new airline and challenge heavyweight carriers in the Gulf, industry sources said. There is no guarantee of a deal but if confirmed, the purchase by the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) could be announced as early as this week when Riyadh hosts a major forum, the Future Investment Initiative (FII), the sources said. A final decision on the proposed deal, worth around $12 billion at list prices, depends on political approval at the highest level, with Boeing also lobbying for a slice of the expansion despite a chill in U.S.-Saudi relations, sources said. One source familiar with the negotiation for the new airline, provisionally named "RIA", cautioned that it was "not over yet". Neither France-based Airbus nor Boeing had any comment. PIF did not respond to a request for comment. Industry sources said Boeing remained confident of winning at least part of a total requirement for around 68-75 jets via its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, already in use at state-owned Saudia. Reports have said that the new airline may also need smaller narrow-body jets. Reuters first reported in August that Saudi Arabia was discussing a significant order for wide-body jets. Bloomberg News reported on Sunday that any deal could involve up to 80 aircraft. The strategically important potential deal is among the economic topics in focus ahead of the FII forum, taking place under the shadow of tensions between Washington and Riyadh. The FII is a showcase for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 plan to diversify from oil by fostering new industries that generate jobs and lure foreign capital. BUSINESS TIES U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed "consequences" for U.S.-Saudi ties over an OPEC+ decision to cut oil output targets, which Riyadh defended as serving market stability. Story continues The crown prince visited France in July where he met Macron, who last December became the first Western leader to visit Riyadh since the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi caused an uproar in the West. Analysts say there is little willingness from Riyadh or Washington to disrupt business and military ties, noting Boeing remains a strategic supplier with huge defence contracts. Saudia has a mixed fleet of Boeing long-haul 787 and 777 jets and Airbus A320-family short- to medium-haul models. The new airline will be based in the capital Riyadh, while state airline Saudia will be based out of the Red Sea city Jeddah under a transportation strategy that calls for the establishment of two hubs to rival UAE and Qatari carriers. A person familiar with the plans said the PIF's aviation department is getting hefty funds to create an ecosystem of cargo and passenger airlines, repair companies and airports. The PIF is looking at buying and leasing options for a fleet that could ultimately reach 200 airplanes, the person said. Analysts caution that even with a large investment warchest, it faces a tough challenge to counter the powerful Dubai and Doha aviation hubs of Emirates and Qatar Airways respectively. "They have established networks and large established fleets and will be a strong competitive force for any new airline," said James Halstead, managing partner at Aviation Strategy. "Getting hold of enough aircraft will be an important issue, as well as coping with shortages of trained pilots." (Reporting by Tim Hepher in PARIS, Aziz El Yaakoubi in RIYADH and Yousef Saba in DUBAI; Editing by Mark Porter and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) The company wants to help more people keep their prized possessions safe without becoming a significant financial constraint. Boston, Massachusetts - (NewMediaWire) - October 23, 2022 - With the economy not doing so well, many people don't have the money to afford the hefty down payment they need for car insurance. Similarly, there isn't much reliable information about this important topic online. This is why Alias Insurance, a leading insurance service provider, has released an informative guide on how people can get car insurance with no deposit. The guide will help bring transparency and help people that don't have high salaries the opportunity to get access to a critical insurance product. The company offers cost-free expert services online for finding the best insurance quote according to their client's specific needs and requirements. They have been in the business of helping people for well over a decade now and have helped thousands of customers. The guide also talks about the scheme's benefits and how thanks to the first monthly premium payment plan, people can get car coverage instantly once they pay the first installment. It also guides them on how to manage to get premium discounts so they can save additional money on their car insurance coverage premium. Readers get valuable tips, such as how driving a car safely can help get you in the good books of insurance providers. They also learn how choosing high deductibles can help to lower car insurance premiums. This helps them avoid the conventional route, where they would end up paying up to 20% to 33% of the average car insurance premium for 6 months as a down payment. This roughly equates to almost two months' premium. Speaking on the guide's release, a spokesperson said, "If your financial situation does not permit you to pay a 30% down payment on auto insurance, then working with no down payment car insurance companies might be the way to go. With no deposits, customers can spread auto insurance premiums over 12 months, and this helps to make the monthly installments more sustainable and manageable. Our company also assists its clients to switch over to a new insurer midway through the policy if they want to upgrade their coverage levels and services." Story continues People interested in reading the guide or getting more information can check out the website today. About the Company Alias Insurance is a leading insurance service provider helping its clients get the best auto insurance for over a decade. The company offers cost-free expert services online for finding the best insurance quote according to their client's specific needs and requirements. They have helped thousands of customers access the critical insurance plan to help keep their prized asset safe without becoming a giant financial burden. MEDIA CONTACT: Company Name: Alias Insurance Email: info@aliasinsurance.com Phone: (888) 201-5648 City: Boston State: Massachusetts Country: USA Credit - The Harris Poll (To receive weekly emails of conversations with the worlds top CEOs and business decisionmakers, click here.) As America heads into another election season, voters once again turn to pollsters for insights into how the results may turn out. After predictions that missed the mark during the 2016 andto some extentthe 2020 presidential elections, peoples faith in polls has been shaken. So TIME asked The Harris Poll, which doesnt do any political horse-race polling, to look at attitudes towards the polling industry. The news was mixed. About 60% of respondents believed that pollsters were right at least as often as they were wrong. And in a heavily politicized era, slightly fewer than that believed that poll questions were always fair and balanced. However, the vast majority of respondents believed that the media was more to blame for inaccurate interpretation of the data than pollsters were. And people who followed polls very closely tended to trust them more than those who used other media sources. Will Johnson, CEO of The Harris Poll, which was founded by John F. Kennedys pollster Lou Harris, calls the elections in 2016 a wake up call for the polling industry, some of which is not keeping pace with technological changes, including bots, that are leading to the spread of disinformation. But hes an optimist, both about polling, and about America. Having looked closely at the data, Johnson sees less division in the country than the fights on social media would suggest. He also offers several suggestions for how polling companies can improve their methodology and rebuild trust with the public. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. We live in an era at the moment where everything is politicized. How is polling dealing with politicization of facts? The reason people get into this business is theyre curious about what people think. So we really make that the primary value. That comes in three places: Are you sure youre measuring the people youve set out to measure with your poll? Are you asking the question in a way that is balanced and getting at the essence? And thenas youre interpreting the statistics that come out of that resultare you able to provide a commentary that balances what youre able to glean, as far as insights, and what its not able to tell you? Story continues People are becoming very disenchanted with institutionswith media, government, law enforcement, scientific and academic institutions, and with health institutions and schools. How is that reflected in your data? As everyone has access to more and more information across all those institutions, weve just got a way more sophisticated consumer. In general, people just have seen further behind the curtain. And thats going to inherently bring more skepticism of things, which in some respects, I think is healthy, but I like to go back to local institutions. Someone may say they dont like hospitals, but they love their local hospital. They love their doctor. When you go back to polling and look at the drivers, if you ask Do you trust this institution or that, you may get a number. But if you go under and say, Do you trust your local hospital? Do you trust your doctor? Do you like your kids teacher? Then all of a sudden it gets way more nuanced and complicated and I dont see the level of erosion that some of these places that maybe benefit from creating fear see. Have you noticed that people have been more distrustful of polls? I think 2016 was clearly a miss for the industry in general as far as understanding the electorateand 2020 to some extent. It was sort of a wake-up call in the sense that people were resting on their laurels as far as techniques. You cant use the same techniques as things move faster and faster. Are you sure youre getting the right respondent? Are you asking the right question? And then back to when you get the answer to those polls, are you really looking at the underlying drivers of the issues to [firstly] confirm that you got an accurate read, and [secondly] you know what is really happening, and not the headline. I push back on people who think that was inherent bias and nefarious. I think it was more about how rapidly people are changing and us having to be much better at how we actually get to the voter to ask them who they want to vote for. Do you think that faith in political polls can be restored? Yeah, I think that faith can be restored by getting it right. Thats kind of the bottom line. Thats the neat thing about polling, the results are out there and you can see how you did. So I think thats number one, but number two is what exactly are you polling? What are you talking about? You know, is it just national horse race poll data, or are we talking about local polling about a particular issue? I dont think that faith is lost in that. The whole horse race dynamic of how we cover elections seems to be sending us down a less optimal path. So then what are you doing differently? Why should people trust polls? I think its always good to make [the sample] as robust as you can and we are investing more and more in that. That changes the economics, but we live and die by the Harris brand, so [we will do] whatever it takes to make sure we maintain that integrity. The second and most important [thing] is making sure youre getting the right people. There are bots, and the technology is changing so dramatically. Were reaching people online or on their phones and you have to be vigilant. Ive spent more time in the last couple of years talking to clients about who were measuring than what were measuringthat is no longer just a given. So being able to have a quality sample and really understanding if this is a real human whos taking the survey and if it is a human, is it the human that we want to measure? And are they actually engaged in the survey? Were putting a lot of investment into that, which I think, candidly, our industry probably took for granted previously, and as technology caught up, thats a premium. The third part is making sure that when you do get that data you have the right sample and youre putting it out to media, fighting the temptation for what may be the salacious headline. And having that discipline to say, Let me explain and give you context behind this whole survey of what were looking at, whether it was polling about an issue or candidate or whatever. It may not be as dramatic as wed all like, or as exciting. But its truth. The way people live and the way they consume has changed. And the way they take polls is just like everything elseits moving faster and faster and faster. So we just had to reprioritize. In the poll you did for TIME, more than a third of the people you polled do not think poll questions are fair and balanced. Does that concern you? Theres always gonna be a percentage whenever you ask a question thats gonna think that. I think the way you frame a question can have a huge impact on the answer. So it just goes back to trying to get to the truth in the question. And are you designing it correctly? So, to answer your question, yes. We dont take anything for granted. The poll also showed that more than 70% of your survey participants say that the media misrepresents the results of polls. Is that also your view? Its kind of become a sport to bash the media on certain things. So youre gonna have a population who do that, but back to a point I made earlier, I dont think this is a bias issue. I think this is a business model issue. Theres that pressure to have the data point that is gonna get clicks. And that may cause media partners to publish something, or make something more prominent without telling a more nuanced story thats actually, in my opinion, more interesting and more accuratebut may not get you the quick hit or the traffic that you need to survive. One of the things that your polls have shown is that the popularity of businesses is affected by peoples political leanings, so that Chick-fil-A is much more popular with people who are conservative and Samsung is more popular among progressives. At the same time, businesses are getting more politically involved. Is this a helpful or an unhelpful trend? As weve seen trust erode in big institutions, business has no choice but to get involved in these issues. Not only are their customers demanding it, but we see their employeesparticularly this new kind of millennial workforcesay you cant just stay out of the political fray. With that said, I think brands really need to be thoughtful about how they think about these particular issues. Because again, people are so much more complicated than snap polling or quick online media would give them credit for. For example, people may not be for defunding the police but they want more racial equity in how police forces work, right? So, as a company, you need to really move judiciously about how you take a stand on certain issues, and keep that in line with exactly what goods or services youre trying to serve. Looking at a lot of data and polling, Im an optimist. I think people are closer together than some would have you believe on a lot of issues. I think companies have to get involved. They cant ignore these issues. It used to be that the CFO was the most important person after the CEO. Its now the chief communications officer because you have to be involved, but you need to to think about it in a measured, nuanced approach, and understand that its not black and white. Trader Joes is very popular on both sides of the aisle. So is Krogers. Why is that? I think it goes back to being local. Thats where youre getting your food; thats in your community. I think those brands do a great job at keeping their brand promise and delivering for their consumers. People go in there and actually physically engage in most cases there. And so, while its national, to the average person, its the store down the block from them. What are the trends that make you feel optimistic? If you follow social media, youd think that its just two worlds completely divided. But when you talk to neighbors and even go out into places that may be different from yours and talk to those constituencies, you see a great balance of the values are similar when you get deep underneath the whole [question of] whether youre a Trump person or not. Give me an example of these shared values. What would they be? Well, family. People care about their families. People want to feel secure in their neighborhoods. Generally speaking people want other people to be happy and feel secure and feel like they have a good chance for a good life. I do polling for a local business publication in Chicago and were looking at health outcomes in Chicago. And you see that 87% of Caucasian people feel very good about their health and longevity. For minority populations, its 10 points lesssignificant. When you present that data in a non-polarized way, I find everyone says, This is a problem we need to solve. That has nothing to do with are you a Republican or a Democrat. People see that data and its sort of arresting, and its like How do we work for a solution? According to nearly all polls, most Americans believe that something should be done about assault rifles. But it doesnt seem to get reflected at all in legislation. Are there times when you feel like polls are just not effective enough? We do see in the data that an overwhelming bipartisan majority want to see a sensible action taken as it relates to that issue and I think the reason youre not seeing more significant movement unfortunately has less to do with sort of general public sentiment and more the way that our electoral system is constructed, particularly as a relation to primaries. Have you done some polls where a piece of data does not land in the way that you thought it would, where you thought, people are not seeing these trends in the way that they should? Yes, COVID. So we ran a COVID tracker right after things startedweve run it over a hundred plus weekswhere we measure a bunch of different feelings about how people are thinking about COVID. Particularly this last year, older respondents were much more ready to get back out in the world and do things than younger respondents and Millennials. That runs counter to at least intuitively what youd think from health, but they were sort of more, Lets get on. We want to get back out there. We want to go do things! There was far more of a cautious attitude from the kind of Gen Z, young group, which was Wait a minute I dont think that young people are being disingenuous about some of the fear they had. But the older cohorts were much more. We gotta keep moving forward. Kanye West and son watch game with Golden State Warriors co-owners - Credit: MediaNews Group via Getty Images An anti-semitic group hung a sign from an L.A. overpass that read: Kanye is right about the Jews, apparently inspired by recent anti-Semitic comments and social media posts by the rapper. Behind the signs, which were hung on Saturday afternoon, at least seven people did the Nazi salute as cars passed underneath. Stop Antisemitism, a nonpartisan organization, identified the group as the Goyim Defense League (GDL), led by Jon Minadeo II, a well-known neo-Nazi. Outrageous effort to fan the flames of antisemitism gripping the nation. This group is known for espousing vitriolic #antisemitism and white supremacist ideology. Hate has no place in Los Angeles or elsewhere and these attempts will not divide us. pic.twitter.com/i8szPO1RUw More from Rolling Stone ADL Southern California (@ADLSoCal) October 23, 2022 West has gone on several anti-semitic rants in recent weeks. He has claimed Jews control Hollywood and, after he was banned from Instagram, the rapper tweeted he was going death con 3 on the Jewish people. West refused to apologize for the tweet in an interview with Chris Cuomo, and when Piers Morgan asked if he was sorry, West responded, No Absolutely not. But later in the interview with Morgan, Kanye said, I will say Im sorry for the people that I hurt with the Defcon [comment], the confusion that I caused. I felt like I caused hurt and confusion. And Im sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I have been through. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), extremists across the ideological spectrum have praised Wests hateful rhetoric online and used the opportunity to promote anti-semitic claims and conspiracy theories. Per Stop Antisemitism, when police arrived on the scene, Minadeo started shouting at an officer about diversity hires and immigrants taking over America thanks to Jewish laws. Minadeo was arrested in September at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. A press officer of the Auschwitz Memorial told The Times of Israel that Minadeo and another person illegally burst onto the property. A photo of Minadeo standing near the Auschwitz gates shows him and another man carrying anti-semitic signs. Police were dispatched; Minadeo began yelling at one of the officers who spoke only English about "diversity hires" and immigrants taking over America thanks to Jewish laws. pic.twitter.com/NrjJXXscz4 StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 23, 2022 The ADL describes the GDL as a loose network of individuals with an overarching goal to cast aspersions on Jews and spread anti-semitic myths and conspiracy theories. Its members believe that the Holocaust is a Jewish lie and that Jews were responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. In response to the rally, the Southern California branch of the ADL tweeted, Outrageous effort to fan the flames of antisemitism gripping the nation. This group is known for espousing vitriolic #antisemitism and white supremacist ideology. Hate has no place in Los Angeles or elsewhere and these attempts will not divide us. Anti-semitic events are on the rise in the U.S. and hit a record high in 2021, averaging more than seven incidents per day. The ADL tracked 2,717 incidents of anti-semitic behavior across the country last year, a 34 percent increase year over year. The organization also counted at least 74 anti-semitic propaganda incidents in 2021 that the GDL was responsible for. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. (Reuters) - Australia will introduce laws to parliament to increase penalties for companies subject to major data breaches, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said, after high-profile cyberattacks hit millions of Australians in recent weeks. Australia's telco, financial and government sectors have been on high alert since Singtel-owned Optus, the country's second-largest telco, disclosed on Sept. 22 a hack that saw the theft of personal data from up to 10 million accounts. That attack was followed this month by a data breach at health insurer Medibank Private, which covers one-sixth of Australians, resulting in personal information of 100 customers being stolen, including medical diagnoses and procedures, as part of a theft of 200 gigabytes of data. Dreyfus, in an official statement issued on Saturday, said the government would next week move to "significantly increase penalties for repeated or serious privacy breaches" with amendments to privacy laws. The proposed changes would lift maximum penalties for serious or repeated privacy breaches from the current A$2.22 million ($1.4 million) to the greater of A$50 million, three times the value of the benefit obtained through the misuse of information, or 30% of turnover in the relevant period, he said. When Australians were asked to hand over personal data to companies, they had a right to expect it would be protected, the attorney-general said. "Significant privacy breaches in recent weeks have shown existing safeguards are inadequate. It's not enough for a penalty for a major data breach to be seen as the cost of doing business," Dreyfus said. "We need better laws to regulate how companies manage the huge amount of data they collect, and bigger penalties to incentivise better behaviour." The announcement comes after the government earlier this month revealed plans to overhaul consumer privacy rules that would help facilitate targeted data sharing between telecommunication firms and banks following the breach at Optus. In the wake of Optus attack, two Australian regulators opened investigations into the company, which has come under heavy fire for not preventing the hack, one of the biggest on record in Australia. (Reporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by Alistair Bell) By Eduardo Baptista and Martin Quin Pollard BEIJING (Reuters) -Cai Qi catapulted to the top rung of China's leadership on Sunday, capping a late career rise that overcame a less than ideal stretch as Beijing's Communist Party boss. Cai, 66, was not on everyone's list for the elite Politburo Standing Committee, but he is seen as one of Xi's closest political allies, having worked with him for 20 years in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. His leap to the party's top governing body was reminiscent of a jump in 2017 into the Politburo without the typical first stop on the larger Central Committee. China's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong, Xi stacked the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee with allies, leaving out prominent reform-minded officials, including Hu Chunhua, Wang Yang, and outgoing Premier Li Keqiang. They were seen by some party watchers to be in contention for a seat. Promoted despite facing difficulties in leading China's capital, Cai is much like another Xi ally elevated to the Standing Committee, Shanghai Party Secretary Li Qiang. Li, the likely next premier, faced widespread public anger at a botched COVID-19 lockdown this year. Cai and Li on Sunday joined a long list of Shanghai and Beijing Party bosses that have been promoted to the Standing Committee. Cai was promoted in 2014 to general office deputy director at the Beijing-based National Security Commission, a body founded and chaired by Xi. A year later, he was promoted to ministerial rank, becoming Beijing's mayor the year after. He joined the Politburo in 2017, when he was named Beijing's party secretary. "The fact that Cai was promoted four times over (those) four years suggests his importance to Xi Jinping," said Cheng Li, an expert on Chinese politics at the Brookings Institution. Now, analysts say Cai is likely to head the Party's Central Secretariat, the body responsible for the Politburo's routine operations. Story continues Neil Thomas, a senior analyst for China and Northeast Asia at the Eurasia Group, said that besides Cai, only one other Xi ally, Yang Xiaodu, was "helicoptered" from outside the Central Committee straight into the Politburo in 2017, a promotion last seen in 1992. In 2017, just weeks after the 19th Party Congress, Cai faced loud public criticism over the forced eviction of migrant workers on Beijing's outskirts. Images of demolished homes circulated online with leaked videos showing Cai saying the operation should be a "cut-and-thrust and tough confrontation". Cai weathered the storm, adjusting his public tone towards the residents affected by the crackdown. "Cai was not popular as party secretary in Beijing, but again, loyalty trumped popularity," said Yang Zhang, assistant professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington. Using a title previously only used by Mao's propagandists to refer to the founder of the People's Republic, Cai told the Beijing delegation during last week's party congress: "General Secretary Xi Jinping leads the path for all people in the party and country in the new era. He is the peoples leader whom we sincerely love and admire." SOCIAL MEDIA Unlike most top-level party officials, Cai was once an adept user of social media, garnering over 10 million followers on China's Twitter-like Weibo while working in Zhejiang province. He broke with convention in 2014, announcing his promotion to the Xi-led National Security Commission before state media reported the news, according to the official China Daily. Despite making a mark for engaging frankly with citizens, even helping a few solve problems they raised on his Weibo account, Cai stopped posting after moving to Beijing. In 2011, Cai praised Facebook and lamented that it was blocked in China. He has said officials needed to get used to public supervision when explaining why he was so active on social media, according to China Daily. A decade later, during a Beijing Party committee meeting on cyberspace and ideology hosted by Cai, no mention was made of citizens using social media to hold officials accountable. Instead, the meeting said the capital would focus on promoting "positive energy" online. (Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Tony Munroe and William Mallard) Beyonce and Jay-Z "On the Run II" Tour - Glasgow Its time for the BeyHive to get to the bag because the first set of tickets to Beyonces highly anticipated Renaissance Tour has officially been sold! A concert package valued at $20,000 was auctioned off during WACO (Where Art Can Occur) Theaters fifth annual Wearable Art Gala held Saturday (Oct. 22) in Santa Monica, California. The event was founded by Tina Knowles-Lawson and her husband, actor Richard Lawson, to help fund the theaters arts and youth mentorship programs. Saturday marked the galas return following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and was attended by Queen Bey, Jay-Z, their daughter Blue Ivy, and other celebrities. Footage from inside the venue circulated online late last night. In one photo, a screen presents a message offering the unique opportunity to see Beyonce. United x WACO offers you a chance to see Beyonce on her Renaissance Tour starting in the summer of 2023 at any of Uniteds national and international destinations around the world, the message read. The package details included 2 First Class International United Airline Polaris tickets to select cities, with 3-Night hotel accommodations at a Marriott Property, 2 concert tickets to Beyonces 2023 tour, and a guided backstage tour with Knowles-Lawson. In a video clip of the bidding war, the package reached upwards of $50,000. Though the final price is unconfirmed, a fan who attended the event tweeted that the package was won with a whopping price tag of $150,000. Beyonce dropped Renaissance, her seventh solo studio album, this past July. All 16 of the LPs tracks have already landed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making her the sixth female artist to achieve the feat. She is also the only artist to have each of her albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. To boot, her song Cuff It is the latest sound craze on social media and has sparked a viral dance challenge. Check out some of the reactions to fans learning that the Renaissance Tour is officially confirmed below. Story continues when beyonce go on tour, Im getting them front row tickets even if I have to sell a kidney idgaf (@crispypunani) October 23, 2022 Its time for me to figure out a plan. pic.twitter.com/oJnYjBn3nj (@moonlighttsouls) October 23, 2022 them renaissance tickets cant come fast enough i never wanted to give beyonce money so bad Ray (@_BluRay__) October 23, 2022 no more eating. beyonce tickets come first! pic.twitter.com/7RH4jFUtJ6 mac (@24K_IVY) October 23, 2022 The first two tickets for Beyonces upcoming RENAISSANCE tour were sold for $150k. This is about to be a blood bath. This game has been moved to a new level pic.twitter.com/SRJ9Qu4bwe Hermaden (@IChoseViolences) October 23, 2022 I just know them damn tickets to #Beyonce renaissance tour gon be expensive sick to my stomach already. pic.twitter.com/HlV3iIj37h Kota (@GapToothKota) October 23, 2022 Beyonce announces her new world tour for next summer, the ticket page is now available. #RENAISSANCEpic.twitter.com/cl8597Evlm BEYONCE NEWS (@BeyonceHiveNews) October 23, 2022 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden sought to reassure Democratic voters who have doubts about whether the 79-year-old should run for re-election, while also saying in an interview that he could "drop dead tomorrow." Already the oldest president in American history, Biden would be 86 if he served out a second term. He has repeatedly said he will run for re-election in 2024, even as many Democrats have questioned whether the party should support a younger candidate instead. A New York Times/Sienna College poll in July found only 26% of Democratic voters supported renominating Biden for 2024, with age cited as the biggest reason for those opposed. In September, Biden publicly sought out Jackie Walorski, an Indiana Congresswoman who died in a car accident the previous month, seeming to forget that she had passed away. "I'm in good health. All my, everything physically about me is still functioning well, so you know, and mentally too," the president, who will turn 80 next month, said in the interview with MSNBC that aired on Sunday. Biden said he should be judged based on his current vigor on the job, rather than his age, though he acknowledged the issue is a "legitimate" voter worry. "I'm a great respecter of fate. I could get a disease tomorrow. I could, you know, drop dead tomorrow ... in terms of my energy level, in terms of how much I'm able to do, I think people should look and say - can he still have the same passion for what he's doing?" Biden said. "And if they think I do and I can do it, then that's fine. If they don't, then they should vote against me - not against me, they should encourage me not to go. But that's not how I feel." (Reporting by Joel Schectman; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Google Maps Even in Palm Beach, the billionaires hideaway in southeast Florida, 1071 North Ocean Blvd. stands out as a monument to excess. At more than 35,000 square feet, the mansion was designed to feature 16 bathrooms, a gym, barber shop, theater, and library. Last year, the property reportedly sold to an entity tied to William Lauder, a billionaire heir to the Estee Lauder makeup fortune, for an astonishing $110 million. But the palatial estate is apparently not up to his familys standards. On Wednesday, the town approved a plan to tear down the homebuilt just six years agoto the dirt. The decision has agitated some locals. I just have a really weird feeling in my stomach about it. I think its about the complete waste, one prominent resident told The Daily Beast, speaking on the condition of anonymity so as not to rankle an ultra-rich neighbor. I mean normal people dont do that. Its kind of gross. Another resident, third-generation Palm Beacher K.T. Catlin, described herself as pro-development and redevelopment. But even in her mind, she said, the trend of constantly tearing down to just build bigger, I question that. Known to some locals as The Castle, the estate was completed in 2016, and it riled up members of the community from the outset. Of particular concern, the Palm Beach Daily News previously noted, was the immense size and the way it ate up a huge percentage of its 2-acre lot. The original owners, lawyers turned charter school consultants Danielle and Vahan Gureghian, narrowly won approval to build their dream home in 2011, the outlet said. They never actually lived in it, instead putting the property on the market for more than $80 million in 2015, before construction was completed. The Gureghians sold it to another party in 2019 for $40.9 million. Now that Lauder seems to have assumed ownership, there is anxious speculation within the community about whether he might build an even larger colossus on the site, since he reportedly also owns an adjacent empty lot. Story continues Victoria Cooky Donaldson, who lives in midtown Palm Beach and described herself as neutral about the demolition, said opinions about the project are split: Some think whats going up will be better, others are infuriated by it. Screengrab from Google maps from May 2015 Google Maps When the plans were first announced, she said, detractors reacted with shock at the extravagance of a nine-figure teardown. The stepping up of the grandiosity, this takes it to a whole new plane. A Palm Beach official told The Daily Beast that the new owners have yet to submit a proposal for what they want to build after the demolition. One of Lauders attorneys, meanwhile, declined to comment. Even before the recent controversy, tensions in Palm Beach had been simmering for many months: between wealthy snowbirds and year-round locals, and between estate owners (whose identities are often obscured behind corporate entities) and the more modest homeowners. Newly constructed houses are built higher than many existing properties due to federal regulations. As a result, during intense storms, water from the modern mansions pours directly onto neighbors' lots, multiple residents said. According to Catlin, construction trucks have also repeatedly damaged cars and properties, and crews have been known to work earlier or later than regulations permit, and to sneak in on weekends. Furthermore, there are concerns the Lauder project may exacerbate traffic problems, which already can extend for miles. Theres only two roads, Donaldson said. During Donald Trumps presidencywhen visits to his Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago crippled traffic flowthree homes were under construction near her. I couldn't get out of my driveway for four years, she said. Adding to the frustration: The soon-to-be demolished home was at least partially under construction for years. They keep renovating it and re-renovating it, Catlin said. Now, with a rebuild, some people are upset to have X number of more years to look at and deal with this. They Couldnt Turn the A/C to 68 at Their Swanky Hamptons Rental. Now Theyre Suing. Donaldson recalled growing up in Palm Beach decades ago, when the largest homes were big, but God, I mean, nothing like what we're looking at now. And nothing was really torn down to make way for just another huge, enormous house. Perhaps the starkest illustration of that change is underway six miles south, where billionaire Ken Griffin is constructing his own version of Versailles: a multi-lot estate that stretches across 1,400 feet of coastline. That project has also aggravated community members, some of whom are billionaires themselves. Despite the recent flare-up, the Lauder family has a positive reputation in the community, multiple residents said. William Lauder, who is based in New York City, according to his LinkedIn page, serves as chairman of the family cosmetics business. Forbes reports that he also owns property in Aspen and Westchester, New York; the outlet pegs his net worth at $3.1 billion. Earlier this year, Lauder made news when he reportedly settled with a former mistress who had sued him in 2018, alleging that he had reneged on an agreement to pay for her $7 million Los Angeles mansion. According to a 2010 Forbes story, the pair had a child together in 2007, while Lauder was married and serving as CEO of Estee Lauder. They hashed out a private deal in which the woman agreed to move to California, refrain from any contact with the Lauder family and conceal the identity of the fathereven from the child. (After he was sued in 2018, Lauder reportedly filed his own lawsuit declaring that the woman had violated their deal several times over.) The tabloid intrigue apparently isnt a factor in the Palm Beach controversy. One resident said frustration about the demolition is less about this one property than about the stratum of wealth engulfing the island and irreparably changing its character. Its a symptom of a much larger problem, the person said, invoking adjectivesgarish and gauchethat one might apply to a sequined maxi dress. I think were losing our town. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Photo: The Canadian Press Ralph Goodale speaks during a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Tuesday, Aug 6, 2019. Canada's representative to Britain, Ralph Goodale, says Ottawa will not make a veiled threat and suspend trade talks over concerns the U.K. may be breaching the peace agreement that stopped conflict in Ireland. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Canadas envoy to the United Kingdom says Ottawa will not make a veiled threat and suspend trade talks over concerns Britain may be breaching the agreement that stopped decades of conflict in Ireland. Last week, the Irish political party pushing to unify the island asked Ottawa to halt negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal. Sinn Fein argued London is undermining the agreement that brokered peace between Catholics and Protestants. But Ralph Goodale, Canada's high commissioner in London, said the federal government has no plans to suspend talks. "We think its more helpful and more practically useful to offer to help to find the right answer, rather than perhaps a veiled threat," Goodale said in an interview last week. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement largely stopped three decades of armed conflict over the status of Northern Ireland, which is a region of Britain. The deal maintained a largely invisible border between the territory and the Republic of Ireland, which remains part of the European Union. Experts argue the lack of a hard border has helped prevent conflict. The invisible border was supposed to remain in place under an agreement Britain signed with the EU when it left the bloc in 2020, with customs checks instead taking place between mainland Britain and its region of Northern Ireland. But this spring, the British government tabled legislation curtailing those rules. The European Commission argues Britain is violating international law, while the U.S. government has delayed trade talks, citing those concerns. Goodale said Ottawa won't follow the Americans and noted that Canadians like Gen. John de Chastelain played a "pivotal" role in reaching the 1998 agreement. "We say to the United Kingdom on every occasion that we feel very strongly about this," Goodale said. NDP MP Charlie Angus hosted John Finucane, a Sinn Fein MP in the U.K. parliament, on his visit to Ottawa last week and said he supports the Belfast MP's calls for Canada to hit pause on trade negotiations. "I don't think there's any need to tiptoe around the complete failure of the British government," Angus said. He argued Canada has more sway with the U.K. than the Americans do. "Brexit has left England much weaker, and we've also seen just a real lack of maturity from their political leadership on this." Angus said he is working with the Catholic political party because his Irish relatives, both Catholic and Protestant, hated sectarianism. "The stakes are high. I mean, we do not want to return to a hard border. And we do not want to return to the violence that traumatized a generation of people in Northern Ireland," he said. Meanwhile, Goodale said Canada stands ready to help Britain resolve its border issue, suggesting that Canada's unmilitarized border with the United States could yield some ideas. "We offer constructive assistance, wherever we could be of help in finding the solution to the tensions that have worked their way back into the relationship," he said. Billionaire investor, Robert F. Smith, shared how he achieves company growth and long-term success on Thursday at the 2022 Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala in Phoenix, Ariz. Smith, founder of private equity firm, Vista Equity Partners, employs 95,000 workers across its 85 portfolio companies, according to Inc. 5000. In a conference discussion with CEO Stephanie Mehta of Manseto Ventures, Smith stated the most important thing an organization can do is to start an internship program that can bring underrepresented people into the workforce. As for his company, Vista Equity Partners, Inc. 5000, Smith and his team are reportedly responsible for hiring between 5,000 and 15,000 employees per year across its software business portfolios. The companys effort has resulted in a solid infrastructure that is dedicated to recruiting and developing talent from top to bottom. Even a six-week summer program can allow you to get a good look at the next generation, Smith said during the conference. And they can get a good look at you. Prospective employees take a Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) examination that measures prospective hires ability to use new information. In addition, the prospects also take a personality test. Once hired, the new employees take a series of boot camps by the firms in-house consulting partner, Vista Consulting Group. The new employees learn how to incorporate the companys best practices and principles that are only shared and kept secret with fellow Vista colleagues. Smith added during his conversation at the conference that he credits much of his own success to a college internship with Bell Labs that focused on research and scientific development. The internship inspired him to dedicate his efforts to training the next generation through a platform called, internXL, that brings precision, diversity, inclusion, and efficiency to the internship hiring process for top companies. Whenever Vista Equity Partners invests in a new business, Smith says he intends to ensure that the portfolio company starts an internship program and doubles its size the following year. Dwayne Johnson in a poster for DC's Black Adam. Black Adam is out this weekend, and as is often the case with superhero movies, its post-credits scene teases some interesting possibilities for the future of the DC movie universe. Chances are you already know what it is (either by just seeing the film or various other means), but just in case: dont read this if you havent actually seen the film and want to be surprised. Now then... So yes, Henry Cavills Superman is back in action, as previously reported. Rocking a version of his Man of Steel suit and with a little curl on his forehead, Superman shows up in Kahndaq telling Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) that they need to have a talk now that the latter has smugly declared that no one on the planet is capable of going on-one-on against him. Johnson was previously said to have fought hard for that scene to happenso hard that when then-head of DC Films Walter Hamada said no, the wrestler/actor went over him to get it approvedand a recent story from the Hollywood Reporter really underlines how close to the wire it was. Read more Adams cinematographer Lawrence Sher told THR that director Jaume Collet-Serra essentially pitched the scene to him as something for Dwayne to walk into And were going to shoot it in like 10 minutes. Johnsons half of the scene was shot on the final day of reshoots, with the team doing the Superman half via a body double and a version of John Williams classic Superman theme they found on Google. Similar to the post-credits scene for Shazam, only Supermans emblem was shown on the chance that things wouldnt work out. Watching it play out was actually goosebumps, said Sher. I thought, Wow, this is 100 percent going to work. Now they need to figure out if they can get the guy with the head to be there. Test screenings for Black Adam went nuts when they saw said scene, which made securing Cavill even more of an imperative. Once Johnson got that approved, Cavill had to film his half in London just a month ago, where he was presumably filming the third season of The Witcher. For that, Sher had to film remotely, since he couldnt travel to the UK. Of seeing Cavill perform the scene, he said: There are certain people that are iconic as the characters that they play, and hes really one of them. Story continues Black Adam is in theaters now. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Boris Johnson. Getty/Christopher Furlong Boris Johnson removed himself for consideration to become the UK's next prime minister. The unusual prospect would have seen Johnson return two months after resigning from the post. The new prime minister selection comes following Liz Truss's resignation after just six weeks. Boris Johnson ruled himself out of the contest to be the next prime minister of the UK on Sunday. The declaration, issued around 9 p.m. local time, ended the extraordinary prospect of Johnson returning to power only two months after leaving Downing Street in disgrace. His departure left two Conservative Party MPs in the running to succeed Liz Truss, who resigned on Thursday after a disastrous six weeks in power as Johnson's successor. The two remaining candidates are Rishi Sunak, who was Johnson's finance minister, and Penny Mordaunt, a former cabinet minister with a much smaller profile. Mordaunt reached third place in the last leadership election, which Truss won, while Sunak was second. In his message, Johnson claimed he had secured the support of enough Conservative MPs to reach the next round in the selection process, which would see ordinary party members choose between the two candidates with support from the most MPs. "There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday," he wrote. However, he said he was aware many MPs objected to the idea of him returning to power, and he doubted he would be able to govern effectively. Therefore, he said, he was dropping out. Johnson, who served as prime minister starting in 2019, resigned in July after several dozen Tory MPs quit following a string of scandals. In April, Johnson had been found guilty of attending an illegal gathering during the coronavirus lockdown, despite having said he followed the rules. Then in June, Chris Pincher, Johnson's deputy chief whip, quit over allegations he had drunkenly groped two men at a party years before. Johnson said he was unaware of the allegations when he appointed Pincher, but those claims later fell apart, and his resignation came shortly after. Still, Johnson remained popular with many Tory activists and numerous reports in the wake of Truss's resignation suggested he was interested in running. Read the original article on Business Insider Accidents happen. People make wrong turns. Sometimes these end badly, sometimes not. One supposed wrong turn became part of an aviation legend. And with it, Texas native Douglas Corrigan became known for one of the most bizarre feats in aviation history the transatlantic flight that went the wrong way. Douglas Corrigan was born in Galveston in 1907, less than four years after the Wright Brothers completed their historic first flight. His father was an engineer, and the family moved often. But his home life was fractious, and his parents divorced when he was still young. Eventually, he ended up with his mother, sister, and brother in Los Angeles. He dropped out of high school as a teenager and took odd jobs in construction. In 1925, he happened across a pilot offering plane rides for $2.50. Curious, Corrigan paid the fee, hopped into the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, and instantly fell in love with flying. He began taking lessons, and five months later, he was a licensed pilot. Not long after he earned his license, he began working for the Ryan Aircraft Co. in San Diego, California. He helped assemble Charles Lindberghs custom-built Spirit of St. Louis that would later be used for the historic first transatlantic flight in May 1927. In the meantime, Corrigan continued to perfect his own piloting skills. He eventually began performing aerial stunts in company airplanes on his lunch breaks, much to the frustration of his employers. After the success of Lindberghs flight, Corrigan decided he wanted to replicate the feat on his own. He spent several years taking various jobs as an aircraft mechanic and pilot. In 1933, he bought a used Curtiss Robin OX-5 for $300. The plane was a mess, but Corrigan rebuilt it and modified it over the next several years for his flight. Story continues Bridges In 1935, he applied for clearance to take his OX-5 across the sea from New York to Ireland non-stop. Aviation officials in New York immediately declared the plane unfit for the flight, citing a number of structural and mechanical problems. But he was cleared to fly the plane back to California. After two years of repairs and extensive modifications, Corrigan applied repeatedly, but his plane was rejected each time. In July 1938, he flew from California to New York hoping to receive permission to finally make the flight. Somewhere during the 27-hour flight, a fuel leak developed. After he landed, he was refused again. He spent several days making repairs, and at 5 AM on July 17, he departed from New York and headed east. Along the way, the fuel started leaking into the cockpit, forcing Corrigan to punch a hole in the floor of the plane with a screwdriver to let the fuel escape safely. He arrived in Ireland 28 hours later. Bewildered Irish authorities were caught completely by surprise by his arrival. He claimed that his compass was broken and that he flew above the clouds and never realized he was flying over the ocean so he never noticed his mistake. He apologized profusely for the misunderstanding. For safety reasons, all pilots must file a flight plan with federal aviation authorities before each flight. Corrigans flight plan stated he intended to fly back to California. In response, Corrigans license was suspended for two weeks, the exact time it took to ship his plane back home by boat. After the news broke, The New York Post ran the headline Hail Wrong Way Corrigan in reverse. When he arrived back in the United States, he was treated to a ticker-tape parade before a throng of well-wishes estimated by newspapers at close to a million people. Flights across the Atlantic were not so unusual by this point. Wiley Post, himself a Texas native, had completed the same trip in 1931; and Amelia Earhart became the first woman to make the flight in 1932. Seaplanes regularly crossed the Atlantic, while Zeppelin airships, the German hydrogen-filled blimps, made routine flights across the Atlantic by the mid-1930s. Wrong Way Corrigan was the fourth to fly from New York to Ireland non-stop in a fixed-wing aircraft, but the circumstances with his misdirection, humility, and broken-down aircraft won the hearts of millions. Whether the flight to Europe was planned or whether it really was an accident has been debated for many years. Corrigan nevertheless insisted throughout his entire life that the flight was an accident, at least publicly. Honest, I meant to fly to California, he said with a shrug. He took the jokes and the good-natured ribbing in stride. He published an autobiography within months of his flight titled Thats My Story and even endorsed a Wrong-Way novelty watch that ran backward. In 1939, he starred in a movie about his life called The Flying Irishman. After the acclaim of his trip faded, Corrigan returned to a simple life. During World War II, Corrigan quietly served as a test pilot for the Army Air Force and delivered new planes to forward bases as part of the Air Transport Command. After the war, he worked as a commercial pilot. He stepped away from aviation as a career by 1950 and bought an orange grove in California. He married and had three children who followed his love of flight. He sold the orange grove to developers after his wife died in 1966 and settled into semi-retirement. Tragically, one of his sons, also a pilot, died in a plane crash in 1972. Corrigan died in December 1995 in California at age 87, beloved by family and friends. The plane from his famed transatlantic flight is on display at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California. Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan. He holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas. Bridges can be reached by email at drkenbridges@gmail.com. This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Bridges: 'Wrong Way' Corrigan took infamous transatlantic flight In June 2020, after the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd galvanized racial injustice protests globally, Brooklyn Preparatory High School organized a forum for its staff and the predominantly Black and Hispanic student body to share their thoughts and express their feelings. "Those three deaths specifically had an effect on all of us, but also specifically our students," said J.P. King, a history teacher and the chief experience officer at the New York City school, "and our administration and teachers prioritized hearing what students had to say about it." The forum, held via Zoom as the Covid pandemic disrupted education, was open to the entire school and included a panel of staff members and students. What came from it was an outpouring of emotions as well as a general frustration from students about not seeing themselves enough in the curriculum, King and administrators said. With the help of their assistant principal and the backing of the AP for All initiative of the New York City Department of Education, students and staff launched a petition calling for African American Studies to be among the College Board's Advanced Placement offerings. After a two-year push, the school is now among 60 across the country participating in a pilot program launched this fall for AP African American Studies at a time when teaching about race is under assault across the United States. Amirah Riddick, 17, of Brooklyn, who was among the students who advocated for the course to be added to Brooklyn Prep's AP offerings, described it as "a game changer." Amirah Riddick in Brooklyn Preparatory High Schools African American studies AP course (Marc J. Franklin / NBC News) "A lot of our history classes, we learn about white history like Europeans, like colonization, and a lot of things like that," said Riddick, a senior who hopes to study journalism at Northwestern University. "And I feel like us being mostly Hispanic, mostly African American students, mostly Caribbean students, we don't get to learn a lot about our cultures and the ways that we were thriving. We learn more about the ways that we were confined like in slavery, and just how we were treated." Story continues During a recent class, Brooklyn Prep Assistant Principal Shannah Henderson, who teaches the course, had students work in small groups to analyze the poem "Heritage" by Countee Cullen. She said her role is primarily to remind the students "about the different perspectives, and the different voices" and to manage the different cultural expectations of the children, in keeping with the course design. If not for her, the program may not have come to Brooklyn Prep. Shannah Henderson speaks to a student during Brooklyn Preparatory High Schools African American studies AP course (Marc J. Franklin / NBC News) Henderson has been the school's AP coordinator for a decade and said in that time, she has "had the privilege of hearing the students' complaints" about which AP classes they didn't have. In June 2020, King helped her draft a pair of tweets addressed to the College Board, demanding a course that speaks to their students' "history, heritage, culture, lives and experiences." Henderson said Trevor Packer, the senior vice president and the head of the AP Program and the instruction division, responded. "And what he said was, there was interest in doing it from the College Board, but they found it was not enough interest from universities. So they were still working on it," Henderson said. Sometime last year, she said, she learned about the pilot program but Brooklyn Prep had not been invited to participate. So she again contacted Packer. "I said, 'Hey, we did the petition, remember us?' And we got into the pilot program," she said. Asked what it required to be considered for the pilot program, Henderson said: "Interest and support from your school district. And your principal obviously." Henderson traveled to Howard University in July to be trained on how to teach the course. She said that because she doesn't have a degree in African American studies, she was also required to take online courses at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The College Board has said that the course had been a decade in the making. Henderson credited Packer with being receptive to her students and their petition and said that she believes the racial reckoning of 2020 and the rise of student voices and activism during that time "definitely helped to put up a spark in a fire." Khia Williams in Brooklyn Preparatory High Schools African American studies AP course (Marc J. Franklin / NBC News) In response to an interview request from NBC News, the College Board said it recently published a set of principles for all AP courses making clear that students will encounter evidence, weigh competing viewpoints, and come to their own conclusions. "AP students are never required to agree with a particular opinion or adopt a particular ideology, but they are expected to analyze different perspectives," it said in a statement. AP African American Studies is multidisciplinary, drawing from literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography and science. The course is expected to be available to all interested high schools in the 2024-25 school year, once colleges and universities have confirmed their credit and placement policies for the course's AP exam, the College Board said. "As with all AP courses in the humanities, it is not a theory course; students instead immerse themselves in primary sources," it said. "The course is designed to encourage students to examine each theme from a variety of perspectives, without ideology, in line with the field's tradition of debates." Brooklyn Preparatory High Schools African American studies AP course (Marc J. Franklin / NBC News) The College Board, which also administers the SATs, declined to share a syllabus, but said that in the spring of 2024, "the course framework will be posted on the AP Program website after it reflects learnings from the pilot, so that anyone can read the course material directly and see the evidence-based content and skills that students learn in the course." It also declined to name the schools that were selected, how they were chosen, or to say what states they were in. And it did not respond to an inquiry about whether it has faced any pushback since the pilot launched. The class is being introduced as Republicans continue to wage a battle against critical race theory, or CRT, the academic study of systemic racism, which critics have often wrongly used to label any attempt to teach students about racism in the United States. Critical race theory is not usually taught in K-12 public schools and is not part of the AP African American Studies curriculum, though it still could find itself in the critics' crosshairs. This year, 36 states have introduced 137 bills up from 22 states that introduced 54 bills in 2021 to restrict teaching about race, as well as gender and American history, in K-12 schools and in higher education, according to a report by the free speech organization PEN America. "Republican legislators have overwhelmingly driven" the push, it said. Henderson said she feels grateful to teach in a state and school that is welcoming of diverse curriculum and one that does not shy away from difficult conversations. She regularly keeps in touch with other teachers in the program elsewhere in the country. "I actually feel really fortunate that the current state of the DOE is one of, let's open up to all ideas and perspectives and really treat our students' interests and needs," she said. Brooklyn Preparatory High Schools African American studies AP course (Marc J. Franklin / NBC News) The most fulfilling part of the program has been the excitement of not only her students and colleagues, but also the larger AP community at the other participating schools. "We have a really good community," she said. "And it's just empowering." Henderson and Principal Noah Lansner said 200 students requested to enroll in the course and 35 were chosen. Khia Williams, 17, who lives in Brooklyn, is among those enrolled in the course and who had advocated for it. She believes African American history is underrepresented in the education system and said that everything she has learned in the course thus far has been new to her. Khia Williams in Brooklyn Preparatory High Schools African American studies AP course (Marc J. Franklin / NBC News) "I feel as if everything I've learned in this class, I didn't know," she said. "Because when we learn about history, especially Black history, it starts at the African slave trade. And that's not where it starts." Prior to enrolling, she said she would get information about African American studies from her grandmother, who came to the U.S. from Jamaica. "We learn history in several other classes, but we don't learn African history, which is, I wouldn't say offensive, but in a sense, it can be offensive," she said. "Because it's like, we can learn about U.S. history, global history, but we're leaving out one continent. Why?" This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A Caldwell police officer went to the hospital after being involved in a collision early Sunday, with the other driver suspected of being under the influence. The officers patrol vehicle was hit by a truck just after midnight while going west on East Chicago Street, according to the Caldwell Police Department. The driver of a Chevy Silverado failed to halt at a stop sign at North Kimball Avenue and struck the left side of the patrol vehicle, police said. The impact pushed the officers car into a residential yard. Idaho State Police officers responded at the request of the Caldwell police supervisor on duty. Caldwell police said state troopers arrested a 20-year-old woman on suspicion of driving under the influence, having an open container and failing to purchase a drivers license. The Caldwell officer went to the hospital for treatment and was released hours later. A popular barbecue restaurant in Canton was damaged by a fire early Sunday morning, Cherokee County fire officials said. Cherokee County fire officials arrived at Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q on Sunday just after 1 a.m., finding pressurized smoke coming from the building. According to fire officials, smoke conditions and the configuration of the structure made it difficult to locate the origin of the fire. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The restaurant located off Marietta Highway confirmed on its Facebook page that it would remain closed temporarily. Fire officials say the fire was located and quickly extinguished before more damage could occur. The structure was searched and determined to be clear of people. TRENDING STORIES: No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said on Saturday that the Department of Education is moving full speed ahead with preparations for its debt relief program, after a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the program on Friday. Amid some Republicans trying every which way to block the Biden Administrations debt relief program, the department is moving full speed ahead with preparations for the lawful implementation of our program so we can deliver relief to borrowers who need it most, Cardona wrote in an opinion piece in USA Today on Saturday. The Biden administrations student loan forgiveness plan was temporarily put on hold on Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit amid a challenge from six Republican-led states. The Republican attorneys general, who argue that the Biden administration does not have the authority to cancel the debt, appealed their case after it was dismissed by a district court judge on Thursday. The White House on Friday night vowed to fight Republican challenges to the debt relief program and noted that the ruling does not prevent borrowers from continuing to apply for relief or the government from reviewing applications. Cardona joined the administration in promising to fight the lawsuits in a video posted to Twitter on Saturday. We promise to fight to protect you from baseless lawsuits trying to stop us from providing you debt relief, Cardona said. We will not stop fighting for you. The Education secretary also called out Republicans who previously took advantage of other loan forgiveness programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program. Its only when relief is going to working and middle-class Americans that these elected officials have a problem, Cardona added in the USA Today opinion piece. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Haiti-born Anely Girondin, a novice French visual and performance artist, started her career-exploring visit to New York in August by getting ripped off a predatory livery driver charged her $400 to travel from JFK airport to Brooklyn. But the resilient 25-year-old student, visiting New York for the first time, quickly rebounded, and amazingly landed her first-ever art exhibition hosted by a high-end Upper East Side gallery. The secrets to Girondin attaining The Movements of Our Roots her last-minute, unplanned art display and dance performance at the swank Kate Oh Gallery on E. 72nd St. were her tenacity, combined with invaluable support from her Airbnb host, art maven Linda Sutton, and veteran New York-based artists Jean Dominique Volcy, Ava Tomlinson, and Otto Neals. Our common passions for art have brought us closer, said Girondin of Sutton, Volcy, Tomlinson, and Neals. I can say that I have met new friends, new allies, said the student-artist, who returned to France last month to start her third year at Paris Sornas EDTA college. The French-speaking Girondin selected Suttons studio accommodations for her 45-day stay because of the hosts love of art, which she professed in her Airbnb biography. My passion is fine art, reads the bio of Sutton, who has operated art galleries and worked in the arts arena for decades. I enjoy meeting people and enhancing their travel experience when they visit, she wrote. After bemoaning Girondins outrageous $400 livery rip-off from JFK, Sutton reached out to members of Brooklyns Black arts community to help and bridge the French-English language barrier between them. Larry Weeks, president of Brooklyns 65-year-old Fulton Art Fair, recommended Haitian-born Volcy and Tomlinson, who has parents from Jamaica. Meanwhile, Girondin visited the publicized Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibit in Manhattan, the Brooklyns My NYC Gallery in Crown Heights, the Breuklyn Tequila and Taco Bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant, the Brooklyn Bridge, and other city sites. Story continues She also made things happen, career-wise. Alone, she ventured into Manhattans Central Park for a bicycle ride one day and spotted the Kate Oh Gallery near the park. I looked at this very inspiring space where there were very beautiful works, Girondin said. She later showed the gallery owner her portfolio. Artist Kate Oh an educator and former longtime docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art founded the gallery in 2016 to raise awareness for emerging artists at the intersection of both Eastern and Western art. During the discussion, Kate appreciated my work, said Girondin, who was offered a week-long exhibition at the Manhattan space. The artist admitted, it was the first time that I entered in a gallery to show my work. The works, many of which are monochromatic minimalist pieces penned on paper with India ink, recall silhouettes and rivulets of the wondrous and wild, said the galley describing Girondins creations. Before the show, Volcy helped Girondin buy art supplies from two Blink Art Materials stores in Brooklyn, provided her with an easel to work on, and transported her to and from the gallery. I felt obligated as an elder artist to guide Anely, a young artist, and show her the way, said Volcy who recently showed his oil and acrylic artwork at a benefit show for the Haiti-based Foundation Henri Riquet Perpignand that organizes childrens art programs and operates an afterschool program. Coming to New York was her dream since she was a young child, she is not scared of the city. She is taking it by storm, said Volcy. Tomlinson a seasoned painter, printmaker, textile artist and who worked with the ACT-TO initiative aiding young and upcoming artists took Girondin shopping for clothes. And 90-year-old Neals a revered award-winning painter and sculptor provided the novice exhibitor with some sage advice and gave moral support by attending her art opening and performance at the gallery. Most of the pieces in the exhibition were created by Girondin in Suttons Crown Heights Airbnb studio. The layout of the apartment encourages creation, said Girondin. As soon as I get home, I want to dance, draw, describe. Every light that enters the room is a renewable source, for creativity. I recommend to any artist dreamer poet writer, photographer, dancer, creator to meet Linda. MEXICO CITY (AP) Hurricane Roslyn slammed into a sparsely populated stretch of Mexicos Pacific coast between the resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan Sunday morning, then declined to tropical storm force and quickly moved inland. By Sunday night, Roslyn had winds of 30 mph (45 kph), down from its peak of 130 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Roslyn was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west-northwest of the northern city of Monterrey. The hurricane was moving northeast at 22 miles per hour (35 kph) and was expected to lose strength further as it moves inland. The center expects Roslyn would dissipate before reaching Texas. Local media reported two people died after taking shelter in unstable structures that collapsed during the storm, but the Nayarit state civil defense office said it could not confirm those deaths. While it missed a direct hit, Roslyn brought heavy rain and high waves to Puerto Vallarta, where ocean surges lashed the beachside promenade. Roslyn came ashore in Nayarit state, in roughly the same area where Hurricane Orlene made landfall Oct. 3. The hurricane made landfall around the village of Santa Cruz, near the fishing village of San Blas, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) north of Puerto Vallarta. Jose Antonio Barajas, the mayor of San Blas, said in a video broadcast that some houses had been damaged and power was knocked out, but nobody was killed or seriously injured. The winds from this hurricane were, in truth, tremendous, Barajas said. The sound of the wind was strong. In Tepic, the Nayarit state capital, Roslyn blew down trees and flooded some streets; authorities asked residents to avoid going out Sunday, as crews worked to clear a landslide that had blocked a local highway. The Federal Electricity Commission reported that over 150,000 homes had lost power as a result of the storm, and that by midday Sunday, service had been restored to about one-third of those customers. Meanwhile, beachside eateries in Puerto Vallarta where tourists had lunched unconcerned Saturday were abandoned Sunday morning, and at some the waves had carried away railings and small thatched structures that normally keep the sun off diners. Story continues The head of the state civil defense office for the Puerto Vallarta area, Adrian Bobadilla, said authorities were patrolling the area, but had not yet seen any major damage. The biggest effect was from the waves, on some of the beachside infrastructure, said Bobadilla. We did not have any significant damage. The state civil defense office posted video of officers escorting a large sea turtle back to the water, after it had been thrown up on the beach by the large waves. The National Water Commission said rains from Roslyn could cause mudslides and flooding and the U.S. hurricane center warned that heavy rains could cause flash flooding and landslides over the rugged terrain inland. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis held a news conference to discuss fraud prevention efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The CFO announced during the news conference that he will propose legislation to focus on fraud reform, requesting a $3 million anti-fraud public education campaign. Patronis said that the goal is to hunt down bad public adjusters by curbing their ability to take advantage of those under financial duress and eliminating the use of assignment of benefits, to avoid abuse. His plan also includes creating a statewide prosecutor focused solely on property insurance fraud to hold fraudsters accountable to the full extent of the law, Patronis said. Read: Local election fraud defendants lawyer says motion to dismiss will be filed soon Were doing everything we can to fight against the fraud and the unethical behavior of public adjusters and contractors that come into this market that take advantage of people, Patronis said. Part of this is our legislative agenda that were going to do to help people, but I need to make sure people understand their rights of what theyre faced with. The financial officer said he is going to work with the legislature to push out this message so that Floridians are not being taken advantage of. He urges that if you have any needs or questions to call the Florida Department of Financial Services at 1-877-693-5236. You can view the full news conference on YouTube. 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. WASHINGTON (AP) The House committee investigating the Capitol riot won't give Donald Trump the chance to turn a possible live TV appearance of his subpoenaed testimony into a circus and food fight as lawmakers try to ensure he complies with their demands, the panel's vice chair said Sunday. The committee is demanding Trumps testimony under oath next month as well as records relevant to its investigation. To avoid a complicated and protracted legal battle, Trump reportedly had told associates he might consider complying with the subpoena if he could answer questions during live testimony. When asked if the committee would consider taking his testimony live, Rep. Liz Cheney on Sunday did not directly respond. She said the committee would not allow Trump's testimony to turn into a food fight on TV much as was seen, she said, in Trump's broadcast appearances such as one of his 2020 presidential debates and she warned that the committee will take action if he does not comply with the subpoena. We are going to proceed in terms of the questioning of the former president under oath," Cheney, R-Wyo., said on Meet the Press on NBC. It may take multiple days, and it will be done with a level of rigor and discipline and seriousness that it deserves. We are not going to allow hes not going to turn this into a circus. We have many, many alternatives that we will consider if the former president decides he is not going to comply with his legal obligation, a legal obligation every American citizen has to comply with a subpoena," she said. Her office made clear later that she and the Jan. 6 committee were not ruling out the possibility of live testimony. It did not indicate what form that might take to avoid the food fight or circus" that Cheney said would not happen. The subpoena, issued Friday, calls on Trump to hand over documents by Nov. 4 and provide testimony on or about Nov. 14. Story continues It is unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond. He could comply or negotiate with the committee, announce he will defy the subpoena or ignore it altogether. He could go to court and try to stop it. Last week, Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally, was sentenced to serve four months behind bars after defying a subpoena from the same committee. He remains free pending appeal. Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro also awaits a trial next month on similar contempt of Congress charges. The subpoena includes requests for any communications referring to extremist groups who were coming to Washington, pressure on state legislators to overturn the 2020 election vote and messages about Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump was pushing to object to President Joe Bidens victory. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Sunday that she doubted Trump would appear for his deposition and that the public should know that no one is above the law. I dont think hes man enough to show up, Pelosi said on MSNBC. I dont think his lawyers would want him to show up because he (would) had to testify under oath. ... We'll see. There remains little legal advantage for Trump to cooperate with the committee at a time when he faces other legal battles in various jurisdictions, including over his family business in New York and the handling of presidential records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. It's possible that Trump's lawyers could simply opt to run out the clock on the subpoena if they go to court to try to squash it as the committee of two Republicans and seven Democrats is required to finish its work by the end of the year. Cheney, in the television interview, made her position clear that Trump had committed multiple criminal offenses and should be prosecuted. She cited his repeated efforts as outlined by the Jan. 6 committee to undermine democracy by denying his election loss to Biden and by spurring his supporters in the violent attack on the Capitol. Weve been very clear about a number of different criminal offenses that are likely at issue here, Cheney said. If the Department of Justice determines that they have the evidence that we believe is there and they make a decision not to prosecute, I think that really calls into question whether or not were a nation of laws. Cheney, who lost in Wyoming's August primary after becoming Trump's fiercest GOP critic and has signaled a possible 2024 presidential run, expressed dismay over the number of Republican candidates in the Nov. 8 midterms who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election. She acknowledged that the Jan. 6 committee's investigation will be permanently ended in January if Republicans retake control of the House. While saying it may take a couple of election cycles, Cheney insisted the Republican Party can find its way back as a defender of democracy and the Constitution, as she put it. She pointed to the 2024 presidential campaign as a pivotal moment. I think that the party has either got to come back from where we are right now, which is a very dangerous, toxic place, or the party will splinter and there will be a new conservative party that rises, she said. And if Donald Trump is the nominee of the Republican Party, the party will shatter and there will be a conservative party that rises in its place. She said Trump has shown "his willingness to use force to attempt to stop the peaceful transition of power. And there are simply many, many millions more Americans who, despite any party affiliation, understand how dangerous that is. On whether she could run in 2024, Cheney said: I'm focused on what we've got to do to save the country from this dangerous moment we're in ... not right now on whether Im going to be a candidate or not. ___ For full coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that Cheney did not rule out the possibility of live TV testimony by Trump. Q: Im a Florida resident and own a home in Rhode Island. I have one vehicle in Florida and two in RI. One vehicle in RI has a Purple Heart plate. Can I continue to register this vehicle in RI since I live there five months out of the year? In order to register a car, and keep a car registered in Rhode Island, you must show proof of identity and proof of residency. Joseph D. A: In order to register a car, and keep a car registered in Rhode Island, you must show proof of identity (ID, driver's license, military ID, passport, etc.) and proof of residency (tax bill, utility bill, etc.). Proof of identity does not have to be a RI credential. Proof of residency must be a physical address in Rhode Island where the vehicle is primarily kept and garaged. Your physical address cannot be a P.O. box. Your mailing address can be an out-of-state address or P.O. box, but remember that all DMV mailings will go to that mailing address and not the physical address. It is also important to remember that each time you register a vehicle in Rhode Island without a Rhode Island license or state identification card, you must show proof of your Rhode Island address. On our website (www.dmv.ri.gov), in the Forms tab and Checklists tab, you will find various checklists. The Registration Checklist will provide you with information on each of these proofs, as well as the documents that are required for certain registration transactions. The Checklist for Licenses/IDs/Permits expands the list of acceptable documents for proof of identity and residency. This second checklist is helpful especially for those people who want a REAL ID, or a Rhode Island credential for the first time, but it can be used for registration purposes, too. Remember that the REAL ID deadline is May 3, 2023. A REAL ID or other TSA acceptable documents (passport, military ID, etc.) will be required to fly domestically and enter certain federal facilities. Q: My daughter is 19 years old and has a driver's learning permit that is not expired but will expire soon. She has already renewed her permit two times, which I believe is the maximum allowed. Story continues The last time she renewed, she did pass the written test. She just has not had access to a vehicle to practice her driving and has not been comfortable driving on her own until now. How does she go about getting another permit before her current one expires if she is only allowed two maximum renewals? Janet C. A: Learner's permits may be renewed for two additional, one-year periods, after which the permit holder shall be required to pass the knowledge exam again if the permit holder has not obtained a full operator's license. If your daughter has exhausted her two renewals, and her permit expires before she gets her driver's license, then she would have to take the Knowledge Exam or permit test again. Knowledge exams are only at the Cranston DMV and require a reservation. Instructions on how to make a reservation are found on the front page of our website: www.dmv.ri.gov. Its a navy blue box: Schedule Reservations and Road Tests. On the next page, it is the third box down All Other Reservations. (The first two boxes are for scheduling Road Exams.) All Other Reservations includes licenses, state IDs, REAL IDs, registrations, permit exams, and the offices of Adjudication, CDL, Research, and Cashiers. Choose Written & Computerized Permit Test. Follow all the instructions to the end, until you get a reservation confirmation email or text. If you do not get either immediately, then you didnt complete your reservation. Chuck Hollis Chuck Hollis is assistant administrator of the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. Please email your questions to cars@providencejournal.com with Ask the DMV in the subject field. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ask the RI DMV: Can I continue to register a vehicle here if I live there part time? A Columbus man was shot and killed late Saturday, authorities said early Sunday morning. Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan identified the victim as Joseph Patrick Kelly. Kelly died from multiple wounds after he was shot around 11 p.m. on a front porch on Cantrell Drive, the coroner said. Cantrell Drive is off Victory Drive in the Benning Hills area. Kelly was pronounced dead at 11:39 p.m., Bryan said. Columbus police said he died en route to the hospital. Police in a news release Sunday afternoon said homicide investigators had interviewed witnesses at the Columbus Public Safety Center, but had filed no charges. Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to contact Sgt. Thomas Hill at 706-225-4345 or the homicide unit at 706-225-3161. Police said Kelly was 31 years old. Bryan said the body will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for an autopsy. The fatal shooting marks Columbus 37th homicide so far this year, according to Ledger-Enquirer records. Tire skids are visible in the intersection at Archer and Kedzie in Brighton Park on Oct. 23, 2022, after an overnight shooting involving a car caravan killed three people. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) City officials moved to crack down on street racing and drifting during the summer. But an alderman says those activities are now merging with gang life and street violence after three people were fatally shot during a large car caravan in the Brighton Park neighborhood early Sunday. At a news conference Sunday morning, Don Jerome, 9th District commander for the Chicago Police Department, said in addition to the three killed, two others were wounded while participating in a car caravan at the intersection of South Archer Avenue and South Kedzie Avenue. The caravan included about 100 vehicles. Advertisement About 4 a.m., officers responded to the 4300 block of South Kedzie Avenue, where vehicles were drifting in the middle of the street. According to the city code, drifting refers to when a driver purposely makes a vehicle spin, skid, slide, turn abruptly or sway upon acceleration or braking, often to make circles or figure eights. A shot spotter alerted at least 13 rounds had been fired. As initial police units arrived, officers discovered five people shot. Three succumbed to their injuries. Advertisement All the people shot at the caravan were males, Jerome said, and those who died were between 15 to 20 years old and were gang-affiliated. The two people injured were in serious condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, he added, but they are expected to recover. Detectives recovered casings but no guns on scene. There were no immediate arrests. There were several calls of car caravans citywide, all over, this was the first we responded to in the 9th District ... I dont know the specifics of the other car caravans, Jerome said. Caravans (are) a semi-recent phenomenon where they gather throughout different points of the city, and there were several others last night of no consequence ... until this one. According to a police report, video footage shows five people, who were engaged in a verbal altercation, pull out handguns and shoot each other. One of the shooters fled the scene, the report says. One of the injured males told police he was watching drag racing when he was shot. Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, who represents the Brighton Park area and is running for mayor, said drag racing and drifting have been a problem not only in his ward but in the city of Chicago. He told reporters at the scene that he has been trapped by one such large caravan and described it as being held hostage on the public way. I think what were seeing is the merging of this drag racing circuit with gang life. And now, those ramifications are unfolding on our streets, he told the Tribune. But this emergence of people coming armed to these events and shooting at each other that is a relatively new but growing trend, from what Im told. He added that vehicles need to be boxed in and impounded where they are drag racing and drifting, in order to get these cars off the streets, show that were serious about this. Because right now, they know that we are doing everything as passively and as weakly as possible, the alderman said. We have to do better, because Im not going to be a leader whos quietly watching the bodies pile up because were too timid to act. Advertisement The three people killed in the car caravan were among nine people fatally shot in Chicago between Saturday night and Sunday morning. A 16-year-old boy shot in North Lawndale was one of the victims, according to police. The 16-year-old was standing outside in the 1200 block of South Fairfield Avenue at approximately 8:20 p.m. Saturday when two men climbed out of a dark-colored sedan and shot at him, police said. The men then returned to the car and fled the scene. The teen was struck once on his back and paramedics transported him to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:03 p.m. The Cook County medical examiners office identified the boy Sunday morning as Rishiwn Hendricks of the 1200 block of South Washtenaw Avenue. A 13-year-old girl was also in the area when the shooting of the 16-year-old occurred, and she was shot twice in the neck. She was transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition. No arrests had been made as of Sunday morning in the shooting, and detectives are investigating. Other fatal weekend shootings included one that killed 18-year-old Joshua Stokes in Austin; a 63-year-old in an apartment complex parking lot in the South Shore; a 31-year-old who was shot in the head and back during an altercation in Auburn Gresham; a 37-year-old shot inside a residence in Scottsdale; and a 29-year-old found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest in Bronzeville, according to information by police and the medical examiners office. There was an immediate arrest only in the shooting of the 31-year-old, police said. Detectives are investigating all incidents. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > The AP contributed. Advertisement adperez@chicagotribune.com KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) A couple wanted in connection with murder cases in Arizona and Nevada has been found dead in a desert area southeast of Kingman, according to authorities. Mohave County Sheriffs detectives said the bodies of 26-year-old Hunter McGuire and his girlfriend, 32-year-old Samantha Branek, were found lying next to each other Friday with gunshot wounds to the head. Lake Havasu City police said it appears McGuire shot himself, but its unclear if Braneks wound was self-inflicted. The county medical examiners office will determine an official cause of death. The couple was being sought in connection with a double homicide in Kingman on June 28, according to authorities. They said McGuire also was considered a suspect in the fatal shooting of a woman Monday in Las Vegas. Braneks car was reportedly seen at a truck stop in Yucca and that led to a high-speed chase Friday followed by a four-hour standoff before police found the couple dead. Authorities said additional murder investigations possibly connected to McGuire are under investigation. Customers walk into Marlena's Bistro and Pizzeria on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, located at 909 Lincoln Ave. in Holland. HOLLAND The Michigan Court of Appeals has finally reached a decision in the strange case of Marlena Pavlos-Hackney, affirming two contempt of court orders, but remanding the second order back to trial court for "refashioning." More:Judge denies Marlena's motion to dismiss case, award damages More:Appeals court hears arguments in 'strange' case involving Marlena's Bistro owner It's the second legal blow to Holland restauranteur Pavlos-Hackney this month, coming on the heels of a refusal by Ingham County Judge Wanda Stokes to dismiss the case and award Pavlos-Hackney damages. Pavlos-Hackney has long argued her constitutional rights were violated, both when she was asked and ordered to close her restaurant Marlena's Bistro and Pizzeria in the winter months of 2020 and 2021 for failing to follow COVID-19 restrictions, and when she was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant and jailed for several days until she paid $15,000 in contempt of court fines. Despite her efforts, it seems unlikely Pavlos-Hackney will see all, or even most, of that money returned. Pavlos-Hackney first took her legal argument to the Michigan Court of Appeals in June 2021. The action sought to reconsider contempt of court findings, release audio or video of Pavlos-Hackney's arraignment and amend an "inaccurate" transcript all motions denied by Stokes in May 2021. The Michigan Court of Appeals has finally reached a decision in the strange case of Marlena Pavlos-Hackney, affirming two contempt of court orders, but remanding the second order back to trial court for "refashioning." The divided Court of Appeals released a majority opinion Thursday, Oct. 20, affirming both contempt of court findings, but remanding the second contempt charge to the court in Ingham County for "refashioning." The court said Pavlos-Hackney received, in full, the due process to which she was entitled, and could have argued the fines posed an insurmountable hardship before payment. The court found the first order of contempt "clearly not refundable," given Pavlos-Hackney's "willful and open continued defiance" of court orders. However, because Pavlos-Hackney did, in fact, close her restaurant upon incarceration, the court in Ingham County must now decide if the second fine was "conditional or compensatory." Story continues The first order of contempt, the appeals court said, fell in the "conditional" category a $7,500 fine intended to coerce Pavlos-Hackney into compliance. If the second order falls in the same category, the court said, the fine could be returned in whole or in part, because the restaurant ultimately closed. If the second order falls in the "compensatory" category, the court may consider using the funds to reimburse the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which has argued the case against Pavlos-Hackney since early 2021. The fine could also be split between the parties. The court finding was signed by two judges, Amy Ronayne Krause and Kristina Robinson Garrett, while a dissent was filed by Judge Brock Swartzle. Swartzle argued the first contempt finding should also be remanded and considered for reimbursement to MDARD, or considered for reimbursement to Pavlos-Hackney due to financial hardship. Swartzle wrote that, just because Pavlos-Hackney was able to pay the fines at the time of her incarceration, it doesn't mean payment didn't pose hardship. Pavlos-Hackney came on MDARD's radar in late 2020, when reports surfaced she was failing to enforce then-statewide pandemic restrictions, including social distancing and mask-wearing. Her food license was revoked in January 2021 but the restaurant remained open. The Michigan Court of Appeals has finally reached a decision in the strange case of Marlena Pavlos-Hackney, affirming two contempt of court orders, but remanding the second order back to trial court for "refashioning." Pavlos-Hackney ignored a temporary restraining order meant to keep her from continuing operations and refused to allow inspectors or law enforcement into her restaurant. In response, Stokes issued a bench warrant for Pavlos-Hackney's arrest. Shortly thereafter, she was arrested by Michigan State Police and spent four nights in Ingham County Jail following her arraignment by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. She was released March 23, after paying the $15,000 contempt fines and shuttering her restaurant. Subscribe:Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage The restaurant's food license was restored in July and Marlena's Bistro reopened in September 2021. Throughout 2022, the restaurant has been a stopping point for political candidates including Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, who visited the restaurant Wednesday, Oct. 5, and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley, who currently faces charges for his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Pavlos-Hackney has repeatedly refused to comment to The Sentinel. Contact editor Cassandra Lybrink at clybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @CassLybrink. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Court of Appeals divided on Marlena in newly released opinion affirming contempts Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty and Wikimedia Commons If you suspect that Vladimir Putins decision-making process is above the creed of superstition and mythical creatures, you should know that there are psychologists, intelligence agency analysts and a jailed Yakutsk wizard out there who would beg to differ. Putin and his entourage take the spirit world very seriously, says a Kremlin official who requested anonymity to ensure his security, navigating what some insiders maintain is the Russian presidents Twilight Zone. Its not a big leap of faith for a Russian to think Putin will do whats necessary to destroy anyone looking to exorcize the imaginary demons who they believe give him power. The question is, do you believe that primal evil spirits, concocted to panic delusory serfs, have entranced the 70-year-old Putin into slaughtering Ukrainians and threatening nuclear war against the West? Anna Moroz, whos spent a decade counseling Russian emigres mystified about how to accustom themselves to the Wests secular ways, is about as certain of it as any clinical psychologist can be under the circumstances. Legendary stories play a formidable role in our national psychology and are without doubt animating Putins actions in Ukraine, the Russian-born Moroz explains, speaking to The Daily Beast under an assumed name for fear of reprisals. The technical term is paradoxical thinking, but I certainly dont believe reports that the man-snake Koschei Bessmertny is advising Putin from a grotto beneath the Kremlin. Gulp. Putin Isnt Just Insane. Its Far Worse Than That. But lets first get a grip on the current geopolitical reality before stepping into another dimension of sight and sound and mindand Russias indigenous Voldemort, who was last spotted assisting Rus Grand Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest capture Kyiv in 1203, according to the Tale of Igors Campaign. Russia is a land of riddles Western leaders have spent centuries trying to untangle. The most pressing enigma right now is how to prevent an increasingly isolated Putin from triggering a nuclear holocaust while, at the same time, supplying Ukraine with all the weapons it needs to defeat him without further exacerbating the most vicious and devastating European conflict since World War II. Story continues Its like sitting here in 1942 trying to profile Hitler, who also believed in mumbo jumbo, says a U.S. intelligence analyst who profiles Putin. You cant take it seriously, but you must take it into consideration. To be sure, Putin is a tsar by vocation, a KGB major by rank and, Moroz says, a dark trickster by disposition. He fits all of Russias paranormal stereotypes. Her diagnosis: Putin is attracted to the idea that supernatural forces anointed him as the Chosen One, Moroz says. Putin hates democracy because he doesnt believe in human powers, she adds. He believes spirits have anointed him with sacred autocratic powers. Ethereal or otherwise, the UN Human Rights Council says Putins power in Ukraine has so far resulted in his army torturing, raping and executing hundreds of Ukrainian men, women and children. Based on the evidence gathered by the Commission, the UN report reads, it has concluded that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. An official in one of Russias ministries tells The Daily Beast that speculation on whether hocus-pocus is the motivational force behind Putins Ukrainian bloodbath is real inside Russia. He sees the West as weak because it has too many rules that interfere with his power, the official says. Ridiculous stories about demons giving him power are nonetheless psychologically concrete. Demons dont abide by rules. A 2016 poll conducted by the All Russia Public Opinion Research Center perhaps best illustrates what a Western profiler described as Putins wraith-like personality. The survey showed 36 percent of the population believe in supernatural beings, with one in four respondents finding it difficult to answer the question. Although a relative majority of Russians say they dont believe in witchcraft, pollster Ivan Lekonstev concluded, many are familiar with at least stereotyped and mythological views of it. The self-described Siberian Shaman-Warrior Sasha Gabyshev claims hes spent a lifetime struggling against a demonic entity that haunts the Russian president, the fabled Russian villain Koschei Bessmertnyalso known as The Immortal and The Walking Skeleton. In the autumn of 2019, the Shaman-Warrior of Yakutia his followers set off on a two-year, 5,000-mile march to Moscow, where Gabyshev vowed to use his magic sword to slay the beast beneath the Kremlin and exorcise its terror from Putins soul. Picking up supporters and news conferences along the way, Gabyshevs soothsayers were at first attacked by a coven of pro-Putin shamans in the city of Ulan-Ude. Battling on, the sorcerer and his apprentices made it as far as Lake Baikal, where their arrest was televised. Gabyshev was carted off to a mental hospital. Putin is scared, was now jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalnys response to the mystical melee that put Gabyshev behind bars. Putin is already stomping his feet and shouting, God save me from this shaman. What if he really does banish me? Moroz says Navalnys question remains valid. Im sure Putin was terrified, Moroz says. He staged a major police operation against Gabyshev. The shaman had nothing against Putin. His goal was to remove the demon from beneath the Kremlin and free Putins stolen soul. Its a powerful and accurate metaphor that resonates with all Russians. Those who jobwise Putin for Western intelligence agencies are hardly a bunch of humorless stiffs. But when we stopped laughing, says one, we concluded that Putins fear of Gabyshev was palpable. Still, professional spooks who are skeptical about Russian fairytale characters exerting control over Putin treat the issue with the delicateness of briefing Congress on Santa Claus. Hard to forecast the result if a significant number of Russians would have gone along with the shaman, the analyst says. Gabyshevs followers attracted many Russians who live far outside the cities, a grassroots movement with a conceivable potential to help destabilize Russias consensus that supports Putins regime and the war in Ukraine. Kremlin-watchers at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University concur. Putin seems to view Gabyshev as a genuine threat, said Hoover Research Fellow Dr. Paul Gregory, whos held visiting teaching posts at Moscow State University and is the former director of the Russian Petroleum Legislation Project at the University of Houston. Putins Holy Man Pushed for the Eradication of Ukraine Valery Solovey, whos trained many members of Putins ambassadorial corps at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and served as the prestigious schools director of public relations, either knows a thing or two about the black arts of Russian diplomacy, or is dafter than a borscht sandwich. As the professor tells it, Putin once commanded Kremlin sorcerers to ritualistically kill a black dog so he could drink the blood to ensure a crushing victory in Ukraine. When that dog didnt hunt, Solovey claimed that Putin ordered all the magicians heads cut off and displayed in front of their homes. Back in reality, the governor of Russias Primorsky region, which includes Vladivostok, last week said between 200,000 and 600,000 men have fled the country to avoid Putins war against Ukraine. At the same time, the independent Russian media outlet SOTA reported that police in Moscow and surrounding regions are raiding offices, hostels and restaurants to indiscriminately corral men for mobilization. Despite the optimistic omens, the deadly matter of whether Putin will launch nuclear weapons remains the biggest unanswered question among Western diplomats and military strategists. Although Ukraine and its allies must brace themselves for the worst, Morozs psychological profile of Putin concludes he wont pull the trigger. Like all fairytale demons, Putin will simply vanish, and be replaced by a politburo to solve the hardships of the war in Ukraine, Moroz reckons. The arrogant illusion of an all-powerful Russian exceptionalism has been disproved, myth broken. Russias leaders must sober up, grow up, and acculturate themselves to the modern world. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. On Rosh Hashanah, the shofar sounds, marking the beginning of the Jewish New Year. This year, Rosh Hashanah fell on Sept. 26 the same day the Texas State Board of Education scheduled a public hearing to discuss religious freedoms and the social studies curriculum for students from kindergarten through grade 12. There are certain ironies to this SBOE hearing. One, that a meeting to discuss freedom of religion was scheduled on one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar. Jewish community members were forced to choose between civic participation and attending prayer services, and inevitably, Jewish voices were missing at the special hearing. The more voices that are omitted from a democratic process, the less democratic that process becomes. This High Holy Days season is a time for introspection and atonement, a time when the Jewish people recommit to living more honest, just and compassionate lives. As such, the second irony to this meeting is that some of the proposed changes to the social studies curriculum are exaggerated, if not outright fabricated, to promote a very narrow understanding of religion and the founding of our nation. Teaching the truth doesn't violate faith Telling the truth and acting with integrity are important every day of our lives, but for Jews, it matters even more during Rosh Hashanah and the 10 days leading up to Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. Even when promoted from a place of goodwill, encouraging falsehoods about religion and about the founding of our nation ultimately denigrates both. Certainly, religion shaped (and continues to shape) our history in many important ways. 'Pro-religion'?: Conservative Supreme Court abandons long-standing religious liberty principles. In case you missed it: Texas requires schools to display 'In God We Trust' signs after passing controversial law Our students our children should learn the profound influence religion has had in our history, society and the world. But even conservative organizations like the Thomas B. Fordham Institute have criticized the current standards for exaggerating religious influences on our government and laws. Scholars have repeatedly remarked that the boards insistence on requiring students to learn this is historically inaccurate. Story continues In Texas, educators still must meet requirements that public schools teach that Moses was a major influence on the American founding documents. The state board also has a history of rejecting efforts to clarify that the separation of church and state was key to our constitutional framers. Teachers and scholars alike did not think these exaggerations should be included in the curriculum. Scholars pleaded with the board not to add these ideas because of their lack of credibility. However, politicians who controlled the board consistently overruled these experts because they believed doing so would earn them something. Political points, maybe? Including such exaggerations in the educational standards of our children promotes a narrow ideological agenda based on a superficial reading of sacred texts. It is not teaching the whole truth. It is not teaching our children, our students, that acting with integrity and honesty are more important than advancing political agendas. As adults and as leaders, we should strive to promote better examples to the youngest and most vulnerable in society. And: Texas educators propose referring to slavery as 'involuntary relocation' in public schools Politicizing religion goes against our founding Our nations Founders recognized the dangers of politicizing religion. They recognized the importance of protecting religious freedom by barring government from favoring or restricting faith or any particular religion in the First Amendment to the Constitution. The standards in our great state of Texas should reflect that. We can and should teach the significance of religion without resorting to aggrandizing. We have no business exaggerating religious influence on our government, law and nations founding. To do so would be a disservice not only to the students of our state, but also to people of faith across Texas myself included. Studying the Bible is meant to open us to important questions of meaning, not to give us a shortcut to certitude. To trivialize a religious tradition by turning it into a political battleground is to demean its importance; it is to move from a God-centered perspective to a self-centered one. In my understanding, this is the opposite of what is intended with the proposed standards. May the piercing sound of the shofar awaken us to injustice and enable each of us to change despair into profound hope. After this special hearing and Jewish New Year, may we pray our leaders act with integrity and prioritize telling the truth, for the sake of our students. Neil Blumofe is a senior rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas school board's religious curriculum does students a disservice By Jonathan Landay MYKOLAIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russian missiles smashed into a suburb of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine early on Sunday, devastating two apartment blocks, but nobody was killed because most residents had already moved away after a similar attack in the vicinity six months ago. "All of the people who had small children decided to leave immediately" after the April attack, said Svitlana, 46, as she salvaged belongings from her glass-and-plaster strewn apartment. "The pensioners had also decided to leave." Her neighbour, Oleksii Begun, 35, said only about 15-20 flats in their 119-unit, 10-storey building were currently occupied after a Russian cluster munition hit a private home nearby in April, killing one person. "It's a horror," he said, surveying the devastation wrought by Sunday's attacks. The explosions in the Karabelnyi district of Mykolaiv, a ship-building centre at the confluence of the Southern Buh and Dnipro rivers, continued a weeks-long Russian aerial offensive that has targeted civilian infrastructure, especially energy facilities, just weeks before the onset of winter. 'WE ARE ALIVE' The first projectile struck at 1:35 am on Sunday, Begun said, ploughing into the roof of the five-floor apartment house opposite his block. It blasted a hole in the top two stories, smashed windows in both buildings and showered rubble across the courtyard separating the two. The second missile followed about eight minutes later, obliterating a playground and a small store inside the courtyard, he said, spewing a tornado of bricks and twisted metal and hurling several cars 30 meters into his building. Mykolaiv regional officials identified the missiles as S-300s, anti-aircraft weapons that Russian forces have been firing at ground targets. Sunday's attack was enough to convince Begun, a shipyard worker, to send his wife and two children to stay with his parents in western Ukraine. But, he said, he would remain to care for their second-floor apartment. Story continues Experts say targeting civilian facilities is a war crime. Russian President Vladimir Putin says hitting energy facilities is legitimate payback for a Ukrainian attack on Russia's bridge to Crimea, the peninsula his forces seized in 2014. Choking back tears, Liudmyla Tuchevska, 48, said her family had fortunately been absent when the missiles struck and that she had learned of the attack from a social media chat. Tuchevska showed up to clear up their home with her cat secured inside a transparent backpack, which she refused to open because of the sharp glass carpeting the floor. Dropping a pile of dusty curtains and blinds outside her front door, Tuchevska said she and her husband would move to their daughters home, but would not flee Mykolaiv despite the near-daily Russian attacks. "We are alive," she said. "And the walls are still here." (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Gareth Jones) PARIS (Reuters) - Britain's destiny lies in Europe and the country had been sold "a sort of mirage" with Brexit, said European Union industry chief Thierry Breton on Sunday, as he commented on the political turmoil currently afflicting the UK. "They had been sold a sort of mirage. Clearly its destiny is Europe," French politician Breton, who is the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, told RTL radio. "We have a country which is completely destabilised, and a political party as well," added Breton, referring to the troubles within the ruling Conservative Party after Liz Truss quit as Prime Minister last week. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Alex Richardson) The Power of the Doctor was Jodie Whittaker's last Doctor Who appearance. (BBC) Doctor Who has form with anniversaries. For its 10th birthday, the Third Doctor found himself rubbing elbows with his former selves in The Three Doctors, while for its 20th, Fifth Doc Peter Davison headlined, yep, you've guessed it, The Five Doctors. Then, for its golden jubilee in 2013, David Tennant buddied up with his successor Matt Smith (and a previous unaccounted for incarnation in the shape of John Hurt) for the 80-minute Day of the Doctor special. Read more: Doctor Who's Jodie Whittaker: The Time Lord is so much more than a role As 24-carat as Steven Moffats 50th knees up was, though, it was one with a short memory, mainly casting its eye back through the shows post-2005 revival rather than its creakier 1963-89 run, so much so that those OG Doctors had to resort to making their own BBC Red Button special The Five-ish Doctors so as to gatecrash the party. Jodie Whittaker bowed out as the Thirteenth Doctor. (BBC) Given that Chris Chibnall is bowing out a year before Doctor Whos 60th (with the returning Russell T Davies inked for that one), this episode was clearly the outgoing showrunners way of satisfying his inner fanboy and giving us the anniversary special hes always wanted to do, using the BBCs centenary celebrations as a nifty excuse. If that last anniversary special in 2013 leaned more into Nu Who, The Power of the Doctor almost completely shuns every era of the revival save for Chibnalls own. This, then, was played like a starry-eyed love letter to Doctor Whos original run while also capping off the showrunners own, admittedly bumpy time on the show. Daleks joined the nostalgia-packed episode. (BBC) Chris Chibnall started his tenancy in 2018 by jettisoning much of the knotty mythology that had built up during Steven Moffats stewardship (Doctor **who**??), intent, it seems, on making the show less intimidating for newbies. But with the end in sight (this was Chibnalls final episode as showrunner), this one wasnt about comforting casuals but rewarding the faithful. This shower of fan service comes at a price, however. The characters of Tegan (Janet Fielding, back for the first time since 1984) and Ace (Sophie Aldred, 1989) dont exactly have the star wattage of a Rose Tyler or Amy Pond, just as Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy dont have the recognisability factor of a Christopher Eccleston or Matt Smith, and there were likely more than a few baffled faces at the blizzard of cameos from old Doctors and companions. This sometimes gave The Power of the Doctor a feeling of being handsomely-budgeted fan fiction, something that Chibnall, who as a kid was a member of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, might have rustled up as a teen. Story continues Read more: Every Doctor's regeneration so far Course, this wasnt all about nostalgia, it was also about bidding adieu to the Thirteenth Doctor. Its to Chibnalls credit that the various kisses to the past dont eclipse Jodie Whittakers farewell turn, and in fact, probably enhance it, knitting her into the long continuity of Doctor Who and giving her some quintessentially Doctor-ish scenes to play and lines to say (Look at it, how could you not love a planet like that?). Sophie Aldred and Janet Fielding guest starred. (BBC) It must be said, though, with nostalgia grenades exploding left, right and centre, they almost camouflage quite how messy the narrative was. Its all happening so fast, the Doctor says at one point, prompting at least half the audience to nod in furious agreement. Chibnalls ADHD storytelling can be exhausting (at least Moffat, no stranger to a mazy story, mostly kept his location-hopping to the pre-title sequence) and this one zig-zags around the globe like its an episode of Planet Earth on fast-forward, taking in Siberia, Romania, Russia, Naples, Bolivia and blink-and-miss-em trips to Ecuador, Indonesia and Iceland. Even the Marvel flicks that Chibnall seems to be in thrall to have moments of calm, but The Power of the Doctor moves at such an unrelenting lick that theres barely time to catch your breath. Chibnalls everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to his final episode means that some elements inevitably come off worse than others. The Daleks inclusion seems especially redundant, crowding up an already heavily sardined story, while the AI-assisted return of Jo Martins Fugitive Doctor seemed one cameo too many, especially considering it wasnt even her. In fact, the story was so stuffed, the episode had to unload a regular John Bishops Dan Lewis in the first 12 minutes, while former companion Ryans absence (its been a trend that each Doctors former companions return for their regeneration episode, even it is for a spit and a cough) is explained away in just two lines (Wheres Ryan? the Doctor asks. Patagonia, says Graham). John Bishop made a brief appearance. (BBC) Theres much to cherish here, though, from the powerful nostalgia punch of seeing Peter Davisons Doctor reunited with Tegan and Sylvester McCoys Doctor making peace with Ace to the weird but welcome Boney M interlude (a musical moment straight out of the Russell T Davies playbook), but its the last 10 or so minutes, when the narrative finally decelerates, that the episode is at its most magical. There are few more Doctor Who-ish images than that of the Doctor and Yaz sitting atop the TARDIS and looking down over Earth while slurping ice cream, while the surprise reappearance of a host of the Doctors former companions, including the now 97-years-young William Russell returning to the role of Ian Chesterton for the first time since 1965, was a poignant reminder of those whose lives the Doctor has touched. And then there was the regeneration itself. The choice to take it outside the TARDIS for the first time in the revived series, gave a fresh look and feel, and its difficult to fault those final lines of Jodies. Most previous Doctors have spent their final moments talking about themselves (I dont want to go; Ill always remember when the Doctor was me; Doctor, I let you go) but for Thirteen it was unusually about who was coming after her. It was a characteristically upbeat and magnanimous gesture from a Doctor who was probably the least haunted and most ferociously buoyant of the modern Doctors. And so thats it for the era of the Thirteenth Doctor. Sayonara Jodie Whittaker, au revoir Chris Chibnall, the series is now in different hands. Russell T Davies, Ncuti Gatwa tag, youre it! Watch: Jodie Whittaker felt 'energised' starring in Doctor Who WASHINGTON Historians will soon be able to hear an even more unvarnished Donald Trump, as author Bob Woodward releases tapes of interviews on such topics as COVID, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. "The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward's Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump," to be released publicly Tuesday, details how Trump played down the dangers of COVID, played up friendly relationships with Putin and Kim and became what Woodward and others describe as a threat to democracy. "I wanted to put as much of Trumps voice, his own words, out there for the historical record and so people could hear and judge and make their own assessments," Woodward said in a statement released by his publisher, Simon & Schuster audio. Woodward added: "Trump does not believe in democracy. That is my conclusion. Trump and COVID:Trump knew the coronavirus was 'deadly stuff' but chose to downplay it, according to recordings revealed in new Woodward book The Jan. 6 subpoena:Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Donald Trump in investigation of Capitol riot Many of the interviews were conducted for Woodward's 2020 book, Rage. In that work, Woodward wrote that "Trump is the wrong man for the job." As for this latest audiobook, Woodward said: Now two years later in 2022 I realize that I didnt go far enough. Trump is an unparalleled danger. The record now shows that Trump has led and continues to lead a seditious conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, which is in effect an effort to destroy democracy. Simon and Schuster Audio said the tapes show "Trump at his most raw, profane, divisive, and deceptive and, ever the salesman, also at his most entertaining and engaging." President Donald Trump departs after speaking about his list of potential Supreme Court nominees in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on September 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump also fielded questions about the coronavirus and Bob Woodward's new book about him. Trump, who described his presidency as a success, criticized release of the tapes, and said he objected to the new Woodward audiobook. "I said no, no," Trump told Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade. "These tapes are for the written word. These tapes are for your book. These are not to be sold. These are tapes for your book to help you." Story continues CNN and others have reported on many of the comments made in the Woodward interviews. Among them: Trump and COVID In tapes released in the fall of 2020, Trump told Woodward the previous March that year that he knew the coronavirus was more deadly and contagious than the flu, but downplayed its dangers to the public. "I wanted to always play it down," Trump told Woodward on March 19, 2020. "I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic." Trump and COVID:Trump wanted to reveal Superman shirt after leaving hospital for COVID care, new book says Trump and Kim The tapes detail how Trump showed Woodward letters he received from North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un. Those letters are among the subjects of an investigation into Trump for removing classified information from the White House; the tapes indicate that Trump knew the letters were top secret. "And dont say I gave them to you, okay? Trump told Woodward. Trump and Kim:President Trump looks forward to meeting again with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un At another point, Trump told the author: You cant mock Kim. I dont want to get in a f---ing nuclear war because you mocked him." 'We have stuff' Speaking of classified information: Trump also told Woodward that the U.S. has weapons systems no one knows about, including China President Xi Jinping and Russia President Vladimir Putin. I have built a weapons system that nobodys ever had in this country before, Trump told Woodward. We have stuff that you havent even seen or heard about. We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before. Woodward comments in the book: "This exemplifies the casual, dangerous way that Trump treats the most classified programs and information." 'Getting along' with Putin Trump also spoke of his good relationship with Putin, who reportedly helped Trump win the 2016 presidential election via the theft of Democratic emails. Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing, all right? Especially because they have 1,332 nuclear f---ing warheads," Trump said at one point. 'Everything is mine' Trump takes full credit for everything his administration did, irrespective of aides, advisers, or congressional lawmakers. After Woodward asked him about a "law and order" he speech he gave in 2020 after nationwide protests of the police killing of George Floyd, Trump said: I get, I get people. They come up with ideas. But the ideas are mine, Bob. The ideas are mine." He added: Want to know something? Everything is mine. You know, everything. Every part of it. The audiobook begins with a 2016 interview of then-presidential candidate Trump. It then goes through 19 more interviews conducted between the fall of 2019 and August of 2020. This was before the 2020 election loss that Trump tried to overturn, leading to the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021; Woodward did not interview Trump during this period. The tapes also feature other people close to Trump, including first lady Melania Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and Vice President Mike Pence. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump on COVID, Kim, and Putin: Woodward tapes become public ROBSTOWN Raquel Garcia was making breakfast when she heard the news. It came on the radio playing while I was in the kitchen. I didnt believe it, said Garcia, 61. She said she immediately started making calls to inform others: Former President Donald Trump was coming to South Texas. Robstown? Really? her husband, Adolfo Garcia, recalled asking. The couple lives in Alice, but he was in California at the time for his work as a truck driver. Luckily, he would be back home in time to go to the Saturday event. Former President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Its like it was meant to be, he said as they waited near the entrance of the outdoor arena at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. The Garcias, who supported Trump for both of his presidential runs and live about 30 miles from the fairgrounds, were among thousands of people who traveled to see the former president speak at the climax of the day-long event. The venue was likely a calculated choice, as Republicans are hoping to rouse turnout in key South Texas races while also staving off Democratic challengers in tightening statewide races. Event organizers declined to disclose admission totals. The fairgrounds' 35,000-square-foot central pavilion arena, which was packed full during Trump's speech, can seat up to 1,900 in the bleachers and up to 1,000 floor seats. Supporters cheer the arrival of former President Donald Trump at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. And no fanfare was spared. With heroic music playing from the stages sound system, Trump debuted his new plane called Trump Force One during a fly-over above the fairgrounds before landing at the Corpus Christi International Airport. The spectacle drew roaring applause from supporters. This Nov. 8, the MAGA movement is going to deliver another Texas-sized landslide, Trump said to an overflowing crowd of people. The rally came two days before early voting was to start for the November election. It also came a day after the U.S. House committee investigating Jan. 6 officially subpoenaed Trump a development Trump condemned as a "witch hunt." Story continues A crowd listens to a speech from former President Donald Trump at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. For an hour and 47 minutes, Trump discussed a variety of topics while lodging criticism of the Biden administration, calling up guests to adlib on stage and announcing a flurry of endorsements for state and local races. Notably, Trump announced his endorsement of Connie Scott, a former Texas representative running to unseat Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales, the incumbent Democrat. Throughout the event, he repeatedly reiterated his false claims of widespread election fraud. He also unleashed attacks against a number of Democratic candidates competing for statewide offices in Texas. Democrat Beto ORourke, who is running to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott, was a frequent target of Trump. Trump, in one of the highest points of the night, hinted he could run for president again in 2024, but said he would not formally announce a run before the midterms. Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during his Texas rally at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds on Saturday, Oct. 22. 2022, in Robstown. In order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again, Trump said, drawing applause and chants of USA. But first, we have to win a historic victory for the Republican Party this November." While Trump has broadly hinted he could run again, his remark in Robstown is possibly the strongest indication of his intention to run. Whether President Joe Biden will run for reelection also remains to be seen. Tina Lardner, 69, of Corpus Christi was in the crowd. She said the prospect of casting a vote for Trump which she said would be her first time going to the polls in her lifetime was appealing. I think it's the best thing that can happen, she said. However, not everyone felt that way. Nueces County Democratic Party Chair Rene Saenz calls in to a local radio station to give a comment while holding a flag in support of President Joe Biden at the intersection of Terry Shamsie Boulevard and Highway 77 in Robstown, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. The protest was organized by Saenz to counter former President Donald Trump's rally nearby at the regional fairgrounds. The Nueces County Democratic Party helped organize a counter-protest near a key intersection that leads into the fairgrounds. There, nearly 30 people held signs in support of Democratic candidates or in opposition to Trump. Nueces party Chair Rene Saenz said the local partys effort was important to show all sides to passersby. (Trump) tried to destroy democracy and we want people to recognize thats not a joke, Saenz said in an interview. It was something that has never happened before. We want to have that presence here because his presence is for 2024. For others, the event being in Robstown was the culmination of a gradual shift in South Texas politics. Bianca Garcia, president of the Latinos for Trump Organization, lifts her phone up for footage of former U.S. President Donald Trump at his Texas rally at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds on Saturday, Oct. 22. 2022, in Robstown. Bianca Garcia, a Robstown native and the president of the Latinos for Trump Association, recalled when she was tapped as the Trump campaigns Latino engagement director for Texas in 2016. At the time, she said, the campaign was starting from scratch and worried it would face apprehension from South Texans as a result of Trumps anti-immigration rhetoric. The GOP's newfound focus on South Texas shows her work had an impact, she said. "We planted seeds, watered them and watched them grow," she said in an interview. A woman cheers after closing remarks from former President Donald Trump at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. At least two U.S. congressional districts are considered to be in play: the 34th District in the Rio Grande Valley and the newly redrawn 15th District, which runs from McAllen to the suburbs of San Antonio. The Republican candidates for those races, Mayra Flores and Monica De La Cruz, did not attend the rally, and instead recorded short video messages that were played to the crowd. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during the Texas Trump rally at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds on Saturday, Oct. 22. 2022, in Robstown. Multiple speakers joined Trump during the rally, including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep Michael Cloud, R-Victoria. Abbott, who is seeking a third term in the November election, said this week that he would not be in attendance because he would be at a campaign event in Florida. There are some indications that Trump's popularity has wavered since 2020. A poll from the University of Texas at Austin Texas Politics Project, released on Thursday, found that 44% viewed former Trump favorably, while 47% viewed him unfavorably. Still, Trump remains popular with the GOP base, and many candidates sought his endorsement during the primaries. The UT Austin poll also found that 82% of Texas Republicans held a favorable view of the former president and only 9% held an unfavorable one. Reporter John Paul Oliva contributed to this article. More:Why is Donald Trump coming to Robstown? Here's what political experts think. More:Will Republicans be able to break the Democrats' lock on the Hispanic vote in Texas? This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Donald Trump seeks to energize South Texas voters at Robstown rally The union for City Colleges of Chicago faculty and professional staff are poised to set a strike date this week after authorizing a walkout earlier this month. Advertisement The Cook County College Teachers Union plans to notify members Monday evening announcing that strike date internally ahead of a rally planned for Thursday, union president Tony Johnston said. Advertisement Setting a strike date would be the next step toward a potential faculty and staff walkout as contract negotiations remain stalled. Members and supporters of the Cook County College Teachers Union rally outside Harold Washington College Oct. 6 before a meeting of the board of trustees, where it was announced that union members voted to authorize a strike amid contract negotiation disputes. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) The union authorized a strike by a vote of more than 1,000 members on Oct. 6. with 92% of them voting in favor. The CCCTU has two negotiating teams representing professional staff and faculty. Contracts for both groups expired in July. The authorization was a democratic vote of our members giving authorization to the negotiating team to call a strike if they feel as though its necessary, Johnston said. Negotiations have progressed on some issues, with discussions on annual salary increases heading in the right direction, Johnston said. Since our strike authorization vote, there has been better negotiations at the table. Asked about contingency plans in case of a strike, a City Colleges spokesperson said only that the community college network is committed to negotiating in good faith with each of our professionals and faculty unions to finalize their respective contracts. One ongoing sticking point is the current remote work policy proposal, which Johnston said is not expansive enough and doesnt include a grievance process for employees if portions of the contract are violated. Its very rare when theres an agreement that a certain portion of the contract wouldnt be covered by the grievance procedure, Johnston said. Advertisement Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > A violation of a telework policy by the employer could include the administration demanding remote employees return to in-person work, Johnston said. The union is advocating for the inclusion of this grievance procedure to ensure members have a degree of stability in their work arrangements and a formal outlet for addressing any changes. Johnston said the administration has adopted a take it all or leave it approach to negotiations. Johnston said the union submitted an intent-to-strike notice to the colleges and to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board about two weeks ago and is now mediation. Already, the union had one mediation session for the faculty, and another will occur Monday with professional staff. There are seven colleges and five satellite sites in the City Colleges of Chicago system, with 3,800 faculty and staff and 54,000 students. In addition to Thursdays strike rally, union members plan informational pickets at the colleges Wednesday to speak with students and community members about their demands, which include wraparound services for students to help with housing instability and child care. Advertisement mellis@chicagotribune.com The city of Huber Heights has issued a burn ban effective immediately, according to the Huber Heights Fire Division social media page. >>Ohio Burn Ban in effect through November; How these rules may affect you The ban is in effect until at least October 31st, the fire department said. It includes all fire pits and outdoor fireplaces. The city was under red flag warnings last week due to atmospheric conditions, the post said. >>Shelby Road in German Township closed after crash involving semi-truck The state of Ohio already prohibits burning in unincorporated areas in March through November, the post said. Were nearly two weeks away from Election Day in the Florida midterm election, but voters in Duval can cast their ballot early starting Monday. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Its a logistics nightmare, said SOE Mike Hogan. Its been a crazy year. And then you add the two special elections. My folks this will be our fourth election in less than a year countywide. Hogan said his staff of 1,700 poll workers and an additional 100 employees are ready. He said a heated governors race, senators race, and a local battle for sheriff could draw up to 60% voter turnout. Theres also several amendments on the ballot. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The people need to know how theyre going to vote before they get into the early voting site. Sample ballots are sent out by mail and you can request it via email by clicking here. Theres 20 total sites across the county for voters, which is the largest number per capita statewide. Registered voters can go to any site, unlike during Election Day when you have to go to your assigned precinct. A full list of sites can be found here. Some voters will notice the Gateway site has been dropped, but the SOEs office added the Joseph Lee Community Center. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Some voters will notice the Gateway site has been dropped, but the SOEs office added the Joseph Lee Community Center. This election cycle, sites will be open for 12 hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. including two Sundays in the 14-day early voting period. Each location will also have a drop box available while sites are open for voters to leave vote-by-mail ballots. Hogan reminds voters to bring a Florida identification card. Without it, you will have to fill out a provisional ballot. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. President Joe Biden, left, answers questions with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as they leave an event about the administration's student-loan forgiveness plan at the White House on October 17, 2022. AP Photo/Susan Walsh Miguel Cardona says student debt relief is "moving full speed" despite a temporary hold on the plan. Cardona in an USA Today op-ed criticized GOP efforts to block President Biden's plan for borrowers. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday issued an administrative stay for the relief plan. US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a Saturday opinion article said that his department was "moving full speed ahead" to implement the student debt relief program championed by President Joe Biden, with the message coming a day after a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the plan from taking effect while it is being examined. Cardona reaffirmed the administration's support for the student-loan forgiveness plan in the USA Today op-ed, while also pushing for eligible applicants to continue applying for the plan. "Amid some Republicans trying every which way to block the Biden Administration's debt relief program, the department is moving full speed ahead with preparations for the lawful implementation of our program so we can deliver relief to borrowers who need it most," he wrote. "Already, 22 million people have provided the department with the necessary information we need to review their eligibility for student debt relief." In framing the debt relief plan as one that would benefit working and middle-class families, Cardona criticized efforts by several Republican attorneys general to invalidate Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan. "In seven states, Republican attorneys general and officials have sued to block this effort leaving the financial security of tens of millions of working and middle-class Americans to hang in the balance," he wrote. "Despite their efforts, some cases have been dismissed." US District Judge Henry Edward Autrey on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit from the GOP attorneys general in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Carolina, in addition to legal representatives in Iowa, which argued that the forgiveness plan would harm the states' tax revenue, along with the business operations of MOHELA, a Missouri-based student-loan company. Story continues Autrey in his ruling argued that MOHELA is independent of the states and can take legal action over the plan on its own. "Missouri has not met its burden to show that it can rely on harms allegedly suffered by MOHELA," the opinion said. "MOHELA can sue and be sued in its own name and retains financial independence from the state." Also on Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett dismissed a request by a Wisconsin group to stop Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan; the group in their lawsuit claimed that the president exceeded his constitutional authority in crafting the policy without congressional approval. But on Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an administrative stay, which temporarily blocks Biden's plan from going forward while the court reviews the program's legality. After months of deliberations, the president in August announced that he would forgive $10,000 in federal student-loan debt for borrowers earning under $125,000 per year, with up to $20,000 in relief for those who received Pell grants and fall under the same income threshold. The plan would also cap monthly repayment of federal student loans at 5% of an individual's income through a new income-driven repayment plan. Cardona stressed in the op-ed that about 90 percent of the plan's benefits would impact individuals with incomes under $75,000, per the Education Department. "These are people in red states and blue states teachers, nurses, hair stylists, veterans and home healthcare workers. Parents who took out loans so their kids could be the first in their family to go to college," he wrote. "These are people with associate's degrees and technicians with certificates. These are people who will have the task of rebuilding our roads and bridges, and the same people Republicans promised to fight for when they were elected but now they're suing to stop them from getting relief," he added. The Biden administration also faces legal challenges from Arizona GOP Attorney General Mark Brnovich, the Job Creators Network Foundation, and the Cato Institute over its debt relief plan. Read the original article on Business Insider SpaceX founder Elon Musk during a T-Mobile and SpaceX joint event on August 25, 2022 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images Elon Musk's influence in global affairs has some officials worried, The Washington Post reported. Musk has kept in touch with foreign officials while staying away from Washington, per the Post. US officials have become increasingly aware of his relationships with foreign governments. State and federal governments have poured billions into Elon Musk's science and business ventures and offered the tech CEO lucrative and exclusive government contracts over the past 20 years. But some officials now worry Musk holds too much influence in foreign affairs and are seeking to curb his influence in Washington by funding his business competitors, according to a Washington Post report. "Elon, The Everywhere," one White House official told the Post. "He believes he is such a gift to mankind that he doesn't need any guardrails, that he knows best." While Musk has publicly feuded with President Joe Biden over the last year, he's also been keeping in touch with more foreign prime ministers and presidents as his disapproval of Washington becomes more public, sources close to Musk told the Post. Musk has publicly met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and other foreign leaders, raising conflict of interest questions. For example, after Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer claimed that Musk met with Russian President Vladimir Putin which Musk denies he began promoting the idea that Ukraine should concede Crimea to Russia, a talking point popular among Putin loyalists and other Russian officials. Musk declined to comment to the Post. Sources also told the Post they were concerned with national security issues that come with Musk's many business relationships. According to a Bloomberg report published Friday, the Biden administration is looking into ways to investigate Musk's $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter as a result of the multiple foreign entities that have invested in the deal. Story continues Investors include Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, and Binance Holdings, founded by Chinese businessman Changpeng Zhao. The Starlink internet network could also receive a national security review after officials became uncomfortable with Musk's plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine, according to unnamed sources who spoke with Bloomberg. Government officials have bolstered Musk's competitors in an effort to reduce their reliance on his businesses, the Post report said. This includes funding competitors to Space X, like Boeing's Starliner, encouraging more electric vehicle makers to compete with Tesla, and looking at replacements for Starlink in Ukraine. "There's not just SpaceX. There are other entities that we can certainly partner with when it comes to providing Ukraine what they need on the battlefield," a Pentagon press secretary said on Oct. 14. The Post report notes, however, that there is still a large interest from the US government to work with Musk. "One thing is clear: Musk believes he knows best, and he will do whatever he wants and that can be good and it can be bad," a member of Congress told the Post. A representative for Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Enerhodar As a result, the building has suffered damage, though Russian casualties, if any, are unknown. "Once again, it was loud this Sunday morning, Orlov wrote. Hotel Alisa has been reportedly hit and damaged. Enerhodar, and the ZNPP, were occupied early in the full-scale war. Russian forces have repeatedly shelled the occupied facility, disconnecting it from the Ukrainian grid numerous times. They have also kidnapped a number of the facilitys staff, and have reportedly parked military equipment, including explosives, within the facility itself. Read also: Russians mining infrastructure in occupied Enerhodar, says General Staff The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the plant to be demilitarized, and has warned that military action around the facility may cause a catastrophic incident. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine By Oli Dickson Jefford Erin McIlwaine never dreamt of becoming a world-class sailor but has now found herself mixing with the worlds best. The Northern Irish star started sailing aged six, following in the footsteps of her older brother and being taught by her mum. The sport was merely a hobby, but a surprise competition victory spurred her to change her outlook forever. I started competing when I was about nine or ten years old. I never really wanted to compete but once I got to my first competition and ended up winning it, I was like: this could be my future, said McIlwaine, who benefits from financial support from Boost Drinks a company born over 20 years ago with a vision of energising everybody in every way and is committed to supporting its local communities, whether this be fuelling them with its range of Sports, Energy, Iced Coffee, and Protein Drinks, or by getting more involved to help them achieve their goal. I sailed a boat by myself until I was around 14 years old. The last event I did was the Topper World Championships in China in 2018, and I ended up being the female world champion of that event which was pretty cool; a nice way to end my time in that junior class before I moved into a youth class. Making Sunday Bruch that little bit sweeter pic.twitter.com/mRjtLTN2yj boost_drinksni (@Boost_DrinksNI) October 23, 2022 The youth class was called a 29er which is a two-person dinghy. It was a bit of a change going into sailing with another person and not just sailing by myself the whole time. Youre no longer just reliant on yourself but another person as well. It makes it fun as well, knowing you can share enjoyment of the sport with someone else in the boat. SportsAid supports over 1,000 athletes each year in the early stages of their career by providing them with a financial award to help towards training and competition costs. Story continues This acts as a real motivational boost as it is often the first recognition they receive outside of their support network, with most of them relying heavily on their parents as they have no other funding. These athletes are Great Britain's brightest sporting prospects, nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports based on set criteria from each. The typical value of a SportsAid award is 1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities. McIlwaine has now transitioned into the senior ranks and has twice had the chance to attend Sail GP events, where she has mingled with some of the sports greats. Erin McIlwaine is one of seven athletes to have received support from Boost Drinks via SportsAid. Sail GP is one of the biggest sailing competitions in the world and experiencing that environment has proven to be a special experience. McIlwaine added: The first one I went to was in Plymouth in 2021, it was pretty amazing. I went across and met some of my idols - its crazy. Then I went again to Copenhagen back in August and I did some work experience. I was very much involved in helping the event run and run smoothly. Youre walking alongside some of the greatest sailors of all time. I met two of my idols, [Olympic Champions] Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. One of them gave me a private tour of the big foiling boats which was insane! Its definitely not something you come across every day and once you open the doors, its a once in a lifetime opportunity. Boost Drinks provides young athletes with financial support, recognition, and personal development opportunities through its partnership with SportsAid. Each athlete receives a 1,000 award which contributes towards costs such as travel, accommodation, and equipment for more information visit www.boostdrinks.com Fremont Police Department A Michigan family of four who mysteriously vanished last weekafter the patriarch called police in a paranoid panichas been found alive and unharmed in Wisconsin. The saga began about a week ago, when authorities in Fremont, Michigan, received a 911 call on Oct. 16 from 51-year-old Anthony Cirigliano, who was displaying paranoid behavior, including spouting odd statements about the 9/11 terror attacks. According to a 911 call obtained by WOOD, Cirigliano accused unspecified people of trying to erase him for the information he knew about the attack. It is related to September 11th and people want to erase me from the face of the Earth. I am not crazy, he said, citing an officer he knows personally who could testify to his mental stability. I am a Christian, I just need some help, and then the U.S. government will take it from here. Teacher Hid Missing Boy in Her Home for Two Years, Police Say A wellness check at the familys home, which lasted nearly an hour and involved an officer speaking to Cirigliano and his wife, Suzette, ended up being the last time family and friends saw the family. Cirigliano, his wife, and their two sons Brandon, 19, and Noah, 15then vanished, leaving Suzettes mother, who suffers from dementia, behind. We dont see any signs of violence, we dont see any signs of foul play right now. Theres no signs of struggle inside the home, Fremont Police Department Chief Tim Rodwell told WOOD after the disappearance. But everyone weve talked to they all describe this to be extremely abnormal behavior from Tony and Suzette. The family was eventually found safe in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, around 11 a.m. Sunday, Fremont police said, and each family member has been questioned. They are still of the opinion that people are after them, but the elements of the investigation do not meet the criteria for protective custody, police said. The family member that was requiring full-time care is being cared for by other family members. Story continues We wish to thank all of those individuals who assisted in the investigation by calling in tips and sharing the information to help locate this family, police said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A Georgia pastor whose wife was killed after a stray bullet entered their home said he is working with authorities to offer a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest. Lashunda Heath-Ellisons family held a funeral for the mother and hairstylist in Atlanta on Oct. 18, nearly two weeks after her husband, Pastor Herman Mac Ellison woke up to her breathing heavy lying atop a bloody pillow. Ellison told his congregation on Sunday he now sleeps in his wifes spot on the bed to feel close to her. Herman Mac Ellison, a pastor at Temple of Faith Ministries, and his wife Lashunda Heath-Ellison. (Photo: Facebook/Mac Ellison) Its still hard to believe that that seat wont be occupied again, referring to the first ladys seat in The Temple of Faith Ministries in Atlanta. Authorities believe Heath-Ellisons death was a result of random gunfire that penetrated the familys wall in their Decatur home. The pastor said DeKalb County police discovered a hole in the back of the house, apparently from a bullet that went through the married couples headboard as they slept that night. No one in the home heard the gunfire. Doctors told Heath-Ellisons family that the bullet was lodged in the center of her brain. She died days later. My momma always said a bullet doesnt have a name it can go anywhere it chooses, the couples daughter Taylor Ellison told FOX 5. The DeKalb County Police Department has opened a homicide investigation into the case and is searching for leads for a possible suspect. The grieving family believes Georgias gun laws are to blame for the tragedy. This couldve been avoideda lot of things couldve been avoidedthis has happened too many times where somebodys hit by a stray bullet or somebodys hit intentionally, the couples son Dejuan Ellison said. Lashunda Heath-Ellisons family held a funeral for her in Atlanta on Oct. 18, 2022. (Photo: Facebook/Mac Ellison) Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed in a bill into law in April that loosened gun control allowing gun owners to carry a concealed handgun in public without a license from the state. The pastor said the couple keeps guns in their home, but Heath-Ellisons family said the state needs more restrictions. About 70 percent of Georgians surveyed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said they oppose permit-less carry. The laws of guns they have to change. I dont know what the system has to do, I dont know what the governor has to do, Taylor Ellison said. Gov. Kemp, I dont know what you have to do, but its getting out of control. Chinese publications draw attention at Frankfurt Book Fair Xinhua) 11:39, October 23, 2022 People visit the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu) The China International Publishing Group and China National Publications Import and Export Co., Ltd. have brought together over 100 publishing companies in China to attend the fair. More than 1,000 different kinds of publications were exhibited on the shelves of the Chinese booths, covering topics of politics, economics, culture, history, technology and the Chinese language, for adults and children as well. FRANKFURT, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- For people who are eager to get a better understanding of China, the Chinese booths at the ongoing Frankfurt Book Fair presented opportunities for them. "I visit the Chinese booths at the Fair every time, and plentiful of selected Chinese books never fail to help me to know better about different aspects of China," Charlottes, who works in the culture industry in Belgium, told Xinhua. In order to meet the needs of visitors like Charlottes, the China International Publishing Group and China National Publications Import and Export Co., Ltd. have brought together over 100 publishing companies in China to attend the event, regarded as the largest of its kind, this year. People visit the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu) More than 1,000 different kinds of publications were exhibited on the shelves of the Chinese booths, covering topics of politics, economics, culture, history, technology and the Chinese language, for adults and children as well. Rosenmarie Stefan, whose curiosity about China has been built up since she took a few courses about China in a community school, is looking for something about China that would be different from the reports of the local press. The local media's coverage of China is far from enough for people to know a big country, she said. As a consultant in Frankfurt, Dirk Schneider has been cooperating with Chinese companies for over 20 years, and he prefers books about Chinese politics and economics. "I am keen to know more about the New Silkroad and would like to find some publications about it." People visit the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu) Ralf Glitza, who is teaching philosophy and education at Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, said he hopes to find books about Chinese political philosophy and education. "I want to deepen my understanding about the possibility of China for now and in the future." An increasing number of Chinese books have been published abroad in the past few years, said Ren Lei, chief representative of the German representative office of China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Co., Ltd. Books about children's education, novels authored by well-known Chinese writers, Chinese philosophy and Chinese medicines are especially popular among readers in Europe, according to Ren. The Frankfurt Book Fair, scheduled for Oct. 18-23, drew more than 4,000 publishing companies from 95 countries and regions. (Web editor: Liu Ning, Hongyu) Jose Gregorio Rondon Benitez, 28, seated at center, talks to other recent migrants from Venezuela at Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) The buses filled with migrants from the Texas border continue to arrive in Chicago, but its easy to forget that people are on those buses, people with stories often overshadowed by politics and conversation around the flawed immigration system in America, or by the desperate need to find shelter, warm food and clean clothes for the new arrivals. Nearly 4,000 migrants arrived in the city directly from Texas on the buses sent by Gov. Greg Abbott, according to city officials, but many more refugee seekers mainly from Venezuela have also been coming, on their own, to the promise of safety and job opportunities in Chicago. Advertisement Without any governmental help, a small house of worship on Division Avenue, Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church, has turned into a temporary shelter that has housed nearly 100 migrants. Many have transitioned into more permanent housing and found jobs, establishing a network within the group to lend each other a hand in their new home, Chicago. At the church, the migrants share their journeys, fears, and dreams. As some move out, others make room for new arrivals by cleaning up the sleeping areas in between church pews. And during Sunday service, everyone those who have transitioned out and those who recently arrived is invited to have lunch together. Advertisement They are creating a new home, we give God thanks for their new home, said Jacobita Cortes, the churchs pastor. Beyond the new reality that the migrants face and the story of their desperate need to flee their home countries to undergo a journey north where most are now homeless, are people who once had homes, and jobs. Here are some of their stories. My dream is to have a family As the sun sets in Chicago, a small church in Humboldt Park fills with the smells of Venezuelan food and chatter as migrants arrive at their temporary home after a day of looking for work. A joyful Erly Jose Tovar, 40, welcomes people as they walk in. He had been assigned to watch the makeshift shelter after arriving in the first week of September. He unlocks and locks the doors and makes sure that everyone is safe. Im glad to be here, he said with a smile, his long, blonde hair extensions carefully braided. Tovar is a hairstylist by trade who made his way to Chicago after being bused to Washington, D.C., where he heard of the beauty of the city and its job opportunities. Erly Jose Tovar, 40, is a hairstylist who hopes to one day open a salon and have a family. He's currently staying at Iglesia Metodista Unida Adalberto in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Migrating to the United States was never part of his plans. In fact, through his childhood he only ever dreamed of moving to Spain to eventually open his own hair salon. But it all seemed so distant, Tovar said. Though full of dreams, his childhood was painful. Advertisement When he was 5 years old, his troubled mother gave him away to an aunt, he recalled as his voice began to break. But his aunt also didnt care for him, leaving Tovar to practically live in the streets, begging for food through his childhood. In his teens, his mom took him in again, but his stepfather would beat him so hard that Tovar decided to leave once again, this time for his grandmothers home. Thats when he finally came out as gay, he said. But things took a worse turn. A family member raped him, according to Tovar, forcing him to seek refugee elsewhere. The family of one of his friends took him under their wing for the rest of his teen years. I began to grow up and looked for ways to support myself, Tovar said. He eventually learned to read with the help of a teacher who agreed to take him in their classroom without needing to register. As he grew older, he found a livelihood in working the cornfields in rural towns; also an attempt to run away from discrimination and bullying for his sexual orientation, he said. Advertisement Tovar eventually learned to accept and embrace himself. He developed a love for hairstyling from a friend who had a beauty salon, he said. Those friends became my family, Tovar said. Before deciding to migrate north, he moved to Colombia with a distant cousin. There, he worked for several years until he saved enough money to make the journey north. It was a chance for a whole new beginning, he said. A chance to start over and leave all the pain of his childhood behind. So this new life, though uncertain, gives him hope of finally healing and finding peace, he said. My dream is to have a family, Tovar said emotionally. He wants to find a partner and get married. Hopefully adopt kids at one point. I would work so hard to give them everything, all the love and the things I didnt have. Advertisement A family business that failed Sitting on a church pew after eating dinner, Marianella Hernandez, 47, still savored the dish. Theres so much food, I still cant believe it, I may even get a stomach ache, she smiled as she looked at her husband, Manolo Francisco Palma, 43, sitting next to her on a chair. In Venezuela, she said, their neighbors are struggling to feed their families because even working two jobs they cant make ends meet. The prices of the food, if available at all, are inflated, but the shelves at the stores (are) empty, she said. It was particularly heartbreaking for Hernandez to see her adult children unable to feed their own children. She shook her head and spoke a little softer when she recalled the days before the family decided to leave their whole life behind to make their way to America. I didnt want to come, I was scared to cross that jungle, I was worried for my grandchildren, but we really had no other option. People dont understand that, Hernandez said. Marianella Hernandez, 47, left, and her husband Manolo Francisco Palma, 43, have three adult children and some grandchildren in the U.S. The family had a vegetable and fruit business in Venezuela for many years, but after the pandemic it slowed down drastically, forcing the family to migrate north. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Their older son, Jhonder Adrian Garabito, 32, was the first one to leave their native town of Santa Fe de Tuy. He sold his motorcycles and most of his assets, leaving his wife and three young girls with only their bed and a fan, his mother said. Hernandez gave him her blessing and he headed north. When he left, he promised he would immediately look for a job to save enough money to help the rest of his family reach the American Dream, Hernandez said. He did. After just a few weeks of arriving, Jhonder found a job at a factory. He sent enough money to help bring over his wife and children, his two brothers and his parents. Advertisement The family was happy, and food was abundant. Marianella and her husband began their own business selling fruits and vegetables from town to town in a small truck. Jhonder Adrian Garabito, 32, the oldest son of Marianella Hernandez and Manolo Francisco Palma. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) The business was sustainable, and even after the economic collapse that began in 2014, they were able to manage and in 2020, suddenly, the business picked up, she recalled. They even bought a new truck. Not once did it cross her mind that one day they would all flee their beloved town and leave their small home empty to migrate north, Hernandez said. But just as suddenly as business picked up, it all disappeared. We had to sell our truck, then some of our other belongings. Then it was hard to feed the family, she recalled. So when her older son made the decision to migrate north, she and her husband felt the responsibility to support him and eventually follow him. For a while she tried to convince her husband to let her stay in Venezuela because she didnt think she would survive the months journey to Chicago because of underlying health issues. But Manolo, her husband of 30 years, begged her to do it. I couldnt leave her behind. Weve spent a whole life together, it was already hard enough to leave everything behind, Manolo said wiping away tears. In Venezuela, the only thing left is their empty home and Hernandezs 67-year-old mother. Advertisement Though she hopes to see her again one day, as much as it hurts, I dont know what will happen next, Hernandez said. But we are happy to be here together, she added. Manolo was specifically glad to be starting work already. His son was able to get him a job through a staffing agency. All we need is a place to live. He left the uniform behind For more than a decade, Robinson Briseno, 39, served as a police officer in Cojedes, Venezuela, a job that he grew into after joining the military in his youth. I fell in love with the uniform, with helping others, he said. After growing up in a rural town and working the fields, Briseno found a way to better his life through his profession. He then went on get a degree to teach physical education and was a substitute teacher at a local school, he said. Through those years, he fathered seven children and he intended to support them as they sought higher education. It all sounds nice, but one thing is to hear the story and another one is to live it, Briseno said while sitting on a church pew just two days after arriving in one of the buses sent from Texas transporting migrants. Advertisement Robinson Briseno, 39, was a state police officer and a physical education teacher in Venezuela. He is seen at the area where he sleeps in the shelter in Humboldt Park. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Though he tried to make enough to support his family, he couldnt. His salary was not enough. And even on the good days, seeing the other hungry children while I couldnt feed mine, didnt feel right, Briseno said. Its not easy to wear a uniform, to wake up every day in a country that is falling apart, to see people in the streets that are dying of hunger; and to then be forced to oppress those same people that are protesting and fighting against the corrupt government because they are hungry, he said. The only difference between those protesting and him was the uniform. So he left it left it behind and believes that he could never return for fear of retaliation from the governmental officials that he once served. In Chicago, he reunited with two other former officers who also chose to leave Venezuela to migrate to the United States. The three are staying at the church until they find a new job, far away from the one they had in Venezuela. I hope that people take the time to know more about us: Some of us are professionals, engineers, lawyers, and many more, Briseno said. Advertisement A girl mom Zulmairys Massiel, 31, said, I love being a mom. Her three girls, one 10, another 5 and the youngest one 3, have finally started school since arriving in Chicago. I thought they were going to be scared, but they have been so excited, Massiel said. Attending school will give the girls some sense of normalcy amid so much uncertainty, she said. The months since early June have been traumatic for the three young girls. Their father, Jhonder Adrian Garabito, 32, first left them in Venezuela when he took on the journey to migrate to Chicago. For a few days, the family lost touch with Garabito and didnt know if he was dead or alive. It was one of the most difficult times of my life, Massiel said. To tell the girls that their father was OK when we had no idea of his whereabouts. Zulmairys Massiel, 31, a recent migrant from Venezuela, is seen in her apartment in Chicago on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) But she kept positive. Garabito had told her that once he arrived in the States, he would find a job and send enough money to bring them over. Thankfully, he did. Massiel and her three girls began the migration north in mid-August and arrived in Chicago a month later. There was fear through the way, she recalls. People say they rape women and children, Massiel said. Her main concern was crossing the infamous Darien Gap, a jungle linking Colombia to Panama. Sequera was afraid she wouldnt be able to protect her three girls, or herself from harm. I prayed every step of the way, she said. In Chicago, Garabito waited for them. He had paved the way for his two younger siblings and his parents too. When he arrived, he found help at Cortes church in Humboldt Park he was one of the first migrants to arrive in the church but quickly found a job in a nearby factory packing toys, he said. Cortes helped him to find a place to rent, to make sure that his wife and children had a place to live upon arrival. Advertisement The family has created a home out of an old empty storefront. Were getting ready for the cold, Massiel said. The girls are excited to see snow for the first time. In Venezuela, the daughters were used to spending time playing outside while their mother dedicated her time to doing nails and their father helped with the family business of selling fruits and vegetables. My family and I have always been so hardworking, we had our own business, he said. Garabito is Marianella Hernadez and Manolo Francisco Palmas oldest son. His parents and his middle brother were the last ones to arrive. So we are here to work and do better for our families, he said. Now in Chicago, Garabito and Massiel want to provide for their three girls and recover everything that they lost when they left their beloved Venezuela. I want my girls to attend a good school, to go to college and have a career, Massiel said. Back home, I couldnt afford to buy them their school uniform and there were few teachers. The beauty of Venezuela Jose Gregorio Rondon Benitez, 28, a recent migrant from Venezuela, is seen outside Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Just a days after arriving in Chicago from the Texas border, Jose Gregorio Rondon Benitez, 28, went out to look for work. Ill do anything, work at a factory, restaurant, construction, Ill learn and do the work, he said. Through his 20s Venezuela was already suffering economically, he said. There are few jobs and the salary is mediocre. He tried his luck in Peru, where he met the mother of his only daughter, he said. Before that also spent time in Colombia. He has worked the fields, as bank security and a cashier, and driving a motorcycle from town to town to transport people. But the pay was also low, so when he heard that people migrating from Venezuela were being allowed in the United States while they filed their asylum case, he saved his money and left. Advertisement I told my family I would be back if things dont work out, Rondon said. But I hope its worth it. On the way, Rondon witnesses many more migrants, including women and children, returning to their home country, unable to continue the journey. Others were turned away at the border. So I feel blessed to have made it here, he said. He learned of the shelter at church through other migrants who gave him the pastors phone number. He called her and luckily there was room for him. He remembers learning of Chicago in movies. I loved Chicago after hearing of the stadiums, the snow and its lake, he smiled. If Im honest, I never thought I would actually come here. Advertisement Rondon loved to live in Venezuela, he recalled. Though money was limited, he was set to make a life like many others had, working the fields or other blue-collar jobs. I loved everything, the beaches, the scenery, the food and our people, he said. While he now tries his luck in Chicago, he will think of his daughter and partner in Peru. Its all for them, he said. Rondon calls them almost every day. He also calls his mother in Venezuela. I feel destroyed because I need my family, but I also feel committed to work to make sure that I can help them, Rondon said. He wants to send money to help his daughter and younger relatives finish school so that they can too see the beauty of Venezuela before running away. I want my daughter to have everything I didnt have, Rondon said. But if it doesnt work out here, I will return with my family. All that matters is that at least I tried. larodriguez@chicagotribune.com Floridas largest food bank distributed food to Floridians in Mount Dora on Saturday. Farm Share helped pass out fresh produce and non-perishable canned goods at the Bethel Independent Free Methodist Church. Photos: Farm Share distributes food to residents in Mount Dora Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. Read: Farm Share distributes free food to Volusia county residents Residents were required to arrive at the Lake County event in a vehicle with a trunk or cargo bed. Read: Lake County deputies search for man who approached boy at school bus stop Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact with COVID-19. The nonprofit serves all 67 counties in Florida and said they have handed out more than 751 million pounds of food to those who are struggling with food insecurity. Read: Mount Dora man accused of using Amtrak trains to traffic drugs from Orlando to Virginia Farm Share has a network of soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, churches and senior centers across the state for free. Click here for more information about Farm Share distribution sites. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Former president Donald Trump with his former CFO Allen Weisselberg at Trump Tower in 2017. Evan Vucci/AP Former Trump Organization CFO will be a star witness in the company's tax fraud trial, Bloomberg reports. Allen Weisselberg, 75, agreed to testify as part of a plea deal for a five-month prison sentence. Jury selection for the trial will begin on Monday in Manhattan. The veteran former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization is expected to be a star witness in the upcoming criminal tax fraud trial against the company, reports say. Allen Weisselberg, 75, who worked for the company for decades, will be called to testify about former President Donald Trump's business, Bloomberg reported. The complex jury selection for the trial will begin on Monday in Manhattan. Potential jurors will be grilled on their opinion of Trump and if it impedes their ability to fairly evaluate the evidence, per The Washington Post. Prosecutors allege that the company engaged in a tax fraud scheme by compensating senior executives with perks like apartments and company cars under Weisselberg's supervision. Trump is not personally charged. Weisselberg, who has long been one of Trump's most loyal deputies, pleaded guilty in August to 15 felony counts, including a scheme to defraud, conspiracy, grand larceny, and criminal tax fraud, in exchange for a maximum five-month jail sentence. Under the plea's conditions, Weisselberg a loyal, 40-year bookkeeper for Trump and his family agreed to testify in the upcoming trial. His attorney Nicholas Gravante told Bloomberg that he is required to testify truthfully or else the deal will be revoked, and he could face up to 15 years in prison. "The world is about to see just how the Trump Organization ran its business," Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at the University of Michigan Law School, told Bloomberg. "This is a significant case. The criminal charges are against Trump's corporation, a small private company, but Donald Trump is the Trump Organization." A source familiar with Weisselberg's thinking previously told Insider's Laura Italiano that he has no intention of implicating anyone in the Trump family, either as part of his testimony or in cooperation with the Manhattan District Attorney's ongoing Trump Organization probe. Story continues Weisselberg reportedly received various benefits during his time working for the Trump Organization, including an apartment, a Mercedes-Benz, and tuition payments to a private school for his grandchildren, Bloomberg said. Prosecutors say these should have been taxed like income. Prosecutors will likely ask him whether other senior executives, including Trump's children, received similar perks, according to Bloomberg. Manhattan prosecutors had attempted to "flip" the longtime Trump executive as part of its three-year investigation into Trump and his company for possible financial wrongdoing. If the Trump Organization is found guilty, it would have to pay back taxes and fines totaling about $1.6 million. Read the original article on Business Insider A former maitre d' made claims about Anna Wintour in his upcoming memoir. James Devaney/Getty Images Ex-maitre d' Michael Cecchi-Azzolina alleged that Anna Wintour was "horrid" to staff at NYC restaurant Le Coucou. Cecchi-Azzolina shared details in his memoir, "Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D'." Cecchi-Azzolina wrote that Wintour arrived without a reservation and preferred her steak "very rare." A former maitre d' claimed that Vogue's Anna Wintour was "absolutely horrid" when she dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Michael Cecchi-Azzolina shared details about his experience with Wintour and other celebrities in his upcoming memoir, "Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D'."' Cecchi-Azzolina previously worked at Le Coucou, a French restaurant in lower Manhattan. The New York Post obtained a copy of the memoir, in which Cecchi-Azzolina wrote that Wintour was "absolutely horrid" and would "march in" without a reservation, demanding a table. Michael Cecchi-Azzolina said he interacted with Anna Wintour at NYC restaurant Le Coucou. Jason Mendez/Getty Images He also wrote that Wintour ordered her steaks "very rare" and asked staff to serve her food "immediately." "God forbid it was the least bit overcooked. She'd look at the server as though he'd just served her rat and have it sent back and redone. You'd think the raw meat would make her less sanguine," Cecchi-Azzolina wrote. Cecchi-Azzolina recalled an instance when Wintour arrived at the restaurant right as staffers were closing the restaurant's back room in his book. "She'd just walk in or call and say, 'I'm coming,'" he wrote. "One time she came in and we were closing the back room and she insisted on sitting in the back room and we had to keep a waiter there and give her her own waiter." "Boy, was that waitress pissed," Cecchi-Azzolina wrote, adding that Wintour didn't "really talk to the staff. She's like I'm having this and that's it." Cecchi-Azzolina claimed that Anna Wintour preferred her steaks "very rare." Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images Representatives for Wintour did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Cecchi-Azzolina also made claims about the Duchess of Sussex, who he says visited the restaurant in 2017. He wrote in the memoir that Markle stood by while her handler demanded a private table because she was "dating a prince." Story continues Cecchi-Azzolina's memoir will be available for purchase on December 6. The conversation around celebrities and food industry workers sparked last week after James Corden was banned from the NYC-based restaurant Balthazar. Owner Keith McNally said Corden abused his staff but later reversed the ban after Corden apologized. Corden later backtracked on his apology in an interview with The New York Times, prompting McNally to clap back at Corden on Instagram. Read the original article on Insider The former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization is expected to be a star witness in the upcoming criminal tax fraud trial against Donald Trumps company. Allen Weisselberg, who worked with the company since 1973, is almost certain to be called to testify about the inner workings of Trumps business. Jury selection in the trial begins Monday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. Trump is not personally charged in the case. Weisselberg pleaded guilty in August to 15 charges related to his role in the Trump Organization, including conspiring with the company. He was sentenced to a maximum of five months in prison and fined $2 million. Weisselberg refused to agree to disclose any details specifically about Trump as part of his plea deal, The New York Times reported at the time. But Weisselberg did agree to testify about Trumps company in exchange for the truncated jail term. He had faced up to 15 years in prison. The case against the Trump Organization and its subsidiary Trump Payroll Corporation, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, argues that the company allegedly engaged in a 15-year scheme to dodge taxes by largely paying executives with undeclared perks such as homes and cars, allowing them to underreport compensation. The Trump Organization has pleaded not guilty and denied all wrongdoing The world is about to see just how the Trump Organization ran its business, Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor and law professor at the University of Michigan, told Bloomberg. This is a significant case, McQuade said. The criminal charges are against Trumps corporation, which is a small private company, but Donald Trump is the Trump Organization. Among the benefits Weisselberg reportedly received as a Trump Organization employee were an apartment, including utilities and garage costs, a Mercedes-Benz, school tuition payments for his grandchildren, unreported cash and various personal expenses for his homes and his sons apartment, including flat-screen televisions, carpeting and furniture. Prosecutors said those items should have been taxed like income. Story continues Under Weisselbergs supervision the company allegedly maintained two sets of books in an effort to hide the untaxed perks. Weisselberg personally avoided paying an estimated $900,000 in taxes by underreporting compensation, according to The Washington Post. If the Trump Organization is found guilty of charges against it, it could be hit with back taxes and fines totaling about $1.6 million. Another part of the district attorneys evolving case in the future will include the Trump Organizations alleged practice of routinely inflating assets when obtaining insurance payouts and loans. New York Attorney General Letitia James last month sued Trump, three of his adult children and Weisselberg for $250 million over the alleged use of inflated financial statements to mislead lenders, following her own civil investigation conducted parallel to Braggs criminal case. Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us, James said at a press conference announcing the suit. Trump has called her lawsuit baseless and repeatedly said James was engaged in a witch hunt during her examination of the company. The case is pending. Trump has not commented on Braggs upcoming case. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... MADISON, Wisc. Four Directions, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and Wisconsin tribes will host a midterm elections forum in Madison, Wisconsin, the states capital city, on Monday and Tuesday. The forum will be held in a town hall format from the Orpheum Theater in downtown Madison. The town hall will provide an opportunity for local and state candidates to engage with issues most important to Native Americans in Wisconsin and across Indian Country. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the Democratic Partys nominee for the U.S. Senate seat, now held by incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), will participate in a panel on Monday. Levi Rickert, Native News Online's publisher and editor, will also be part of the same panel. An additional civic engagement and voter registration workshop will be hosted by the National Congress of American Indians and held at the Ho-Chunk Nations Teejop Hocira located at 4724 Tradewinds Parkway Madison, Wisconsin. An analysis of the 2020 U.S. census data conducted by the National Congress of American Indians, Four Directions Native Vote estimates there are approximately 91,000 Native Americans of voting age living in Wisconsin, and about 45 percent of the states population lives in metropolitan areas. In 2020, the presidential election was decided by a margin of less than 12,000 voters. As Native voter turnout trends upwards across the country, there is no question Indigenous voters have the power to decide the outcome of every statewide election in Wisconsin. Watch Four Directions co-director OJ Semans, Sr. (Sicangu Oyate) who joined Native Native News Online's publisher and editor Levi Rickert (Potawatomi) on Friday's edition of Native Bidaske. The two discussed the upcoming town hall and the importance of the Native vote in the upcoming 2022 elections on November 8, 2022: Story continues About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net ROME (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he believed there was a chance for peace in Ukraine, even as Russia warned the conflict there could escalate. "There is the prospect for peace, it will come around at some moment," said Macron at a conference in Rome aimed at seeking ways to promote world peace. "And at a particular moment, given how things are evolving, and when the Ukrainian people and its leaders will have decided on the terms of this, a peace deal can be built up with the other side," added Macron. France has repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping Western diplomatic channels to Moscow open since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Russia fired missiles and drones into Ukrainian-held Mykolaiv on Sunday, and Moscow said the conflict was trending towards "uncontrolled escalation". Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the Ukraine situation in separate phone conversations on Sunday with France's Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu as well as with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the defence ministers of Britain and Turkey. Without providing evidence, Shoigu said Ukraine could escalate with a "dirty bomb" - conventional explosives laced with radioactive material. Ukraine does not possess nuclear weapons, while Russia has said it could protect Russian territory with its nuclear arsenal. (Reporting by Philip Pullella, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Sophie Louet; Editing by Gareth Jones) PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron and new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held talks in Rome on Sunday in the first, though informal, meeting between the two political leaders. Macron, who's currently on an official visit to Italy, in a post on Twitter in Italian after the meeting, said the two countries had to continue to work together, "with dialogue and ambition." Macron and Meloni discussed current European issues including the need to provide quick and common answers to increased energy prices, support for Ukraine and the management of migrant flows, Italy's prime minister's office said in a statement. Meloni, Italy's first woman prime minister, formally took over from Mario Draghi as head of government earlier on Sunday after she and her new cabinet team were officially sworn in on Saturday in Rome, giving the country its most right-wing government since World War Two. Meloni's Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots, but she sought to project a moderate image during the election campaign, dropping previous anti-EU rhetoric and pledging to keep Italy at the heart of European and Western institutions. European Commission leaders in Brussels sent her messages of congratulations on Saturday. Macron, who on Sunday attended a conference in Rome aimed at seeking ways to promote world peace, will meet Pope Francis on Monday. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Elizabeth Pineau and Sophie Louet in Paris and Giulio Piovaccari in Milan; Editing by Edmund Blair, Jan Harvey and Mark Porter) Joy Hofmeister speaks Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, at a news conference as the leaders of Oklahomas largest tribes endorse her for governor in Oklahoma City. Parable: There are 39 frogs on lily pads. Five make the decision to jump. How many frogs remain on the lily pads? The answer is 39 because a decision without action has no impact. On Oct. 11, the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes held a news conference proclaiming the endorsement of Joy Hofmeister for Oklahoma governor. The council consists of the elected leaders of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee and Seminole nations of Oklahoma. Despite the historic gesture, one may wonder: Why did the Five Tribes decide to step out on their own without working through the United for Oklahoma Coalition? After all, the Five Tribes are also members of United for Oklahoma. How impactful is the endorsement without strategic action to support their candidate? Is the council providing transportation for their tribal members to the polls? What is the council doing to incentivize their tribal members to vote in November? Have they been reminding tribal members about what they need to be able to vote? Are the leaders ensuring that their members possess acceptable identification to vote? Back to the parable, how will the Five tribes' decision reflect on the other tribes? The frogs in the parable are vulnerable prey by air (birds), land (reptiles) and water (fish). If their decision is not backed up by action, will the species be considered weak and vulnerable? More than words and photo ops are necessary to ensure the success of an endorsement. Hopefully, the leadership of the Five Tribes has a strategy to encourage and equip their tribal members to vote. Theresa Hinman Theresa Hinman is a member of the Ponca Nation. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Guest column: An endorsement from the Five Tribes is not enough NEW PHILADELPHIA A judge has found an 83-year-old man from the village of Tuscarawas incompetent to stand trial on a charge of child rape. In a judgment entry filed Wednesday, Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Ernest also ordered Homer G. Roth to undergo evaluation and treatment for a period not to exceed four months at Heartland Behavioral Health in Massillon. More:Jason M. Gordon, Homer G. Roth indicted on charges of child rape Roth is charged with raping a child who was less than 13 years old from July 2, 2016 to July 1, 2017. He is also charged with three counts of gross sexual imposition for having sexual contact with a child less than 13 years old, and one count of gross sexual imposition for having sexual contact with a child who was 13. He is also charged with two counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. More:Homer G. Roth, 82, asks for competency evaluation in child rape case The judge ordered Roth to be evaluated medically as required by Heartland Behavioral Health upon learning that the facility has a bed available. He is on house arrest until being committed to Heartland, according to Ernest's decision. Roth is to report to the Community Corrections Program to have his location monitor removed before going to Heartland. A hearing on the status of the case is scheduled for Feb. 13. Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com. On Twitter: @nmolnarTR This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Judge sends man, 83, accused of child rape, to hospital for treatment DU QUOIN, Ill. In his thick country drawl, Darren Bailey stood at a lectern clutching a microphone, trying to convince a crowd in his rural home base of southern Illinois that he speaks their language. Im a farmer. This is an agricultural fair. How many farmers do I have out here with me today? Bailey asked in late August at the Du Quoin State Fair as several people raised their hands. All right. You guys get it agriculture is the backbone of this nation. Agriculture is the backbone of this state. And were getting pushed aside. Our futures are getting pushed aside and ignored. And we must stand up and say, No more. Advertisement A few weeks earlier, the burly Republican candidate for governor was 329 miles north at a pro-law enforcement event in a forest preserve by OHare International Airport. He climbed behind the wheel of a hulking, black, heavily armored SWAT vehicle for a photo op as if it were a combine on his farm back in Xenia and took a flippant swipe at his campaign rival, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. You think Pritzker knows how to turn on and shut this thing off? Bailey joked. Shortly before that, he had cast a different tone when he led a few dozen at the event in a three-minute prayer that blamed Chicagos persistent violence on politicians who are preventing police from doing their jobs. Advertisement I pray for forgiveness that we have allowed our government to diminish the authority of law and order, and instead to lift up the rights of people who break the law, Bailey told the crowd. And I pray that soon, and very soon, that that would cease and that would end, and the men and women who serve and protect would be lifted up. In his run for governor, Bailey has offered himself up as a herald for those he considers to be the overlooked in Illinois, those he believes have been ignored, forgotten and excluded from a Chicago-driven plan led by Pritzker for the state to thrive. Its a religion-rooted regional crusade that has made Bailey the most conservative major nominee for the highest elected office in Illinois, a state where all three branches of its government are controlled by Democrats. [ Darren Bailey, playing to downstate crowd, resumes calling Chicago a hellhole at state fairs GOP day ] Once a little-known politician, Bailey has gained notoriety in part because of a series of controversies, including when hes denigrated Chicago by referring to it as a hellhole, urged people to move on and celebrate the Fourth of July even as a gunman who killed seven people in Highland Park remained at large, and compared the deaths from abortion to the millions of Jews killed during the Holocaust in World War II. Baileys emergence from being a farmer, school board member and state legislator to become the GOPs nominee for governor comes at a time when the Republican Party at the national level has embraced far-right ideologies that were championed by former President Donald Trump, who lost Illinois by 17 points in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Trump helped Baileys stock rise among voters by endorsing him three days before he won a six-man primary for the Republican nomination. Baileys ascendancy also was boosted by a combined $35 million in ad spending by the billionaire Democratic governors campaign and the Pritzker-financed Democratic Governors Association in the GOP primary. Their ads labeled Bailey as too extreme for Illinois and served as a backhanded way to help the Republican gain support from the GOP base. Former President Donald Trump greets Republican governor candidate and state Sen. Darren Bailey after his endorsement at a rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon on June 25, 2022. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty) Theres a tendency on either party, a candidate kind of more on the extreme, they can get people real excited and get them to turn out in a primary, said former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, who ran as a moderate Republican. Somebody thats in the middle that might be thoughtful may not be as exciting, and that I think has a tendency not to do as well in a primary when you have a higher proportion of the extremes, in both parties, show up. In an interview with the Tribune this month at the Trump Tower in Chicago, Bailey expressed his belief that he can be a governor that can unify the state, despite generally not being a go-to person on issues in the state legislature. Ive served two years in the House, two years in the Senate. I see the divide. I see the problems. I recognize that my ideologies, you know, (are) not on the top of everyones list, he said. Advertisement [ Donald Trump endorses Darren Bailey in GOP primary for governor during downstate rally ] Bailey has decried woke school curricula that incorporate LGBTQ teachings and hes spoken out against critical race theory academic analyses of how racism has persisted in long-standing policies and institutions despite on the campaign trail not providing examples that it is being taught to youths in Illinois schools. Hes promised to push for the repeal of landmark criminal justice reforms he thinks weaken the powers of law enforcement. And, as a legislator, hes filed a bill that would repeal a requirement that Illinoisans obtain a Firearm Owners Identification card, which requires a criminal background check, to own a gun. Though he hasnt offered any proof of fraud, hes said election integrity is another big problem in the state following Trumps erroneous claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Since joining the General Assembly in 2019, Bailey has aligned himself with a group of Republican legislators known informally as the Eastern Bloc who mainly represent the southeastern parts of the state and are often regarded as the most conservative voices in the legislature. Hes also sponsored legislation in Springfield urging Congress to declare Chicago the nations 51st state and separate it from the rest of Illinois. Perhaps the most attention Baileys drawn as a lawmaker was defying Pritzkers COVID-19 pandemic mitigations in 2020. Advertisement To improve social distancing in the early days of the pandemic, the House moved its legislative session from the Illinois State Capitol to the airy Bank of Springfield Center. Bailey, who sued Pritzker because of his emergency mitigation orders, was ready for a fight when a top House Democrat proposed a resolution requiring all lawmakers in the arena wear masks. I stand here before you today on behalf of the people of Illinois who feel captive, burdened, and unheard and I share their message. Friends, enough is enough, Bailey said. You want to send me or anyone else out these doors today, I understand. Go right ahead. But know this, that if you do that, youre silencing millions of voices of people who have had enough. [ Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey removed from House session for refusing to wear a face covering ] The resolution from then-House Majority Leader Greg Harris of Chicago passed 97 to 12. And in a subsequent resolution from then-state Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, a Hillside Democrat who is now the House speaker, the Democrat-led chamber voted 81 to 27 to force Bailey to leave the House floor for refusing to wear a mask, though he showed up for session the next day wearing one. Bailey earlier this month wouldnt say if hes vaccinated against COVID-19. I dont think thats anyones business to know, he said. Thats my personal health. No, you dont need to know whats going on there. A true believer Bailey, 56, grew up in Clay County in a small town called Louisville pronounced LEWIS-ville. Labor unions were active in this region of Illinois decades ago, and Democrats were widely elected to office. But many local union jobs disappeared, particularly as coal mining and manufacturing declined. GOP state Rep. Blaine Wilhour, who is from far south central Illinois and has known Bailey for years, said the Democratic Party has gone too far to the left politically and lost legitimacy while Republicans have overtaken Democrats and better represent the working class. Advertisement Theres no good-paying jobs in southern Illinois outside of government jobs, and unfortunately, theres not enough of those to go around, Wilhour said. Over the years, college graduates seeking white-collar jobs a demographic that tends to vote Democrat have moved to bigger cities from their rural homes downstate, said Ryan Burge, an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. The ones who go get a college degree then leave are going to be a little bit to the left of center. So where are they going to live? They live in the Metro East. Or they move to the collar counties, DuPage, Kane, places like that, said Burge, who once taught Baileys campaign manager, Jose Durbin, as an undergraduate student. Bailey never got a degree from a four-year university. He instead earned an associate in applied science degree in agricultural production and management from Lake Land College, a community college in Mattoon. GOP governor nominee Darren Bailey departs after speaking Aug. 24, 2022, at Schuler Farms in Lexington at the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) A married father of four, hes a third-generation farmer whose family owns Bailey Family Farm LLC, which, according to the companys website, has acreage in six counties and also owns a freight company. Given the farming business and the land the Bailey family owns, Bailey likely has millions of dollars in assets, even as his tax returns show a modest income. Before Springfield, Bailey spent 17 years on the school board in Clay County, 12 of them as president. But he also founded a Christ-centered private school, the Full Armor Christian Academy for preschool through high school-age students. Advertisement The school has campuses in Olney and Louisville, Illinois. Its staff is armed, and it uses curriculum from BJU Press, a publishing company founded by the Christian conservative Bob Jones University, the Effingham Daily News reported last year. BJU Press has offered textbooks contending the Bible is the unerring source for analysis of historical events and is the ultimate source if it conflicts with scientific conclusions. [ Darren Bailey centers campaign for governor on his faith, asking for Gods help to unite people against Gov. J.B. Pritzker ] As a devout evangelical Christian, Bailey publicly intermingles his faith and politics. You need to have something on your mind except financial gain when you are representing the people. And maybe Darren being a true believer in God is a handicap, but thats him, said Baileys uncle, Don Bailey. He believes in God wholeheartedly, and sometimes that kicks him in the groin. Hes not going to change that. In one of his daily devotionals that he posts on Facebook, Darren Bailey read passages from Ephesians that included Gods guidance that slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Bailey said of the slave reference that we know today what that means is people, if youre working for someone, if you have someone above you in authority, you know, respect. But then he continued reading the passage that included, Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good that we do, whether we were slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Dont threaten them. Remember, you both have the same master in heaven and he has no favorites. He says what they want to hear State Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, in his office in downstate Louisville.on April 29, 2020, (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Bailey arrived in Springfield after defeating longtime Republican state Rep. David Reis in the 2018 primary even though both men shared a background in farming, supported gun rights and opposed abortion. Bailey challenged and defeated Reis after Reis and about a dozen other Republicans joined Democrats in 2017 to pass a state budget that ended a nearly two-year impasse under former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner but included a permanent income tax hike. Advertisement After Rauner vetoed the budget, Reis didnt join Democrats a second time as they overrode that veto, but the political damage was done and Bailey seized the opportunity. The new legislators style was noticeably different. I kind of came into the House when you were told to shut up and listen for the first three or four years and figure out how to do things, said Reis, who is now registered with the state as a lobbyist. Where Darren just came in and, you know, he was rah rah and people back home love that. He says what they want to hear, Reis added. And whether its reality or not, he says it. And whether or not its achievable or not, its what he says. Bailey was later elected to the state Senate, where hes served since January 2021, but in his entire time in the General Assembly his accomplishments of getting bills to become laws are few. Out of about 50 bills hes been the chief sponsor of just two have become law, including one that makes it easier for firefighters to get hired in small towns. Bailey blames the Democratic-controlled legislature for his inability to get laws passed and says hes proposed some really good bills such as tax credits for foster parents. But he also largely dismisses the job of being a lawmaker as unnecessary. Advertisement If we would adhere to transparency and accountability and government holding entities responsible, we wouldnt have to continually come up with laws, he said. Still, that hasnt stopped him from sponsoring a series of bills that reflect his conservative views, including reinstating the death penalty and barring taxpayer-funded gender-reassignment surgeries. His bill calling for Chicago to become the 51st state was a reflection that the majority of residents in downstate Illinois disagree with city of Chicago residents on key issues such as gun ownership, abortion, immigration and other policy issues. On education, hes sponsored a bill that would have required the Illinois State Board of Education to issue school vouchers to parents of public school students if those schools werent providing instruction in a classroom. The legislation would have helped private schools such as Full Armor. Bailey has said he removed himself from Full Armor a few years ago but didnt deny that if the bill were to become law, private schools like Full Armor could potentially benefit from such a policy. Perhaps Baileys most controversial position is on abortion. He says he only condones the procedure if the mothers life is in danger. As a legislator, hes co-sponsored a measure to repeal the 2019 Reproductive Health Act that enshrines abortion rights in Illinois and another bill that would have forced medical facilities that perform abortions to offer those who are more than eight weeks pregnant the chance to see ultrasounds of the fetus. But on the campaign trail, Bailey routinely downplays the power hed have to affect abortion laws if hes elected governor. In the interview with the Tribune, Bailey said that its up to the General Assembly to change abortion laws, noting the state legislatures Democratic majority supports abortion rights. Advertisement Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey puts a suitcase on his campaign bus on Sept. 21, 2022, in Mundelein. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Republican nominee for governor Darren Bailey, center, talks with voters at the home of a supporter in West Dundee on July 22, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) But Bailey has fewer concerns about what impact hed have as governor on repealing the sweeping criminal justice reforms known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today, of SAFE-T, Act. Bailey has repeatedly pounded away on the laws no-cash bail policy that is supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, saying it will result in more crime. Democrats who championed the law and its mission to improve police accountability and create a more equitable court system have accused the Republicans of spreading misinformation about its effects for political gain. Like the states abortion laws, the Democrat-led General Assembly would have to approve a repeal of the SAFE-T Act. The SAFE-T Act is destroying our way of life, Bailey said. As a governor, I intend on using the platform to talk to the people and let them know that things can be different. It doesnt have to be this way. [ Fear and misinformation rife as SAFE-T Act and the end of cash bail become political lightning rods heading into election ] While Baileys initiatives havent gone far in the General Assembly, Wilhour downplayed notions that Bailey cant work well with others. Darrens not some great articulator, or anything like that. Hes just genuine. And people feel that, Wilhour said. Its funny some of the caricatures that they do of Darren in Springfield, like he doesnt get along with anybody. But other Republicans, particularly those not as conservative as Bailey, have privately expressed lukewarm feelings about him being at the top of the ticket. During the GOPs day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin didnt even acknowledge Bailey by name. Advertisement State Rep. Tim Butler, one of Durkins assistant GOP leaders who used to sit next to Bailey on the House floor, thinks the Bailey campaign has made missteps by not reaching out to other elected Republicans from around the state to help introduce him to their voters. I think there have been some missed opportunities in creating some relationships with folks that have been through these battles before, that have helped on statewide campaigns, that have run elections, that know what theyre doing, said Butler, of Springfield, who defeated a Bailey-endorsed primary challenger. Darren very much talks about himself being an outsider and things like that. But at the end of the day having people with experience is really helpful if you want to get the job done. Bailey said hes used to getting pushback from fellow Republicans in his four years in the legislature. If I was to get upset with something like that, you know, Id go back home and go back to the farm. And the reality is that we have got to be bigger than that, he said. I continue to do what Im doing, and at the end of the day, I want to make sure that my message gets out to the people and they know who I am, and theyre going to make their decision. Rock-solid conservative principles In early September, Bailey was in the Chicago area speaking at the Palestinian American Club in Bridgeview. His appearance at the club drew criticism from Jewish Democratic legislators after he was seen on video talking to the crowd in front of a map of Israel labeled as Palestine. The legislators saw this as part of a pattern of anti-Semitic rhetoric from Bailey who, in 2017, posted a video message on Facebook where he declared that the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust in World War II pales in comparison with lives lost to abortion. Advertisement But to those in attendance at the Palestinian event, Bailey offered the group a vague promise that, if hes elected governor, theyd have a seat at the table to help decrease crime, lower taxes and create business opportunities. Lina Othman of Orland Park said she was impressed by Baileys demeanor but concerned about his connection to Trump, an ardent supporter of Israel. When she asked Bailey what he liked and disliked about the former president, Bailey said he agreed with his business policies and putting America first before going on a tangent about his dissatisfaction for Pritzkers budgets. That message about Pritzker resonated with Bob Kelsey of Berwyn. If something happens where the guy that calls himself our governor is still in office on Nov. 9, hes going to be the U-Haul salesman of the decade because everybodys getting a U-Haul. Everybodys leaving, Kelsey said, referring to Pritzker. Back at the Du Quoin fair on Republican Day, Larry Tadlock stood under a giant canopy with dozens of people and held a sign that read, LETS GO BRANDON, a rallying cry Trump supporters have adopted to disrespect President Joe Biden. Tadlock said he supported Bailey because he saw him as an everyman, especially compared to Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel empire. Advertisement Hes from a country background. You can walk up to Darren Bailey and hes not like a regular Chicagoan. Hes like a regular country folk, regular citizen, Tadlock said. In his stump speech, Baileys rhetoric about the struggles of farmers resonated with Mary Kozuszek, a farmer from Scheller, a town about 25 miles from the fairgrounds. He stands for the common everyday person like Trump did. They dont have to be doing this. Either one of them didnt have to run for the office they did, she said. Bailey, hes conservative. He is a farmer. Farmers feed the country. We feed the people and feed the world. Her husband, David Kozuszek, thinks Bailey is a good Christian man with rock-solid conservative principles, that play well with people in southern Illinois. Kozuszek said many in the region used to support Democrats but thats when the party was for the working man. But todays modern Democratic Party, people feel like (theyre) being left behind, he said. We were all Democrats at one time. Chicago Tribunes Rick Pearson and Ray Long contributed. Advertisement jgorner@chicagotribune.com By Cassandra Garrison MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Two people died on Sunday from destruction caused by Tropical Storm Roslyn after it made landfall along Mexico's Pacific coast as a powerful hurricane before weakening farther inland, authorities said. A 74-year-old man was killed in the town of Mexcaltitan de Santiago Ixcuintla when a beam fell on his head, Nayarit state's Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection told Reuters. A 39-year-old woman died when a fence collapsed in the state's Rosamorada district. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), Roslyn hit land as a Category 3 hurricane at 5:20 a.m. local time (1120 GMT) near Santa Cruz in northern Nayarit, a Pacific coastal state home to popular tourist beaches like Sayulita and Punta Mita. By the afternoon, Roslyn was downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds decreasing to near 45 miles per hour (75 km per hour), the NHC said. Roslyn was forecast to become a tropical depression by Sunday evening and dissipate overnight or early Monday. Images from Nayarit after Roslyn made landfall showed cars submerged in water and homes with major damage to roofs and outdoor coverings. Emergency officials were dispatched to the most affected areas, the state's civil security agency said on Twitter. Only minor damage was reported in neighboring Jalisco, according to the state's governor. The busy international Puerto Vallarta airport resumed all operations. Some people who evacuated had returned to their homes. Officials were working to restore power in areas that experienced outages. Beaches along the coast remained closed. The NHC warned of swells that were "likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions." Heavy rainfall was expected to continue in some areas of the storm's path, the NHC said. Rain could lead to flash flooding and landslides in areas of rugged terrain, the center warned. Read more: EXPLAINER-How hurricanes cause dangerous, destructive storm surges EXPLAINER-How climate change is fueling hurricanes (Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Lisa Shumaker, Diane Craft and Mark Porter) Reserves Emily Scarratt (shown) and Vickii Cornborough have been withdrawn from Englands Rugby World Cup clash with South Africa on Sunday after picking up knocks (Brett Phibbs/PA) (PA Wire) Reserves Emily Scarratt and Vickii Cornborough have been withdrawn from Englands Rugby World Cup clash with South Africa on Sunday after picking up knocks. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) said Loughborough Lightning centre Scarratt, who scored all her teams points in last Saturdays 13-7 defeat of France, and loose-head prop Cornborough were assessed on Saturday and it was felt best they sit out of the final Pool C match as a precaution. Cornboroughs Harlequins team-mate Shaunagh Brown comes into the starting side at tight-head prop with Gloucester-Hartpurys Maud Muir moving to the bench on the other side of the scrum. Quins utility Ellie Kildunne scores a role on the pine at Waitakere Stadium in Auckland in place of Scarratt. Flanker Marlie Packer will captain England for the first time in the match. England will bid to extend again their world-record run of 27 consecutive Test victories, having thumped Fiji 84-19 and ground past France 13-7. Middletons side have the chance to seal top spot in Pool C and the most favourable route into the knockout phase. England team to face South Africa in New Zealand on Sunday: S McKenna (Saracens), A Dow (Wasps), H Aitchison (Saracens), T Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury), J Breach, Z Harrison (both Saracens), L Packer (Harlequins), H Botterman (Saracens), C Powell (Gloucester-Hartpury), S Brown (Harlequins), R Galligan (Harlequins), C ODonnell, M Talling (both Loughborough Lightning), M Packer, P Cleall (both Saracens). Replacements: A Cockayne (Harlequins), M Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury) S Bern (Bristol), Z Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury), S Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning), L Infante (Saracens), H Rowland (Loughborough Lightning), E Kildunne (Harlequins). KAR Auction Services, Inc. (NYSE:KAR) insiders who bought shares over the past year were rewarded handsomely last week. The stock rose 4.1%, resulting in a US$61m rise in the company's market capitalisation. Put another way, the original US$2.2m acquisition is now worth US$2.2m. While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. View our latest analysis for KAR Auction Services The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At KAR Auction Services In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Executive Chairman of the Board James Hallett bought US$1.3m worth of shares at a price of US$13.15 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$13.50. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. Happily, the KAR Auction Services insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices. While KAR Auction Services insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Does KAR Auction Services Boast High Insider Ownership? Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that KAR Auction Services insiders own 1.8% of the company, worth about US$27m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. Story continues What Might The Insider Transactions At KAR Auction Services Tell Us? The fact that there have been no KAR Auction Services insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think KAR Auction Services insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. 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. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for KAR Auction Services you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Imagine being able to work with a company you choose, you hire, and you earn money with because they work for you. Instead of conforming to a rigid 9-5 schedule, you can choose how, when, and with whom you earn. Thats exactly what I can do as an app-based worker. When Im earning with Instacart and Uber, Im my own boss, and I'm proud of the skill, enthusiasm, and expertise I bring to my work. For years, the income I earned throughout my career in construction work has supported my family. I love my job, and we always have enough for everyday bills. But during the pandemic, goals like paying down debt or taking my family on vacation grew further out of reach. I knew I wanted to earn extra income to tackle those goals but getting a second full-time job was out of the question. Construction work hours can vary dramatically, and it isnt possible to work two jobs with set shifts that would likely conflict. At the same time, I dont want to miss out on important life moments with my family. That's why recent news from our nations capital was upsetting: a government agency proposal could make independent work harder, undercutting the freedom and flexibility I enjoy todaythe key reasons millions like me joined the app-based economy. App-based platforms must compete for youfor your servicesand you have the freedom and flexibility to choose who you want to earn with and when. You get to be your own boss. Turning to app-based work with Instacart and Uber has meant extra income on my terms and realizing my financial goals for my family. As an app-based worker, I handcraft my own schedule, varying my hours week by week, so I can earn extra income without having to miss a dance recital or a big game. The flexibility offered by this work allows me to build towards my long-term goals and be financially independent, giving me agency and control over my own future. Not only does this work support our familys everyday needs, but opportunities to earn with companies like Instacart and Uber provide the extra income needed to make the impossible possible. As a family of four, the dream of vacationing at places like Disney World always seemed far away, but the extra income I brought home has allowed me to take my fiance, daughter, and son to Disney World this year for the first time. I was able to pay for our trip in full without incurring debt and putting added stress on our financesa wonderful feeling for anyone with young kids. Story continues From managing rising costs day-to-day to being able to take the quintessential American dream family vacation, app-based work works for me, and for more than 23 million Americans who are current or recent app-based workers. We want to be our own boss, to have the flexibility to earn extra income on our terms, and to balance family needs. Its important for policymakers to understand why we are flocking to this workflexibility helps balance life and earning opportunities in a way that traditional employment alone never could, and it must be protected. Roman Juela is an Instacart and Uber Eats driver from Queens, New York. The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com More from Fortune: The best high-yield savings accounts of 2022 Van life is just glorified homelessness, says a 33-year-old woman who tried the nomadic lifestyle and ended up broke Mark Zuckerberg has a $10 billion plan to make it impossible for remote workers to hide from their bosses Americans carry 4 credit cards on average. Heres how many you should have, according the the experts Investors can approximate the average market return by buying an index fund. While individual stocks can be big winners, plenty more fail to generate satisfactory returns. Investors in TPG Telecom Limited (ASX:TPG) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 35%. That contrasts poorly with the market decline of 6.2%. TPG Telecom hasn't been listed for long, so although we're wary of recent listings that perform poorly, it may still prove itself with time. Furthermore, it's down 27% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. Now let's have a look at the company's fundamentals, and see if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business. View our latest analysis for TPG Telecom While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. Unfortunately TPG Telecom reported an EPS drop of 73% for the last year. The share price fall of 35% isn't as bad as the reduction in earnings per share. It may have been that the weak EPS was not as bad as some had feared. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of TPG Telecom, it has a TSR of -33% for the last 1 year. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective TPG Telecom shareholders are down 33% for the year (even including dividends), even worse than the market loss of 6.2%. There's no doubt that's a disappointment, but the stock may well have fared better in a stronger market. With the stock down 27% over the last three months, the market doesn't seem to believe that the company has solved all its problems. Basically, most investors should be wary of buying into a poor-performing stock, unless the business itself has clearly improved. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand TPG Telecom better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with TPG Telecom . TPG Telecom 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 AU 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Iranian kamikaze drone Shahed-136 Allegedly, the group of Iranian instructors, believed to be officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are under the heavy protection of Russian National Guard and FSB officers. Their presence was noticed in the village of Mykulichi, Gomel Oblast. These Iranian military officials role in the attack on Kyiv was revealed by Belarusian partisans, the NRC stated. Additionally, the Ukrainian military has reported that the Russians have taken full control of air bases in the Belarusian settlements of Baranovichi and Lida, and are continuing to use them to launch strikes on Ukrainian territory. Read also: Iranian instructors killed in Ukraine, Israeli media says The Iranian Foreign Ministry has falsely denied any connection to Russias use of their drones. They also declared their readiness to negotiate with Ukraine to "refute the accusations. Earlier, White House spokesman John Kirby said that the United States has evidence of the presence of Iranian instructors in occupied Crimea. Ac-cording to the White House, they control the attacks of Russian drones on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians, corroborated by reports from The New York Times. On Oct. 11, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had ordered 2,400 more Shahed-136 attack drones from Iran, referring to intelligence data. On Oct. 17, Kyiv suffered from a mass attack of Iranian-made suicide drones, which resulted in the death of five people and multiple injures. A pregnant woman and her husband were among the victims. Read also: Iranian military instructors present in Crimea, US says Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klychko stated that about 28 drones targeted the capital that day, though the majority of them were intercepted. Even with those efforts, five explosions were recorded in Kyiv as a result of the drone attack. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has urged Iran to immediately stop supply-ing Russia with suicide drones. Meanwhile Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has proposed that Kyiv formally break off diplomatic ties with Iran. Ukraine has so far refused to extend the accreditation of the Iranian ambassador, and reduced the number of personnel in the Iranian embassy to only a few employees. Earlier, The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials, reported that Iran had secretly agreed to provide Russia with not only attack drones, but also surface-to-surface ballistic missiles for Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine IRYNA BALACHUK SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 13:14 The National Resistance Center reports that Iranian instructors were brought to Belarus, where they are training the Russian military and coordinating UAV launches on infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. Source: NRC website Quote from NRC: "In the village of Mikulichi, in Gomel Oblast, a group of Iranian instructors, officers of the IRGC, who are under the increased protection of the Russian National Guard and FSB officers, have been spotted. According to information from the Belarusian partisans, it was these instructors who coordinated the launches of the Shahed-136 UAV at infrastructure facilities in the Kyiv Oblast, and the Northern and Western oblasts of Ukraine." Details: According to the local resistance group, the Russians have taken complete control of the air bases in Baranavichy and Lida. The occupiers continue to use them to launch strikes on the territory of Ukraine. Background: The New York Times previously reported that Iran sent instructors to occupied Crimea to help the Russians overcome problems with a fleet of drones they purchased from Tehran. Before that, the Ukrainian resistance movement noticed that there are up to 20 instructors from Iran on the territory of the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Shahed drones will not affect the course of the war - the Russians use them hoping to generate nonlinear effects through terror. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! JERUSALEM (AP) Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday threw out four legal challenges to a landmark maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon, clearing a major hurdle for the deal that could mark a major breakthrough in relations between the two countries. The court did not immediately release its reasons for rejecting the challenges, which were submitted by an influential conservative policy group and an ultranationalist Israeli politician, among others. The court's ruling paves the way for the agreement to be given final approval by Israel's the government, a step expected later this week. Lebanon and Israel both claim some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. At stake are rights over exploiting undersea natural gas reserves. Lebanon hopes gas exploration will help lift its country out of its spiraling economic crisis. Israel also hopes to exploit gas reserves while also easing tensions with its northern neighbor. Critics of the deal who had appealed to the court said the current interim government should not be allowed to change Israels maritime border or make such weighty, strategic decisions without an electoral mandate. Israel has crossed a fundamental democratic line, with a lame duck government agreeing to give up the countrys sovereign territory to an enemy state days before an election, said Eugene Kontorovich, of the Kohelet Policy Forum, the conservative think tank that had petitioned the court. Israel heads to the polls for the fifth time in less than four years next week. Israel and Lebanon and formally have been at war since Israels establishment in 1948. In 2006, Israel and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah fought a monthlong, inconclusive war and tensions with the group remain high. Israel says the deal will bolster its security, help stabilize the northern frontier and boost the economy with billions in revenue from any gas discovered. Kanye West is being blamed for stirring up hate groups after remarks he made about the Jewish community. (Evan Agostini / Invision) Kanye West's weeks-long spate of antisemitic comments drew a well-known hate group to Los Angeles this weekend for a demonstration of support on a 405 Freeway overpass, raising alarms from local officials and residents that the rapper's rhetoric was inspiring more public bigotry. West, also known as Ye, has attracted widespread criticism and was locked out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts in recent weeks for comments online and in TV interviews espousing antisemitic conspiracy theories that have spurred hate and violence against Jewish people in the past including that they have outsized power and influence in the media. In addition to freezing his social media accounts, West's comments have drawn public demands that he lose lucrative endorsements and further threatened his waning celebrity cachet. On Saturday, demonstrators gave Nazi salutes as they stood behind a large overpass banner that read, "Kanye is right about the Jews," according to images collected by antidiscrimination organizations and Jewish residents appalled by the group's message. "It's not just words," said Sam Yebri, a lawyer and former Anti-Defamation League board member who lives in Westwood and took to Twitter to denounce the event. "There is clearly a connection to white supremacy and neo-Nazi movements." Responding to the overpass demonstration, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon said on Twitter on Sunday that antisemitism cannot be tolerated and that he stands with the Jewish community. "We cannot tolerate the #AntiSemitism that was on full display ... on an LA Fwy," Gascon wrote. "#WhiteSupremacy is a societal cancer that must be excised. This message is dangerous & cannot be normalized." Yebri said the demonstration was just one of many antisemitic incidents in the city in recent days and weeks. Residents also have found fliers at their homes and on their cars spewing racist and otherwise bigoted stereotypes and conspiracy theories about Jewish and LGBTQ people, he said. Story continues Yebri said he recently found a flier at his home casting the COVID-19 pandemic and response as part of a Jewish "agenda." He said fliers found across the city have espoused the well-worn antisemitic idea that Jewish people somehow exert outsized influence over the media. Friends flagged other fliers found in L.A. neighborhoods that alleged both the Biden administration and the LGBTQ rights movement are controlled by Jewish people, he said. "This is an issue that we need more attention and more action on," said Yebri, who is running for the L.A. City Council seat of outgoing 5th District Councilmember Paul Koretz. "People are terrified and feel abandoned by our leaders, who are neither speaking up nor doing anything about this increase in antisemitism." The Los Angeles and Beverly Hills police departments said Sunday that they were investigating the recent distribution of antisemitic fliers. In Beverly Hills, police said they were investigating the overnight distribution of about 25 fliers blaming gun control measures on Jewish people. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the department's major crimes division was "aggressively investigating a series of flier drops" that appeared to be connected to those in Beverly Hills. Investigators have located video of a vehicle they believe was involved, he said, and "will continue to pursue every avenue to identify and prosecute individuals whenever possible involved in these antisemitic attacks." West has been widely criticized for his antisemitic remarks, including one in which he said he was going to "Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." He made further antisemitic remarks in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News. West, who is Black, had faced criticism as well for wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt to his YZY runway show during Paris Fashion Week. The controversy around him gained additional momentum when it was reported that he was buying the right-wing social media company Parler. Yebri said neither antisemitism nor the ideas espoused in the fliers found around L.A. are new, but he nonetheless drew a connection between the recent proliferation and West's rhetoric. "Kanye's remarks give added air and momentum to the hate that previously was limited to the dark corners of the internet," Yebri said. "Now it's popping up in neighborhoods, at people's homes and throughout Los Angeles." Several of the fliers Yebri and his friends and neighbors have collected, reviewed by The Times, make reference to the group Goyim Defense League, which has been identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League and the organization StopAntisemitism. Both the Anti-Defamation League and StopAntisemitism attributed the overpass demonstration to the Goyim Defense League, which has roots in California and has repeatedly staged antisemitic demonstrations in L.A. and neighboring cities such as Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. They accused one of the group's leaders, Jon Minadeo II of the Northern California city of Petaluma, of leading the demonstration and at one point yelling at a California Highway Patrol officer who had responded to the scene. Minadeo could not be reached for comment Sunday. The CHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its response to the demonstration, including whether any arrests were made. StopAntisemitism said the demonstration represented a "merging" of West's "horrific antisemitic outbursts" and the Goyim Defense League's track record of distributing antisemitic materials in the region. "White supremacists capitalizing on Ye's ongoing antisemitic tantrums is another example of how extremists find a commonality in the hatred of Jews," said Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism. "While the atrocious and bigoted behavior of the GDL may be protected by the 1st Amendment, this is clearly a targeted harassment campaign against the Jewish people." Rez called on elected officials and law enforcement to "find a way to put an end to these antics before someone gets hurt." Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, said the overpass demonstration was "the latest example of how extremists across the ideological spectrum have embraced" West's rhetoric. He said the Goyim Defense League had recently taken to the messaging platform Telegram to discuss capitalizing on West's comments with yet more fliers this time blaming Jewish people for the slave trade. Segal said West's most recent rhetoric "has helped advance the spread of long-standing hateful and false narratives shared by extremist groups." West responded to the "death con" tweet, which has since been deleted, telling interviewer Piers Morgan that he apologized to those people hurt by the comment but that he didn't regret making it. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Kanye West has claimed that Quentin Tarantino and Jamie Foxx stole the idea of Django Unchained. The rapper, who has made a number of alarming remarks in recent weeks, said he originally pitched the story to the pair in the hopes he could turn it into the music video for his 2005 song Gold Digger. Foxx, who played the lead role in Tarantinos Django Unchained in 2012, featured on Wests song. West claimed to have pitched a slavery-themed story for the music video but, in the end, the idea didnt manifest. The video, which starred Foxx, was directed by Hype Williams. Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, West, who now goes by the name Ye, said: Actually, [Tarantino] and Jamie, they got the idea from me, because the idea for Django, I pitched to Jamie Foxx and Quentin Tarantino as the video for Gold Digger. And then Tarantino turned it into a film. The Independent has contacted Tarantino, who wrote and directed the film, and Foxx for comment. West has recently found himself embroiled in controversy over a number of antisemtic remarks, and has consequently been dropped by French fashion house Balenciaga. Tarantino, whose most recent film was 2019s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is releasing a new film book, titled Cinema Speculation, on 25 October. In 2019, it was reported he was working on an adaptation of a Django Unchained comic book miniseries. Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained' (Columbia/The Weinstein Company/Kobal/Shutterstock) It sees Foxxs title character safely settling his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) in Chicago and taking up jobs to help fund her life. On his travels, he meets Zorro (the same character played by Antonio Banderas) and the pair team up after Django becomes his bodyguard. Its titled Django/Zorro. Kane County States Attorney Jamie Mosser is working with a group of other state's attorneys on possible changes to the SAFE-T Act, which will end the cash bail system on Jan. 1. (Megan Jones / The Beacon-News) Kane County States Attorney Jamie Mosser has spent the last two weeks working with other states attorneys, law enforcement officials and legislators to make changes to the SAFE-T Act before its introduction Jan. 1, 2023. Mosser, Champaign County States Attorney Julia Rietz, Peoria County States Attorney Jodi Hoos and DuPage County States Attorney Bob Berlin have met twice a week over Zoom with legislators and advocates for the SAFE-T Act, the Illinois Sheriffs Association, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police for negotiations over changes to the act. Advertisement The spirited discussions maintain the acts intent to eliminate cash bail, but Mosser said she and other states attorneys are asking to look into some provisions, such as the ability to detain people for certain crimes and maintain victims rights. We are working on language to see if we can come to an agreement on things, Mosser said, who hopes the changes will be proposed in trailer bills during the fall veto session in the Illinois General Assembly in the middle of November. Advertisement We have been doing a significant amount of work and I can say I feel positive about the changes that were proposed and received, Mosser said. I think everyone coming to the table has the best of intentions to eliminate cash bail but to do so not only protecting the rights of the accused but the safety of the victims. Mosser said she worries about how under the new law, defendants in serious crimes would not be detained. For instance, someone involved in a motor vehicle accident that results in death who fled the scene or someone who threatened a school would not be able to be detained, she said. I think this was all unintended and when you have a year and a half to pick apart the legislation, you find these things, Mosser said. The SAFE-T Act was meant to create a more fair court system and promote police accountability. Proponents say the elimination of cash bail addresses a longstanding problem that keeps poor defendants, mostly people of color, locked up while awaiting trial because they dont have the means to make bail. Recently, Kendall County Board members unanimously approved a resolution requesting the General Assembly work with law enforcement to resolve issues with the SAFE-T Act. Kendall County States Attorney Eric Weis and Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird joined Will County and McHenry County states attorneys in filing suits against the state of Illinois in an effort to change some of the provisions of the act. The SAFE-T Act also requires every police department to equip its officers with body cameras by 2025, allows people to file anonymous complaints against police and creates a more robust system for decertifying police officers. mejones@chicagotribune.com Kanye West continues his tour of stirring up controversy. West pulled off his latest stunt when he sat down for an interview on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show. This time, the outspoken rapper decided to advocate for straight white males, saying theres nobody that gets judged more than a straight white male. The straight while male has the least amount of a platform to even speak, West told Morgan. A straight white male cant say my wife hurt me today. Because people will say youre hurting women. A straight white male cant say a Black employee didnt come in to work on time. Because people will say youre racist. A straight white male cant speak on a homosexual person because people will say youre homophobic. Ye (fka Kanye West) on the straight white male Theres nobody that gets judged more than a straight white male. The straight white male has the least amount of a platform to even speak. pic.twitter.com/SZesx1tQuo Kurrco (@Kurrco) October 21, 2022 Wests comment comes after his conservative friend, Candace Owens, recently uttered a similar sentiment. As Blavity previously reported, Owens shared her views when she was chosen as a speaker at Turning Point USAs college event at Michigan State University. The actually worst thing to be in this society the one thing I would not want to be is a straight white male. For some reason, thats considered problematic, the conservative pundit said at the event. West has continued to dig himself into a hole in recent weeks. As Blavity previously reported, the Grammy-winning artist faced backlash for wearing a White Lives Matter shirt during his recent runway show at Paris Fashion Week. He was also locked out of Twitter after posting a hateful message against Jewish people. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death. J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thou are both charged with aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Floyd, who was Black, died on May 25, 2020, after another former officer, Derek Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee on Floyds neck for about nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleading that he couldnt breathe. Kueng knelt on Floyd's back during the arrest, and Thou held bystanders back. Another officer, Thomas Lane, has pleaded guilty to a state charge and is not facing trial. Among key figures for the trial: THE JUDGE Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill handled Chauvin's trial and is back on the bench for this one. Cahill started in the county public defenders office in 1984 and worked for 10 years as a prosecutor, serving as top advisor to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar when she was the countys head prosecutor. Cahill, a judge since 2007, is known for being decisive and direct. He allowed livestreaming of Chauvin's trial because of immense public interest and COVID-19 limitations, saying at a national judicial conference recently that he thought if he hadn't, the result was never going to be accepted by the community. But cameras are typically not allowed in Minnesota courtrooms, and with COVID-19 restrictions loosening, he's not permitting livestreaming this time. PROSECUTION Attorney General Keith Ellison led the Chauvin prosecution at the behest of Gov. Tim Walz, after civil rights advocates in the community said Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman didn't have the trust of the Black community. Ellison, the state's first African American elected attorney general, previously served in Congress and worked as a defense attorney. He appeared in court at times during Chauvin's trial, but was not part of the trial team. Story continues Matthew Frank and Steven Schleicher, both of whom helped convict Chauvin, are back to lead that team. Frank is an experienced attorney who also won a guilty plea in the case of Lois Riess, a Minnesota woman who became notorious for killing her husband in 2018, then killing a woman in Florida and assuming her identity before she was captured. Schleicher is a former federal prosecutor who led the prosecution of the man who admitted to the 1989 kidnapping and killing of Jacob Wetterling, whose initial disappearance helped inspire a 1994 federal law requiring states to establish sex offender registries. DEFENSE Kueng, who is Black, was the youngest of the four officers at the scene and a rookie, just days on the job. His personnel file, which says he speaks, reads and writes Russian, did not list any disciplinary actions. At his federal trial, he testified that he deferred to Chauvin because Chauvin was his senior officer and that is what he had been trained to do. His attorney, Tom Plunkett, represented another former Minneapolis police officer in a high-profile case. Mohamed Noor was convicted in the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, who had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault. Thao, who is Hmong American, was Chauvins partner the day of Floyd's killing and an eight-year veteran. City records showed six complaints against Thao, and he was the subject of a 2017 federal lawsuit accusing him and another officer of excessive force. During his federal trial, Thao testified that on the day of Floyd's arrest, he served as a human traffic cone to keep traffic away from the other officers. He said his role was crowd control, and he presumed Floyd was breathing. His attorney, Bob Paule, was a public defender before he started his own practice. His website says he obtained a rare not-guilty verdict for a murder defendant via a mental illness defense. He also said he was part of a team that got 23 murder charges dismissed in another case, after challenging that prosecutors acted with misconduct during grand jury proceedings. GEORGE FLOYD Floyd, 46, moved to Minneapolis from Houston several years before his death in hopes of finding work but had lost his job as a restaurant bouncer due to COVID-19. On May 25, 2020, an employee at a Minneapolis grocery store called the police saying Floyd tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. His girlfriend, Courteney Ross, tearfully testified at Chauvin's trial that she met Floyd in 2017 at a Salvation Army shelter, and that she and Floyd both struggled with addiction to opioids. She said he suffered an overdose in March 2020, but then had been clean for many weeks. She said she suspected he began using again about two weeks before his death because his behavior changed. She said both she and Floyd tried really hard to break that addiction many times. One of Floyd's brothers, Philonise Floyd, testified at Chauvin's trial that George Floyd was a leader in the family, and that they grew up poor in Houstons Third Ward. He used to make the best banana mayonnaise sandwiches, Philonise Floyd recalled, saying: George couldnt cook. He couldnt boil water. THE JURY A jury of 16 Hennepin County residents will be picked to hear the evidence, and 12 will ultimately deliberate. Their names will be kept confidential until further court order. Hundreds of jurors were summoned, and sent a 17-page questionnaire to gauge their experiences and thoughts on issues including civil rights, policing and their overall trust of officers. ___ Follow Amy Forliti on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/amyforliti ___ Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd Schanda Handley was at her home in the suburban neighborhood of Lafayette, Louisiana, with her daughter, Isabella, when the doorbell rang around 2:30 p.m. on August 6, 2017. Two men, posing as deliverymen, forced themselves in with guns. "They started to scream to 'get the F on the floor,' and 'don't move,'" Handley told "48 Hours" contributor David Begnaud in her first television interview. The two men handcuffed Handley and threw her into the back of a van. "I'm hooded. They hooded me as soon as I went into the van. It was a van that didn't have the windows in the back. And it was just a rubber mat without seats back there, and laid me on the floor," she said. Handley said one of the abductors was straddling her in the back of the vehicle, forcing pills into her mouth, and holding a gun to her head, while the other erratically drove them out of town. She recounted beginning to lose consciousness, as she says the men threatened to sexually assault and then kill her. "And I started praying," said Handley. Then she heard the sirens. RESCUE OF A LIFETIME Isabella Cumberland: I didn't know what was going on with my mom. There was no one really telling me what was happening. KLFY REPORT: "Police say the woman was forcefully removed from her home in Lafayette " With her childhood home now a crime scene and her mother Schanda Handley just abducted by armed intruders, Isabella Cumberland found herself confused amidst a crowd of investigators and forensic analysts. Isabella Cumberland: They wanted to go over the fingerprints on the doors, upstairs, my phone. And it just kinda felt like I was another piece of evidence. Isabella, then just 14 years old, was trying to process the sight of the violent kidnapping she had just witnessed at her family's home. David Begnaud: As they're driving away with her, did you think that was the last time you'd ever see her? Isabella Cumberland: I thought there was a chance. Lafayette investigators and Isabella had no idea that about an hour after the kidnapping, just across the state near Baton Rouge, Chad Martin, an Iberville Parish sheriff's deputy, had pulled over a suspicious white van after a brief pursuit. There were two men inside. Story continues They got stuck in the mud. So, the men jumped out and took off running. They jumped into the Intercoastal Waterway and disappeared. And when Martin went to investigate that vehicle, he discovered Schanda Handley, handcuffed and naked in the back. Deputy Chad Martin: She looked at me and I'll never forget this, she said, "Are you the real police? Are you the one that's gonna kill me?" Schanda Handley: And he was like, "You're safe. You're safe." Just minutes before, Martin was rushing home for Sunday dinner in his squad car after clocking out, unaware of Schanda's kidnapping nearly 60 miles away. His biggest worry at that time? His wife's wrath. David Begnaud: I heard you were habitually late for dinners. Deputy Chad Martin: I had a tendency to be late for everything. Now, he had unwittingly made the rescue of a lifetime. Iberville Parish Deputy Chad Martin approached the van and found Schanda Handley naked and handcuffed in the back. David Begnaud: What's going through your head? I mean, you were just tryin' to pull over a couple of guys who looked a little suspicious. Deputy Chad Martin: I can't really tell you what was goin' through my head. Almost like I went into, like, robot mode. I was just tryin' to get this woman help. Schanda told him a harrowing story: that the kidnappers had drugged her and threatened to rape her and kill her. David Begnaud: If not for Chad Martin Schanda Handley: Oh. I would be dead. I can't even imagine, but I know it wasn't gonna be quick and swift. Martin relayed the news of Schanda's rescue to dispatch, and it soon reached Isabella. Isabella Cumberland: Whenever they told me that she was safe I felt this relief. Deputy Chad Martin: She had said that she believed that her husband is the one that had paid them to kill her. Her estranged husband, Michael Handley. Schanda says that before the difficult months leading up to the kidnapping, Michael would have been the last person she could've imagined would harm her. They had met in 2005 through friends in Lafayette, at a time when both were single parents and emerging from failed marriages. Schanda Handley: He was really catering and just sweet and compassionate. Another thing they had in common both were in recovery for addiction. Schanda Handley: At that time, I had been sober for about 18 years. David Begnaud: Oh. Wow. Schanda Handley: Michael was newly clean and sober. He had about a year. Isabella Cumberland, center, with Schanda and Michael Handley. / Credit: Schanda Handley The new couple hit it off, and a year later they were married in Hawaii. Isabella took an immediate liking to Michael. Isabella Cumberland: He well, was my dad from when I was 2 years old And so that's how I saw him, was really as my dad. In 2007, Michael and Schanda found success channeling their experience in recovery into a new business, partnering with a doctor to start a chain of addiction treatment centers. Schanda Handley: So, we wound up opening at one point, I think, there were 14 centers throughout the south. Eight years later, they made a decision. Schanda Handley: We sold the company. David Begnaud: How much did y'all make on the sale? Schanda Handley: The two of them, Michael and his partner, we sold the company for $21.5 million. David Begnaud: Wow. Schanda Handley: Yeah. But their life as happy millionaires didn't last long say prosecutors Donald Knecht and Kenny Hebert. Kenny Hebert: You know, money and free time with someone with an addictive personality isn't a great combination. Schanda was seeing that firsthand with Michael in 2017, less than two years after the sale of their company, when she found a bottle of Adderall with Michael Handley's name on it. Schanda Handley: So, what we believed at our treatment center was that use of something like that amphetamine could open the doors to a world of trouble. So, when I found the bottle, it terrified me. And I can remember telling him, "This could lead to death. This could lead to something devastating." And soon things got even worse when Schanda discovered that Michael was seeing another woman. Schanda Handley: He was having an affair. And all I could think was, like, "I don't even know who this man is." Michael and Schanda Handley / Credit: Schanda Handley Schanda issued an ultimatum: Michael had to go into treatment, but when he refused to get help, she made a difficult decision. Schanda Handley: I change the locks, and Michael was locked outta the house. And he started to lose his mind at that point and so after a coupla weeks, he said, "You're gonna regret this." And then that turned into, "I'm telling you, it's gonna get bad." The Handleys' life together was falling apart fast. Michael accused Schanda of assaulting him; she was charged, but later acquitted by a judge. All while Schanda was begging the authorities to see that she was the one in danger. Schanda Handley: If Michael wasn't apprehended, he was going to kill me. LIVING IN FEAR As Schanda Handley was recovering in the hospital, investigators were learning the details of her tumultuous past with Michael Handley. They knew they had to find him and the kidnappers fast. They started scouring the canal the last place her abductors had been seen. Kenny Hebert: There was a fisherman And he reported these two individuals wading by him in the water And one of 'em pointed a gun at him and said, "Be cool." But as the kidnappers had been swimming towards freedom, the canal's unforgiving current had other plans. Kenny Hebert: They found them floating in the Intracoastal Canal, drowned. David Begnaud: Dead? Kenny Hebert: Dead. They were later identified as Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Haynes. David Begnaud: What did you think when you found out they were dead? Schanda Handley: I thought "I'm not gonna have to worry about them hurting me," as sad as that is. While investigators suspected Michael Handley was responsible for the abduction, proving it might have been difficult with their main witnesses the kidnappers dead. But, Handley, it seemed, had made it kind of easy for them. Kenny Hebert: Detectives were running the VIN number on the white van That VIN number leads them to an Enterprise dealership in Baton Rouge. They said, "Well, a few days ago, an individual named Lawrence Michael Handley came in a rented the van." Kenny Hebert: And then a couple days before that, he went to Barney's Police Depot, which was a store that carries specifically police-issue merchandise. While investigating the case, authorities found evidence that they say pointed to Michael Handley as the mastermind behind the kidnapping. In this surveillance footage, he is seen purchasing handcuffs from a police supply store three days before Schanda's kidnapping. / Credit: 15th Judicial District Attorney's Office Handley was seen on store surveillance cameras as he pulls up, and purchases handcuffs. Finding evidence allegedly connecting Handley to the kidnapping wasn't difficult but finding him turned out to be the challenge. Schanda Handley: I'm asking if Michael's been apprehended. And they said, "No." And so, they said, "We need to, like, lay low for a little while." With a fortune at his fingertips, investigators feared he could be anywhere and a danger to Schanda once she was released from the hospital. So, they came up with a plan of action. Sid Hebert: We decided on a safe house outside of Lafayette Sid Hebert, a former Louisiana sheriff, was part of the security detail watching Schanda 24/7. Sid Hebert: We had a Lafayette Sheriff's deputy in a marked unit on premises. No visitors, no package deliveries, nothing until further notice. Even in hiding, Schanda was feeling relief that Michael was finally being recognized as a threat after living in constant fear prior to the kidnapping. Schanda Handley: The terror that I was in for those three months the kidnapping was nothing in comparison The kidnapping was a blessing. David Begnaud: What? Schanda Handley: The kidnapping is what allowed me to get to a place where people were willing to support me. David Begnaud: In the beginning, how many people believed Schanda? Christine Mire: Not many. But Schanda had found a fierce ally in Christine Mire, her divorce attorney. Mire knew all too well what Schanda had experienced. Christine Mire: The most dangerous case I have ever heard about, let alone been a part of. David Begnaud: What made it so dangerous? Christine Mire: Michael Handley. He was constantly stalking her, telling her that he knew where she was, threatening her, threatening her daughter with harm. Schanda called the police several times, but felt she wasn't taken seriously. Mire helped Shanda secure a restraining order, but says Michael found creative ways to make it effectively worthless. Christine Mire: He disguised his voice, he also used an app that picked up dummy numbers that he used to contact her. So, there was no proof that it was him that was actually violating the protective order. And he seemed to be tracking Schanda's every move. Sid Hebert: He was able to spy on her through her own laptop computers. her alarm system. he compromised all of that. nothing was out of bounds. Michael's behavior was growing increasingly erratic. Even though he was the one to initially file for divorce in the spring of 2017, he soon changed his mind and Schanda says now he was demanding they reconcile, or she'd pay a humiliating price. Schanda Handley: He says, "Some of our private videos are gonna go out to people in the community." David Begnaud: Intimate videos? Schanda Handley: Intimate videos. Schanda struggled over this but knew she couldn't take him back. Schanda Handley: So, videos went out to hundreds of people in the community. My cousins, uncles administration at the school, political friends, neighbors. I sat and cried and was sick to my stomach I almost didn't stand up. Just when Schanda thought she couldn't take any more, on June 8, 2017 almost two months to the day before the kidnapping Michael Handley slipped into her house through the garage. Schanda Handley: He was enraged. He reeked of alcohol. He was he was furious And he had me pinned up against the wall. And I screamed, "Isabella." Well, he put his hand over my mouth, and he pulled out a gun, a 9mm. David Begnaud: A gun? Schanda Handley: He pulls out a handgun. And and he said, "If you scream or anybody comes to interfere, I will shoot you both. I will kill you both. Do you understand me?" Schanda says that after hours saying anything she could think of to calm him down, she finally convinced Michael to leave. Schanda Handley: As soon as he walked out of that gate, I ran in the house, bolted the door And I started screaming and crying. Schanda Handley: When Michael left that day after he had attacked me, I was 100% positive he was going to kill me. Police were called once again, but they didn't arrest Michael Handley. David Begnaud: I can see in your eyes that you're getting emotional. Schanda Handley: Oh I felt as though I was being told that I was lying and that I was making it up. Christine Mire: This is why women don't report abuse. Because they fear they will not be believed David Begnaud: How many times had Schanda filed a report against Michael? Kenny Hebert: I believe that the actual reports filed were a couple dozen, if not more. As far as how many times was there an arrest made, there wasn't. David Begnaud: Why? Kenny Hebert: A lotta times he was out of state. Sometimes the investigators felt like they didn't have enough evidence to actually go forward and get a warrant for the arrest. After the kidnapping, investigators were confident that this time they had more than enough evidence to make an arrest. But could they find him in time? Kenny Hebert: So, somehow, Michael is able to track Schanda down to the place that she's seeking refuge. A DAMNING DISCOVERY David Begnaud: Does Michael Handley know that the cops are onto him? Kenny Hebert: Yes. because at some point he tried to charter a private plane And so, the pilot essentially said, "I am not going to be taking you anywhereum, because you're a wanted man." The pilot reported it to police, but Michael was long gone. And as he continued to evade authorities, Schanda got a text message from a strange number, claiming that Michael had also been kidnapped, saying in part "pay the ransom for your husband" and "pay us 500 large or we will send him home in pieces." A day later, friends received a shocking photo of Michael he was nude, handcuffed, and seemingly injured. David Begnaud: And he's got blood on him? Kenny Hebert: Right. It appeared to be from Schanda's kidnappers, but investigators knew that couldn't be true. Kenny Hebert: We know that, obviously, it wasn't from them because they're dead at this point. So, Michael, is behind these messages. On August 11, 2017, after a four-day manhunt, detectives finally cornered the multimillionaire, once accustomed to private jets and five-star hotelshe was in an off-ramp motel in Slidell, Louisiana. After a four-day manhunt, detectives found and arrested an oddly smiling Michael Handley at a Super 8 motel in Slidell, Louisiana. / Credit: 15th Judicial District Attorney's Office As they took an oddly smiling Michael Handley into custody, investigators began sifting through the nearly $10,000 in cash, pizza boxes, and illicit drugs, finding a "to-do" list. On it were things like "burner phone, hair dye, cash" but its final task was even more ominous, says prosecutor, Kenny Hebert, since Schanda's safehouse was just 35 miles away. Kenny Hebert: But on the bottom of that list were the words, "Finish the job." David Begnaud: And finish the job would mean? Kenny Hebert: In our opinion, he was gonna kill her. With Michael Handley now in a jail, Schanda and her security team decided it was finally safe to come out of hiding. Sid Hebert: It was time to go home. And that's what she said, "I just wanna go home and rebuild my life." But with his track record of evading justice, Isabella was skeptical that the worst was behind them. Isabella Cumberland: I remember thinking that it was almost pointless that he was being arrested. It felt like he had all the power, and he was gonna keep all of the power. Michael Handley pleaded not guilty to a litany of charges, including conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, and prosecutors got to work building their case against him. Kenny Hebert: Anytime you're on our side of the table, you start thinking, "What's the defense gonna be?" We could not figure out what (laughs) his defense was gonna be. Kevin Stockstill: There was no question that she was a victim of a kidnapping. But, says Kevin Stockstill, the man who Michael Handley hired to defend him, the physical evidence doesn't prove his client played a part in any of it. David Begnaud: Were the van and handcuffs enough to convict him? Kevin Stockstill: I don't think so. That is because, Stockstill says, there is an explanation for everything. It started when Michael hired Sylvester Bracey not to kidnap his wife but instead, he claims, to move some furniture. That was the reason Michael rented the van, he says, and made no effort to hide it. Kevin Stockstill: Mr. Handley, you know, goes into the Enterprise Rent-A-Car location with his credit card in one hand and driver's license in the other. David Begnaud: So, you thought you could explain to the jury, "Hey, listen. Nobody who's actually gonna commit this crime's gonna go in with their license and ID and buy it themselves." Kevin Stockstill: Correct. It was all innocent enough, Stockstill says, until the would-be "mover" went rogue. Stockstill theorizes Sylvester Bracey saw Michael's desperation to get his wife back and decided to use it to his advantage. That's when he enlisted Arsenio Haynes to help him kidnap Schanda and hold her for ransom. David Begnaud: So, you're thinking the kidnappers could have wanted to extort Michael to get money from him, so they would have kidnapped his wife. Kevin Stockstill: Potentially. And of course, he did buy the handcuffs, but Stockstill says he only used them to stage that fake kidnapping photo. Kevin Stockstill: So, as he's bound and gagged, he's bound with handcuffs. It was just the latest example, according to Stockstill, of photos and videos that Michael had been sending to Schanda for months showing him in emotional distress, and, in one case, apparently beaten up in a misguided attempt to try to win her back. MICHAEL HANDLEY (crying in video): I love you. I love you. Kevin Stockstill: Because Michael had he had a proclivity to try and stage these things to get, you know, sympathy from Schanda. But as the defense prepared to argue that the kidnappers acted on their own, Schanda Handley made a damning discovery while cleaning out a remote Mississippi property they owned. Kenny Hebert: Schanda starts gettin' some of her personal belongings. Well, one of the things that they found was this camera. It was a type of camera called Arlo and Michael Handley used it for security. David Begnaud: When Arlo detects sound and video, Arlo starts recording. Schanda Handley: That's right, that's right. Well, it turns out he accidently turned the camera on himself. David Begnaud: All put together, what did the camera record? Schanda Handley: I mean, hundreds of hours, hundreds of hours. One of the first videos is from two months before the kidnapping. Michael is by himself in a hotel room and is apparently talking to himself. Kenny Hebert: You see him movin' around. And at some point, he picks the camera up and he puts it in a bag. And you hear him say the words, "I'm gonna kill her. I'm gonna kill her." MICHAEL HANDLEY (video): Kill her kill her. Prosecutors believe the "her" he intended to kill was Schanda, and that Michael was even more explicit just days later in a conversation with a friend in the living room of the Mississippi house. Kenny Hebert: They're havin' beers and they're discussing the issues that he's having with Schanda. FRIEND (video): Y'all are both pretty stubborn MICHAEL HANDLEY: Neither one of us is going to surrender to the other.FRIEND: Right. Yeah, she's not going to and you're not going to. The friend later said he didn't recall hearing what Michael said next. MICHAEL HANDLEY (video): And that's why she'll die. Schanda Handley: Michael says "That's why she's gonna have to die." Just so matter of fact. Michael Handley, right, is caught on camera with one of the kidnappers, Sylvester Bracey, prosecutors say, planning Schanda's abduction. / Credit: 15th Judicial Court In yet another clip from just two weeks before the kidnapping Michael Handley is caught with Sylvester Bracey at that property planning how it was the perfect place, prosecutors say, to bring Schanda to torture her and possibly worse. Kenny Hebert: He specifically says, "It's almost impossible for anyone to get in here." to which Bracey responds, "And it'll be impossible for her to get out." MICHAEL HANDLEY (video): Thing is, you can't break in this place. You can't break in here SYLVESTER BRACEY: And she can't break out. David Begnaud: I mean, did you think you had a rock-solid case before that? Kenny Hebert: Yes. David Begnaud: But what'd you think after it. Kenny Hebert: I thought, "I must have done somethin' right in the world." Then, in a move no one saw coming, Michael Handley agreed to tell his side of things. QUESTIONS FOR MICHAEL HANDLEY While awaiting trial for the kidnapping of his estranged wife, Schanda, Michael Handley was held in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. But Schanda says even though Michael was behind bars, he continued to harass her. Schanda Handley: I've received a lot of mail, letters while he's been incarcerated. I got numerous calls. David Begnaud: Can't they stop him from calling you? Schanda Handley: I guess not. Schanda Handley said Michael continued to harass her from behind bars. / Credit: 15th Judicial District Attorney's Office On top of that, Schanda lived in fear that Michael just might get out. That's because, at one point, the defense argued that Michael was suffering from mental illness and was not guilty by reason of insanity. Kevin Stockstill: When Michael was was sober he was a fantastic individual, you know Very talented willing to help people. when he was found at the hotel in Slidell, I mean, there were drugs there. You know. There's no question that he was using again. I don't know the level of his responsibility, but I think it's a combination of substance abuse and some mental illness. For prosecutor Kenny Hebert, however, it was a desperate attempt to get Michael released. Kenny Hebert: They did it so that they could get some psychological professionals on the stand to say, "He needs to be out of jail, and he needs to go to these mental health facilities." Well, we're talkin' about mental health facilities that don't have nearly the security that a jail has. Michael's defense team submitted mental health records showing that he suffered from bipolar disorder complicated by drug addiction, which they say rendered him legally insane during the time leading up to the kidnapping. Two court-appointed doctors agreed. But the judge ruled Michael was competent to stand trial and must remain behind bars. Kenny Hebert: Once they initially failed to get him out they withdrew that plea. David Begnaud: And what did they change it to? Kenny Hebert: They just changed it to regular not guilty. While Michael Handley's criminal battle was heating up, in March of 2018, his divorce from Schanda became finalized. Schanda was awarded all of the assets. There was only one problem. Schanda Handley: There is no money. There's no money. You know, millions of dollars vanished. Christine Mire: Michael was a very eccentric person. he was obsessed with the collapse of the American dollar. So much of their money was in gold bars. Kenny Hebert: Schanda said she had seen gold before and knew that there was gold somewhere on that property. I believe people actually went out with metal detectors to try to figure out if he stashed it somewhere. No gold was ever recovered So, there's all of this money that's unaccounted for But we know it's gotta be out there somewhere. On top of being left with nothing, Schanda says she suddenly found herself responsible for repaying her now ex-husband's massive debts. David Begnaud: How much of a hole did he leave you in? Schanda Handley: $750,000. I can't comprehend how I'm now in a position where I owe this sort of money. Schanda felt like it was a slap in the face after enduring so much. But it wasn't all for naught. During the settlement negotiations Schanda's divorce attorney Christine Mire had subpoenaed Michael for a deposition. And surprisingly he agreed. David Begnaud: I mean, that's wild. Christine Mire: It is. Kenny Hebert: I can imagine that someone with the arrogance that Michael Handley had, insisted that he was gonna testify and it was gonna be fine, 'cause he is the smartest person in the room. Schanda's divorce attorney and the prosecutors had agreed to cooperate with each other. And everyone was interested in hearing what Michael Handley had to say. Kevin Stockstill: It was a risk. David Begnaud: Because he might go into that deposition and say stuff that really jeopardizes his criminal case. Kevin Stockstill: I've never been more nervous in a deposition than that one. Dressed in a striped prison uniform, Michael answered questions for 10 hours over three days. Kevin Stockstill: I was hanging on every question. David Begnaud: I bet you were. Kevin Stockstill: Yeah. MICHAEL HANDLEY: It was a chaotic and hectic time. I was living out of hotels. I'd been moving from hotel to hotel for several months. Michael was asked about his relationship with Sylvester Bracey, and the reason he rented that van. MICHAEL HANDLEY: Sylvester Bracey, I had hired him to move furniture. I rented the van to make a move, to move the furniture. He stuck with his original story. Christine Mire: He said that he had hired movers in order to move furniture, and they went rogue, because they thought he had money. MICHAEL HANDLEY: I got a phone call. As soon as I answered the phone and I said "Hello," they screamed they screamed, "We've got your mother******* wife." And I just remember 'cause it was like I got punched in the gut It was like one of those moments when you go into not real. Michael Handley answered questions for 10 hours over three days. / Credit: 15th Judicial District Attorney's Office But when pressed about the details of how he first met Bracey, Michael claimed he couldn't remember much about the weeks leading up to the kidnapping. MICHAEL HANDLEY: I don't recall. MICHAEL HANDLEY: The reason that I don't recall is because I was high. I was living like a rock star. I was on and off medications during this period of time and I was under the influence of substances. MICHAEL HANDLEY: Mental illness is tough, you know. But, he insisted, despite the gaps in memory, there was one thing he knew for certain. MICHAEL HANDLEY: I would not kidnap my wife. Christine Mire: He would cry, and say that he loved her so much, that he was so sorry. It was that type of manipulation. MICHAEL HANDLEY: I have tremendous regret. During the deposition, Mire pulled that Arlo camera recording in which prosecutors believe Bracey and Michael Handley were caught talking about the plot to kidnap Schanda the wife Handley claimed he loved so much. Christine Mire: I queued up where one of the kidnappers was telling Michael, "And, you know, if she gets outta line, I won't hesitate to kill her." SYLVESTER BRACEY TO MICHAEL HANDLEY (camera recording): I'll kill that mother f*****. Christine Mire: And I said, "What kind of movers tell that to you?" And his fear was palpable, and he said, "Oh, I don't know Christine, people tell me all sorts of things." Michael Handley withered under questioning, poking holes in his own defense with his own words. Kenny Hebert: The civil attorneys provided us with those deposition transcripts shortly after receiving 'em. And with the trial date fast approaching, Michael's defense attorney feared the worst. Kevin Stockstill: We were of the opinion that he ran a significant risk of of a conviction. With the walls closing in, and hours before the trial was to start, Michael Handley indicated he was open to a deal. Kevin Stockstill: He would plead, you know, second-degree kidnapping. The minimum sentence would be 15 years. The maximum sentence would be 35 years. Prosecutors Donny Knecht and Kenny Hebert say there was a lot to take into consideration. Donny Knecht: The problem with a jury trial is you you almost never know. Kenny Hebert: But also knew that there's Schanda Handley. there's Isabella. You've got victims that have to relive that moment if you go to trial. Ultimately, the decision to take the deal or go to trial was Schanda's. Schanda Handley: I was so scared that if we went to trial that it could work out beautifully for him. because Michael always lands on his feet. once Michael's out, I'm no longer free. SCHANDA'S DECISION In July 2021, all Schanda Handley wanted was for her ex-husband Michael Handley to stay behind bars. So, she agreed to accept his plea of guilty to second degree kidnapping. Schanda Handley: I didn't want to take any risks I would rather the plea deal than to take the chance and go to trial. Less than a year later, on March 24, 2022, Schanda was in the courtroom to find out what Michael's sentence would be. Isabella was there, too, as was Michael. David Begnaud: What was it like to come face-to-face with him in court? Isabella Cumberland: It was so surreal, you know? And I think honestly for both of us, it was this really strong, powerful emotion that we both felt, but mine was hatred. Hoping to help convince the judge to give Michael the maximum sentence, Isabella chose to give a victim impact statement. David Begnaud: What did you say at the hearing? Hoping to help convince the judge to give Michael the maximum sentence, Isabella Cumberland chose to give a victim impact statement. / Credit: CBS News Isabella Cumberland: I really kind of told a story about how difficult it really made my life, and how difficult it still makes my life. because I didn't think he knew that it affected me as well as it affected her. Schanda also had something she wanted to say to Michael. Schanda Handley: I told him that he wrecked everything, and that he destroyed everything, and how could you like, we had, like, a really we had a good life. We had a good family. And we we adored each other. He was the person I most admired in this world until then. David Begnaud: Do you think Michael understands his actions have had an effect on his former wife and stepchild? Kevin Stockstill: I think that he does. David Begnaud: You get the sense the guy is sorry? Kevin Stockstill: I think so. I think he's capable of remorse. Yet, when it was Michael's turn to speak, instead of a tearful apology, he gave yet another new story. This time he admitted he did, in fact, hire the two men to kidnap Schanda. But he claimed it was all fake, and staged so that he could swoop in, save her, and be the hero. Donny Knecht: What he really wanted to do was emerge as the white knight who came in and rescued her. It was a way for him to try to win her back, but he never really intended to hurt her. it was all a big game. In the end, the judge sided with the prosecution and gave Michael Handley the maximum penalty. NEWS REPORT: A Lafayette man was sentenced today in the 2017 kidnapping case of his estranged wife. Lawrence Michael Handley received 35-years in prison for the crime. Schanda Handley: Thirty-five years, minus five for time served puts him out when he's 79. David Begnaud: Seventy-nine. Are you OK with that? Schanda Handley: I'd rather he never get out. David Begnaud: Are you still afraid, even with him behind bars? Schanda Handley: Oh, yeah. That concern is something Isabella shares. David Begnaud: Do you fear for your safety from Michael Handley? Isabella Cumberland: Yeah. I do. Nothing could stop him. Isabella Cumberland: I just see him as a villain, not a good person. And I'm not sad about it. In my mind, he's changed to a completely different person. So, it doesn't feel like I've lost my dad. It feels like I've lost a stranger. The now 20-year-old college junior chooses to focus on the valuable lesson that she learned from her mother. Isabella Cumberland: It's so powerful to see how my mom handled this situation, She's shown me how she can overcome something so horrible, and turn it into something great, and become an even better person out of it. Schanda has found renewed purpose working with others like her. She sold property, took out a loan, and opened two sober living homes dedicated to helping women get back on their feet. Schanda Handley (outside of sober living home): It's been really, really rewarding. And you know, from my experiences that I've had the challenges that I've had I'm able to show them firsthand that We get up, we keep goin'. We put one foot in front of the other and we will persevere. An important part of moving forward for Schanda has been recognizing those who stood by her. And while she did speak on the phone with Chad Martin, the officer who saved her, she never got the chance to thank him in person until now. "48 Hours" arranged for them to meet. SCHANDA HANDLEY: It's so good to meet you. DEPUTY CHAD MARTIN: It's good to see you again. (They hug) SCHANDA: Yeah, I'm looking at you to see if I can remember. DEPUTY CHAD MARTIN: I remember. I'm really glad that I was in the right place at the right time to help you. Really glad. SCHANDA HANDLEY: Thank you. I feel like I owe you everything. I guess my greatest gratitude in you saving my life is that my daughter gets to have her mom and have a good life. Thank you. Give you another hug. Handley is appealing, saying he was not properly informed of his rights when he pleaded guilty. He is also arguing his sentence of 35 year was too harsh. Produced by Chris O'Connell, Betsy Shuller and Rich Fetzer. David Dow is the development producer. Marlon Disla, Michelle Harris and George Baluzy are the editors. Morgan Canty is the associate producer. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior broadcast producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer Inflation to haunt Americans this holiday season as costs for travel, activities soar Embattled Los Angeles City Council continues to face protests amid racism scandal Former Chinese President Hu Jintao unexpectedly led out of Communist party congress Rep. Nancy Mace said Sunday that she backed a GOP strategy to force a standoff over the debt ceiling should Republicans retake the House in November. The South Carolina Republican told CNNs Jake Tapper on State of the Union that she backed Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on using debt-limit negotiations to gain leverage over Democrats on spending cuts. I support that strategy because, look, at the end of the day, when Covid-19 happened, you had the federal government and state governments literally shut companies down, said Mace, who sits on the House Oversight Committee. Businesses had to make tough decisions about how they were going to keep their doors open. The federal government just kept getting record revenue year over year and hasnt had to make those tough decisions. President Joe Biden on Friday vowed that he will not yield to GOP demands that Democrats cut entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security in exchange for avoiding a debt-ceiling standoff. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate Budget Committee, on Sunday backed Bidens stance. Pressed by Tapper on the potential toll of such uncertainty on the economy and working people, Mace said: Well, weve seen Republicans for a year and a half now talk about more responsible spending. Looking at the deficit spending in these bills that have been passed, talking about how we can move this country forward, and weve been shut out. When we did the infrastructure bill on the House side last year, every Republican was shut out of being part of that discussion. So, Republicans have tried to work with, reach across the aisle, and have been shut out of many of those conversations, she added. And so I think that is a way to negotiate moving forward. Mace further cited a bill she had filed earlier this year seeking to balance the budget in five years. If we could do that, then we wouldnt need to use the threat of the debt ceiling as a negotiating tool, she said. Story continues On Ukraine, Mace cautioned that while the war-ravaged country is important to American interests, the U.S. should not keep writing blank checks to foreign nations. Mace also said the U.S. should lift tariffs imposed on China under the Trump administration. Lifting tariffs makes the costs of goods cheaper for every American, Mace said. We need to look at more broadly the supply chain and incentivize companies to perhaps get out of China and come back to North America. By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said the Russian Orthodox Church was allowing itself to be manipulated by the country's authorities to justify their war in Ukraine and urged it to resist such pressure. Macron, who is on an official visit to Italy, spoke in a keynote speech at an international conference organised by Italy's Sant' Egidio Community, a worldwide peace and charity group. The Russian Orthodox Church's number two, Metropolitan Anthony, sat in the front row of the conference hall with other religious leaders as Macron spoke. The French president dedicated much of his speech at the conference, whose title is "The Cry for Peace", to Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has given enthusiastic backing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which the patriarch views as a bulwark against a West he calls decadent. "Religious leaders also have a role of resistance when faced with the folly of these events," he said, referring to the war in Ukraine. "We know well how the Orthodox religion today is being manipulated by those in power in Russia to justify their actions," Macron said. "Resistance is needed here." Macron said resistance meant "never justifying, never falling into the trap, not backing political projects that tend to negate the dignity of every individual". Reuters approached Metropolitan Anthony in the conference hall after Macron's speech but he declined to comment. Kirill's stance on Ukraine has also caused a rift with the Vatican and unleashed an internal rebellion that has led to the severing of ties by some local Orthodox Churches with the Russian Orthodox Church. France has repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping Western diplomatic channels to Moscow open since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 and in another part of his speech, Macron said he believed there was a chance for peace in Ukraine, even as Russia warned the conflict there could escalate. Story continues Macron met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the conference. He is due to meet with Pope Francis on Monday at the Vatican and both of them are due to close the conference on Tuesday at the Colosseum. On Sunday night, he also held talks with Italy's new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Phoenix police. Phoenix police said they have arrested a man suspected of shooting another man on a downtown Phoenix light rail train on Saturday. On Saturday morning, Phoenix police responded to reports about a shooting in a light rail train near First Avenue and Van Buren Street. When police arrived at the scene, they found a man had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. Phoenix police arrested 25-year-old Fahim Matar as the suspected shooter and he was booked into Maricopa County Jail, police said. Reach breaking news reporter Ellie Willard at ellie.willard@gannett.com or on Twitter @EllieWillardAZ. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man arrested after light rail shooting in downtown Phoenix A man working on his laptop. Getty Images Justin Westwood was the victim of a vicious scam that took all his money. Westwood, who has a disability due to a brain injury, told Insider how the scam changed his life. Now he, his mom, and charities are calling on social-media companies to help fight online scammers. Justin Westwood learned to read when he was 40. Everything took him a little longer to learn than most people because of a brain injury he sustained as a baby. Nevertheless, he's spent his life overcoming challenges and exceeding expectations. With his newfound reading skills, his world opened up. He was able to run a cash register at TK Maxx (the UK version of TJ Maxx) in south, London. He could text and, like many of us, used social media to create a digital bubble that became a major part of his life. But that bubble was painfully pierced by scammers. Westwood had caregivers, which UK councils formally call personal assistants, who spent a few hours a week with him to take him out of his apartment. They also checked his bank accounts to make sure everything is okay. Westwood worked well with them, and they helped him gain independence. In late July, Westwood's mother, Mary-Ellen Field, received a text message from one of Westwood's caregivers, she told Insider. It read: "Justin texted me this morning saying the following: I no longer need anymore support Kristy. As I feel my support time should be with someone who really needs it more then I do. You know I can deal with alot myself now. Please understand this ok. On my way to work now. Plus I can do with my time ... I wish all the best. Ok I'v made decision ok. I dont want to discuss it ok. Good bye. Please tell your manager for me ok ..." Field said that was the first sign that something was very wrong. Justin Westwood. Justin Westwood "Then he started asking me for money again, which usually means he's in trouble," she told Insider. Another red flag, she said, was "he didn't want his brother and his nephew to come around because they would see what had happened." If they went over, they would see a gaping hole where Westwood's beloved PlayStation 5 once sat. Story continues Desperate for money, he'd pawned it, but his family didn't know that yet. It wasn't until he started asking for money for his gas bill and constantly coming over for dinner that his mom understood how little money Westwood had. Westwood told Insider that he got a message on Facebook from someone calling himself "Agent Tyson," who said he had money from the government for Westwood. Westwood was confused and surprised but spurred on by a friend who said she'd also received money from this man. He believes she might have been in on the scam, but is not sure. So he asked what he needed to do to get the money. Tyson told him all he needed to do was pay a delivery fee, and he sent Westwood a picture of a FedEx truck and stacks of cash. So that's what he did. Sending money through Apple gift cards (a popular mode of scamming), Westwood's bank account started to dwindle. Westwood became entangled in this scam for months. He paid more and more money to "Tyson" under the assumption that he would receive a life-changing sum of money. "I make my own money, I don't really like to ask my mum for anything," he told Insider. "But I gave them all my money." He told Insider he didn't know exactly how much he'd given the scammers, but he knew it was well into the thousands of pounds. He said he didn't even have enough money to buy himself groceries. "It's not very nice, it's not fair, they seem to be targeting people with disabilities," he said in a phone call, adding that he'd been sent a video of a girl with Down syndrome talking about how much money the fake agents had given her. "This hurts people's feelings and changes their way of life. I've had to delete Facebook Messenger completely now, because that's how they get me. It's kind of sad because I have relatives in Australia that I want to talk to. And I can't do it now. It's too risky," Westwood said. Westwood received this message as "proof" he'd receive money. Mary-Ellen Field "I'll never get that money back. It makes me feel horrible," he said, adding that he's just trying to move forward with his life after three months of not being able to go out or buy himself anything. "I have to start over now." And the scammers didn't stop at draining his bank account they threatened him too, Westwood said. Other fake agents told him he could be arrested if he didn't give them money or cooperate with their demands. "I was scared. They said they'd arrest me for wasting their time," he told Insider. Social-media companies need to do more, says Field Westwood and Field are calling for social-media companies to take a more rigorous approach to online scams. Warning of the potential impacts if there's no change to social-media regulations, Field said: "How can I protect him? It's never-ending. Someone will come up with something smarter next time." Also calling for more accountability from these organizations, a spokesperson for Mencap, a UK charity for people with learning disabilities, said social-media companies need to be more accountable for the harm scammers do on their sites. "We know that being online and using social media can be a great way for people with a learning disability to connect with others and build positive friendships and relationships, which can often be difficult in a society where, sadly, many are not included and can be quite isolated," the spokesperson said. "However, we also know that many have negative experiences online including abusive messages, scamming, and grooming." Mencap also wants to see social-media companies engage with people with learning disabilities, their families, and caregivers to ensure their platforms are accessible and create a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and harassment. These types of crimes are hard to prosecute. Westwood and his mom went to the police, but that didn't help them find a resolution. In a statement sent via email, a spokesperson from the Met Police told Insider: "On Sunday, 18 September police received an allegation of fraud. The victim, a vulnerable man in his 40s, has been scammed online by unknown individuals. There have been no arrests and enquiries into the circumstances were carried out. The suspects could not be identified from the information provided. The case has been closed; this can be reopened should further evidence become available." Taking advantage of isolation Although there's very little data on the prevalence of online scams targeting disabled people, fraudsters in general often seek out older people and those with disabilities to take advantage of their isolation and loneliness. "We know that people with a learning disability face a range of online harms such as repeated targeting, financial scamming, harassment, and even threats of violence, often heightening the stigma and discrimination they already face every day," a Mencap spokesperson wrote in an email. "People with a learning disability may be more vulnerable to scams as they might not have the capacity to understand the risks involved in speaking to someone online and could be unable to pick up on subtle warning signs," the email continued. People with disabilities often want to establish connections and make new friends, which can make scammers more likely to target them. That tactic is sometimes referred to as "mate" crime, the Mencap spokesperson said. Westwood lost money, his freedom, and much of the confidence he gained over the past few years, his mother said. He's scared, upset, and angry. But he's determined to move forward and get his life and hopefully his PlayStation back. Read the original article on Business Insider Zombies wander the streets of downtown Elgin Saturday night during the 10th year of the Nightmare on Chicago Street festival. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) Zombies took over downtown Elgin Saturday night, creating a Nightmare on Chicago Street that brought out thousands of people for scenes of horror, creepy costumes and oddities like undead baby dolls for sale. Cathalina Castellanos and Petyon Schwartz were among the hundreds of back-from-the-dead corpses roaming around the safety zone, the only place where they could not attack citizens following the zombie apocalypse. Advertisement Castellanos and Schwartz, freshmen at Evergreen Park High School, were technically one corpse as they performed a live skit in which they became reanimated soldier Grace Koziczkowski. Laura and Casey Krause of Streamwood entertain life forms during the 10th year of the Nightmare on Chicago Street festival Saturday, Oct, 22, 2022 in Elgin. H. Rick Bamman / For the Naperville Sun (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) After their performance on one of the several stages set up in the zone, they joined friends Carlina Scott, Morgan Davis, Michelle Fernandez and E.J. Bynum, who all were done up as zombies by professional make-up artists. The group spent the rest of the night roaming the festival looking for victims. Advertisement We jump scare them, said Castellanos gleefully, adding that most people got a good laugh out of it. Bynum made snarling sounds while contorting his face to scare festival-goers, but he also like taking a more subtle approach. Sometimes I just stare at them, he said. Batavia Academy of Dance zombie moths Katie, Kirschbaun, Daphne Nelson (cq) and Jill Morgan wander the streets during the 10th year of the Nightmare on Chicago Street festival Saturday, Oct, 22, 2022 in Elgin. H. Rick Bamman / For the Naperville Sun (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) In addition to the decaying undead, there were creepy clowns, ugly witches, scary masks and funny costumes, like a guy wearing a hospital gown that opened in the back to expose a fake posterior. A few in crowd dressed as the iconic Svengoolie, while the real horror movie host emceed the costume contest and greeted fans. What really freaked out Nidya Barajas, of Elgin, was a guy in a blue mechanics jumpsuit wearing a Jason Voorhees mask. The character is from the classic horror movie Friday the 13th and he chose Barajas to stare down. Her friend, Myra Santos, was braver and took a photo with him. He scares me. Hes creepy, Barajas said. Overall, she said Nightmare on Chicago Street the first one shes attended was a blast. Im having so much fun. Its so cool, she said. Host of METV's Saturday night horror movie, Svengoolie, greeted fans and signed autographs while appearing at Nightmare on Chicago Street Saturday, Oct, 22, 2022 in Elgin. H. Rick Bamman / For the Naperville Sun (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) It almost didnt happen this year when city officials said the increased cost, lack of volunteers and shortage of time made it prohibitive. Initially, the Elgin City Council agreed, and then reversed that decision because of public outcry. Fred Wimms, who designed many of the frightening scenes, stood next to one of his favorites, a plane that appears to have crashed on East Chicago Street with skeletons in the cockpit. Planning for Nightmare was stressful over the last few months, but we made it happen, he said. Advertisement Ill do anything for the people of Elgin, especially when they ask for it to be held, Wimms said. Nightmare on Chicago Street festival crowd at the Chicago Loud 9 performance Saturday, Oct, 22, 2022 in Elgin. H. Rick Bamman / For the Naperville Sun (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) After the near-cancellation, there was a whole slew of people who came out to help and ultimately all the work was worth it, he said. Angela Bachman manned her stand, Grey Engle Artwork, in the Bizarre Bazaar in the Spring Street parking deck, where she used her artistic skills to turn people into zombies. There are so many people here who love Halloween, Bachman said. Its just fun to be with other people who are into the spirit of Halloween. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. Dressed as Brittany Spears and Evil Knievel, Nichole Havlik and Rob Holzheimer, both of Naperville, take in the zombies and other life forms Saturday night during the 10th year of the Nightmare on Chicago Street. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) The Chicago Loud 9 perform for zombies and other life forms Saturday during Nightmare on Chicago Street. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) Stacy and Jason Resley, of Crystal Lake, dressed as minions to attend Saturday's Nightmare on Chicago Street in downtown Elgin. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) Zombies Kristen Higley, of South Elgin, Briana Bailey, of Whiting, Indiana, and Sara Torres, of Evergreen Park, invade downtown Elgin Saturday night for the 10th year of Nightmare on Chicago Street. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) A small plane dangles from a parking garage at Chicago and Spring streets as zombies and other life forms invade the downtown Elgin for Nightmare on Chicago Street. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) Elgin resident Jim Turner, center, does his best to scare the life out of people attending this year's Nightmare on Chicago Street Saturday in downtown Elgin. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) Zombies and other life forms invaded downtown Elgin Saturday for the 10th year of the Nightmare on Chicago Street festival. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun) A Pennsylvania recovery counselor said his participation on a recent panel with Mehmet Oz, the states Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, was enough to be swayed away from voting for him. Justyn Patton, a certified recovery specialist for DreamLife Recovery PA, was a member of an Oz Safer Streets Community Discussion panel in the City of Johnstown on Tuesday, The Tribune-Democrat reported. Johnstown is located in Cambria County, which has ranked among the counties in Pennsylvania with the highest per capita overdose deaths, the newspaper said. Oz spoke to the panel which featured doctors and recovery professionals about the problem of illegal drugs in the U.S. including the movement of potent, China-sourced synthetic opioid fentanyl coming in from the U.S.Mexico border, the newspaper reported. Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer (right) talks to Mehmet Oz, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, on what he deals with as a district attorney dealing with drug-related crimes during a Safer Streets Community Discussion on Tuesday. (Photo: Todd Berkey/The Tribune-Democrat via AP) Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer (right) talks to Mehmet Oz, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, on what he deals with as a district attorney dealing with drug-related crimes during a Safer Streets Community Discussion on Tuesday. (Photo: Todd Berkey/The Tribune-Democrat via AP) Oz, who is running against Democratic opponent John Fetterman for a seat in the U.S. Senate, claimed theres been a dramatic increase in fentanyl coming across the border, adding that law enforcement officials have confiscated more fentanyl than they did two years ago. Patton recognized the GOP candidates claim about drug trafficking before also pointing to the pharmaceutical industry for its hand in the crisis years before. He later told ABCs senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce that he didnt hear a plan from Oz and claimed the candidate addressed the same old points on detox and securing the border. Patton, who said he came into the panel as an undecided voter, said the event changed his mind. You just spent about an hour on a panel with Dr. Oz and that swayed you away from him? Bruce asked. Story continues Absolutely, absolutely, said Patton, who described himself as insulted. You can watch a clip from the panel, and Bruces interview with Patton, below. A local recovery counselor tells ABC's @marykbruce he will not support Mehmet Oz after participating in a panel focused on combatting illegal drugs and addiction with the Pennsylvania Senate candidate. Watch the stories unfold in #PowerTripABC on @hulu. https://t.co/6irII3zvbOpic.twitter.com/2MRLqc58Ag ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 20, 2022 This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... The house on Dragoo Place in Clinton, Maryland. Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. A Maryland couple signed a contract to buy a foreclosed home on Thursday. By Friday, there were strangers living in the house with 'no trespassing' signs posted, WUSA9 reported. "Right now my clients are highly upset and we just don't know what to do at this point," the realtor told WUSA9. On Thursday, a couple signed a contract with a bank to buy a vacant home in Clinton, Maryland. By Friday, mysterious strangers had moved in and refused to leave, WUSA9 reports. The couple who wish to remain unidentified first noticed the strangers moving into their new home on Thursday and quickly called their realtor to figure out who the new residents were and how they were able to move into the previously foreclosed home, WUSA9 reported. "She panicked a little and called me and said, 'What is happening here?'" realtor Melea King told WUSA9 in reference to the wife. Just one day after the mysterious tenants showed up, King said they put up "no trespassing" and "beware of dog" signs, according to WUSA9. The news station reported seeing at least two men at the home on Dragoo Place Friday. When the couple confronted the men on Thursday, they were shown a document the men claimed was a lease, but King told WUSA9 she doubts its legitimacy. Police were called to investigate the situation. "Once the police was on site, they took a look at the lease and it was not accurate. It was not correct," King told WUSA9. However, Prince George's County Police told WUSA9 the strange case was more of a "civil matter" for the sheriff to handle. When reporters from the news station approached the men, they weren't met with many answers. The men claimed the lease belonged to an uncle named "Quinn" but were unable to provide a last name and declined to answer any other questions, WUSA9 reported. King told WUSA9 the couple is seeking answers from the bank on how anyone was able to gain access to the home. The house is listed on Long & Foster Real Estate's website as "pending." Story continues "Right now my clients are highly upset and we just don't know what to do at this point," King told WUSA9. "It should not be taking this long for this to be addressed." Correction: October 24, 2022 This story has been updated to include additional citations to WUSA9. Read the original article on Business Insider Every time I see Gov. Chris Sununu's happy talk campaign ad, I get annoyed at its misleading distortions, omissions and exaggerations. So heres a fact check. Sununu starts with the old GOP standards: bashing the federal government and touting tax cuts. Sununu cut business taxes twiceresulting in a loss of revenue to the state of $17.5 million over the next few years, and $8.5 million a year after 2025. The conservative New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute criticized the cuts for providing disproportionate aid to wealthy corporations already profiting from the pandemic, and not to small businesses. Democrats warned that the stream of federal pandemic relief funding would eventually dry up leaving the state short of revenue. Susan Mayer Sununu claims credit for New Hampshire as the fastest growing economy by cherry-picking a Forbes ranking of No. 1 over the last two-year period, but Forbes also places New Hampshire seventh for the last year, showing we lost ground. The State Economic Monitor of Urban Institute-Brookings, however, using the most recent Bureau of Economic Analysis data, shows a precipitous GDP contraction since Sununu took office (2017-22), with New Hampshire the only state in New England with a year-over-year Q2 2022 percent decline in GDP. Sununu says he stands by police, but action funding comes from congressional Democrats. The Democrats American Rescue Plan (enacted without a single Republican vote) funded increased foot patrols for high-crime areas, overtime for investigations into violent crime, crime prevention infrastructure (like better lighting), and more. To support small police departments across the United States, Sen. Maggie Hassan cosponsored the Invest to Protect Act, which would provide $250 million over five years. When the House and Senate finish merging their bills, it will become law. Sununu brags about enacting paid family leave but neglects to point out that this is a voluntary program, which depends on private employers deciding to opt in. Will they? Who knows? Story continues Sununu boasts about his investments in housing and children's education, but conveniently forgets to acknowledge that the $100 million housing investment is federal money, coming from the $7 billion New Hampshire has received from the federal government. Then there's the $10 million in federal money designated for school safety improvements, and the $470,000 in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan for New Hampshire Head Start education programs. Yes, these are the feds that always "mess things up." Sununu bites the hand that feeds him as he bitterly attacks our federal government. Is New Hampshire top 5 for public education? If true, not for long at the rate Sununu and the Republican majority are going. More important than rankings is the determination of Sununu's chosen Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut to dismantle public education by defunding it. Edelblut and extremist Republican legislators instituted a school voucher program that shunts funding by the millions from public schools to private and religious schools. It is 5,000%+ underfunded, with the budgeted $129,000 ballooning to $14.7 million and counting, to be paid from our property taxes. Sununu was happy to sign this attack on New Hampshire public education into law. Most fiscally responsible governor? This attribution comes from a two-year-old report from the libertarian Cato Institute, which irresponsibly lobbies for too low taxes. As is clear from the discussion of taxes, public safety, education, and housing, Sununu relies on federal fundingthose feds that always find a way to mess things up to make ends meet and to provide the investments that he touts. As for being No. 1 in personal freedom, the co-author of the study on freedom apparently referenced by Sununu is none other than Jason Sorens, head of the Free State movement that has been invading New Hampshire for 20 years those radical anarchists who'd like to secede from the United States, who colluded to get rid of Croydon's public school, and who almost destroyed Gunstock ski area. Sununu is happy to cite Free Stater extremists. Not mentioned are the radical constraints on freedom Sununu imposed on every New Hampshire woman via his abortion ban, which removes women's bodily autonomy and makes them second-class citizens. Sununu was also happy to sign that ban into law, and even bragged about it, while insulting women's intelligence by continuing to insist that he is "pro-choice." Gov. Sununus happy talk cant be trusted. Its dishonest and disrespectful. Im tired of a governor, however affable he appears, who cozies up to extremists, signs extremist legislation into law and lies about it, and feigns moderation. Its long past time to vote out this extremist leader in moderate disguise on Nov. 8. Susan Mayer of Lee was a senior legislative staff member for Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter for eight years. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Mayer: Sununu's happy talk don't believe it Mitch McConnell The US and its allies "need to do more to supply the tools Ukraine needs to thwart Russian aggression, McConnell was reported as saying. Read also: Biden announces new $625 million aid package for Ukraine He mentioned additional air defenses, long-range fires, and humanitarian and economic support. The politician called on the Biden administration to speed up this process. The Senate Republican leader pledged a Republican-controlled Senate would focus its oversight on ensuring timely delivery of needed weapons and greater allied assistance to Ukraine. Read also: Head of Pentagon holds talks with British counterpart on supporting Ukraine However, other Republic Party representatives, including former President Donald Trump, have previously expressed pro-Russian sentiments. On Oct. 18, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy stated that I think people are going to be sitting in a recession and theyre not going to write a blank cheque to Ukraine, while prominent House Republicans, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, has previously indicated her belief in a conspiracy theory that alleges the former administration of Barack Obama overthrew the pre-Maidan administration of Viktor Yanukovych. Read also: US congressmen see results of Russian drone attacks on Kyiv, meet with Zelenskyy Previously, Biden expressed concern about the prospects for future U.S. aid to Ukraine if Republicans gain control of one or both chambers of Congress. The White House assured that both chambers are ready to support Ukraine until the end of the full-scale war. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Khatira Rafiqzada/Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj9bFJALEyF/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=df2a33cf-d1bd-4b8b-a837-16ba893a9b2e. Khatira Rafiqzada/Instagram It's been a sweet decade for Michael Ealy and wife Khatira Rafiqzada, who celebrated their 10th anniversary on Friday. Rafiqzada shared a heartfelt post and some sweet throwbacks in honor of the couple's impressive milestone achievement. "We have truly grown up together. Seen the world together. Built a home together. Built a family together!" she wrote in the caption. "You have loved me at my worst and my best, and everything in betweenand I don't take any of that for granted," Rafiqzada continued. RELATED: 'We're All Handcuffed': What It's Really Like for Women in Afghanistan, as They Brace for What Comes Next Ealy, 49, and Rafiqzada, a baker originally from Afghanistan who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, share two children, son Elijah Rakim, 9, and 6-year-old daughter Harlem. They dated for four years before tying the knot in October 2012. Although they keep much of their family life private, Ealy shared a rare glimpse into their relationship in a post from 2020, when he called his wife the "pot of gold" at the end of a rainbow. "I knew I found my gold on our 2nd date and I've been reflecting on the phenomenon that is you ever since," Ealy wrote. 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. In her anniversary post, Rafiqzada noted the same awareness early on that Ealy was the one: "I am so damn proud of myself for knowing back then that you are what I deserve. God knows I haven't always been good to myself but you are the best thing I've ever worked my a-- off to keep! I can truly say I love you deeper today than ever before. I love you and all that we have built." Ealy also praised his wife's advocacy for Afghan citizens as they fled following the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the Taliban's takeover last August, during which she rallied support to sponsor refugees and those who stayed behind. Rafiqzada was vocal on social media about her support for her home city of Kabul and the entire country. RELATED VIDEO: PEOPLE in 10: The Entertainment News That Defined the Week PLUS Michael Ealy Joins Us! "I stand in awe of your quiet strength," Ealy wrote in a rare post. "This may have been one of the hardest moments I've ever witnessed for you You had two kids (postpartum with both) and it simply can't compare to watching your birthplace fall apart. I imagine this loss has a lot [to] do with the nostalgia of your childhood and for that, I'm so sorry." MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) Eight people were killed after militants stormed a hotel in Somalia's port city of Kismayo, an attack that started with a suicide bombing Sunday before gunmen forcibly entered and exchanged fire with security forces. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters had penetrated the Tawakal Hotel. Security forces from the southern Somali state of Jubaland later ended the siege, killing the gunmen and rescuing scores of people, state media reported. There was no official word on casualties, but a doctor at Kismayo Hospital told The Associated Press of eight dead people, four of whom were security personnel. At least 41 people were wounded in the attack, the doctor said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to divulge such information. Journalists were prevented from getting close to the scene of the attack. Footage shared on social media showed ambulances collecting the wounded from outside the hotel in central Kismayo. The city is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The attack began when a car driven by a suicide bomber rammed the entrance gate of the hotel and then exploded, police officer Abshir Omar said by phone. A number of small businesses along the street were destroyed. Some government officials and traditional elders were eating lunch in the hotel at the time of the explosion, he said. Mohamed Nasi Guled, a senior police official in Jubaland, said three attackers entered the hotel's premises. The hotel is popular as a meeting place for government officials. Al-Shabab is believed to have a strong presence in the areas surrounding Kismayo, the largest city and commercial capital of Jubaland. Al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida, regularly carries out attacks in the Horn of Africa nation. Many of the group's attacks target popular hotels. Al-Shabab opposes the Mogadishu-based federal government, which it perceives as a puppet of foreign governments. The group also opposes the presence of foreign troops in Somalia. Military exchange customers shopping for major appliances such as refrigerators, washers and dryers will have more options to include improved delivery and installation services through a new partnership between The Home Depot and exchange officials. The plan is to launch by the spring of 2023, said Karen Cardin, chief merchandising officer for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, at the annual convention of the American Logistics Association. She and other members of the Joint Buying Alliance which includes AAFES, and Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard exchanges said they are working together to find ways to offer better pricing for military customers. The Home Depot partnership, which starts with AAFES and NEX, is just one of about a dozen projects the alliance has been working on for the past two years. We wanted to make sure we do best-in-class service for our military families, Cardin said. One place we werent able to do that as we wanted to was in our major appliances; that big difference was in the delivery. We just couldnt get the delivery to acceptable levels, Cardin said. Shoppers will be able to get a discount, while making their purchase tax-free, she said. The orders for the major appliances in store or online will be filled by Home Depot, and it will handle delivery and installation. Our retail agreement with the AAFES and NEX will provide exchange shoppers access to our expansive assortment of laundry and kitchen appliances, increasing value and convenience for these customers, said Mark Kaasa, Home Depots merchandising vice president for appliances, in a statement provided to Military Times. Were looking forward to the launch of the partnership in early 2023. We think they will be fantastic partners, Cardin said. The exchanges currently sell major appliances, but the primary motivation for this was providing better service to customers, she said. Our customers deserve this. Information was not available about what the discount will be; more information is expected from Home Depot in November. Story continues We wouldnt do this unless the patron was getting better service and savings, Rich Honiball, NEXs chief merchandising and marketing officer, told Military Times. Currently, Home Depot offers a general discount of 10% to military and veterans, up to $400 annually, but the discount doesnt apply to appliances, according to the Home Depot website. More details about the parameters of the appliances program will be available later. We would carry the brands we have now, but with Home Depot as a partner, Honiball said. Home Depot is a very strong company, and they are very veteran-driven, he said, adding that he believes Home Depot is a best-in-class retailer who has very strong relationships with the same brands that we do business with. They are better at executing; they have better resources to be able to execute, and Home Depot has additional brands beyond the exchanges reach, he said. He said Navy Exchanges, too, have struggled in the area of delivery and installation of major appliances. So, officials began looking at finding a retailer that can help us, where theres a benefit to both of us. He anticipates sales will increase with the new partnership. So its a win-win, most importantly for the patron, he said. There was a forced emergency shutdown of key workshops for the production of mineral fertilizers The statement asserts that Rivneazot workers were able to shut down the plant in accordance with safety protocols and regulations. The key workshops at the plant shut down include those producing: Ammonia Nitric acid Lime-ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate. Currently, the environmental background at the facility is normal. Read also: Russian missile strikes military facility in Rivne Oblast overnight "The workshops will resume operation in coordination with local authorities after the power sup-ply restarts stably through two backup lines, as required by the technical regulations of the production," Group DF said. The company also said that Rivneazot would meet all contractual obligations for farmers and agricultural holdings, to supply mineral fertilizers in the autumn season. The factorys wastewater treatment facility has continued its operation without interruption. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Its unbelievable. We say that all the time. These gas prices? Theyre unbelievable. This inflation? Its unbelievable. The divisiveness between political factions? Its unbelievable. The word itself suggests the situation has reached its furthest degree of insanity. It cant get any worse. But things can always get worse. Consider whats going on here in Haiti, where they dont use the word unbelievable, because every new day brings a previously unimagined degree of suffering. The government has cratered. Some 200 gangs have seized control. The nation has come to a near standstill. Theres no fuel. Food and water are hard to come by. Schools are closed. Businesses shuttered. An estimated million people are starving in the middle of Haitis biggest city. FROM USA TODAY:Cubans, Haitians are fleeing to US in historic numbers. These crises are fueling migration. As an American who comes here every month to operate an orphanage, I find myself at a loss for the word that would truly describe the current situation. We have had to close our school because teachers cant get there. We have to buy water in plastic bottles, if we can find them, just to let our kids drink. We are in the heat and dark much of the time, because we cannot operate generators without fuel. We have a child with tuberculosis who has been bounced from place to place, because the hospitals cant function. Demonstrators fill the streets during a protest to reject an international military force requested by the government and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The United Nations Security Council is evaluating the request by the Haitian government for the immediate deployment of foreign troops to help free Haiti from the grip of gangs that has caused a scarcity of fuel, water, and other basic supplies. What adjective really suffices? Unbelievable just doesnt cut it. Lawlessness, despair reign supreme If it was unbelievable that a nation just 700 miles off the Florida coast was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, then what do you say when its meager economy comes to a halt? If it was unbelievable that fuel had to be subsidized by the government just for citizens to be able to afford it, then what do you say when gangs overtake the fuel terminals and nobody gets any fuel at all? If it was unbelievable that, during shortages, you sometimes had to pay $10 a gallon for gas on the black market, what do you say when they now want $50 a gallon? Story continues If it was unbelievable that the gangs in Haiti became more powerful than the government, what do you say when the government uses those gangs to rough up their dissenters, which happens all the time? If it was unbelievable that you couldnt go out at night for fear of violence or kidnapping, then what do you say when you cant go out during the day? If it was unbelievable that hospital care in Haiti was limited, remote and out of reach for most citizens, what do you say when the hospitals must close down because their staffs cant get there and now cholera is spreading? Protesters walk past burning tires during a protest to reject an international military force requested by the government and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The United Nations Security Council is evaluating the request by the Haitian government for the immediate deployment of foreign troops to help free Haiti from the grip of gangs that has caused a scarcity of fuel, water, and other basic supplies. If it was unbelievable that there is barely a paved road outside of the city of Port-au-Prince, then what do you say when those paved roads are blockaded by downed telephone lines, chopped trees or old cars, choking off any traffic and subjecting the rare brave driver to potential attacks? If it was unbelievable that gang members randomly shot their enemies in the street, then what do you say when those same gang members rape young girls atop the corpses of their dead relatives, which is being reported now throughout Haiti? If it was unbelievable that the Haitian president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in the middle of the night at his own home, then what do you say when that murder has still not been solved, more than a year later, and a chief suspect is the current prime minister? Can Haiti even be saved? You see where this going. The combination of disfunction, violence, poverty, starvation, disease, corruption and finger-pointing have driven Haiti to the brink of absurdity. You keep thinking something has to change. How long can a nation go on this way? The truth is: a long time, maybe forever, if nobody does anything about it. As Haiti has descended into hell, its closest big neighbors havent moved, perhaps because theyve seen the futility of previous efforts. The Biden administration, until this month, has had a mostly hands-off approach to Haiti. Finally, last week, several nations (including the U.S.) suggested a multinational rapid action force go into Haiti to at least free the fuel and essential supplies from the grip of the gangs. The U.N. took up the matter. But the initiative stalled when some nations, including Russia and China, balked at interference in another country. The irony of that stance for Russia and China would be rich if it werent so tragic. So meanwhile the U.N. suggested sanctions of certain influential Haitians (as if thats going to solve anything quickly) while it searches to drum up support for a more severe intervention. A bread vendor pushes his cart past a burning barricade during a protest against Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry calling for his resignation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 10, 2022. - Protests and looting have rocked the unstable country since Sept. 11, when Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced a fuel price hike. And while many Haitians cringe at the idea of yet another outside force coming in to oversee Haiti, others say what choice is there? If theres no food, no water, no fuel, no school, no business, no transportation, no safety what do you do? If women and children are being killed and burned, decent men are being terrorized, charities and orphanages are being attacked, and fresh-faced teenagers are being recruited to carry big guns what do you call that? Back home, we shake our heads and say its unbelievable. But here in Haiti, there are no words. Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow him on Twitter @mitchalbom. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mitch Albom: The horrors of Haiti today are, sadly, very believable City officials are considering a measure aimed at preventing the criminal records of job applicants from blocking their chances at employment. The Gainesville City Commission is moving toward adopting a fair chance ordinance, which would prohibit employers from inquiring about an applicants criminal background before extending a job offer, and mandate that employers only consider recent convictions and pending prosecutions in hiring decisions, not arrests or old convictions. The proprietor of the business decides who they hire and who they dont, Mayor Lauren Poe said during a recent meeting of the commission's general policy committee. What this (ordinance) is intending to do is allow the applicant to have a fair chance to show their qualifications, skillset and related experience, before the (hiring) determination is made. Next mayor: Gainesville's next mayor will be Ward or Bielarski. How do they stack up to each other? Mayoral debate: Tickets available for Oct. 25 debate between mayoral candidates Ed Bielarski, Harvey Ward End to exclusionary zoning: Gainesville commissioners eliminate single-family zoning citywide after split 4-3 vote Commissioners have now voted to send the proposal to the city attorneys office for a draft of the ordinance before a first reading. A joint effort The initiative is being pushed by a partnership between the citys Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Greater Gainesville Chamber and Community Spring, which is a nonprofit organization created to advocate for economic justice. While the chamber supports the proposal and is in favor of attracting more qualified employees, a group official said some employers feel the suggested policy is not the most effective way to do so. The ordinance is a solution looking for a problem, said Vicki Gervickas, director of public policy and grassroots at the chamber, an organization that advocates for business owners. We have a lot of employers that are already doing these measures, the larger employers especially." Story continues Poe acknowledged Gervickas' concerns and said that officials will work to ensure that employers aren't overburdened in adapting to the proposal. We are going to need to do some very targeted outreach and education if this ends up passing, to make sure our businesses understand what is expected of them and how to comply with the least amount of friction, Poe said. 15-employee threshold Notably, the city already uses the hiring practices outlined in the proposed ordinance for its public employees, but the new law would apply to private employers having 15 or more employees. Max Tipping, policy director at Community Spring, argues that a threshold of 15 employees is too narrow in scope and should be lowered. Max Tipping, one of the leaders of the nonprofit Community Spring, talks with Tequila McKnight, right, Kevin Scott, left, along with Latashia Mayze-Brimm, second from right, and a small group of fellows about the next step of the groups process during a meeting Tuesday in Gainesville. From the start of this process, weve been advocating for a five-employee threshold, which is what Gainesville uses for its employment discrimination ordinance right now, he said. Still, Tipping was thankful for the proposal and said his organization would be willing to settle for a 10-employee threshold if the commission thought five was too low. Overall, we are very excited about this bill, he said. We believe it represents a deeply meaningful policy change that would unlock some potential opportunity for so many people in our community who are unnecessarily barred from employment. Ultimately, city officials decided to keep the 15-employee threshold. Advocacy groups in support In a letter to the commission, singed by over 25 advocacy groups and organizations including Dream Defenders and Gainesville For All those in favor of the proposal say people with criminal backgrounds are less likely to reoffend with steady employment. Pervasive questions about criminal records on job applications or in interviews prevent (former offenders) from being seen as they are today. As a result, formerly incarcerated people are unemployed at a rate of over 27% on a national level higher than the unemployment rate during the Great Depression, the letter reads. The policy would not require an employer to hire an applicant with a criminal record, but, instead, shifts the timing of any background screening. Currently, there are four stages in the hiring process for most employers, including the application, interview, offer and on-boarding phases. An employer can now ask about an applicants criminal past during the application and/or interview phases. The new proposal would add a fifth phase of record checks toward the end of the hiring process, after a job offer has been made. Job seekers fill out applications during a city of Gainesville job fair at the MLK Multipurpose Center in 2015. Gervickas, the chamber's public policy director, said while big businesses may easily adapt to the proposed changes, the same wouldn't necessarily be true of small businesses. "I think for the very small business that dont have (the resources of a big business), were adding a layer of regulation and rules that are going to make it a little more difficult to connect them with employees," she said. Commissioner Reina Saco said the measure would reduce unemployment and needs to be on the books. I think its finding something that does help folks get employed I see it as codifying something that is good before we find ourselves in a hole," Saco said. Javon L. Harris is a local government and social justice reporter for The Gainesville Sun. He can be reached by phone at (352) 338-3103, by email at jlharris@gannett.com or on Twitter @JavonLHarris_JD. This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Criminal record in Gainesville? 'Fair Chance' lowers barrier to employment D.C. Cobb's in downtown East Dundee was the scene of a fight early Saturday morning that led to shots being fired outside, police said. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News) An altercation led to gunfire early Saturday morning at D.C. Cobbs in downtown East Dundee, police said. The incident occurred just before 2 a.m. when a fight between two men at the 311 Barrington Ave. bar/restaurant resulted in one pulling a 9mm gun and another punching him in the face, causing him to drop the weapon, according to an East Dundee police report. Advertisement The weapon was retrieved by the attacker, described as a heavy-set Black man, who fled to a parked car with a Black woman, who pulled out a second gun and fired four rounds into the air in a threatening manner to warn companions of the Hispanic man involved in the altercation, the report said. Police officers heard the gunshots but arrived after the pair fled. They have obtained video from D.C. Cobbs and other evidence, and continue to interview witnesses, the report said. Advertisement No one was injured. Police also plan to meet with managers of the bar/restaurant this week to discuss increased safety, officials said. Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. Vyacheslav Boguslaev, president of Motor Sich Read also: Motor Sich officials suspected of working for Russia, president detained, says SBU Nearly all of 83-year-old Vyacheslav Boguslayev (he will turn 84 on Oct. 28) is connected with aviation, namely with the engine manufacturing giant Motor Sich. For many years he was the main owner of the company, which figured as one of the largest aircraft engine manufacturers in Europe. While he hasnt been the main owner for a few years now, in the position of honorary president, hes retained a great deal of control over Motor Sich. The company, in addition to the production of aircraft engines and gas turbines, develops helicopters, and controls several subsidiaries for the production of components, as well as an airline sharing the Motor Such name. In the 2010s, Motor Sich began a geographical expansion. Joint ventures were created to produce and maintain aircraft engines in Russia, China, and Belarus. But the Belarusian and Russian projects had to be curtailed due to the ban on military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and Russia imposed by the Ukrainian authorities in 2014. The company banked on China, where in 2017 the construction of an enterprise for the production of aircraft engines began, and large-scale investments in the Zaporizhzhya plant were expected. However relations with China are often fraught and the SBU, the Chinese government, and the U.S. special services have indicated an interest in the deal. Yet cooperation with China turned out to be not just a partnership. By mid-2017, a controlling stake in Motor Sich was sold to several companies that happened to be controlled by Chinese investors. In the fall of 2017, a share fraction in the Zaporizhzhya-based company was seized at the SBUs request. According to the official line of the security service, the seizure was connected with an attempt to sell a strategic Ukrainian enterprise to a Chinese citizen who planned to move Motor Sich's production facilities outside Ukraine. Story continues Read also: Russian Ka-52 helicopter shot down in the south, Ukraines Air Force says These events were accompanied by cooling relations with Russia and Belarus. In May 2018, the media reported the seizure of Boguslayev's private jet in Belarus. And he himself was forced to return to Ukraine on a commercial flight. Most likely, the event was linked to an attempt by Boguslayev to resolve an issue connected to the nationalization of the an aircraft repair plant in the Belarusian city of Orsha, which was announced by the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. But his attempts came to naught: in July of that year, the plant, 60% of the authorized capital of which belonged to Motor Sich, was expropriated by the Lukashenko regime. The Chinese project also did not take off. After lengthy deliberations and negotiations, in July 2019 it was reported that Chinese investors could still become the main owners of the company. But they would have a partner the state defense concern Ukroboronprom. After that, John Bolton, at that time an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, during a visit to Kyiv, sharply warned Ukraine about the risks of the so-called "debt diplomacy", which Beijing likes to conduct. And in November, the American media reported that Motor Sich could be bought by an investor from the United States Trump's unofficial adviser Erik Prince. After such strong American pressure on Ukraine, Ukroboronprom decided to pull out of the deal. Boguslayev himself admitted in 2019 that ultimately, shares were sold to a Chinese investor. According to him, this was a step the the company had been forced to take due to the ban on cooperation with Russia. But the still-unknown Chinese investor has not yet received access to either the shares or the management of Motor Sich. To this day, Motor Such is still run by Boguslayev and his proteges. Read also: Ukrainian air force shoots down Russian Su-25 in Kherson Oblast In the summer of 2020, Kharkiv businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavskyi volunteered to help the Chinese investors gain control of their shares and influence over company affairs. But even his business experience has not yet helped gain the approval of Ukraines Antimonopoly Committee, to formally complete the sale of Motor Sich. Moreover, at the beginning of 2021, the United States and Ukraine imposed sanctions on a number of individuals and legal entities from China that are associated with this case. Currently, it is not known what share in Motor Sich is controlled by Boguslayev and his family members, who were also previously registered with large stakes, nor what shares have been sold to Chinese interests. After a failure in the 2019 parliamentary elections (Boguslayev lost his bid in a constituency to wedding photographer Serhiy Shtepa, who ran from the Servant of the People party), he, despite his advanced age, fully devoted himself to business activities. These initially boiled down to optimization: from cutting costs to reducing the route network of Motor Sich Airlines. His efforts seemed to pay off: for 9 months of 2020, the Zaporizhzhya-based enterprise received a net profit of more than UAH 900 million ($24,650,000). But the main concern of the Ukrainian aircraft industry veteran was the struggle for the ownership of the enterprise, in which he seemed to have quite a say. Among his opponents are: the Chinese government, which supports its investor; U.S. intelligence services, which are trying to prevent the transfer of Ukrainian aircraft technologies to China; Ukrainian authorities trying to maneuver between the interests of the United States and China. Read also: Danylov: No reason for particular concern over $4.5 billion lawsuit by Chinese investors in Motor Sich It appears that he was unable to manage this balancing act. Additionally, its likely that Ukrainian special services have been working on the Motor Sich case for a while, and at scale. For example, in September, the State Bureau of Investigations announced the seizure of an aircraft, which, according to NVs sources, belonged to the Motor Sich airline. The seizure was accompanied by the arrest of a director of a civil aviation enterprise for collaboration. Photos of the seized aircraft showed an An-140-100 aircraft in the livery of the long-liquidated Ilyich-Avia airline. In 2021, Boguslayev continued to fall in the ranking of the richest Ukrainians from NV and Dragon Capital. This time he dropped from 45th to 69th place, while his estimated wealth dropped to $152 million. But he remained among the richest Ukrainians despite the formal sale of his main asset, which almost took place a few years earlier. The detention of a well-known industrialist by the SBU is a clear illustration that having a foot in two camps during a full-scale war with Russia is a bad idea. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Multiple people were shot at a South Georgia restaurant on Saturday night, according to authorities. At around 10:30 p.m., Cordele police arrived to a chaotic scene at 16 East Restaurant, where they arrived to find multiple gunshot victims. The shooter was identified by his fingerprints as 42-year-old Bryant Lamar Collins of Michigan, according to police. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Investigators are still working to discover Collins motive. Crisp County deputies and Georgia State Patrol also responded to the call, and Collins was quickly identified and taken into custody. Police say four adult victims were transported to an area hospital. Three of the victims remain hospitalized, and one was treated and released. TRENDING STORIES: The victims have not been identified. Police are still investigating the incident. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Murder charges have been dropped against a teenage suspect in the shocking shooting death of a 15-year-old boy on a Queens subway. Keyondre Russell, 18, will instead face weapon possession, evidence tampering and menacing charges in the Oct. 14 killing of Jayjon Burnett, the Queens D.A.s office confirmed Sunday. A grand jury failed to indict Russell on the murder charge initially brought by cops and prosecutors. The suspect remains held without bail on Rikers Island and is due back in court Nov. 3. In New York state, a grand jury consisting of 16 to 23 people meets in secret to weigh evidence presented by prosecutors and determine whether to go forward with charges against a suspect. A spokeswoman with Queens D.A. Melinda Katzs office said Sunday that the remaining weapons charge against Russel carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence. The victims father Jeffrey Burnett declined to comment on the development on Sunday. Straight-A student and a good kid, he told the Daily News. Im very upset and I dont want to talk right now. Im just putting my son in the ground. Jayjon was shot during a wild melee between two groups of teens on a Far Rockaway A Train and prosecutors and cops identified Russell as his shooter, charging him with murder and weapon possession. At his Queens Criminal Court arraignment last week, Russells defense lawyer suggested someone else fired the fatal shot, saying the bullet struck Russell too, passing through his upper left leg before hitting Jayjon in the chest. On Sunday, his lawyer, the Legal Aid Societys Peter St. George Davis, said that cellphone video of the shooting bolsters that account and shows a young man, not Russell, stretched out his hand before the fatal shot. You can see a young man whos standing up with his hand outstretched and it almost appear to be recoil, he said, adding, I think that they should be looking for somebody, and the person that they should be looking at is the person with his hand outstretched. Story continues An NYPD spokesman said Sunday that the shooting remained under investigation. Police sources initially said that Russell was one of two men who boarded the train at the Beach 25th St. station when one member of the groups called for backup. Davis said Russell was only standing up for his girlfriend, who was fighting with another girl on the train, and that he didnt call for reinforcements. I understand that somebody has lost their life here. A young man is gone. So I understand the familys sentiment of loving a loved one, he said. Its pretty clear that Mr. Russell was cornered in a car in a subway while being attacked by multiple parties. Russell has no criminal record, his lawyer said. The victims dad told the Daily News the day after the slaying he was mystified why anyone would want his son dead. I never had no problems with him being in the street, Jeff Burnett told the Daily News. He wasnt no bad kid. He wasnt around no guns ... It always happens to the good kids. With Anna Gratzer We are in the midst of a national crisis affecting the lives of more than 100 million Americans, including Delawareans. This crisis is worsening racial disparities in health and wealth. Its stopping some Americans from saving for retirement and others from investing in their childrens education. Its forcing patients who may have just months to live to spend their last days on earth fighting corporations over medical bills and coverage. This is the crisis of medical debt in America, and its crushing millions of hardworking families. Thats why this October Health Literacy Month Consumers for Quality Care is sharing information that Delawareans can use to help keep their out-of-pocket health care costs low and avoid medical debt. The key tips are to avoid tricky health insurance plans and policies, to ask good questions about charity care options, and to know your rights if you ever get stuck with a surprise medical bill. Choosing the right health insurance has a huge impact on Americans finances. When choosing insurance for you and your family, its important to watch out for Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance plans, or STLDI plans. These so-called junk plans are insurance in name only, and are exempt from many of the consumer protections found in the Affordable Care Act. Although they may have lower monthly premium payments, STLDI plans often exclude pre-existing conditions, have dollar value limits on covered services, and arent required to cover preventative medical services at all. In fact, for every $1 you pay in premiums, STLDI plans often spend less than 10 cents on your health care and out-of-pocket expenses can pile up quickly under these plans. But its not just junk plans that lead to high out-of-pocket costs and medical debt. The rise of health insurance plans with high deductibles (the amount you are responsible for before your insurance begins covering treatment), high copays (the amount your insurance requires you to pay for a treatment), and high coinsurance (the percentage of costs of a covered service you pay even after youve met your deductible) means that insured Delawareans seeking care are often left with large bills they are unable to pay. Some of these plans also include copay accumulators that shift prescription medicine costs from the insurance companies to patients by blocking any financial assistance you receive like a voucher or a coupon from counting toward your deductible. Its like paying for your groceries with a gift card, but when you swipe the gift card and the store takes all the money from it, they still wont let you have your groceries until you pay again for a second time with cash from your own pocket. Its insurance company double-dipping, and it has left many Americans mired in debt or unable to afford their lifesaving medication. Although fourteen states have banned copay accumulators, legislators in Delaware have taken no action to protect patients, highlighting the need for a national ban on this harmful practice that is leaving many patients in our state and across the country with medical bills they cant afford to pay. In addition to looking out for tricky insurance plans, you should also ask good questions about what your options are if you receive treatment at a nonprofit hospital. The truth is, while nonprofit hospitals are meant to provide more affordable care to the public in return for big tax breaks, the executives at nonprofit hospitals often focus on making big bucks instead. For example, IRS rules require nonprofit hospitals to provide financial assistance to patients who qualify, but fewer than half of these hospitals informed patients that they may qualify for charity care. Worse, 45% of nonprofit hospitals regularly send bills to patients who qualify for charity care. To protect yourself, ask about your options if you are treated at a nonprofit hospital. If you feel that youve been unfairly and unlawfully denied charity care, file a complaint with Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. Finally, you need to know your rights if you ever receive a surprise bill from your medical provider. A law called the No Surprises Act went into effect earlier this year to help stop the unfair surprise billing practices that have put millions of Americans in debt. Unfortunately, about 1 in 5 Americans reported receiving a surprise medical bill since the law took effect. If youve received a surprise medical bill this year that you think violates the No Surprises Act, visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website to learn more and file a complaint. Your communitys legal aid organizations may also be able to provide assistance. Patricia Bennett receives the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from New Castle County Paramedics Sgt. Scott Kier on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. The state vaccinated 950 health care workers and senior citizens as part of its "soft launch" of administering the vaccine to residents who are 65 or older. It's no secret we need major reforms in our health care system, reforms that stop hospitals and insurance companies from viewing sick people and their families as sources of profit and nothing more. Until then, CQC will work hard to make sure Delawareans are in the know by sharing the information they need to make sound health decisions. The Honorable Donna M. Christensen is a member of the Consumers for Quality Care board. She retired in 2015 from the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served nine terms. She is the first female physician to serve as a member in the history of the U.S. Congress. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Medical debt needs greater and more urgent attention SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un sent a congratulatory letter to Xi Jinping on his reelection as China's leader, saying he hoped to further develop their ties, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. "The 20th Congress of the CPC offered a significant landmark for the Chinese party and people in propelling the historic process of the Chinese nation's great prosperity under the banner of the socialist idea with the Chinese characteristics in the new era," Kim said in the letter. "I, together with you, will shape more a beautiful future of the DPRK-China relations meeting the demand of the times and lead the endeavours for its realisation so as to continue to powerfully propel the socialist cause in the two countries." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. China's Xi Jinping secured a precedent-breaking third leadership term on Sunday and introduced a new top governing body stacked with loyalists, cementing his place as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by William Mallard and Alex Richardson) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill September 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Speaker Pelosi said she doesn't think Donald Trump is "man enough" to testify before the January 6 panel. The panel subpoenaed Trump, calling for him to submit documents and testify by mid-November. Trump could be held in contempt of Congress if he doesn't comply, or he may drag out the process. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn't think former President Donald Trump is "man enough" to be deposed before the Jan. 6 committee. The committee officially subpoenaed Trump on Friday, demanding he turn over critical documents by November 4 and appear before the committee by November 14, just about a week after the midterm elections. "I don't think he's man enough to show up," Pelosi told Jonathan Capehart on "The Sunday Show" on MSNBC. "I don't think his lawyers will want him to show up because he has to testify under oath. But I don't think he'll show up. I don't think he's man enough. We'll see." When the committee voted unanimously earlier this month to subpoena Trump, he sent a letter repeating his false claims about the 2020 election. "We'll see if he's man enough to show up, and the public should make a judgment. No one is above the law. If we believe that, then they should make a judgment about how he responds to that request," Pelosi said Sunday. The speaker added that if Trump doesn't comply with the subpoena, then citizens can conclude "that he thinks he is above the law." "Whatever actions the committee may take is up to them. I've kept my distance from their decision-making, but whatever they decide will also send a message about his respect," Pelosi said of Trump. "He isn't honoring the oath we take to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. That's a serious oath that we all take, and clearly, most of us had more respect for the office he held than he had." Members of the Jan. 6 panel have maintained Trump is "required by law" to comply with the subpoena. Rep. Adam Kinzinger previously said that the DOJ holding Trump in criminal contempt is "a bridge we cross if we have to," while Rep. Liz Cheney warned that Trump will not be permitted to "turn this into a circus." Story continues Trump has not said whether he will comply with the subpoena, though he has privately mused that he might comply if his testimony is broadcast live, according to The New York Times. Trump could try to delay the proceedings, waiting them out until Republicans likely retake the House in November. The committee is set to dissolve along with the 117th Congress on January 3, 2023. Read the original article on Business Insider What is behind all these UFO sightings? We may find out. NASA announced the 16 people who will spend the next nine months studying unidentified aerial phenomena, also known as UFOs. Using unclassified data, the team will "lay the groundwork for future study" of UFOs by examining how the data is gathered by the public, local government and other sources. The goal is to have a roadmap for NASA's data analysis on the flying objects, and determine what events are natural or not. "Exploring the unknown in space and the atmosphere is at the heart of who we are at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, said in a statement. "Understanding the data we have surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena is critical to helping us draw scientific conclusions about what is happening in our skies. Data is the language of scientists and makes the unexplainable, explainable." Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie, right, and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray speak with a UAP on a screen, during a hearing of the House Intelligence, Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee hearing on "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Washington. The announcement of the study participants comes amid a renewed interest in UFOs. In June 2021, the office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence released a highly anticipated report examining unidentified aerial phenomena, but no "firm conclusions" could be drawn on more than 140 instances. Still, federal officials continue to monitor UAPs because they are viewed as a potential national security threat, according to Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana. The Department of Defense created the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization in November 2021 to track and analyze UFOs, and in May, Congress held its first public hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years. While UFOs are commonly associated with aliens, NASA doesn't think the phenomena are "extra-terrestrial in origin." But the agency says observations make it difficult to draw scientific conclusions. Fact check: Object in video is lost component of International Space Station, not a UFO What made South Dakota's sky green?: Reddit users say aliens, Stay-Puft and Marshmallow Man Story continues Nicole Mann: NASA astronaut becomes first Native American woman in space, hoping to inspire future generations Who will study UFOs for NASA? In this image released by NASA, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA is seen after returning to Ellington Field on March 3, 2016 in Houston, Texas after his return to Earth the previous day. The research group picked by NASA include astronomers, scientists, aviation officials, as well as a former astronaut, oceanographer and reporter. Here are the people that will be part of the study: David Spergel: Chair of the study, founding director of Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute for Computational Astrophysics. Anamaria Berea: Computational and data science associate professor at George Mason University. Federica Bianco: Physics and astrophysics professor at the University of Delaware, the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration and senior scientist at the Multi-city Urban Observatory. Paula Bontempi: Biological oceanographer and dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. Reggie Brothers: Operating partner at AE Industrial Partners and former undersecretary for Science and Technology at Department of Homeland Security. Jen Buss: CEO of the Potomac Institute of Policy Studies. Nadia Drake: Freelance science journalist and contributing writer at National Geographic. Mike Gold: Executive vice president of civil space and external affairs at aerospace manufacturer Redwire. David Grinspoon: Senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Scott Kelly: Former NASA astronaut, test pilot, fighter pilot and retired U.S. Navy captain. Matt Mountain: President of The Association of Universities for Research and Astronomy. Warren Randolph: Deputy executive director of the Federal Aviation Administrations Accident Investigation and Prevention for Aviation Safety department. Walter Scott: Executive vice president and chief technology officer of space technology company Maxar. Joshua Semeter: Professor of electrical and computer engineering, director of the Center for Space Physics at Boston University. Karlin Toner: Acting executive director of the FAAs Office of Aviation Policy and Plans. Shelley Wright: Associate professor of physics at the UC San Diegos Center for Astrophysics and Space Studies. The team's full report is expected to be released to the public in mid-2023. 'Pillars of Creation': James Webb telescope gives stunning new look at the birthplace of young stars What's everyone talking about?: Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA announces group that will study UFOs; report to come out in 2023 Netflix has decided to delay airing its documentary series featuring Meghan Markle and Prince Harry until next year after being inundated by complaints about its latest season of The Crown, Deadline has reported. The company had been considering airing the untitled documentary series produced by Netflix and Archewell Productions beginning in December, according to Deadline. But Netflix has been grappling with major complaints about its other royal series, The Crown; new episodes of the show are set to start airing in the U.S. early next month. Theyre rattled at Netflix, and they blinked first and decided to postpone the documentary, a source told Deadline. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may be relieved about the hang-up amid reports they were considering softening some content in the wake of Queen Elizabeth IIs death. The Crown attacks have been so vehement that Netflix on Friday added a disclaimer to the trailer for the series that its a fictional dramatization that has been inspired by real events. Former British Prime Minister John Major was one of the first to take issue earlier this month with the plot of the first episode in which Prince Charles (played by Dominic West) now King Charles secretly meets with Major (Jonny Lee Miller) in 1991. West complains in the episode about having to wait to become king, and hints that Major should press for the abdication of Queen Elizabeth II. Major complained that no such encounter occurred, and blasted the depiction as malicious fiction and a barrel-load of nonsense. British actress Judi Dench last week accused The Crown of being cruelly unjust and demanded a disclaimer calling it fiction, in a letter to the Times of London. The closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism, she wrote. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... The Lake County Coroners office will conduct a forensic autopsy Monday on a set of partial human remains found in Griffith Saturday morning. Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman Tyler Brock said in a release Saturday that at around 7 a.m. Oct. 23, a duck hunter found what appeared to be a bone protruding from a piece of clothing while searching for a downed duck in a marshy area at 1901 Cline Ave., north of River Road. Conservation Officers, as well as Griffith and Lake County Sheriffs officers, responded to the scene, Brock said. Advertisement The Lake County Sheriffs Department dive team, along with officers manning drones, assisted in the search over several hours, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said Saturday evening. Lake County Coroner David Pastrick said, in a press release, many skeletal remains were found during the search. Pastrick said that based on his experience and the condition of the remains, it appears the decedent passed away six months or longer, and a lot of time has passed since the occurrence. Martinez confirmed that human remains were found. Advertisement Pastrick said his office will contact on Monday a forensic odonatologist and forensic anthropologist to assist with their investigation. The Griffith Fire Department, DNR Dive Team, and Lake County CSI also assisted. The location where the remains were found is only 0.5 miles from the the spot where Dushawna Glover was last seen on May 16, 2020. Glovers disappearance resulted in an extensive search of the area near on River Road and the Little Calumet River two days later, involving the Lake County Sheriffs Aviation Unit, the Hammond Police Department drone unit, members of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources using a boat and all-terrain vehicle, and officers of the Canadian National Railroad. Griffith Police Chief Greg Mance acknowledged that the location of where the remains were found is close to where Glover was last seen but said the investigation into her death is open and ongoing. As previously recovered evidence showed Ms. Glover to have last been in the general area where skeletal remains were recovered yesterday, we are aware that yesterdays recovery of remains could be that of Ms Glovers, Mance said Sunday. We are optimistic that the coroners investigation will soon provide us with additional answers. Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Severodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, destroyed by the Russians, which is currently under occupation "As it became known from open sources, about 70% of the mobilized in the 488th motorized rifle regiment alone refused to fight after arriving at the front line," he said. Read also: About 65 mobilized Russians disappear a day after arriving on the front in Ukraine, intercept shows Hayday noted that some of the conscripts had managed to flee, and the rest were kept under guard at a factory in Kreminna. Russian commanders are trying to use psychological pressure to bring the newcomers back into the ranks and send them into an offensive. In addition, according to the official, in the north of Luhansk Oblast, Russians have increased the use of cutting power supplies to local residents, as a form of blackmail to force them to leave their homes. "Simultaneously, lists of people willing to move into someone else's home are being drawn up in Severodonetsk, Hayday stated. Read also: Thousands of newly-mobilized Russian conscripts in Belgorod complain about barbaric conditions The (Russian-controlled) administration offers apartments with all the amenities. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine STANISLAV POHORILOV SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 13:34 Three civilians were killed in Kurdiumivka in the Toretsk hromada [an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories - ed.] as a result of the shelling of Donetsk Oblast during the night. Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote from Kyrylenko: "Three people were killed as a result of the nighttime shelling of Kurdiumivka of Toretsk hromada." Details: Kyrylenko further stated that artillery shells have destroyed two houses. A married couple died under the rubble of one of them; another man died in a fire in the second house. Kyrylenko also called on residents of the oblast to evacuate. Background: Kyrylenko reported that the Russian occupiers killed two and injured nine residents of Donetsk Oblast over the course of the last 24 hours. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Oct. 23GRAND FORKS With the No. 1 team in town for the first time since 1990, the Alerus Center was buzzing Saturday as UND took a quick two-score lead. That hot start was a distant memory by the time No. 1 South Dakota State put the finishing touches on a 49-35 win over No. 20 UND in front of 11,067 fans. South Dakota State, which has beaten South Dakota, North Dakota State and UND in consecutive weeks, went on a 42-7 run to take a commanding lead early in the fourth quarter, sending a large portion of the home crowd to the exits. "The difference in the entire game was three turnovers, and we didn't force one," UND coach Bubba Schweigert said. "In the second half, we were in lots of third and longs. They're a good pass-rushing team, and we were down in the score, and they could really pin their ears back. We turned it over, gave up a big punt return, and you have to force field goals, and we couldn't do it." UND suffered its worst home loss in five years. UND hadn't surrendered 49 points in the Alerus Center since Sept. 23, 2017, against Montana State. The Fighting Hawks, who lost at home for just the second time since Halloween 2018, led 14-0 early before the Jackrabbits made their move. The SDSU comeback started defensively, where DyShawn Gales intercepted UND quarterback Tommy Schuster and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown. Schuster threw two interceptions in one game for the first time since doing so at Utah State early in 2021. "It was just a miscommunication the way they were blocking it up," said Schuster, who finished 27-for-39 for 291 yards. "It can't happen, but it was just a miscommunication." The Jackrabbits also sacked Schuster five times. UND led 21-14 at halftime but the Fighting Hawks missed opportunities to extend that lead before the break. On third-and-1 from the SDSU 25 with 9 seconds left in the second quarter, Schuster threw a deep ball up for grabs to Garett Maag and the ball was picked off. Story continues "We were up seven at half and should feel good about that, but the start of the third quarter wasn't good," Schweigert said. Momentum started to avalanche on UND in the third quarter. The Jackrabbits marched quickly on their opening possession, which ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Mark Gronowski to Jadon Janke to make it 21-21. Schuster was sacked twice on UND's next possession and the Jacks countered with a 60-yard punt return by Janke. Three plays later, Zach Heins caught a 2-yard touchdown pass to give the Jacks the lead for good. UND's comeback effort took a hit on the first play of the resulting drive when Isaiah Smith fumbled on the first play of the series. Two plays after the Smith fumble, Gronowski punched in a 1-yard run to give the Jacks a 14-point lead. "We saw a bunch of stats about them at home," Janke said. "We came here two years ago and got our butts kicked. We didn't want that to happen again." UND's defense gave up just 308 yards of total offense but surrendered 49 points thanks to some short fields created by turnovers and special teams. Gronowski finished with 197 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Amar Johnson led the SDSU rushing attack with 71 yards on 14 carries. Neither team was able to muster much on the ground, as SDSU finished with a 95 to 74 advantage in rushing yards. UND's leading rusher was Tyler Hoosman, who had 44 yards on 15 carries. UND hosts Abilene Christian on Saturday at the Alerus Center. Even if it's not a huge purchase, we think it was good to see that Robert Martin, the Non-Executive Director of Bulletin Resources Limited (ASX:BNR) recently shelled out AU$70k to buy stock, at AU$0.14 per share. Nevertheless, it only increased their shareholding by a minuscule percentage, and it wasn't a massive purchase by absolute value, either. See our latest analysis for Bulletin Resources The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Bulletin Resources In fact, the recent purchase by Non-Executive Director Robert Martin was not their only acquisition of Bulletin Resources shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid AU$0.16 per share in a AU$107k purchase. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of AU$0.13. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Robert Martin. Robert Martin bought a total of 1.17m shares over the year at an average price of AU$0.15. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! Bulletin Resources is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Insider Ownership Of Bulletin Resources For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Bulletin Resources insiders own about AU$12m worth of shares. That equates to 32% 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. Story continues So What Do The Bulletin Resources Insider Transactions Indicate? The recent insider purchase is heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. Insiders likely see value in Bulletin Resources shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To help with this, we've discovered 6 warning signs (3 can't be ignored!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Bulletin Resources. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here IRYNA BALACHUK SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 16:25 Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that it is not enough to call on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). Instead, weapons and sanctions are needed because Russia only understands the language of power. Source: Andrii Yermak on Telegram Quote from Yermak: "G7 called on Russia to immediately restore Ukraines full control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and to withdraw its personnel and forces from the plant. This is important, but the cavemen only get the language of power." Details: The head of the Office of the President said that this war has proven that Russian forces retreat under the pressure from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and that the Russian economy is crumbling as a result of systemic sanctions. Yermak underscored that "more determination" is needed to jointly "finish off the enemy" because "nothing else" is an effective response to terrorists. Background: The G7 countries have earlier condemned Russia for abducting the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and called on it to immediately return the plant under Ukraines complete control. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ohio Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan speaks at the Tri-County Labor Council Community Awards Dinner in Fairlawn, Ohio, on October 21, 2022. AP Photo/Phil Long Rep. Tim Ryan said he'd "probably" be a "royal pain in the ass" if elected to the Senate next month. Ryan made the comment during an interview with Politico, where he remarked on his tight Senate race. The lawmaker also told Politico that he was unsure if he'd back Chuck Schumer as Democratic leader. Ohio Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan says he would "probably" be a "royal pain in the ass" for Democratic leadership if he were to be elected to the upper chamber next month, according to Politico. Ryan, a ten-term congressman who's been locked in a tight Senate contest with Republican nominee JD Vance for months, told Politico that he wouldn't be "beholden" to any one individual. Ryan also said he was unsure if he'd want Sen. Chuck Schumer to continue leading the caucus, and suggested that his stance might explain why national Democrats have not stepped in and aided his campaign with a significant financial investment. "I will get to the Senate and be beholden to absolutely nobody, right? And I will be, probably, a royal pain in the ass when I get there. And that may be a reason why we're not getting help," he told the publication. When the congressman was asked if he'd back Schumer, the powerful New York lawmaker who currently serves as majority leader in the 50-50 Senate, he responded: "I don't know if I'm going to vote for Chuck Schumer." Schumer is able to control the Senate floor by virtue of 48 Democrats, Independent Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, and the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris. Since January 2021, Democrats have had to remain unified in order to pass big-ticket items like the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act, utilizing the budget reconciliation process to skirt the 60-vote legislative filibuster in the face of unified GOP opposition. However, Democrats over the past year hit significant stumbling blocks with moderate Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who have secured major concessions in order for Biden's agenda to pass. Story continues In Manchin's case, his opposition to the social spending-driven Build Back Better Act effectively scuttled the bill last December. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Ryan hopes to replace outgoing two-term Republican Sen. Rob Portman, a conservative lawmaker who played a key role in crafting the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was championed by President Joe Biden and signed into law last November. As Ryan has campaigned across Ohio, he has spoken out against some of his party's leaders, including President Joe Biden. When Ryan was asked during a debate earlier this month if Biden should seek reelection in 2024, he threw cold water on the idea. "No, I've been very clear. I'd like to see a generational change," the congressman said at the time. "Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, the president, everybody. We need a new generation of leadership," he added. Biden has not yet formally announced his intentions for 2024, but according to recent reports, he is planning to run again. While Ryan has not been keen on stumping on the campaign trail with Biden, the lawmaker did make a public appearance with Manchin last week after the West Virginian attended a forum concerning contamination from a former uranium enrichment plant in southern Ohio. Manchin wasn't in Ohio for an official campaign visit, but he still touted Ryan's candidacy while speaking with the press after the forum, according to Bloomberg. "If you want to basically make the Senate work, we don't need anybody from the extremes," Manchin said. "That's what I'm asking the people in Ohio: Give us somebody that'll work in the middle, that's not afraid to say, 'Hey, the Republicans are right on that issue.'" Read the original article on Business Insider The ongoing scandal in Los Angeles involving four prominent Latino officials caught trafficking in racial insults while conspiring about redistricting immediately brought to mind my father, Larry Aubry. He died in May 2020, a census year that occasioned the redistricting and a week before George Floyds murder set the country on a course of racial reckoning that is still under way. My father was a consultant for L.A. Countys Human Relations Commission, and he spent most of his professional life and all of his retirement working to build meaningful coalitions between Black people and everybody else white, Asian and of course Latino. This is what the job was. But my father took it more seriously than anybody else in town, a dedication that was noteworthy, particularly because he was Afrocentric, rooted in civil rights and the Black freedom movement of the 60s. And he was deeply committed to building bridges from that position, not from some racially neutral stance that some people might assume is required for coalition-building. In other words, my father was a humanist but not assimilationist. He expected those he worked with to be the same advocates for their own group but aware of the fundamental importance of coming together to achieve things for the good for everyone, like racial justice. Especially racial justice. This is where the four self-appointed power brokers three elected officials and the countys top labor leader fell horribly short. I have heard other Black people say they werent surprised by the sentiments expressed in the audio; former city councilmember Bernie Parks said that the muscling has been going on forever, it just happened to be caught on tape. Another city hall veteran and member of the 2020 redistricting commission who never wants to be named because of sensitive political relationships has been talking to me about the Latino land grab for years. But I cant help feeling let down. I believed in what my father was doing and assumed many of the people he worked with did, too. I counted among those people Gil Cedillo, the city councilmember who is one of the disgraced four and who, thus far, has rebuffed calls for his resignation. After my fathers death, Cedillo stood up in council chambers and memorialized him in remarks that were impassioned and poignant, a heartfelt tribute to my fathers integrity and unshakeable belief in justice for all which, he said, had guided Cedillos own career. What would my father have said about whats going on now? Story continues I know what he would say: He would have been disappointed but also not surprised. My father was an idealist but hardly naive. He talked to me many times about how sincere, right-thinking people, true believers in social justice, ultimately succumbed to the status quo, either because they lacked courage to challenge it or because they sided with the status quo more than they sided with justice. He witnessed the shift happen most frequently with politicians who had gone into the business with ideals but wound up compromising them away. Or after going into politics their true natures emerged the urge for power, or the need to stoke ego and ideals took a back seat. The temptations were more immediate for Black and brown electeds who had historically been kept from positions of power, and once ensconced were more likely to see those positions as an end, not a means to an end. Latinos were kind of a special case a group for whom power became a fait accompli years ago because of sheer numbers. But unlike whites or Asians, Latinos lived next door to Black people in South Central. They have been our neighbors over decades, sharing schools and stores and many of the oppressive conditions built into the history of a place that had been home to so many people of color. But Latinos were also a threat to Black peoples hard-won sense of home. As a consultant, my fathers focus was education, and one thing he did was try to make common cause with Latino parents who were not necessarily vested in racial justice as a primary goal of public schools, as Black people were. More practically, Latinos and Black students had different needs around language, learning and culture, needs that were not being equally met as Latinos became the overwhelming majority in the citys school district. While L.A. officials were good at public relations-minded talk about coalitions and togetherness, they were reluctant to talk about racial differences and power differences that were becoming clearer. My father strove to put the two together, the togetherness and the tensions, to forge a new kind of progress. He was involved in many multiethnic efforts in the '80s and '90s, including the Black Latino Roundtable, and after the civil unrest in 1992 that put South Central in the national spotlight, the MultiCultural Collaborative. None of these efforts lasted. Reasons why are complicated, but my father always said that the buy-in what Latinos and Blacks agreed they wanted from each other just wasnt explicit enough, or compelling enough for anyone stay at the table. And so, despite the collaboration that happened in the City Council, such as Black and brown members voting for fair wages and other policies, out in the real world was a reality in which Blacks were losing ground and Latinos were becoming a force that was increasingly self-contained and increasingly impervious to Black concerns. The real scandal of the City Council expose is that it shattered the notion that Black and brown are more aligned than not, that we can always overcome politics as usual because of our proximity to each other and because we share a certain worldview. But Black folks, including my father, knew better. While there were always Latino allies committed to racial justice they saw as essential to both groups, the status quo of Latino power, thanks to its ever-growing numbers, loomed larger and larger and became harder, and riskier, to challenge. At the heart of the scandal was how easily the four either degraded Black people or failed to oppose the degrading. (Not to mention the degrading of dark-skinned indigenous Mexicans, Jewish people and gay people) The lengthy, freewheeling conversation confirmed that attaining power almost always involves racism and exclusion, in L.A. and everywhere else in the country. Its the price of doing business. I can say with confidence that my father never denigrated or belittled anyone, not even in private. Though he had plenty of criticism of peoples actions, or lack of action, he remained to the end a staunch humanist. At a critical moment, those four did not. The best outcome of L.A.s latest civic crisis would be that a new status quo comes to power, one that truly puts everybody in the room. Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX:TAH) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example! We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you. View our latest analysis for Tabcorp Holdings Is Tabcorp Holdings Fairly Valued? We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. 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, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$38.1m AU$198.6m AU$181.6m AU$174.0m AU$170.0m AU$168.4m AU$168.2m AU$169.1m AU$170.6m AU$172.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x3 Analyst x4 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -0.94% Est @ -0.1% Est @ 0.49% Est @ 0.91% Est @ 1.2% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 6.8% AU$35.7 AU$174 AU$149 AU$134 AU$123 AU$114 AU$106 AU$100 AU$94.6 AU$89.7 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$1.1b Story continues 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. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.9%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.8%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032 (1 + g) (r g) = AU$173m (1 + 1.9%) (6.8% 1.9%) = AU$3.6b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$3.6b ( 1 + 6.8%)10= AU$1.9b The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$3.0b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of AU$1.0, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 29% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. dcf The Assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own 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 Tabcorp Holdings 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 6.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.047. 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 is only one of many factors that you need to assess 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. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Tabcorp Holdings, we've put together three further factors you should consider: Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Tabcorp Holdings you should know about. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for TAH's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. 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 Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made veiled comparisons on Sunday between the Soviet troops that attacked Hungary during the 1956 revolution and the institutions of the European Union today. Marking the 66th anniversary of that crushed uprising, Orban suggested that the EU, which has sought to rein in democratic backsliding in Hungary, would end up like the Soviet Union, which dissolved more than three decades ago. Lets not bother with those who shoot at Hungary from the shadows or from the heights of Brussels. They will end up where their predecessors did," Orban said in a speech to a select group of guests in the rural city of Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary, breaking with a tradition of giving a speech in Budapest on the anniversary. His absence from the capital on one of Hungarys most important national holidays comes as his government faces growing pressure from a sustained wave of protests by Hungarian teachers and students. The educators demand higher wages and better working conditions. Another protest was planned on Sunday in Budapest. Orban, who characterizes his form of government as an illiberal democracy, is also facing the threat of cuts to EU funding over his democratic record and perceived corruption. Seeking to salvage some funding, the Hungarian parliament recently passed new anti-graft legislation. But the country still risks losing billions of euros in funding as punishment over perceived breach of democratic practices something that has caused the currency and economy to weaken recently. We were here when the first conquering empire attacked us, and well be here when the last one collapses, Orban declared on Sunday. We will bear it when we must, and we will push back when we can. We draw swords when there is a chance, and we resist when long years of oppression come. We are victorious even when we are defeated, Orban said. The Oct. 23 national holiday commemorates the beginning of a 1956 popular uprising against Soviet repression that began in Budapest and spread across the country. Story continues After Hungarys Stalinist leader was successfully ousted and Soviet troops were forced out of the capital, a directive from Moscow sent the Red Army back into Budapest and brutally suppressed the revolution, killing as many as 3,000 civilians and destroying much of the city. The holiday, which looms large in Hungarys historical memory as a freedom fight against Russian repression, comes as war rages in neighboring Ukraine where Moscow has occupied large swaths of the country and illegally annexed four regions. Orban, widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in the EU, has vigorously lobbied against the bloc imposing sanctions on Moscow, though the nationalist leader has ultimately voted for all sanctions packages. Alone among its neighbors in Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons or to allow their transfer across its borders. However, Orban has declared that Moscows invasion is clear aggression, and that his government supports Ukraines right to territorial integrity. TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) A Palestinian militant group accused Israel on Sunday of killing one of its top fighters in a targeted attack deep inside a West Bank city, promising to unleash a fierce response. The Den of Lions, a group of young Palestinians that was formed out of frustration and disillusionment with the Palestinian leadership and its tight security ties with Israel, said Tamer al-Kilani was killed when an explosive device planted on a motorcycle exploded as he walked by. The Israeli military declined to comment. The military has been conducting nightly raids in the occupied West Bank since the spring in what it says is a bid to dismantle militant networks and thwart attacks. The raids have ratcheted up tensions in the area and have been met by a series of Palestinian shooting attacks. An Israeli military official said al-Kilani was connected to a deadly shooting attack last week that killed an Israeli soldier, as well as several other shooting attacks in the northern West Bank. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details with the media. Two videos provided by Den of Lions showed a person on a motorcycle parking and exiting the frame. The second video showed a man, seemingly al-Kilani, walking by a motorcycle and then what appears to be a blast. Sunday's killing happened in Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank where, along with the militant stronghold Jenin, the Palestinian Authority has less of a foothold. Israel accuses the Palestinians, with which it coordinates to clamp down on militants, of being unwilling to rein in lawlessness in the area. The Palestinian Authority, created under interim peace agreements in the 1990s, rules parts of the West Bank semi-autonomously. Many Palestinians oppose the security coordination, viewing it as a sign of the PA's weakness and as a betrayal of the Palestinian people. Widely disenchanted with the PA, which is widely seen as undemocratic and corrupt, young Palestinians are flocking to an array of militant groups to seek weapons. Story continues Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said Den of Lions has no more than 30 members and has promised that their days are numbered. But shooting attacks in the area have been on the rise and in recent weeks have turned deadly. The military raids in the West Bank began in the spring after a spate of Palestinian attacks against Israelis killed 19 people, while more recent attacks have killed several more. More than 120 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, making this year the deadliest since 2015. The Israeli army says most of the Palestinians killed during the raids have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state. Former Merrillville schools superintendent Tony Lux asks a question to state Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, during the second of a number of town hall meetings across the state, (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune) This Is a Human Rights Issue. At a recent Lake Central School Board meeting, a new policy was introduced, similar to others in primarily suburban communities, that states Lake Central will only permit classroom displays and decorations that are neutral politically or religiously. The effect of this policy is to ban the hanging of posters or flags related to Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ in classrooms. Advertisement This policy is the result of school systems feeling pushed into a corner due to Attorney General Todd Rokitas legal opinion that identifies Black Lives Matter a.k.a. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, exclusively as a political organization. Rokita implies that the simple phrase of black lives matter is now political. First, an Attorney Generals Legal Opinion is just that, an opinion, not a law, and certainly not an official interpretation of the Constitution. Rokitas reference of The Hatch Act is misplaced in that it actually applies to protecting federal workers from being coerced into supporting political candidates. Advertisement Second, for students and teachers, as per the Supreme Court ruling in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, they do not shed their rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate, especially on the premise that it might disrupt the learning environment. Certainly, simply having a parent, or a few parents, object to such free speech expressions by students and staff does not automatically constitute a disruption to the learning environment in individual classrooms. Third, as a caveat, School Board policies can establish limits as to what teachers can present as personal views to students as a captured audience, especially where it may not apply to their subject matter. Students, on the other hand, are completely protected as long as speech is not hate, vulgarity, sexually explicit or drugs. Fourth, the core issue here, however, is that public schools serve ALL students, regardless of religion, culture, race, sexual orientation, ability, or handicap. Further, it is also the responsibility of a public school to create a safe, equitable and supportive environment for ALL students. Further still, when students are part of a group where there is a history of discrimination and marginalization in society, they need to know clearly and publicly that they are protected and safe from such negative treatment in their school. Finally, Todd Rokitas opinion is itself a thinly disguised political opinion based on a political platform that diminishes the realities of discrimination against people of color and lays groundwork to label LGBTQ+ as political as well. Banning visible support for minority and LGBTQ+ students within schools is to create an environment that in effect makes them and their experiences invisible to the consciousness of society. Schools must find solutions to live up to their responsibilities to foster inclusiveness and understanding and not be intimidated by the political agendas of politicians. Tony Lux is a the retired Superintendent of Merrillville Community Schools. Members of Palestinian Masafer Yatta communities living in caves and makeshift buildings determined to remain in their land despite the Israeli court's decision allowing the forced eviction, south of Hebron in West Bank on May 7, 2022. Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Palestinians are resisting Israel's Supreme Court order that they be removed from their homeland. The people of Masafer Yatta are relying on their history of living in caves to resist eviction. The United Nations says the forcible removal of the Palestinians could be a war crime. In an effort to resist their forced eviction by Israeli authorities which the United Nations has said may be a war crime some Palestinians are living in caves to remain in their homeland. "We have no home to live in and no tent we have no option but to live in the cave," The New York Times reported Wadha Ayoub Abu Sabha, 65, a resident of the village of Khirbet al-Fakheit, said. "The beginning of my life was in the cave, and the end of my life will be in the cave." The semi-nomadic people of the Masafer Yatta region have, for generations, lived in small homes and caves along the hillside as they migrated livestock across the area. The desert region, located at the southern tip of the occupied West Bank, is home to 33 villages where some residents, now facing the destruction of their homes by Israeli forces, have moved their families into the old caves to resist being displaced. The caves are dusty and hot, The Guardian reported, with stone walls and improvised lighting attached to generators. Though their ancestors once used the caves willingly, residents now feel stuck, facing full Israeli control and the demolition of their existing homes. "In these days we are jailed in our caves, we cannot move," Indian news outlet EastMojo reported Hajja Halima Abu Younis, an 82-year-old woman from the Jinba village, said. "We are afraid the Israeli army will kill someone while they are conducting military training. The army trains tanks around our village. The sound of the bombs and shots scare the children and the flocks of animals. My son Issa cannot graze his 150 sheep during the military training. How can a shepherd be a shepherd if he cannot graze his sheep?" Story continues In May, Israel's Supreme Court approved the removal of the people of the Masafer Yatta villages, home to approximately 1,200 residents, in order to allow the country's Army to use the land for a live-fire military training ground. The landmark decision was one of the largest removal rulings made by the court since Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories began in 1967. "About 1,200 people, including 580 children, are now at imminent risk of forced eviction and displacement," read a United Nations statement released shortly after the decision. "They stand to lose their homes, belongings, access to water, livelihoods, primary health facilities and schools. This could amount to forcible transfer, a grave breach of international humanitarian law and, thus a war crime." Read the original article on Business Insider The Philadelphia Phillies recently went viral for their taste in music. After clinching an unexpected playoff run, the players celebrated in the locker room with popped champagne and a rallying cry. Their song of choice? "Dancing on My Own." The Phillies all BELTING out Robyn's Dancing On My Own is killing us pic.twitter.com/CObR5RigAj NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 9, 2022 How did 'Dancing on My Own' became the Phillies song? Theres no deeper meaning or backstory to it, other than its an absolute banger and we love singing it in the locker room, Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs who accidentally became the team's DJ told MLB.com. After a win, we play Dancing on My Own, Cold Heart and a couple other ones. Weve been playing those songs since the beginning of the season. They come on in order after wins, so everyone knows what songs are going to play and everyone knows the words to those songs. Important to note: The Boston Red Sox first went viral for celebrating a win to the song in 2021, paving the way for the song to be seen as an acceptable victory anthem. Stubbs added: I hope when we win a few games here in the NLDS, well have Philly playing Dancing on My Own and Cold Heart around the bars. Days later, the City of Brotherly Love seemed to officially pick the tune as the team's playoff anthem as they continue to charge on towards the World Series, playing it during games and even in public spaces in the city to get residents pumped up. However, the city picked Calum Scott's acoustic version that was later remixed by Tiesto, not the original by Swedish pop superstar Robyn. The internet quickly internet'd and responded with, "Say what now?" Here, we look back on the song's storied history and what fans are saying about it. Story continues Who originally sang 'Dancing on My Own'? "Dancing On My Own" appeared as the lead single to Robyn's 2010 album "Body Talk." Critics praised the song for being so heartbreakingly bittersweet, perfectly encapsulating the melancholy loneliness and exciting freedom of being alone in the corner of a nightclub. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked Robyn's original version of the song as the 20th greatest song of all time. Sandwiched between Billie Holidays Strange Fruit and John Lennons Imagine," "Dancing on My Own" is that decades highest entry on the list. "Written with Stockholm producer Patrik Berger, the song made Robyn an iconic cult hero," Rolling Stone wrote. "But it also became the template for a whole generation of young songwriters, from Taylor Swift to Lorde, looking for the ideal glitter-and-sobs cocktail. 'This song, to me, is perfect,' Lorde wrote. 'Joyous even when a heart is breaking.'" Over the years, the song has been covered by numerous artists, but it was Scott who gained worldwide recognition for his haunting acoustic rendition. He performed the stripped-down version of the song on his YouTube channel, later belting it as his audition for "Britains Got Talent" in April 2015. Lovebox 2011 - Day 3 (Gus Stewart / Redferns) Racking hundreds of millions of views, his version quickly became many people's introduction to the tune and their only understanding of it. In 2016, it was remixed by Tiesto, bringing the song back to the club roots the song was initially intended for. Now, that version has found itself at the center of the Phillies' postseason, but many Philadelphia residents and music historians are speaking up that the original should be the one getting the spotlight. After local newsroom Billy Penn shared an email explicitly saying the cover would be played by a real estate company to celebrate the Phillies' success, Twitter clamored back. INBOX: "Dancing on My Own" will play on loudspeakers in Rittenhouse Square at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. daily #RingTheBell #RedOctober pic.twitter.com/7XuT5aglny Billy Penn (@billy_penn) October 19, 2022 One person tweeted, "This is Robyn erasure dammit." This is Robyn erasure dammit Matt Amis (@ReluctantViking) October 19, 2022 Another fan added, "Please. Stop with Calum. Its a @robynkonichiwa song and her version bangs and is much better. Calum is soft on purpose, the boys need to go harder. At least give her credit. I cringe when you say Calums song.....ugh." Please. Stop with Calum. It's a @robynkonichiwa song and her version bangs and is much better. Calum is soft on purpose, the boys need to go harder. At least give her credit. I cringe when you say Calum's song.....ugh Eddie Miller (@PhillyEddie) October 20, 2022 "Can we agree theres only one version of Dancing on My Own and its Robyn," one person wrote. Can we agree theres only one version of Dancing on My Own and its Robyn. Tyler Dugan (@tyduganler) October 18, 2022 Another had this hope for the future: "If and when the Phillies make it to the World Series could we please switch to the Robyn version of Dancing on my Own?" While Robyn has yet to address the controversy, she likely doesn't care considering she's still making royalties off the beloved track wherever and however it gets played. But many people have gushed around the fact that "Dancing on My Own" which initially had a huge queer following and is considered by many to be an LGBTQ anthem has found its way into the locker rooms of one of America's most popular sports. The #Phillies celebration song being Dancing On My Own by Robyn is incredible. You have 40 year old straight dudes driving around the city blasting a Swedish gay disco club anthem and I'm obsessed Magz (@DaydreamingMagz) October 18, 2022 "The #Phillies celebration song being Dancing On My Own by Robyn is incredible," one person tweeted. "You have 40 year old straight dudes driving around the city blasting a Swedish gay disco club anthem and Im obsessed." This article was originally published on TODAY.com On Friday, a federal appeals court put President Joe Bidens plan on pause to dismiss up to $10,000 in student loan debt for eligible applicants or up to $20,000 for Pell grant recipients. The court is considering a legal challenge from six Republican-led states. On the eve of when student loan debt was supposed to start dwindling, Channel 11 went to Oakland to hear the reactions. Some people still hope that their debt will be canceled, but others we spoke to said they hope the courts decision sticks. It kind of seemed like it was too good to be true, said Elizabeth Ronolder, a student at the University of Pittsburgh. Im kind of upset about it, but also it wasnt that big of a shock. A lot of people have student loans that they have a hard time paying off later, especially if they have a job that doesnt pay a ton, said Joan Lee, a student at Carnegie Mellon University. I know that was the reason a lot of people I know voted for [Biden] in the first place too. But not everyone thought the plan was a good idea in the first place. We just dont have the money to be giving out, said Daniel McCall, who works in Oakland. How are we going to pay back that money? If we forgive them, arent they just going to end up paying it back in taxes later in the future? Its gotta come out of somewhere. Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina requested a preliminary injunction, saying the president didnt have the legal authority to wipe out the debt. More than 20 million applications are now in a holding pattern, but the White House is still encouraging people to apply for relief at studentaid.gov. The Biden administration has until Monday to respond, with the Republican party set to issue a response by Tuesday. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Multiple units in apartment building on Pittsburghs South Side suspected to have bed bugs Police investigating fatal shooting in Penn Hills; victim identified Tom Hanks Pittsburgh movie trailer drops VIDEO: Weapon found on student inside Canon-McMillan High School DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Twenty-seven years ago, I asked Michiganders to join me in one very important effort. Today, in 2022, Im asking again. It was 1995 and, as the state health department director at the time, we were launching the first campaign of its kind to educate families about the proven, scientific safety of the medical miracle that is vaccines. The "Immunize Your Little Michigander" campaign featured Michigans own First Lady Michelle Engler, along with someone very near and dear to my heart my oldest grandson, Nick. He joined the Engler triplets in an appeal to Michigan families to vaccinate their youngest and most vulnerable family members. The campaign worked. After Immunize Your Little Michigander hit the airwaves, Michigans childhood vaccination rates nearly doubled. In 1996, 46.7% of children were vaccinated. By 2000, that number had soared to 70.9%. As of March 2020, we were at 73.8%. Beyond expanding immunization coverage, the vaccines themselves saved lives. The little ones featured in that campaign 27 years ago are now healthy adults and successful, productive members of our communities my grandson included. Rates of communicable diseases plummeted as vaccination coverage remained high, and babies from just two decades ago enjoyed a healthy and safe upbringing. Post-COVID-19, I fear that todays children do not have that same protection. As parents kept children home to stay safe during the pandemic, vaccination rates dropped. Our rates are now 66.7% as of June 2022. Unless we start to get our children caught up, diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, measles, mumps and more have a better likelihood of circulating in our schools and communities than they did just a short three years ago. As a former director of our state health department this frustrates me. But as a parent and grandparent, it breaks my heart. I have many points of pride to look back on throughout my life: marrying the love of my life, building a beautiful family together, leading our states health department. But it all pales in comparison to the joy of being a grandparent of knowing that my legacy will live on in stronger and better ways as my grandchildren face the future with the benefit of the lessons Ive learned along the way, and the innovation and ingenuity new generations bring. Story continues We all have a role to play in raising the next generation. Whether youre a parent, grandparent, doctor, educator, neighbor or family friend, your actions and the example you set have a ripple effect on the lives of our most vulnerable: our children the future leaders of our world. The minimum benefit of vaccinating our children is fewer outbreaks in schools. The maximum is community-wide protection from very real diseases that once stole the lives of tens of thousands every year. Diseases like polio, which in 1952 infected nearly 60,000 children, of which more than 3,000 died. As a child of the 1940s, I saw these deaths so I know firsthand just how devastating these diseases can be. And conversely, how miraculous vaccines truly are. My ask, once again, is grounded in science. Vaccines work. They provide a shield of protection that previous generations only dreamed of. We must refocus now on facts and truths. I implore our all Michiganders to align with reason and facts. Vaccinate your family to protect against all these diseases, including COVID-19 and the flu. Lives literally depend on it. To my neighbors in Ottawa and Allegan counties, and to the thousands of other Michigan families across the state, hear me when I say: We do not want these diseases to return. Vaccines are the sole reason children today are protected from these diseases and our best chance they wont have to face them in their future. James K. Haveman is former director of the Michigan Department of Community Health. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: Please, immunize your little Michiganders Watch: London road cordoned off after stabbings leave one dead and one injured Police have launched a murder probe after a woman in her 50s was stabbed to death at a home in east London and another woman was also left with stab wounds. The Met Police said officers were called to a residential address in Windmill Lane in Newham at 3.35am on Sunday morning (23 October). There they found two women who had been stabbed. Despite the efforts of them and paramedics, one of the women, in her 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene, the force said. A second woman, in her 30s, was taken to hospital after also suffering stab wounds but her condition isn't believed to be life threatening. The family of the woman who died have been informed, the Met said, and are being supported by specialist officers. A post-mortem examination is due to take place. Police have launched a murder investigation and said urgent enquiries are ongoing to trace a man who is believed to have been known to both women. The incident happened on Windmill Lane in Newham, London. (Google Maps) Read more: Huw Edwards pays tribute to victims of Aberfan tragedy which killed 116 children Chief Inspector Lisa Parker, from the Met Police, said: "My thoughts and sympathies are with both of these women as well as their friends and family. "I know that people in Newham and in particular those in the Stratford area will be shocked and concerned by this tragic incident. "I share their concern, and can assure them that specialist detectives are working at pace to identify and arrest whoever was responsible. "Local officers will be patrolling the area, and I urge anyone with information or concerns to speak with those officers. They are there to protect and support you." Anyone with any information or who witnessed the attacks is asked to call 101, reference 1224/23oct, or Crimestoppers anonymously. China will open its door wider to the rest of the world, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said Sunday. "We'll be steadfast in deepening reform and opening up across the board, and in pursuing high-quality development," Xi said when meeting the press at the Great Hall of the People, noting that a prosperous China will create many more opportunities for the world. Just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development, Xi said. Through over 40 years of relentless reform and opening up, China has created the twin miracles of fast economic growth and long-term social stability, he said. The Chinese economy has great resilience and potential, Xi said. "Its strong fundamentals will not change, and it will remain on the positive trajectory over the long run." A welfare check turned into a SWAT standoff and eventually a homicide on Saturday night, Atlanta police said. Officers arrived to a home on North Avenue in northwest Atlanta in reference to a welfare check. Authorities said a man, later identified as 70-year-old Curtis Lilly, was barricaded inside the home with a woman. Atlanta PDs SWAT team and hostage negotiators responded to the scene in an effort to get Lilly to leave the home, but he refused. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] SWAT eventually forced entry into the home and was able to take Lilly into custody. However, it was learned that the woman died from apparent stab wounds, according to police. Lilly is currently being held in the Fulton County Jail on murder charges. The womans identity has not been released. TRENDING STORIES: The investigation is ongoing. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Welcome to The Interchange! If you received this in your inbox, thank you for signing up and your vote of confidence. If youre reading this as a post on our site, sign up here so you can receive it directly in the future. Every week, Ill take a look at the hottest fintech news of the previous week. This will include everything from funding rounds to trends to an analysis of a particular space to hot takes on a particular company or phenomenon. Theres a lot of fintech news out there and its my job to stay on top of it and make sense of it so you can stay in the know. Mary Ann Hellooo! I am writing this newsletter on the plane back to my home in Austin after being at Disrupt in San Francisco this week. It was my first IRL Disrupt, and even though I am on the team and was aware of all the planning and preparation behind the scenes, I was still blown away by how incredibly professional and well done it was. We had about 10,000 attendees, tons of great panels and speakers, engaged audiences and the super exciting Battlefield competition, among other things. But I am tired, so be warned this newsletter may be a bit abbreviated. :) I had the honor of kicking off the entire show recording the Equity podcast LIVE with Alex Wilhelm and Natasha Mascarenhas, where we shared some interesting new news about Domm Holland, co-founder of the now-defunct, one-click checkout startup Fast. We had an absolute blast recording in person instead of looking at each other on Zoom. Thanks to all who attended so early that morning! Then on Wednesday, I moderated a panel titled "How to compete without losing your mind and runway." Ramp CEO Eric Glyman and Airbase founder Thejo Kote were good sports and joined the amazing Ruth Foxe Blader of Anthemis to talk about what it's like competing in this current environment. Despite being competitors in the spend management space, Eric and Thejo kept it chill and no fights broke out onstage. Meanwhile, Ruth shared some insight from the investor side. I'll have a story with more details about what they discussed that will publish sometime in the next couple of weeks. Story continues Also on Wednesday, I moderated a fireside chat with Brex co-CEO and co-founder Henrique Dubugras and YC continuity managing director (and early Brex investor) Anu Hariharan. It was standing room only and Dubugras spoke candidly on a number of topics such as just how much the company spent on that billboard campaign, what really led to its decision to stop working with SMBs and the lessons learned after that decision caused a bit of an uproar in the startup community. He also revealed some new customers for the company's Empower software product: Coinbase, SeatGeek, SuperHuman, ScaleAi and Medical Genomics. Again, I'll be writing up a story with more details about what we discussed that will publish sometime in the next couple of weeks. And finally, on Thursday, I interviewed Rippling CEO and co-founder Parker Conrad. He discussed what he describes as "the biggest launch" of his career -- the company's new global payroll product, which he is not shy about saying will directly compete with the likes of Deel. You can read more about that here. He also discussed some takeaways from his experience at Zenefits, saying that he was taking compliance "very seriously" at his new company. Rippling's move into the payroll space comes about one month after it announced an expansion into spend management, which puts it in direct competition with the likes of Brex, Ramp, Airbase, TripActions and many others in the space. Image Credits: TechCrunch Weekly News As the Fintech Fund's Nik Milanovic (who also spoke at Disrupt about community) noted in this tweet, "The @plaid team has been busy in the last week: Faster digital onboarding More fraud controls Privacy Controls suite Crypto wallet onboard Meanwhile, payments infrastructure provider Finix revealed another way it's going head-to-head with Stripe. In a blog post, the startup said: "Finix is further expanding its In-Person Payment offerings, rolling out more software development kits and APIs to pair with a suite of point-of-sale payment terminals from multiple manufacturers. The best part? Only a single integration is required." As reported by TC's Catherine Shu: Cross-border payments startup Thunes is partnering with Visa in a move that will add more than 1.5 billion new endpoints to Visa Directs digital payments network. This enables many more consumers and small businesses to send funds to markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where digital wallets are often the default payment methods. Fellow fintech enthusiast and newsletter writer Marcel van Oost is launching a new fintech community. You can learn more here. Finally, Cardless and Simon Launch Premium Retail Credit Card on American Express Network. Fundings and M&A Landis grabs $40M to turn renters into homeowners Enable lands $94M to help B2B companies manage their rebate programs Achieve aims to fuel digital personal finance transformation with new $225M in fully committed debt capital Bookkeep raises $6.6M in seed funding Mexican buy now, pay later app Nelo lands $100M credit line Capital on Tap Gets $110M Credit Facility to Build Central Finance Hub Well, I had a wonderful time at Disrupt meeting my wonderful colleagues (we genuinely respect and like each other!) and so many of you. Already looking forward to next year. Oh, and a heads-up that I'll be out all of next week, taking a much needed break, so you won't be getting the Interchange in your inbox on October 30. But I'll be back the following week! That's it for this week. See you again in two weeks! Until then, take good care. xoxoxo, Mary Ann Yevgeny Prigozhin According to the assessment, Prigozhin and Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels claimed that Russian officials had paused the extension of the fortifications that should have been run to Russias Belgorod Oblast, on the border with Ukraine near Kharkiv. Read also: Russias Wagner mercenary company trying to humiliate Russian Defense Ministry ISW Prigozhin accused the Russian bureaucracy which he characterized as bureaucrat-enemiesof directly opposing the interests of the population and not protecting the Russian population by supporting the construction of the line, the message reads. ISW analysts speculated that Prigozhin might be attempting to amplify the demands of the Russian nationalist community, who repeatedly accused the Kremlin of failing to defend the border in Belgorod Oblast. Read also: Russian mercenary company Wagner Group is ascendant, military experts says These fortifications would be intended to protect the border between Russia's Belgorod Oblast and Ukraines Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts, but notably would not cover northern Luhansk Oblast up to the line of contact with the occupied territories, placing it at odds with Kremlin promises to defend all of the region. According to other maps, the fortification line was supposed to defend the part of Luhansk Oblast that was occupied before the Feb. 24 full-scale invasion. The line is also supposed to cover the recently occupied settlements of Lysychansk, Zolote, and Popasna, but excludes Kreminna and Severodonetsk. Read also: Ukraines SBU interrogates PMC Wagner members, digs more proof of war crimes Prigozhin and Wagner commanders are likely preparing to defend the positions they think they can realistically holdand are likely not confident in Russias ability to defend settlements north of Lysychansk such as Kreminna and Svatove, the ISW believes. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Welcome to this weeks edition of Royalist, The Daily Beasts newsletter for all things royal and Royal Family. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Sunday. Slimmed-down coronation plans revealed Prince Harry is still TBC, but Prince William is taking an active role in planning the coronation of King Charlesprobably a good idea as, you know, hes next. The Telegraph reports that the royals have been advised to axe archaic, feudal, and imperial aspects ahead of the Coronation, which is due to take place on May 6 next year and is codenamed Operation Golden Orb. After the religious Coronation, there may be a civil ceremony as a venture of recognition of the new monarch outside the religious canopy. William and Kate Middleton are both likely to have a role in the ceremony which will be performed in front of 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey, a massive reduction of the 8,000 who were crammed in for Queen Elizabeths coronation. Harry and Meghan Wont Get Coronation Invites if They Slam Royals, Sources Say The Telegraph says there is still no clarity over a role for Prince Harry. The Daily Beast has previously reported that sources have said Harry will not be invited if he continues to publicly attack the institution of monarchy or Charles or Queen Camilla. Camilla will be crowned queen alongside King Charles. The recommendations are contained in a report seen by the paper. It quotes Dr. Bob Harris, of The Constitution Unit at UCL, as writing: The U.K. no longer has the capacity to mount anything like this spectacle [Queen Elizabeths coronation], nor should it do so in straitened times. The next coronation will inevitably be smaller. Archaic elements such as the Court of Claims could be dropped. So should the homage, and thought be given to how the King as head of the nation should be enabled early in the reign to signify support for, and encouragement of, modern civil society. The Crown is filming Dianas funeral The Mail on Sunday is very angry over The Crown doing its job of dramatizing royal history, and filming scenes recreating Princess Dianas funeral. The outraged reporting this time around cant say this incident didnt happen, so instead is mad that it is being recreatedghoulish staging, says the Mail, while oddly enough getting past its outrage to run a huge picture of the filming, featuring the characters of Prince William and Prince Philip walking behind the coffin. Story continues The scenes will appear in the sixth and final season of the show, whose fifth season begins on Nov. 9, for which there has already been much fury about scenes being made up, and royal sources and authors banging on to the Mail about how cruel and terrible it is that The Crown, A DRAMA, should do such a thing. Perhaps the real reason for royal nerves is that the fifth season will focus on the dire meltdown of Prince Charles and Princess Dianas marriage. The palace is furious that these skeletons are being reanimated just as the kings reign begins. King Charles plans biggest ever royal tour That thing about King Charles planning to showcase a modest royal family more in tune with straitened times? Forget it. The Mirror reports that Charles has gone all Mariah Carey, and is planning the biggest royal world tour in history to usher in his reign, visiting Australia, New Zealand, and several Caribbean Commonwealth countries. This is going to be a very solo kind of rockstar thing apparently. Camilla will be left to attend to her personal projects at home. Lets hope Charles has got an All I Want for Christmas to wow the crowds. A two-year-long tour of the globe will introduce Charles to the world (really, do people not know who he is by now?), and extend a hand of friendship and support, royal sources told The Mirror. Australia and Canada are top of Charles list. JANE BARLOW/POOL/AFP The global tour is, of course, geared to protecting the waning influence of the royal family in all these places, where republicanism and anti-royal feeling are expected to bloom even more vibrantly after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Prince William and Kate Middleton experienced this directly on their Caribbean tour, and so Charles will no doubt be hoping a splashy tour can achieve something of a reset. However, many countries want their royal connections severed and full independence. What can Charles sell to counter that? His tour of Australia may stir some other memories; when he visited after his marriage to Diana, the crowds cheers made clear they had come to see her, not him. A solo trip by him now isnt just political, but personal. The new king wants it finally to be all about him. A royal source told The Mirror: The King and his family are keen to hit the ground running in these crucial first few months and years of his reign. He certainly wants to carry on the long-held mantra from his late mother of being seen to be believed, and is very keen to get out and meet as many people as possible. William and Kate will also be dragooned into this wave and smile-athon, conducting some high-profile trips, including to the U.S. next month. Subscribe here to get all the latest royal news and gossip with Tom Sykes and Tim Teeman. Pawel Libera/LightRocket via Getty Images Rattling around The Windsors have lots of prime real estatebut now it looks like both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace could stand empty of royal residents for years to come. King Charles has made it quite plain he and Camila have zero intention of relocating from the luxurious surrounds of Clarence House to the institutionally-themed BP, and have been given significant cover for that decision by the fact that the big house is under major renovation, and the works wont be finished until at least 2027 and more realistically 2028when Charles will be 80. The Sun reports that Windsor Castle is also without a tenant as William and Kate have apparently declined to move in for now, saying they are quite happy at four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage which they moved to this summer. Expect the castles to be more extensively opened up to the public. Changing of the card The sending of a congratulatory 100th birthday card to centenarians by the monarch is a beloved British tradition. It was started by King George V in 1917 when the message read, perhaps rather ominously: His Majesty hopes that the blessings of good health and prosperity may attend you during the remainder of your days. Now King Charles is set to continue the tradition, Buckingham Palace has announced, and the first cards were sent out last week. The Daily Mail has seen one and reports that the rather more optimistic message from Charles (and Camillaboth are pictured on the card) reads: My wife and I are so pleased to know that you celebrated your one hundredth birthday. This brings our warmest congratulations and heartfelt good wishes on such a special occasion. This week in royal history On October 24, 1537, Jane Seymour, Henry VIIIs third wife, died from childbirth complications at Hampton Court Palace, giving us another chance to remind you, wherever you are reading this, to find your nearest performance of Six, and book tickets immediately. Unanswered questions King Charles may be planning a world tour, but how ecstatic will the world be to see him? What will the public finally see of the royal palaces if the royals are leaving them empty? Love The Daily Beasts royal coverage? Sign up here to get Royalist newsletters sent straight to your inbox. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A gold-colored bobblehead of former President Donald Trump and other merchandise is displayed for sale during the ReAwaken America Tour at Cornerstone Church in Batavia, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. Carolyn Kaster/AP A pro-Trump rally speaker said the "angel of death" was coming for various politicians before 2023. The speaker showed an image of people including Lindsey Graham, Joe Biden, and the Clintons. Eric Trump, Roger Stone, and Michael Flynn also spoke at the two-day event. A speaker at a pro-Trump rally in Pennsylvania said on Friday that the "angel of death" was coming for various politicians, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and high-profile Democrats. "The angel of death is coming to visit these people. These people are going down. These people who control the world think that they are pharaohs, the present-day pharaohs. Soon you shall never see again," the speaker, who was identified as Bo Polny by HuffPost reporter Christopher Mathias on Twitter, said. He simultaneously showed an image of high-profile politicians, judges, and journalists, including President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, and CNN journalist Brian Stelter. The image said, "the Angel of Death is coming for them by year-end," and "treason will be written on them for ALL ETERNITY." Those pictured were primarily Democrats or left-wing, with the exception of Graham, the senior senator for South Carolina, who was once a vocal critic of Trump but became an ally during his time as president. The speaker then told the crowd that Donald Trump will be returning to office in 2022 and that it would be "God's will." The two-day "ReAwaken America" rally also featured speeches by Eric Trump, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Mathias, who attended the event, said on Twitter that the conference was Christian nationalist and "QAnon-friendly." Several of the speakers promoted fringe conspiracy theories and views, including far-right doctor Stella Immanuel, who encouraged rally-goers to pray that "demonic satellites" and voting machines get destroyed. Julie Green, a self-described "prophet," also prophesied Trump's imminent return to office, who she described as God's son, according to PennLive.com. Read the original article on Business Insider A man drinks lemonade in a cafe in Mykolaiv, where is no electricity after Russian missile attack, October 22, 2022 On the morning of Oct. 23, DTEK Kyivski Elektromerezhi, the operator of the power grid in Kyiv City, serving 1.2 million clients, said that the capitals power situation was currently difficult, and urged households to limit power consumption. They advised that Kyivians limit themselves to one electrical appliance at a time, and minimize power consumption from 6:00till 11:00 a.m. and from 5:00 till 11:00 p.m. DTEK later announced rolling blackouts throughout the city, as well as the oblast, which are intended to help stabilize the grid. The longest blackout is scheduled to be last for four hours, and there may be multiple blackouts per day, according to a scheduled posting on the Kyiv City Council website. Read also: Rolling blackouts in Kyiv and four more regions, power shortages in Ivano-Frankivsk due to Russian missile attacks DTEK Donetski Elektromerezhi, the operator of the power grid in Donetsk Oblast, reported the power had been restored, thanks to measures to stabilize electricity consumption. On the morning of Oct. 22, Russia attacked infrastructure facilities in the center and west of Ukraine. There were reports of explosions in Lutsk, Rivne, Khmelnytsky, Kirovohrad, and Odesa oblasts. The aftermath of this attack could be even more devastating than the results of the Russian mass air and missile strikes on Oct. 10 through 12, and caused power out-ages in 11 oblasts. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched 36 missiles during the assault, though most were intercepted. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine SmartAsset: New Fiduciary Rule for Retirement Plan Rollovers Billions of dollars are moved annually from 401(k) plans to IRAs. And starting in July, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will mandate that all financial advisors and brokers comply with a higher fiduciary standard for retirement plan rollovers. Under the new DOL rule, all financial institutions and investment professionals must explain in writing why they are recommending a rollover and how it serves the best interests of their clients. Lets break down how this higher fiduciary standard will change retirement plan rollovers. If youre looking for financial advice from a fiduciary, SmartAssets matching tool can connect you with up to three advisors who serve your area. Dont miss out on news that could impact your finances. Get news and tips to make smarter financial decisions with SmartAssets semi-weekly email. Its 100% free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up today. How Will the New DOL Rule Affect Rollovers? The new DOL rule, which takes effect on July 1, sets a higher fiduciary standard for retirement plan rollovers. While the current law allows fiduciaries to take third party payments for rollovers as long as they serve their clients best interests, the Biden administration will now mandate both financial institutions and investment professionals to document why and how this recommendation serves that interest. In doing so, the DOL asks fiduciaries to consider relevant factors, including: other alternatives before rolling over employee benefit plan assets to an IRA fees and expenses associated with both the plan and the IRA whether the employer pays for some or all of the plans expenses different levels of services and investments for both the plan and the IRA In December 2020, a Department of Labor rule approved at the end of the Trump administration exempted fiduciaries from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which allowed them to get third-party payments for recommending retirement plan rollovers. Story continues Under ERISA, the federal government had identified the minimum standards for retirement and healthcare plans in the private sector. According to the DOL website, the 1974 law requires plans to: provide participants with information about features and funding provide fiduciary responsibilities for those who manage and control plan assets establish a grievance and appeals process for participants to get benefits from plans give participants the right to sue for benefits and breaches of fiduciary duty These requirements generally align with a financial advisors fiduciary duty, which compels the advisor or firm to act in the best interests of an individual or an institution. Duties include getting the best prices and terms for clients, providing all relevant facts, disclosing potential conflicts of interest, and offering accurate and thorough advice. But keeping the current exemptions from ERISA in mind, the DOL has made retirement plan rollovers a priority to safeguard against strong economic incentives that could pose conflicts of interest for the retirement needs and goals of clients. This requirement reflects the Departments view that parties wishing to take advantage of the broad prohibited transaction relief in the new exemption should make a conscious up-front determination that they are acting as fiduciaries; tell their retirement investor customers that they are rendering advice as fiduciaries; and, based on their decision to act as fiduciaries, implement and follow the exemptions conditions, the DOL said in a statement dated from April 2021. For reference, the 2021 Investment Company Fact Book says that $534 billion were rolled over from retirement plans to IRAs in tax year 2018. This is nearly eight times more than the $70 billion made in new contributions that same year. 3 Reasons Not to Roll Over Your Retirement Plan SmartAsset: New Fiduciary Rule for Retirement Plan Rollovers Before rolling over your assets from a 401(k) into an IRA, you should consider your options carefully. One of the biggest advantages that a 401(k) has over an IRA is that an employer can match contributions. This program can boost your retirement savings significantly with minimum effort. A 2021 study from Vanguard says that roughly one-third of Americans using 401(k) plans are saving below employer matches. This means that they are essentially leaving free money on the table. Though you should note that not all jobs offer matching programs. So eligibility depends entirely on your employer. If you have a 401(k) plan, you may also want to think about loans or creditors. Depending on your financial needs, these two factors beyond the employer match consideration could influence your rollover decision: Participants can borrow money against 401(k)s but cannot borrow against IRAs 401(k) assets are typically protected from creditors; IRA assets may only be protected in case of bankruptcy 3 Reasons to Roll Over Your Retirement Plan For many people, rolling their 401(k) plan into an IRA can be a good choice. Keeping financial needs, investment goals and risk tolerance in mind, here are three reasons when a retirement plan rollover could make sense for you: Better investment choices. While 401(k)s have limited choices, commonly invested in target-date funds, IRAs will allow you to diversify your asset selection with stocks, bonds and other financial investments. Consolidation. If you have multiple 401(k)s from different jobs, you may want to roll everything into one account. Transferring money from multiple 401(k)s into one IRA could potentially save you money with lower administrative costs. Depending on the 401(k) account, fund expenses, trade fees and annual percentages can add up even when you are no longer contributing. So its important to do the math to see which option will cost you less. No required minimum distributions. When you reach age 72 (or 70.5 if you were born before July 1, 1949), most retirement plans will mandate annual RMDs. However, if you roll over your 401(k) into a Roth IRA, your money can continue growing in the account during your lifetime. You should note that you will have to pay income taxes on the money that you roll over that tax year, but you will not owe taxes on withdrawals after retirement. Bottom Line SmartAsset: New Fiduciary Rule for Retirement Plan Rollovers Both financial institutions and investment professionals could have strong economic incentives to roll over ERISA-protected plans into affiliated IRAs. Retirement plan rollovers move billions of dollars annually. And while the DOL is taking steps to create a higher fiduciary standard to protect against bad financial advice, moving assets from a 401(k) to an IRA is an important financial decision that will impact the future of your retirement. The DOL says that it anticipates taking further regulatory and sub-regulatory actions that include amending investment advice fiduciary regulation and amending or revoking some of the other existing class exemptions available to investment advice fiduciaries. Retirement Planning Tips A financial advisor can help you put a financial plan in action for your retirement. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesnt have to be hard. SmartAssets free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If youre ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. Fidelity says your retirement savings should cover 45% of your pretax, pre-retirement income, with Social Security benefits making up the rest. SmartAssets retirement calculator can help you estimate how much youll have saved by the time youre ready to retire. If youre looking for money outside of your pension or retirement plan, here are five additional ways to get guaranteed retirement income. Photo credit: iStock.com/South_agency, iStock.com/designer491, iStock.com/designer491 The post This New Rule Will Bring a Big Change to Your Retirement Plan Rollover appeared first on SmartAsset Blog. Russia pummeled Ukraine with attacks across the country over the weekend as Moscow continues its assault on the countrys infrastructure and power grid ahead of winter. The geography of this new massive strike is very wide, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address Saturday, noting that Russias main target appeared to be Ukraines energy system. As the war continues through its eighth month, Ukrainian officials have been urging citizens to conserve power ahead of what promises to be a dark winter, while the World Health Organization has warned of a humanitarian crisis. The aggressor continues to terrorize our country. At night, the enemy launched a massive attack: 36 rockets, most of which were shot down, Zelensky said in a Sunday address. Here are some of the areas reportedly targeted by Russian attacks over the weekend: Southern Ukraine The Mykolaiv and Odesa regions in southern Ukraine came under fire from Russias new massive strike, Zelensky said Saturday. An apartment block in Mykolaiv a short distance from Kherson, which Ukraine appears poised to take back from Russian occupation was hit by Russian strikes over the weekend, according to Reuters. The Black Sea port city of Odesa also faced strikes and power loss, though Zelensky said Saturday that some power had returned to the city. Maksym Marchenko, head of the Odesa regional military administration, said two rocket strikes hit an object of the energy infrastructure, per The Washington Post. The Post reported that Ukrainian forces claimed they shot down 18 of 33 Russian missiles fired on Saturday as well as taking out 10 kamikaze drones in Mykolaiv. Eastern Ukraine In the southeast, Russian attacks again endangered the area near Europes largest nuclear power plant, Zelensky said Saturday. The Zaporizhzhia region and its Russian-occupied, Ukrainian-operated power plant have been a source of international concern throughout the conflict as the nearby fighting heightens the risk of nuclear accident. Story continues Mayor Dmytro Orlov of the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia said the city is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe because constant enemy shelling destroys civilian infrastructure and power grids, according to a CNN report. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional administration, also reported on Telegram that a hospital was partially destroyed in Bakhmut as overnight shelling hit the Donetsk region in the east. Again and again, the Russians hit our civilian infrastructure in an attempt to sow panic, he wrote, adding that no one was killed in the attack. However, Bakhmut has been the site of fierce fighting as Ukraines military seeks to hold off Russian attacks led by the notorious Wagner paramilitary group. Central and western Ukraine Missile strikes were reported in Kirovohrad, located on the Inhul River in central Ukraine, and the Rivne and Khmelnytsky regions in western Ukraine. The situation remains difficult in Cherkasy and Kirovohrad regions, in some settlements of Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regions, said the CEO of Ukrainian power grid Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, on Sunday as the company works to turn power back on for millions of Ukrainians. The power grid operator said Sunday that it had restored power to most of Khmelnytsky after a massive missile strike ravaged the energy system in the area and that work is underway to continue power restoration in Rivne and Cherkasy, among other areas. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. IRYNA BALACHUK SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 12:39 Russian invaders are blocking communications and dismantling equipment from local TV centre to prevent the underground resistance from transmitting information to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Source: National Resistance Center (NRC) Quote from NRC: "According to the Kherson underground [resistance - ed.], the Russians are dismantling telecommunications equipment from the telecenter. In particular, the Russian Internet provider Miranda dismantled the central node of the TV and radio center. In the future, the Russians plan to leave the city completely without communication, television, and radio broadcasting." Details: The underground resistance believes that, in this way, the Russians are trying to isolate Kherson informationally in order to prevent the underground resistance from transmitting information to the Armed Forces during counteroffensive actions. The NRC urges the people of Kherson to leave the temporarily occupied territories and move to the territory controlled by Ukraine. According to the NRC, the Russian occupiers are preparing provocations in Kherson to accuse the Ukrainian Armed Forces of war crimes. Background: There were previous reports of Russian occupiers moving military equipment and personnel from the right to the left bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson Oblast, due to the recent rapid successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the liberation of Kherson Oblast. Representatives of the occupying "administration" of Kherson and Kherson Oblast stated that they plan to evacuate approximately 50-60,000 residents from four right-bank districts of the region to the left bank of the Dnipro River or Russia in connection with the alleged preparation of a counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russian-appointed puppet governor of Kherson Oblast, Volodymyr Saldo, stated that the collaborationist leadership of the Kherson Oblast decided to move to the left bank in anticipation of the alleged preparation of a counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces predicted that the Russian military leadership could take experienced troops from the right bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, and leave inexperienced recently mobilised personnel to deter the Armed Forces of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russians had mined the dam and units of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and were planning to carry out a terrorist attack under a false flag [Ukraines - ed.]. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 23:02 During the occupation of the Kyiv Oblast in the spring, Russian occupying forces illegally deported 147 civilians to Belarus and the Russian Federation. Source: Head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, Oleksii Kuleba, on Telegram Quote: "According to official data alone, during the occupation of the Kyiv Oblast, the invaders illegally deported 147 peaceful Ukrainians to the territory of Belarus and the Russian Federation. 43 civilians in the region are being held captive. Another 89 people were deported, and their fate is unknown." Background: In early April, the Ukrainian Defence Forces liberated the Kyiv oblast from Russian invaders. At the same time, the facts of numerous Russian atrocities began to be uncovered. The bodies of civilians tortured by the Russians were found in all settlements of the Kyiv Oblast that were temporarily occupied by invaders. In total, as of 20 October, the police have already found 1,365 bodies of civilians killed during the occupation of the Kyiv Oblast. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! STANISLAV POHORILOV SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 08:16 Russian invaders shelled Nikopol and Marhanets hromadas [an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories -ed.] in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast overnight, using multiple-launch rocket systems and heavy artillery. Source: Valentyn Reznichenko, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The Russians pounded Nikopol district once again overnight. They shelled Marhanets hromada using multiple-launch rocket systems and heavy artillery." Details: Reznichenko has reported that there were no casualties. The extent of the destruction is being ascertained. Ukraines Air Command Skhid (East) servicemen also destroyed a Russian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone in Nikopol district during the night. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! IRYNA BALACHUK SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 14:52 In a telephone conversation, Sergey Shoigu, Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, told his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu that Ukraine is allegedly preparing provocations involving a "dirty bomb". Source: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation on Telegram; RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-aligned Russian media outlet Quote from the Russian Ministry of Defence: "Shoigu conveyed to his French counterpart his unease related to a possible provocation from Ukraines side using a dirty bomb." Details: The Russian Ministry of Defence additionally stated that the two ministers discussed Russias war in Ukraine and its "clear tendency for further uncontrollable escalation". Russian propaganda media outlet RIA Novosti earlier alleged, citing its sources, that the Ukrainian government is preparing "a provocation on its own territory involving the detonation of a so-called dirty bomb or a low-yield nuclear munition" in order to accuse Russia. The Russian propagandists have come up with a narrative according to which "Kyiv has already started to take steps to realise this plan under the guidance of their Western allies." RIA Novosti claimed that the leaders of the Skhidnyi (Eastern) Ore Mining and Processing Plant (located in the city of Zhovti Vody in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine) and the Kyiv Institute for Nuclear Research have received an order to manufacture the "dirty bomb". The Kremlins propaganda operatives have asserted that the production of the "dirty bomb" has entered its final stage. RIA Novosti also reported that the Office of the President of Ukraine is having covert discussions with the UK regarding the "possible handover of nuclear weapons parts to the government in Kyiv". Background: During a speech at the Kremlin on 30 September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the US had set a precedent [for using nuclear weapons] by using nuclear weapons in 1945. Western leaders condemned Putins rhetoric as "irresponsible escalation" and "sabre-rattling". Reuters reported that a Russian nuclear strike would almost certainly provoke a "physical response" from Ukraine's allies and potentially from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, citing a senior NATO official. The West will give a powerful military response to Russias possible use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, but that response will not be nuclear, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Thursday, 13 October. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told his French counterpart in a telephone call on Sunday that the situation in Ukraine was rapidly deteriorating and trending towards "uncontrolled escalation". In a phone call with French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu published by the Russian side, Shoigu said Moscow had concerns Ukraine could use a "dirty bomb" in the conflict, without providing evidence to support the suggestion that Ukraine might use such a weapeon. "They discussed the situation in Ukraine which is rapidly deteriorating," the defence ministry said in a readout of the call. "It is trending towards further uncontrolled escalation." A so-called dirty bomb uses conventional explosives laced with radioactive material. The defence ministry did not provide any further information on its statement. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by David Goodman) Three weeks following the death of Sacheen Littlefeather, the activist who famously accepted Marlon Brandos Oscar for The Godfather at the 1973 Academy Awards, a new column alleges that Littlefeather had been posing as a Native American through her life. Published Saturday in the San Francisco Chronicle, the piece features quotes from Littlefeathers sisters, Rosalind Cruz and Trudy Orlandi, who called the activists identity as a Native American a lie. More from Variety Notably, several Native American writers and activists have denounced the Chronicle column on social media, saying that its writer, Jacqueline Keeler, has long-exercised a vendetta against Littlefeather, among other figures she calls Pretendians. They also say Littlefeathers sisters thought they were of Native American ancestry until Keeler informed them they werent. Her desire to weed out Pretendians has led to a violent vendetta against genuinely reconnecting Natives who dont meet colonial standards, wrote CarlyMButton on Twitter. Littlefeather, who died on Oct. 2 of breast cancer at the age of 75, first publicly claimed White Mountain Apache heritage, a tribe in Arizona, in the 1970s. According to the column, no tribal officials could provide records of Littlefeather or her family members being enrolled. Littlefeather also declared herself to be of Yaqui descent in later years. The Yaqui people come from both Arizona and from the Mexican state of Sonora. READ MORE: Who Gets to Call Themselves Native? (Guest Column) Littlefeather was born in Salinas, Ariz. under the name Maria Louise Cruz to parents Manuel Ybarra Cruz and Gertrude Barnitz. The columnists review of her fathers ancestry, where Littlefeather claimed Native heritage, found no ties to Native American nations in the U.S. Littlefeathers heritage allegedly traced to territories that are now part of Mexico. Story continues Its a lie, Orlandi told the Chronicle. My father was who he was. His family came from Mexico. And my dad was born in Oxnard. It is a fraud, Cruz said. Its disgusting to the heritage of the tribal people. And its just insulting to my parents. Littlefeathers sisters also disputed the activists claims of an impoverished background and mentally ill parents. Both sisters first learned of Littlefeathers death through the internet; neither was invited to the funeral. Keeler and representatives for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were not immediately available for comment. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. RIYADH (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia's crown prince on Sunday launched an initiative to attract investments in supply chains to and from the kingdom, with an aim of raising an initial 40 billion riyals ($10.64 billion). The initiative by Prince Mohammed bin Salman will include allocating about 10 billion riyals in incentives for supply chain investors, state news agency SPA reported, without elaborating. The Gulf state last year announced it would invest over 500 billion riyals in infrastructure, including airports and sea ports, by the end of the decade in a bid to become a transport and logistics hub under an economic diversification plan. The latest supply chain initiative includes establishing a number of special economic zones, said a statement on SPA that also referred to ongoing "legislative and procedural" reforms. "The Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative will leverage the Kingdom's resources, infrastructure and location to bring greater resilience to economies and companies across Europe, the Americas and Asia, while further enhancing Saudi Arabias position in the global economy," the statement added. "Saudi Arabia also offers access to oil, gas, electricity, renewable energy and human resources at competitive costs," it said, noting blue and green hydrogen production projects by the kingdom, the world's top oil exporter. Prince Mohammed's Vision 2030 plan aims to modernise Saudi Arabia and wean its economy off oil revenues. ($1 = 3.7580 riyals) (Reporting by Moataz Mohamed in Cairo; Editing by William Maclean and Jan Harvey) Flash Iranian Foreign Minister on Saturday said his country has received a U.S. message expressing American hastiness to reach the nuclear deal with Iran, official IRNA news agency reported. "Three days ago, we received a message from the United States, and told them that the (International Atomic Energy) Agency (IAEA)'s accusations against Iran's nuclear program should be resolved" before any agreement, said Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. Asked about U.S. officials' comments about the nuclear negotiations being off the U.S. agenda, he said "Americans are contradictory in their words and behavior, as they are in a hurry to reach the agreement in their (recent) message." While the United States continues to exchange messages with Iran, they "are seeking to exert political and psychological pressure (on Iran) and want to gain concessions in the negotiations," he said. "We do not give any concessions to the American side, and we move within the framework of logic and the framework of an agreement that respects the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but at the same time we never leave the negotiating table," he stressed. Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, Washington quit the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact. The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. No breakthrough was achieved after the latest round of Vienna talks held in early August. UPDATE: A woman who was reported missing on Friday by the Seattle Police Department has been found safe, according to her family. ORIGINAL STORY: Seattle police are seeking the publics help in finding a missing woman. Nakeyia Stenson is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 180 pounds. She was last seen wearing a tan hoodie, orange sweatpants, and black slides. According to police, she was driving a silver/gray 2000 Buick Park Avenue sedan with Washington license plates CAY7314 and may be in the Madrona Park area. If you see Stenson, call 911. MISSING: Nakeyia Stenson 502 180lbs. Wearing tan hoodie, orange sweat pants, black slides. Driving Silver/Gray 2000 Buick Park Avenue Sedan WA plate: CAY7314. Actual vehicle depicted below. May be in the Madrona Park area. Call 911 if seen. pic.twitter.com/WXwCS8KdNt Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) October 22, 2022 More news from KIRO 7 DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP Taylor Rains/Insider The airline industry is in need of thousands of flight attendants to keep up with post-COVID demand. Aspiring crew members must go through vigorous training to learn things like slide deployments and medical treatment. Insider toured Air New Zealand's training facility in Auckland to learn more about the specific courses. The airline industry is quickly getting back to pre-pandemic levels, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicting an industry-wide recovery of 103% by 2024. Empty airline seats. Getty Images Source: IATA As demand grows and carriers continue to add new routes and planes, they will need more flight crews to work them. Airline pilot walking through an airport. Taylor Rains/Insider A significant labor source for airlines is flight attendants. Flight attendant at Denver International Airport. Robert Alexander/Getty Images Consumer and market data company Statista says the North American aviation industry will need 170,000 cabin crew members over the next 20 years to keep up with demand. Tunvarat Pruksachat/Getty Images Source: Statista To become a flight attendant, new hires must go through a long, intensive training course before working an actual flight. Singapore Airlines' crash simulator and safety training equipment. Marielle Descalsota/Insider Take a look inside the intensive 4-month program that produces the top flight attendants for one of the world's best airlines Training includes everything from emergency procedures and self-defense to customer service and medical treatment. Singapore Airlines water landing simulator. Marielle Descalsota/Insider To get a glimpse into the world of flight attendant training, I toured Air New Zealand's Academy of Learning in Auckland here's what I learned. Taylor Rains/Insider I flew on the world's new 4th longest flight from New York to Auckland and Air New Zealand's business class made the over 17-hour journey easily bearable Arriving at the center, I was impressed by the size of the facility, which had a reception area, classrooms, cabin mockups, and a large lounge area. The lounge area is huge to accommodate the dozens of current and trainee flight attendants going through the center every week. Taylor Rains/Insider Anne-Maree O'Leary, ANZ's cabin crew training manager, told Insider the site welcomes up to 120 new hires a month, with an average of 20 a week starting every Monday, though some weeks they have 40. Taylor Rains/Insider "We're bringing intakes from off-the-street, so new into the aviation industry or they have worked for other carriers many years ago, but they aren't rehires," she said. Story continues An Air New Zealand business class flight attendant. Taylor Rains/Insider O'Leary explained that the number is significant because pre-COVID they were hiring about 200 crew members per year across all fleets. Taylor Rains/Insider Aspiring crew members must complete four weeks of vigorous training before working a commercial flight, which includes emergency procedures, first aid, security, and customer service. The classroom where current and trainee flight attendants take exams or do computer-based training. Taylor Rains/Insider While new hires go through the facility, current flight attendants will also visit for annual recurrent training to keep their certificates up to date. Current flight attendants going through recurrent customer service training. Taylor Rains/Insider Moreover, flight attendants who are upgrading to serving business class or becoming a flight lead will need specific training for the role. An Air New Zealand business class flight attendant. Taylor Rains/Insider Ground personnel, mechanics, and some engineers will also use the facility for various purposes. Inside one of the hangars were small aircraft where Air New Zealand apprentices work and learn to hopefully land a role as a mechanic. Taylor Rains/Insider The first stop on our tour was in the Cabin Emergency Evacuation Trainer, which employees named Athena. Taylor Rains/Insider The mock cabin resembles an Airbus A320 airliner, which is the workhorse of ANZ's narrowbody fleet. Taylor Rains/Insider A320 aircrew trainer Melissa Gerritsen-Fridh told Insider that the cabin is a hybrid between two A320 variants, meaning the two sides of the cabin are slightly different. Taylor Rains/Insider ANZ also uses the cabin for some widebody training, but the company is soon getting a new, larger mockup that will have two aisles to replace its old widebody training cabins. Taylor Rains/Insider The A320's several rows of seats mean the cabin could double as a training classroom to discuss the procedures and expectations. Taylor Rains/Insider There was also a galley area in the front and aft of the cabin Taylor Rains/Insider a cockpit with two pilot dummies at the controls Taylor Rains/Insider a lavatory, complete with one of ANZ's signature wallpaper designs Taylor Rains/Insider overhead bins, only two of which could open and hold emergency equipment Taylor Rains/Insider TV screens for presentations and warnings Taylor Rains/Insider evacuation doors, which trainees must master how to use Taylor Rains/Insider a panel to control things like lights, doors, and temperature Taylor Rains/Insider and a station to simulate emergencies, like fires, water landings, and depressurization. The station was in the aft right of the mock cabin, which also had a screen that displayed security cameras that were throughout the cabin. Taylor Rains/Insider The flight attendant trainers demonstrated a fire evacuation scenario for media, which include smoke and alarms. Fake fire showed on the windows to simulate the emergency event. Taylor Rains/Insider When the alarm sounded, crew members shouted specific commands, like "stay seated," then one opened the door, and, in unison, they all instructed us to evacuate the plane. The flight attendants shouting commands as smoke filled the cabin. Taylor Rains/Insider We left through the left-side emergency door towards the aft of the airplane as smoke filled the cabin. The smoke dissipated a few minutes later. Taylor Rains/Insider On the floor, ANZ has painted a slide to give a visual reference of what it will look like when deployed as passengers will use this to exit instead of just walking out. We evacuated in a covered room to the left of the A320 mock cabin. Taylor Rains/Insider After we re-entered the mockup, Gerritsen-Fridh dropped the oxygen masks and a loud voice came over the speakers with instructions on how to use the them. Taylor Rains/Insider Unfortunately for the trainers, the masks do not automatically retract, so they have to manually put them back. Taylor Rains/Insider Trainers will also simulate anomaly events, like jammed evacuation doors and failed slide deployments to ensure flight attendants are ready for anything. Taylor Rains/Insider Because Athena is on the ground, trainees cannot actually deploy the slides, so that is done in a different room with an elevated cabin, which is the current widebody mockup. Taylor Rains/Insider Here, flight attendants will practice going down the slide, as well as do swim tests and get on a real raft in case of water landings. The slide was sturdy and hard, with pads at the bottom. Taylor Rains/Insider Trainees will also learn how to operate the doors on widebody planes, including the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787. Taylor Rains/Insider In addition to emergency procedures, the A320 mock cabin is used for normal operations, like pre-flight briefings, including passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors. Taylor Rains/Insider "Its better to be in this environment because trainees get an idea of how everything feels and moves, so it's good situational awareness," Gerritsen-Fridh told Insider. Trainers demonstrating commands and hand signals. Taylor Rains/Insider ANZ pilots will also receive emergency procedures training in Athena, but there is a separate simulator center for their flight training, O'Leary told Insider. The Air New Zealand pilots who flew the inaugural flight from New York to Auckland in September. Air New Zealand Behind Athena is a fire trainer named Prometheus. Taylor Rains/Insider This is where cabin crew and pilots get practical experience putting out fires in things like ovens, overhead bins, and laptops. Taylor Rains/Insider Gerritsen-Fridh demonstrated putting out a laptop fire, which included sounding an alarm and using a fire extinguisher. Taylor Rains/Insider While ANZ will do as much in Athena as possible, customer service training has separate classrooms with different mockups. This mockup had premium economy and business class seats. Taylor Rains/Insider Here, new and current flight attendants will receive specific training for things like passenger interaction, serving business class, and using galley carts. Taylor Rains/Insider Flight attendants can upgrade to business after six months of employment and must learn special procedures, like plating, O'Leary said. An Air New Zealand business class flight attendant converting the seat into a bed. Taylor Rains/Insider During our visit, we saw veteran flight attendants in the business class mockup learning about new wine offerings onboard so they can explain to customers. Taylor Rains/Insider Also in the room were glass dishes and amenity kits, which are used in premium cabins. Taylor Rains/Insider O'Leary told Insider that customer service training is not required by law, but ANZ requires it annually to maintain a high standard of service. A diagram of a seat map on the wall of the academy. Taylor Rains/Insider In another room was an economy mockup, where new hires learn how to service the cabin, including the Skycouch. Taylor Rains/Insider I flew on the world's 4th longest flight in a 'Skycouch' an economy seat that converts into a bed and it was a lifesaver on the 16-hour journey After seeing the mockups, we learned about one of the most important parts of flight attendant training medical and first aid. A class of trainees working on their medical course during our tour. Taylor Rains/Insider Walking to the classroom, I noticed people wearing flight attendant uniforms, which O'Leary told Insider is required starting week three, except during medical and security training. Taylor Rains/Insider To be hired as an ANZ flight attendant, applicants must already have their CPR license and must complete a two-day external course with St. John before training begins. Taylor Rains/Insider "What we do here at the facility is the add-on portion of medical training that is specifically in an aviation environment," O'Leary explained. There were desks and a small cabin mockup in the classroom. Taylor Rains/Insider ANZ has three medical trainers that are EMT qualified, meaning they are the best of the best for this highly important course. O'Leary said trainees can ask in-depth questions to give the context of why they perform certain treatments. Aircrew trainer Susan McCapra is one of the specially qualified medical professionals. She can provide detailed explanations on how diabetes, for example, works in the body, which offers more context for trainees rather than just telling them to follow generic instructions. Taylor Rains/Insider Medical training is two days and future flight attendants learn things like using oxygen tanks, creating an airway, and using epidural pens. Taylor Rains/Insider Aircrew trainer Susan McCapra, who is one of the three people with special medical qualifications, explained that aviation medicine is all hands-on learning: "We take them through all the equipment we have and they go around in groups to practice." Taylor Rains/Insider On the day we visited, we saw trainees practicing CPR in groups of three one doing compressions, one on the resuscitator mask, and one on the defibrillator. Trainees already know how to conduct CPR, but this group training builds on that in an aviation setting. Taylor Rains/Insider Part of the equipment is a huge medical kit kept onboard, which is color coded and has items that a doctor could use to perform an operation onboard. Taylor Rains/Insider I noticed the kit is much more comprehensive than ones I've seen in the US, with O'Leary telling Insider that not all items are required, but chosen to be included by ANZ's doctors and medical unit. There is one kit on the narrowbody planes, and two on widebody jets like the Boeing 787. Taylor Rains/Insider Once they've gone through the course, McCapra told Insider that trainees must pass a test to officially complete the medical portion of the training. Taylor Rains/Insider If they fail an exam, they get another chance, but if they fail another one then its a conversation with cabin managers, but there is a standard they have to meet, she explained. An Air New Zealand flight attendant serving the economy cabin on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Taylor Rains/Insider The exam requires a trainee to pick a random card and perform whatever it says, like when and how to use an oxygen tank, for example. McCapra said they not only have to learn how to use the oxygen tanks but also how to properly attach the tanks to the seat to keep the aisle clear during flight. Taylor Rains/Insider According to McCapra, ANZ had about 150 oxygen-related events a week pre-COVID, so it is imperative flight attendants know how to properly use them. Passengers on an Air New Zealand flight. Taylor Rains/Insider McCapra also explained that crew members will face sometimes emotionally draining situations onboard, like the death of a passenger, but ANZ has created an employee assistance program to help flight attendants and pilots after major events. Air New Zealand 787. Shutterstock One of the other important courses flight attendants must go through is security training, which includes things like self-defense, disarming, and de-escalation. Taylor Rains/Insider During our tour, we saw a class using dummies and punching bags to practice, which is led by New Zealand police. Taylor Rains/Insider While it is impossible to learn every detail of a flight attendant's four-week training in just two hours, I was thoroughly impressed by the facility. Taylor Rains/Insider As opposed to popular belief, flight attendants are not just glorified customer service agents, but rather they are necessary, and sometimes life-saving, safety professionals. Boeing 787 emergency evacuation door training. Taylor Rains/Insider If you're an aspiring flight attendant anywhere in the world, the training will not be easy, so be prepared to commit to vigorous tests and procedures before becoming an airline crew member. The Air New Zealand flight attendants that worked the carrier's inaugural flight from New York to Auckland. Taylor Rains/Insider Read the original article on Business Insider The sun sets over Ballona Creek in December 2020. A sewage spill near the creek Saturday prompted Marina del Rey to close stretches of beach. (Sammy Roth / Los Angeles Times) A stretch of beach in Marina del Rey has been closed after a sewage spill near Ballona Creek, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The public is being warned to avoid beaches less than 100 yards from the creek following the discharge on Saturday afternoon of 1,200 gallons of sewage, according to public health officials. Signs announcing the closure have been posted near the affected area. The department said in a statement posted on its website that the sewage was spilled near 4545 W. 62nd Street at about 1 p.m. Saturday. About 500 gallons of sewage was recovered, but 700 gallons poured into the storm drain, which flows to Centinela Creek and then to Ballona Creek. A team of health workers confirmed later Saturday that the sewage had reached Centinela Creek, from which it would ultimately end up in the ocean. The beach will remain closed until at least Wednesday according to health officials. The statement said the county health departments lab cannot receive samples until Monday and that it takes two consecutive satisfactory samples to reopen the beach. For more information about beach conditions in Los Angeles County, call the county health departments 24-hour beach closure hotline at (800) 525-5662 or visit the departments dedicated web portal. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. MADRID (Reuters) - Sheep replaced cars on the streets of Madrid on Sunday, as shepherds following ancient herding routes led their flocks through the centre of the Spanish capital to southerly pastures for winter grazing. Locals and tourists lined the route and watched as thousands of sheep walked through the city, the bells around their necks providing a noisy soundtrack. The annual event was revived in 1994 as part of Madrid's annual Fiesta de la Trashumancia, after the Spanish parliament recognised the traditional routes shepherds used to herd their livestock. Just a few centuries ago, the route would have taken them through quiet countryside, but today it sees them traverse some of the busiest areas of the city, including the Plaza Mayor, Madrid's main square. Onlookers took pictures and videos on their phones, while some children held out tentative hands to stroke the sheep. Many people were surprised by the unexpected sight in a city usually thronged with traffic. "It was crazy that there were so many sheep, I've never seen anything like it. It was a great way to learn about Spanish history and Spanish culture," English teacher Maria Kouriabalis, a 22-year-old American who has been living in Madrid for a month, told Reuters. (Reporting by Michael Gore; Writing by Jessica Jones; Editing by Jan Harvey) EUROPEAN PRAVDA SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 17:26 On Sunday, 23 October, Sergei Shoigu, Russias Minister of Defence, had a phone conversation with the third NATO defence minister on the same day, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary of the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom issued a statement in this regard, as did Russia reported this on its Telegram channel, according to European Pravda. "Shoigu expressed his concern about possible provocations by the Ukrainian side with the use of a dirty bomb to his British colleague", the report states. This was the first phone call between Shoigu and Wallace. The Defence Secretary of the United Kingdom became the third representative of a NATO member state (after France and Turkey) whom Shoigu called on Sunday to tell them about supposed plans for a Ukrainian "dirty bomb". Previously, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, known for spreading disinformation and propaganda, published a report about the possibility of Ukraine using a "dirty bomb". According to the propagandists narrative, Ukraine is preparing to "detonate a nuclear bomb" on its territory in order to then blame Russia for using the weapon of mass destruction and turn the whole world against Moscow. All the well-known Russian propagandistic media outlets spread this information in an hour. The Russian propaganda outlet had already reported on Ukraines alleged intentions to create a nuclear bomb. At the beginning of March, Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna negotiations on military security and arms control, claimed that the Russian invasion in Ukraine was aimed at preventing Kyiv from creating a "dirty bomb". Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! (Bloomberg) -- Singapore invited British billionaire Richard Branson to a live televised debate with Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam on the city-states drug policy and death penalty in response to a blog post by the businessman on the subject. Most Read from Bloomberg In his Oct. 10 post, Branson said Singapore still finds itself on the wrong side of history with its continued, almost stubborn use of the death penalty, particularly for drug offenses. He highlighted the execution of convicted Malaysian drug trafficker Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam this year, which has attracted international criticism due to concerns about his mental capacity. Nagaenthran was hanged after being found guilty for trafficking about 43 grams of heroin into Singapore in 2009. Multiple appeals of the sentence were dismissed in the city-states courts, and Branson linked the execution with Singapores commitments to protect those with disabilities. Singapores Ministry of Home Affairs refuted Bransons remarks in a statement on Saturday saying that the drug trafficker knew what he was doing and that he was not intellectually disabled. Mr. Branson may use this platform to demonstrate to Singaporeans the error of our ways and why Singapore should do away with laws that have kept our population safe from the global scourge of drug abuse, the ministry said in the statement. His flight to and accommodation in Singapore will be paid for. Read: Singapore Defends Drug Crime Execution Amid Outcry Over Mans IQ The ministry defended the governments drug policy, stating that the measures were intended to protect Singapore and its residents from the dangers of drugs. The strict laws, and their clear enforcement, have significantly reduced the amount of drugs entering Singapore, resulting in a steady decline in number of substance abusers. Story continues Mr Branson is entitled to his opinions, the ministry said. These opinions may be widely held in the UK, but we do not accept that Mr Branson or others in the West are entitled to impose their values on other societies. Nor do we believe that a country that prosecuted two wars in China in the 19th century to force the Chinese to accept opium imports has any moral right to lecture Asians on drugs. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) A right-wing politician and a centrist independent candidate will face each other in a runoff presidential election in Slovenia after no candidate achieved an outright victory in the first round of voting Sunday, partial results showed. Former Foreign Minister Anze Logar was leading the race with 34% of the vote, followed by lawyer Natasa Pirc Musar with nearly 27%, state election authorities said after counting 85% of the ballots. Trailing third was Social Democrat Milan Brglez, the candidate of the ruling liberal government, who garnered some 15% of the vote, according to the official tally. Since none of the seven contenders who competed in the election managed to gather more than 50% of the ballots needed for an outright victory, a runoff between Logar and Pirc Musar will be held on Nov. 13. While Logar took a lead on Sunday, analysts in Slovenia have predicted the tables could turn in the runoff if Slovenia's centrist and liberal voters rally behind Pirc Musar. Logar, 46, served under former populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who moved Slovenia to the right while in power and faced accusations of non-democratic and divisive policies. Logar has sought to shake off a populist image and present himself as a unifier. His victory would deal a blow to the liberal coalition that ousted Jansa from power six months ago. If Pirc Musar wins, she would become the first female president of Slovenia since the country became independent from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. I woke up cheerful and pleased, she said when she voted on Sunday. I am certain they (voters) will recognize my values and my non-partisan orientation." Logar said a place in the second round would be a success, and the rest would depend on presenting a convincing political argument, out there in the field. Turnout by 1400 GMT was nearly 35%, somewhat higher than for the previous presidential election five years ago, election officials said as polls closed. Story continues Slovenia's 1.7 million eligible voters eventually will chose a successor to incumbent Borut Pahor. He has served two full five-year terms and was banned from running for a third. While in office, Pahor tried to bridge Slovenia's left-right divide that remains a source of political tension in the traditionally moderate and stable nation of 2 million. Prime Minister Robert Golob said the future president should have moral authority on the countrys political scene and great trust among Slovenians. Ziga Jelenec, a resident of Ljubljana, the capital, said the election likely will show how much our society is divided. (Bloomberg) -- Most Read from Bloomberg Less than 3% of an $8.5 billion climate finance deal being offered to South Africa by some of the worlds richest countries will come in the form of grants, Climate Home News reported, citing a copy of the financing provisions. Of the rest of the money 54% will come in the form of concessional loan and 43% will be commercial loans and investment guarantees, the UK-based publication said. The proposed pact was announced at last years international climate summit in Glasgow as a package offered by Germany, France, the US, UK and the European Union to help South Africa transition away from coal. Germany will provide $1.2 billion in concessional loans, money lent to South Africa at attractive rates, through its development finance institutions while France will make $1 billion available, the publication said. A further $2.6 billion will come from Climate Investment Funds, which offers concessional finance from six multilateral development banks including the World Bank. The US will pledge to lend South Africa $1 billion in commercial loans as will the European Investment Bank, Climate Home News said. The UK will offer $1.7 billion in commercial loans and debt guarantees and just $230 million will come in the form of grants, according to the publication. Less than 1% of the total is earmarked for social investment meant to cushion communities dependent on the coal-fired power plants that will be closed while 5% will go toward developing a green hydrogen industry, the publication said. Progress on the pact is expected to be announced at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt next month. It is expected to serve as a prototype for similar deals with other coal-dependent developing nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said hell implement sweeping reforms in response to recommendations by a judicial panel that probed corruption during his predecessor Jacob Zumas calamitous rule. Most Read from Bloomberg The president undertook to review and redesign the countrys entire anti-graft architecture, ban ministers from participating in procurement at state companies, introduce new laws regulating the issuing of government contracts and ensure whistle-blowers are better protected. The people of South Africa are tired of corruption and want it to end, Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday, a day after submitting a 76-page report to parliament that details his response to the damning findings of the panel headed by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. The government is committed to combatting corruption in all its forms, in every part of government and in every sphere of the state, he said. Zondo spent four years probing graft during Zumas almost nine-year tenure -- a practice known locally as state capture. More than 300 witnesses described how government departments and companies were looted of billions of rand by the former presidents allies, with his tacit consent. Ramaphosa has said previously that at least 500 billion rand ($28 billion) was stolen from the state during his predecessors tenure. The Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based body that polices compliance with anti-money laundering and terror-financing measures, has the government to address shortfalls in its illicit-financing controls before October. Its threatened to add South Africa to a list of countries that face increased monitoring if the government fails to implement those measures. Story continues Ramaphosas announcement may provide the assurance to the public that the government is taking the necessary corrective actions to take us out of the state that we have been in and that theres political will to continue to do so, Ongama Mtimka, a political analyst at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, said by phone. Read: South Africa Aims to Fix Money Laundering Rules by Year-End The bulk of Zondos recommendations were directed at the law-enforcement agencies, which were urged to investigate 202 government officials, businessmen and entities. So far, the National Prosecuting Authoritys investigating directorate has filed 26 related cases and opened 89 investigations, and 165 people who were implicated have appeared in court, according to Ramaphosa. The authorities have also recovered 2.9 billion rand and frozen or obtained preservation orders against a further 12.9 billion rand worth of assets. Zondo found that several top officials, including Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa, took payments from companies seeking state contracts and recommended that prosecutors consider charging them. In his report to parliament, Ramaphosa said hell review the findings against members of his executive and determine, on a case-by-case basis, in line with his discretion in this regard and his obligation to observe the principle of legality and to act rationally, whether or not any action ought to be taken. Ramaphosa is expected to seek re-election as head of the ANC in December, limiting his scope to act against other heavyweights in the party whose support he may need to win the leadership race. Mantashe and Kodwa, who are closely allied to the president, have both denied wrongdoing and said they will seek a judicial review of Zondos finding. READ: Meet the Guptas, Symbols of South African Corruption: QuickTake While Zondo recommended that the government establish a permanent anti-corruption commission and an independent public procurement anti-corruption agency, Ramaphosa said those proposals required further consideration in the light of reforms already under way. The chief justices proposals that the electoral system be changed and the president be directly elected, would also require constitutional changes and an extensive process of consultation and deliberation that involves the whole of society, he said. Zondo was stinging in his criticism of Ramaphosa for failing to speak out about the plunder during the five years he served as Zumas deputy, and of the governing African National Congress, which he said had done nothing to stamp out corruption within its ranks. The president didnt directly respond to those allegations. While Ramaphosa remains the front-runner in the party-leadership race, his image has been further tarnished by a scandal over the theft of foreign currency from his game farm in 2020. Opposition parties have accused him of failing to properly report the crime and questioned whether he may have violated tax or foreign-exchange control rules. Law-enforcement agencies are looking into the case and parliament is waiting for a panels recommendation on whether to pursue impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa. READ: Ramaphosa Faces Quandary Over Graft Probe in Party-Election Year --With assistance from Amogelang Mbatha and Renee Bonorchis. (Updates with analyst comments in sixth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. China keeps promoting building of human community with a shared future: Xi Xinhua) 13:28, October 23, 2022 Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, addresses the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2022. Xi Jinping and the other newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi met the press on Sunday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Sunday expressed China's commitment to further promoting the building of a human community with a shared future. "We will work with peoples of all other countries to champion humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom to safeguard global peace and promote global development, and keep promoting the building of a human community with a shared future," Xi said when meeting the press at the Great Hall of the People. Stressing that the world is grappling with unprecedented challenges, Xi said the CPC has consistently called on the people of the world to grasp and shape the future and destiny of humanity. "When all countries pursue the cause of common good, we can live in harmony, engage in cooperation for mutual benefit and join hands to create a brighter future for the world," he added. (Web editor: Liu Ning, Hongyu) Flash An explosion struck on Saturday an ambulance carrying a medic team of the southern pro-government Yemeni forces in southern Abyan province, killing five medics on board, a security official told Xinhua. "A remotely detonated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) struck an ambulance carrying a medical military team of the southern troops while passing through a main road in the Al Mahfid district of Abyan," the security official said on condition of anonymity, adding the blast also destroyed the ambulance. Homemade bombs were heavily laid by terrorist elements through various roads and areas in an attempt to impede and abort the progress of the pro-government military campaign aimed at tracking down terrorists in Abyan, he noted. No group has claimed responsibility for bombing the military medical team yet. Yemeni military and government officials often hold the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch responsible for such attacks. In September, forces loyal to the Yemeni government evicted scores of al-Qaida militants from Abyan following days of armed confrontations. The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula network has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi militia to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. It has carried out many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country's southern provinces. CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -South Africa will overhaul its anti-corruption strategy and ensure the independence of prosecutors, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday, responding to recommendations from a state inquiry into alleged corruption under his predecessor. A judicial commission of inquiry was established to examine allegations of high-level graft during former President Jacob Zuma's nine years in power from 2009 to 2018. "The people of South Africa are tired of corruption and want it to end," Ramaphosa said in a live television broadcast. "As a country, we are emerging from a dark and difficult period." The inquiry found Zuma had allowed businessmen close to him - brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta - to plunder state resources and influence policy, commonly known as 'state capture' in South Africa. The Guptas deny any wrongdoing and have left the country but face extradition proceedings in Dubai. Zuma denies wrongdoing and at one stage refused to cooperate with the inquiry, leading to his imprisonment in July 2021 for contempt of court. Inquiry reports said investigations, which implicated ANC politicians and company executives, found rampant graft across key economic sectors including state-owned companies such as power utility Eskom and freight and logistics group Transnet. Evidence uncovered by the inquiry can be used by authorities to pursue criminal charges. Ramaphosa said of plans to overhaul South Africa's anti-graft strategy: "Through the implementation of the actions contained in this response, we can start a new chapter in our struggle against corruption." In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ramaphosa said his response outlined steps government will take to catch suspects and other reforms. Ramaphosa, who served as deputy state president under Zuma, testified at the inquiry that he chose to "remain but resist" rather than resign when allegations surfaced. (Reporting by Wendell Roelfl; Editing by David Goodman and Edmund Blair) By Soo-hyang Choi and Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) -North and South Korea exchanged warning shots off the west coast on Monday, accusing each other of breaching their maritime borders amid heightened military tension. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it broadcast warnings and fired warning shots to see off a North Korean merchant vessel that crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto sea boundary, at around 3:40 a.m. (1840 GMT Sunday). The North's military said it fired 10 rocket artillery rounds after a South Korean navy ship violated the sea border and fired warning shots "on the pretext of tracking down an unidentified ship," according to state media. "We ordered initial countermeasures to strongly expel the enemy warship," a spokesperson for the General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army said, according to the official KCNA news agency. The JCS called the North's move a violation of a 2018 bilateral military pact banning "hostile acts" in the border areas, and urged it to cease "consistent provocations and accusations." Since the 1990s, Pyongyang has been disputing the NLL, drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, claiming it should lie far to the south. An official at South Korea's military said it had conducted a "normal operation" regarding the border intrusion and rejects the North's claim over the NLL. The latest exchange of fire came amid simmering tensions, with the North carrying out weapons tests at an unprecedented pace this year. In recent weeks, North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles and hundreds of artillery rounds off its east and west coasts on several occasions in protest over the South's military activities. South Korea's troops kicked off their annual Hoguk defence drills last week, designed to run until Oct. 28 and boost their own and combined ability with the United States to counter the North's nuclear and missile threats. Story continues As part of the programme, South Korean naval forces said on Monday that they would stage four-day exercises off the west coast, bringing together about 20 warships, including their Aegis-equipped destroyer and U.S. assets such as Apache attack helicopters and A-10 strike aircraft. Pyongyang has angrily reacted to the drills, calling them provocations and threatening countermeasures. Seoul and Washington say their exercises are defensive and aimed at deterring the North. (Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi and Hyonhee Shin; editing by Diane Craft, Stephen Coates and Gerry Doyle) PHNOM PENH (Reuters) -Southeast Asian foreign ministers will hold a special meeting in Indonesia on Thursday to discuss the Myanmar peace process, Cambodia's foreign ministry said on Sunday. The talks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta will cover the implementation of a five-point peace "consensus" agreed with Myanmar's military rulers last year to try to end conflict in the country, ministry spokesman Chum Sounry told Reuters. Myanmar has been trapped in a cycle of violence since the army ousted Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021, detaining her and thousands of activists and launching a bloody crackdown on protests and dissent. The meeting will seek to come up with recommendations on how to push forward the peace process ahead of an ASEAN summit next month, he said by text message. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN. ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, has been leading peace efforts but some countries in the 10-nation bloc have become increasingly exasperated by the lack of progress by the junta implementing the plan, which includes engaging with opponents and a cessation of hostilities. Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said last month ASEAN needed to decide by November whether the peace consensus was still relevant. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by William Mallard) ATLANTA Atlanta City councilmember Jason Dozier couldnt help but feel a sense of deja vu. Sitting in front of Harkness Hall at Clark Atlanta University, the focal point of three of the oldest and largest historically Black colleges and universities in the country, he recalled being at the same spot nine months ago, when President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stood just a few feet away. Back then, the two had come to one of Georgias most preeminent HBCUs to make the case that democracy was not just under siege, but that they were up to the task of defending it. They promised to fight for a bill protecting voting rights. Biden said hed support a filibuster-carevout to make reform a reality. It felt urgent, recalled Dozier, a first-term member of the city council who represents the district, squinting a bit behind his sunglasses. It wasnt just a zoom chat or a phone call or a conference call. They came in person here where the next generation of black political leadership is burgeoning and bubbling up. Nine months later, that sense of purpose and desire for reform has been replaced by the reality that it never came and likely wont. Even Dozier, a fan of the administration and a committed midterm voter, acknowledges the White House and Democrats could face a frustrated Black electorate in Georgia. I think there could have been a better job done with connecting the threat to democracy conversation and speech to the voting protection work that needs to happen in states, Dozier said. A lot of things that we wanted him to prioritize weren't done in a way that we wanted him to in the time that we wanted to do [them in]. Doziers sentiments were echoed in interviews with roughly a dozen Black activists and voters in and around the spot where Biden gave the most forceful address on voting rights of his presidency. Just weeks before Election Day, some were willing to forgive Democrats for inaction because of the recent movement and progress on other issues. But others were less charitable. Story continues The attitudes toward the president and his partys inability to move forward on legislation to expand federal voting protections could have an outsized impact on turnout in Georgia specifically, advocates say. In polling done by HIT Strategies for SEIU, voting rights landed at the bottom for non-Republican voters across midterm battleground states. But in the Peach State, it landed as a top three issue, Terrance Woodbury, the CEO of HIT Strategies told POLITICO. A lot of that is because of the legacy of voting rights in Georgia and a legacy of folks like [former congressman and civil rights icon] John Lewis. But it's also because they are hearing about it a lot, Woodbury added. These were low propensity focus groups and they can name parts of legislation. Deborah Scott, CEO of the civil rights group Georgia STAND-UP, also saw Biden and Harris that January day. She said her organization has knocked on 200,000 doors this election season, despite having doubts over whether the administration will come through on promises of pushing a federal voting rights bill through Congress. Nowadays, she spends her time trying to get young Black voters engaged in the midterms, even while conceding that Bidens shortcomings on voting rights make that job harder. We're still not over the voting rights not passing. But did the administration do enough to make sure that it passed? I question it, Scott told POLITICO, during an interview on the campus of Morris Brown College, less than a mile away from where Biden spoke. Biden defenders argue that its unfair to hold him responsible for the failures of moving voting rights and election reforms. The current Senate makeup has made it impossible to pass an overhaul of such laws without changing the chambers filibuster rules, which the president ended up embracing. But without the votes to reform the filibuster, the administration has been forced to focus on voter education. Last month, the administration released a memo by Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice that included a plain-language guide the Justice Department crafted for federal voting rights laws and guidance from the General Services Administration outlining which federal locations could be used by nonprofits for nonpartisan voter registration drives. White House aides also point to the presidents address last month in Philadelphia when he painted his predecessor, Donald Trump, and his GOP allies as dangers to democracy. But while civil rights advocates welcomed the speech, they also argued that the administration has yet to tie its central themes back to voting rights. Theres been a lot of rhetoric. We want to see results, said Gerald Griggs, an Atlanta-based attorney and the president of the Georgia chapter of the NAACP, who also attended Bidens January speech. All over Atlanta, similar sentiments emerged in conversations with potential and committed voters. With just weeks to go until the midterms, the biggest concern among advocates has been delivering enough tangible wins to motivate Black voters to return to the polls. Biden, in his January speech, warned Republican senators that trying to limit voting access amounted to Jim Crow 2.0. Yet with no legislative action to accompany his warning, activists fear voters will stay home on Election Day. Politicians believe they should only have to show up during election cycles to make promises. And what the African-American voter is telling them is, you better do it for three and a half years and not the last six months before an election, Griggs said. So far, in Georgias first weeks of early voting, more than 600,000 people have already voted, according to the Georgia Secretary of States office. Thats twice the number of voters casting ballots on the first day of early voting than in the last midterm election. But its unclear whether thats a sign of enthusiasm for Democrats or Republicans. Nor do those numbers determine what the final tallies may end up being. Advocates say that while Black voters continue to be frustrated with the administration and Senate Democrats over voting rights, a recent flurry of executive activity elsewhere has helped placate them. Theyre especially pleased with Biden pardoning thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession, and his plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loans. The latter program was put on pause Friday by an appeals court, but both issues disproportionately impact Black people. We finally have some to take home. We have lower drug prices, decriminalize marijuana and lower student debt. That's something to fight for, Bryce Berry, the president of Young Democrats of Georgia told POLITICO. When we go knock on doors, we have something concrete to say to folks. Ultimately, however, advocates and civil rights leaders in Georgia say they dont feel like the recent wins on student loans and marijuana related pardons are an equal trade for a lack of voting rights legislation. Instead, they view them as a downpayment from the administration and they hope it gives the White House some momentum should the election actually go well. From a vibe standpoint, it feels like we're winning and [finally] doing a lot of good and oh boy, this feels so good, said Dozier. Let's make sure we can do more of that. SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 12:05 Work continues to restore power supply to customers in Volyn and Khmelnytskyi Oblasts who were left without electricity as a result of Russian strikes on energy facilities on 22 October. Source: Yurii Pohuliaiko, Head of Volyn Oblast Military Administration; Serhii Hamalii, Head of Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote from Hamalii: "We continue dealing with the aftermath of cruise missiles hitting the facilities in the Khmelnytskyi and Shepetivka districts in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. As of this morning, about 20% of consumers in the Shepetivka district remain without electricity. Power supply has been restored to 96%, and water supply to 100% in the city of Khmelnytskyi." Details: Pohuliaiko said that the work of the Volynoblenergo [public energy supplier in Volyn Oblast - ed.] repair crews had continued throughout the night. As of 23 October, the power supply to 91,000 consumers has been restored in the Oblast. Pohuliaiko also stated that all possible backup power supply schemes are in use. Currently, the cities of Lutsk, Kovel, the Lukiv as well as Holovne hromada [an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories - ed.] of the Kovel district remain partially without power. Some cities are experiencing reduced voltage levels. The Head of Volyn Oblast Military Administration noted that it is possible to alternately supply power to some customers, and called on residents to treat this situation with understanding. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Rishi Sunak looks set for coronation as the UKs third prime minister of 2022 on Monday, after Boris Johnson sensationally pulled out of the race late on Sunday night. Johnsons retreat leaves Mr Sunak and leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt as the only declared contenders in the contest to succeed Liz Truss, with the former chancellor enjoying an overwhelming lead in endorsements from Tory MPs. The former prime ministers withdrawal from the contest is a significant humiliation, after he authorised allies to brief that he was ready to return to Downing Street less than two months after his ejection and flew home from a Caribbean holiday to muster support. In the event, he was able to secure only 60 public declarations of backing from Tory MPs, and his claim to have amassed the 100 nominations required to get on the ballot paper was treated with scorn by Sunak backers. Announcing that he would not put himself forward, Mr Johnson claimed that there was every chance that he would have won the ballot of Conservative members that would be triggered on Monday if two candidates pass the 100-nomination threshold. But he appeared to acknowledge that this would have thrust him back into 10 Downing Street without the support of a majority of Tory MPs, some of whom have said they would decline the whip or defect to other parties if he became leader. He also accepted that his attempts to strike deals with rival candidates Mr Sunak and Penny Mordaunt had come to nothing, with Ms Mordaunt rejecting an appeal to back him and telling him that most of her supporters were more likely to switch to the former chancellor. Do you want a general election? In a statement, Johnson claimed that he could have achieved the extraordinary feat of returning to Downing Street less than two months after quitting. But he said: In the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament. Story continues And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this. Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. Mr Johnsons bid to return to No 10 sparked an initial surge of enthusiasm from acolytes, but over the weekend he failed to build momentum, despite flying home from the Dominican Republic to rally his troops. On two successive days, his supporters were reduced to briefing that they had the necessary 100 nominations for a bid, but were unable to name at least 40 of the supposed backers. Johnson picked up endorsements from cabinet ministers including Jacob Rees-Mogg, James Cleverly and Nadhim Zahawi the latter just 108 days after writing a letter calling on him to quit as PM. But his comeback bid was fatally holed by the announcements of totemic right-wing figures like Suella Braverman, David Frost Johnsons Brexit negotiator and Steve Baker that they were backing Sunak. Baker warned that a second Johnson premiership would be a "guaranteed disaster" and would collapse before the year was out due to the upcoming contempt inquiry into the former PMs alleged lies over Partygate. He urged Mr Johnson to wait until after the conclusion of the Privileges Committee probe before attempting a return to the political frontline. Polling guru Prof Sir John Curtice told The Independent that Johnsons election-winning ability the main plank of his supporters case for a second premiership is no longer the golddust it was in 2019. In a sign that Mr Sunak now enjoys a clear run to the Conservative leadership, Johnson backer Nadhim Zahawi immediately announced he had switched his allegiance to the former chancellor. A day is a long time in politics, said Zahawi. Given todays news, its clear that we should turn to Rishi Sunak to become our next prime minister. Rishi is immensely talented, will command a strong majority in the parliamentary Conservative Party, and will have my full support and loyalty. But Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the former PMs withdrawal was a humiliating climbdown for Johnson and all the Conservative MPs who wanted to put him back in Number 10 after he lied and broke the law. Earlier, Mr Baker had warned that a second Johnson premiership would last only months, due to the Privileges Committee investigation into potentially contempt of parliament over alleged lies he told about lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street. Tory MPs mindful of the need to preserve their reputations for a likely hunt for new jobs after the election will refuse to lay down their integrity to save him in the case of a vote on punishments recommended by the committee, he said. At that moment his premiership will collapse, said Mr Baker. Its a guaranteed nailed-on failure and we cannot allow it to happen. He said Johnson should do something big and statesmanlike and put his political ambitions on hold until the process is complete. Mr Bakers comments raised the significant possibility that the European Research Group of pro-Brexit Tory MPs would withhold their endorsement from Johnson when they meet on Monday morning. This could have left him short of the 100 nominations he needed, in a stark demonstration of his fall from the affections of the parliamentary Conservative party. More follows... The suspect accused of fatally shooting two maternity nurses at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday morning was on parole for aggravated robbery and wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the attack, authorities said. Nestor Hernandez, 30, allegedly opened fire on the nurses around 11 a.m. on Saturday. Law enforcement found the two nurses near the labor and delivery area of the hospital. A Methodist Health System police officer shot and injured Hernandez after the man allegedly shot the nurses. Methodist Health System Police arrested Hernandez for capital murder, Dallas police said in a statement. He was transported to another hospital for treatment. Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said the shooting is an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system. Dallas mayor Eric Johnson responded to the shooting in a tweet, saying he is praying for the loved ones and colleagues of the nurses who were violently and senselessly taken from us. Our city loves our healthcare heroes, and our residents will be there for them as we grieve and seek swift justice, Johnson said. I am praying tonight for the loved ones and colleagues of the two nurses at Methodist Dallas Medical Center who were violently and senselessly taken from us. Our city loves our healthcare heroes, and our residents will be there for them as we grieve and seek swift justice. Mayor Eric Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) October 22, 2022 The Methodist Health System said in a statement that it is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members. Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy, the statement said. Our prayers are with our lost co-workers and their families, as well as our entire Methodist family. We appreciate the communitys support during this difficult time. More from National Review Sunday was a great day on the field for the Washington Commanders. Elsewhere, not so much. With Taylor Heinicke starting for injured quarterback Carson Wentz, the Commanders stunned the Green Bay Packers at home in a 23-21 win. They did so as fans in the stands called for owners Dan and Tanya Snyder to "sell the team." Sunday's was the first home game in Washington since a report that Dan Snyder threatened "blow up" the NFL with dirt on fellow team owners if they they pressured him to sell. The franchise has been mired in dysfunction since Snyder bought the team in 1999, and allegations of a toxic workplace culture within the organization have amplified calls for Snyder's ouster from the NFL. Since that Oct. 13 report, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said as much out loud. "At this point, Im very concerned that he needs to be removed," Irsay said at owners meetings last week. It turns out that Commanders fans agree. Some of them at least. Commanders fans: 'Sell the team' Per multiple reports, a chant of "sell the team" broke out at FedEx Field on Sunday as a message from co-CEO Tanya Snyder played on the stadium's video board. Tanya is representing the team's ownership interests as Dan has technically been removed from day-to-day operations amid the investigation into the workplace misconduct allegations. Other fans put their displeasure in writing. Several fans showed up to the stadium on Sunday with signs reading "sell the team." One even showed up with a paper bag for his head emblazoned with the same message. He says that security told them to take down their signs. Staff making fans put the Sell the Team signs down pic.twitter.com/37sZsasch4 JP Curtz (@teamsellinszn) October 23, 2022 Snyders security guards made me take the sign down so I put on the bag on and they made me take that off. I told them it was our franchises version of the cheese head. Plenty of cheese heads around us. #SellTheTeam pic.twitter.com/o73l79r5XN Tom Manatos (@TomManatos) October 23, 2022 The "sell the team" bag is now making repeat appearances after showing up during Washington's Week 6 game against the Chicago Bears. Story continues "Sell the team" is becoming a Commanders mantra. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) This all took place on Sunday amid a celebration for the franchise as it honored team greats like Art Monk, Mark Rypien and Doug Williams in a homecoming ceremony. Even that was tinged with controversy. Tanya concluded a speech introducing Monk, Rypien and Williams by invoking the franchise's former nickname that was changed after years of pressure because it's a slur. Heres the end of the video of Tanya Snyder, which includes her Hail to the Redskins (:20). https://t.co/XpIqKP9z3T pic.twitter.com/H5tSIWht6V Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) October 23, 2022 As usual, Washington's NFL franchise struggles to get even the little things right. 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 an Oct. 5 filing in Grafton Superior Court, the taxpayers asked 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. Our year-end campaign starts now! Please make a tax-exempt donation to The 74. 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 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. 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. New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Hampshire Bulletin maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@newhampshirebulletin.com. Follow New Hampshire Bulletin on Facebook and Twitter. Tewksbury Police are investigating an incident in which gunshots were fired during a pursuit involving two vehicles. On Sunday, Oct. 23 at approximately 2:58 a.m. Tewksbury Police received a 911 call from an individual who reported being pursued by another vehicle on Interstate 495 at Route 133 at high speeds. Officers responded to the area of Route 133 and heard five gunshots, but due to the high speeds involved officers were unable to catch up to the vehicles as they entered Andover on Route 133, police said. The caller subsequently hung up on police and officers were unable to re-establish contact. Police investigated the area where the gunshots were heard and recovered five spent shell casings, in collaboration with Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Unit. Tewksbury Police are actively investigating the incident in collaboration with law enforcement partners, and Massachusetts State Police. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Thousands of Iranian Americans and others march Saturday in downtown L.A. in solidarity with women-led protests in Iran and for regime change in that country. They were protesting the recent death of Mahsa Amini, pictured, which occurred in the custody of the Islamic Republic's morality police. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Thousands gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to rally for regime change in Iran and show solidarity with the demonstrations that have roiled the country after a young woman died while in the custody of the morality police. The march began in Pershing Square and ended at L.A. City Hall, with scores of protesters waving Iranian flags and holding icons of Mahsa Amini. Thousands of Iranian Americans and others, carrying a banner in the colors of the Iranian flag, march during a rally Saturday in downtown Los Angeles. The march started at Pershing Square and ended up at City Hall. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Amini, 22, was arrested Sept. 13 in Tehran by the morality police and accused of not correctly wearing her hijab, the head covering that is mandatory for women in Iran since the 1979 revolution. She died three days later, and her death sparked protests led by women across Iran that have continued to rock the country. The government has violently cracked down on the demonstrations, attacking and detaining protesters. The Norway-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights said that at least 215 people, including 27 children, have been killed since the surge of demonstrations began last month. The downtown Los Angeles event was called a freedom rally for Iran. Similar demonstrations took place all over the world in solidarity with women-led protests in Iran. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Protests have erupted across the globe in solidarity and to draw continued attention to corruption and human rights abuses within Iran. Southern California, home to the largest enclave of Iranians outside Iran, has been particularly active, with demonstrations in schools, universities and public streets across L.A. and Orange counties. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Tim Burton shared details about his current relationship with Disney. Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Getty Images Deadline published an interview with director Tim Burton on Saturday. Burton said he's "done" working with Disney after directing the 2019 "Dumbo" remake. He compared working with Disney to a "horrible big circus." Tim Burton said his working relationship with Disney has likely come to an end. Burton shared his thoughts during an interview with Deadline's Melanie Goodfellow in an interview published Saturday. Burton, 64, told the outlet that he doesn't plan to work with Disney in the future after directing the 2019 "Dumbo" remake. The "Dumbo" remake included the star-studded cast of Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell, Eva Green, and Michael Keaton. "My history is that I started out there. I was hired and fired like several times throughout my career there," Burton told Deadline. "The thing about 'Dumbo' is that's why I think my days with Disney are done, I realized that I was Dumbo, that I was working in this horrible big circus and I needed to escape." Tim Burton compared working with Disney to a "horrible big circus." Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images "That movie is quite autobiographical at a certain level," Burton added. Burton told IndieWire in March 2019 that he resonated with the film's main character. "It's my story as an animator, it's my problem as well. It's a two-way street, right?" he told the outlet. "At Disney, they like me, but I get paid to be the slightly accepted weirdo." The "Beetlejuice" director also said that Disney is currently focused on Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars content, meaning there's less attention given to individual projects. "It's gotten to be very homogenized, very consolidated. There's less room for different types of things," Burton told Deadline, adding that he would not work on a Marvel film. "I can only deal with one universe, l can't deal with a multi-universe." Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Story continues According to the AMC Theatres website, Burton worked at Disney as an apprentice in the early 1980s and was fired in 1984 after creating 'Frankenweenie" because he used studio money to make a film that was too scary for kids. He reconnected with Disney in 1993 for "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and went on to direct several other projects with the company. Films like "James and the Giant Peach" and "Alice in Wonderland" are among his more notable projects with Disney. Read the original article on Insider Filmmaker Tim Burton didnt hold back on his thoughts toward Disney during a press conference in France on Saturday. Burton, who was in Lyon to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Lumiere Festival, weighed in on the status of his relationship with the company he started working for in the early 80s. Burton has worked on several movies for the studio including The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peachand the 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland over his career. Burton said his most recent movie with the studio, a 2019 live-action remake of Dumbo, will likely be his last there following his unsatisfactory time making it, Deadline reported. The thing about Dumbo, is thats why I think my days with Disney are done, I realized that I was Dumbo, that I was working in this horrible big circus and I needed to escape, Burton said. That movie is quite autobiographical at a certain level. Burton also discussed the studios penchant for popular franchises such as Star Wars and Marvel, adding that hed never make a superhero movie for the latter franchise. Its gotten to be very homogenized, very consolidated, Burton said. Theres less room for different types of things. I can only deal with one universe, l cant deal with a multi-universe. It isnt the first time this year that Burton has spoken out about a studio. Burton slammed Warner Bros.for replacing him as Batman director and alleged that the studio deemed his Batman movies the first two in a four movie series that ended in 1997 too dark, Empire magazine reported in June. They went the other way, thats the funny thing about it, Burton said. But then I was like, Wait a minute. Okay. Hold on a second here. You complain about me, Im too weird, Im too dark, and then you put nipples on the costume? Go fuck yourself. Seriously, he said. So, yeah, I think thats why I didnt end up [doing a third film]. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... WASHINGTON After the military raid that killed Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama sought to briskly release information as soon as the Al Qaeda leader was confirmed dead May 2, 2011. But Obama's late-night announcement was carefully crafted, included a spare description of the operation and "didn't get into other classified elements of the mission and how it was set up," Leon Panetta, then head of the CIA, told USA TODAY, explaining the meticulous process used to not reveal confidential government information. Obama's consultation with intelligence agencies to determine what intelligence to release publicly contrasts sharply with Donald Trump's assertion that as president he could declassify documents merely by thinking about it a claim he made after FBI agents seized about 100 classified documents from his Mar-a-Lago estate in August. Trump both single-handedly declassified documents and also deferred to the intelligence community to keep documents secret during his team. In 2019, he tweeted a previously classified satellite photo of an Iranian rocket mishap, which he said he had the "absolute right to do." But in 2017 Trump postponed the release of some documents associated with President John F. Kennedy's assassination because of intelligence concerns. The slow release of information in both Trump and Obama administrations illustrates that despite their broad powers, it's rare for presidents to unilaterally declassify documents without input from intelligence agencies to determine what can be revealed and when. Declassifying documents can be long and deliberate, experts say, a far more intensive process than what Trump describes. This was not something driven by a seat-of-the pants response," Panetta said about the declassification review of the bin Laden raid. Some aspects of the raid remain secret more than a decade later, he added. Story continues Trump news: Trump drops attorney-client claims over Mar-a-Lago documents 'Lives could be at stake': Trump document review to gauge whether US sources put at risk Deputy Director for the Museum in the Central Intelligence Agency Janelle Neises describes a model of the compound where U.S. forces located and killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that is on display in the refurbished museum in the CIA headquarters building in Langley, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Declassifying documents isn't simple for presidents The seizure of top secret documents at Trump's Florida estate shined a spotlight on what role presidents play in declassifying the government's most sensitive records. Security experts said traditionally it's not as easy as a simple presidential declaration because intelligence officials need to ensure the sources and methods of gathering the information aren't revealed. Trump claimed on social media and in interviews he declassified the documents at Mar-a-Lago while he was still president. "ALL documents have been previously declassified," Trump said in a statement Aug. 22. But his lawyers haven't made that provocative claim in court as he fights a Justice Department investigation of the records. Government lawyers and national security experts treated Trump's claim with skepticism. Declassification decisions even when a president or Congress want the information released are typically left for the agency that generated the document to review. The process can take months, years or decades. Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior director of the White House Situation Room, told a panel at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy and International Security he had never heard during his 32-year intelligence career of a president personally declassifying something. The reason for agencies to review requests is to avoid revealing the people or technology that provided the information, where the risks can be life and death, he said. If there is a human asset involved, perhaps that human asset needs to be pulled out of the country and resettled somewhere," Pfeiffer said. "If there are technical assets involved, an assessment needs to be made as to the likelihood that that technical asset may now become neutered and unavailable to provide other additional information. This image contained in a court filing by the Department of Justice on Aug. 30, 2022, and redacted by in part by the FBI, shows a photo of documents seized during the Aug. 8 search by the FBI of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The Justice Department says it has uncovered efforts to obstruct its investigation into the discovery of classified records at former President Donald Trump's Florida estate. How the US released information about Osama bin Laden's death Information about the Navy SEAL raid led by the CIA to capture or kill bin Laden, the architect of the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, was one of the government's most closely guarded secrets until it was over. Rather than Obama single-handedly announcing the death, several steps were taken. Before the public announcement, Obama directed Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, to contact their counterparts in Pakistan because they hadn't been advised in advance. Obama "wanted to be careful," Panetta said. After more intelligence consultations, background briefings with reporters shed more light on the operation for the public in the following hours. Michael Morell, a 33-year veteran of the CIA, including two stints as acting CIA director, said a number of intelligence officials were asked to do a background briefing for the media on what led to the compound and on the military operation. There had to be considerations about how to do that and which facts would be revealed, said John Fitzpatrick, who oversaw records access and information security management for the National Security Council during the last year of the Obama administration and the first two years of the Trump administration. Congress later asked for more. The 2014 Intelligence Authorization Act required the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a declassification review of the materials collected during the mission. After "a rigorous interagency review," the office released three tranches of documents nicknamed "Bin Laden's Bookshelf" in 2015;, 2016 and 2017. Despite the raid being described extensively in books, movies and other outlets, Panetta said some details remain secret. "There always has been a clear understanding of how this information should be handled, Panetta said. I think its pretty clear that Trump had little regard for classified documents. I dont think he has a clue of why the security of this information is important. An AKM rifle that was found near the body of Osama Bin Laden during the raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, is on display with a brick from the compound in the refurbished museum in the CIA headquarters building in Langley, Va., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Congress can also push a president to declassify While presidents oversee declassification of executive-branch information, Congress occasionally asks to speed up the process. Presidents provide guidance about how agencies declassify documents through executive orders, the most recent from Obama in 2009. That order calls for declassification of most records within 25 years with exceptions to prevent revealing source identities or facilitating the development of weapons of mass destruction. Congress occasionally requests faster declassification, which can lead to clashes between the lawmakers and executive intelligence agencies. One example dealt with a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation of Al Qaeda terror suspects after the Sept. 11 attacks. The report found CIA personnel, aided by two outside contractors, initiated a program of indefinite secret detention of at least 119 people and coercive interrogations that in some cases amounted to torture. The chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called the revelations "shocking." The Senate panel voted twice to ask for an executive branch declassification review of the report before publicly releasing its 450-page executive summary previously marked top secret and not for release to foreign nationals in 2014. But the 6,700 page report remains under wraps. Mary DeRosa, a former National Security Council legal adviser and now a professor of practice at Georgetown Law School, said after Obama made a decision to declassify legal memos about the program, there was lots of consultation among intelligence agencies. But not everyone agreed on the details of what could be released. When the president made a decision that was very much his, there was a process for it to make sure it was done correctly and recorded correctly, DeRosa said. Despite Republican and Democratic lawmakers denouncing the program's harsh methods, the full report remains classified. In 2016, Obama directed the report be preserved in the National Archives for 12 years before potentially being declassified. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The House and Senate intelligence committees can also trigger a five-day window for the president to object to a disclosure. Even when this strategy is invoked, the release of declassified material often takes longer than five days. The House Intelligence Committee employed this strategy when it pressed for the declassification of its report about Russian interference in the 2016 election. Amid partisan bickering, a redacted version of the report was released in April 2018. Intelligence experts said the review showed how the process works in even the most contentious circumstances. Its an example of the folks around the president understanding that there is a set of rules that require consideration and consultation with the agencies and declassification happens this way, said Fitzpatrick, who oversaw White House records access for the Obama and Trump administrations. House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, standing with Reps. Peter King and Ron DeSantis, listens to a reporter's question as he speaks on Capitol Hill on Oct. 24, 2017. Trump followed protocols for JFK assassination records, not Mar-a-Lago Trump has sometimes followed declassification rules and listened to the concerns of intelligence agencies and ignored those customs at other times. Trump said he had the absolute right to reveal the Iranian rocket picture. But releasing the remarkably crisp satellite picture alerted adversaries in Iran and other countries to U.S. surveillance capabilities. We had a photo and I released it, which I have the absolute right to do, Trump told reporters Aug. 30, 2019. After the Mar-a-Lago search, Trump said on Truth Social on Aug. 12 all the documents were declassified. He told Hannity on Sept. 21 a president can declassify just by saying its declassified, even by thinking about it. The claim surprised former top officials in government. Panetta called the storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago "astounding." Former Attorney General Bill Barr said there was no justification for Trump to have classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Justice Department officials have argued in court filings that no documentation exists to confirm records seized at Mar-a-Lago were declassified. In contrast to the decisions about the satellite picture or Mar-a-Lago records, Trump followed tradition in dealing with documents about the Kennedy assassination. A 1992 law called for the disclosure of all the governments documents about the killing within 25 years. But the law allowed for postponements if agencies were worried the harm to military and intelligence communities outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Trump was eager to release the records to squelch conspiracy theories when a deadline approached Oct. 26, 2017, for the release of another batch. Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened, Trump tweeted on Oct. 21, 2017. But agencies appealed to Trump to delay the release for some undisclosed documents and he punted the disclosure to April 2018, then again to October 2021. After strict consultation with General Kelly, the CIA and other Agencies, I will be releasing ALL #JFKFiles other than the names and...addresses of any mentioned person who is still living," Trump tweeted a week later. "I am doing this for reasons of full disclosure, transparency and...in order to put any and all conspiracy theories to rest. The National Archives released thousands more documents in four installments in 2017. Another 18,731 documents were released after the six-month delay in April 2018. Yet secrecy lingers nearly 60 years after the event Nov. 22, 1963. Under President Joe Biden, the National Archives continues to review the redactions on 14,000 previously released documents in consultation with the departments of Defense, Justice and State, and the director of national intelligence. The latest deadline for another release is Dec. 15. Contributing: Kevin Johnson This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Mar-a-Lago documents: Presidents declassifying on own is rare Former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a campaign rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport on October 08, 2022 in Minden, Nevada. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The January 6 committee formally issued a subpoena to Trump on Friday. If Trump refuses to comply, he could be held in contempt of Congress and potentially prosecuted. But Trump could drag out the process, possibly until the committee ends. Former President Donald Trump could deploy a relatively straightforward legal tactic to avoid complying with the January 6 committee's subpoena: delay. After well over a year of its investigation into the Capitol attack, the House select committee announced on October 13 its unanimous decision to subpoena the former president for documents and testimony. The lawmakers said Trump is the only one who can provide key information related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The panel formally issued the subpoena to Trump on Friday with a letter requesting he turn over the documents by November 4 and sit for testimony on or around November 14. The letter alleged Trump oversaw efforts to overturn the election and promoted fraud claims that he knew were false. Trump has dismissed the committee and continued to repeat false claims of voter fraud. He has not said whether or not he will comply with the subpoena, but his lawyer told The New York Times Friday they were reviewing it, and also criticized the committee for releasing it publicly. Failing to cooperate with the subpoena could result in Trump being held in contempt of Congress and referred to the Justice Department for prosecution. However, if Republicans take back the House in November as they appear likely to do the committee itself could be over. The January 6 committee was established in the summer of 2021 after Senate Republicans tanked a bipartisan 9/11-style commission. When the select committee was formed, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ended up appointing no one after Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of his five picks. Only two Republicans ended up on the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Trump critics who have been rejected by much of the GOP. Story continues But the committee, which has interviewed more than 1,000 people over the course of its investigation, is set to dissolve along with the 117th Congress on January 3. Meanwhile, Republicans seem well-positioned to win the House in midterm elections. Should Republicans win the House and take over in January, McCarthy is the most likely candidate to become House speaker. Regardless, Republicans are all but certain to discontinue the work of the committee, which could bring an end to any legal battles aimed at compelling Trump to comply with the subpoena. Although the subpoena deadlines are set for November, months before that would happen, Trump could use a number of legal moves to prolong the process. "After a witness refuses to appear, then the next best step is for the House to vote on a contempt citation," an unnamed Democratic congressional staffer told The Washington Post. "If we hold the House, it's a live civil case, but that's not guaranteed." Sources close to the situation told the Post one potential delay tactic Trump's team is looking at suing the committee, arguing it doesn't have the ability to force him to testify. Though it's unclear if the lawsuit would work, it could succeed in dragging out the process until the end of the current Congress. Read the original article on Business Insider Former president Donald Trump suggested Saturday that he will probably have to run for president again in 2024. I ran twice. I won twice, he said during a rally in Robstown, Texas, for Republican candidates in the state. I did much better the second time than I did before. He said he received millions more votes in 2020 than 2016 and likewise, getting more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country by far. And now in order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again, Trump said. But first we have to win a historic victory for the Republican Party this November. Forty-five percent of voters said they would support Trump for president in 2024 in a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey released on Monday. Forty-three percent of voters said they would back President Biden. Other potential 2024 GOP contenders include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, former vice president Mike Pence, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Trump on Saturday also took shots at Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke, calling him a flake and praising Republican Governor Greg Abbott. Seventeen days from now the people of Texas are going to defeat Beto ORourke, Trump said. And were going to keep Greg Abbott, a wonderful man, a great man, a great governor. The former president went on to call Biden and Democrats lunatics for not being more supportive of oil and gas jobs in the Lone Star State. Theyre against oil, God and guns, and then they say theyre going to do well in Texas, Trump said. I dont think so. More from National Review Stabbing, bar fight lead to two deaths this weekend. Police are investigating after two were killed Saturday evening in separate incidents, one involving a stabbing in the Northland area, and a fatal shooting on Columbus East Side. Man found fatally stabbed in Northland area A 60-year-old man was found fatally stabbed early Saturday evening in the Northland area near Westerville, police said. On Saturday, around 7:52 p.m., Columbus police responded to the 6100 block of Cooper Colony Dr. on a reported stabbing. When they arrived, officers located the victim, identified as William Dammond, suffering from a stab wound. Dammond was transported to an area hospital in critical condition and despite medical care, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 9:13 p.m. Homicide database: Here's where homicides have happened in Columbus During the course of the investigation, officers were able to identify a suspect, Brandarius Agnew, 26, and took him into custody a short distance from the scene. Agnew was charged with murder in connection with Dammonds death, and was transported to the Franklin County jail. This incident remains under investigation. Fatal shooting follows bar fight on East Side Police are also investigating a fatal shooting on the citys East Side. On Saturday, around 11:49 p.m, Columbus police responded to the 1000 block of Country Club Rd. on a report of shots being fired. When they arrived, officers found 40-year-old Jeffery Chandler suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Medics pronounced Chandler dead at 12:10 a.m Sunday. Chandler was patronizing a nearby bar when he and several other men began arguing. The men agreed to take the dispute outside, police said. Shortly after the men left the bar patrons reported hearing gunshots. Anyone with information regarding these incidents, is asked to call Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477). @Colebehr_report Cbehrens@dispatch.com This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two killed in separate Saturday homicides in Columbus Antony Blinken He made this statement the day after the White House accused Teheran of sending Iranian specialists to occupied Crimea, where they train Russian troops on how to pilot drones. We believe that Russias received dozens of these UAVs so far from Iran, with more potentially in the works, Blinken said. The Secretary of State added that the U.S. was working to counter Irans efforts and bolster Ukraines ability to ward off attacks. Read also: Iran condemns calls to investigate supply of suicide drones to Russia He insisted the U.S. was doing their best to curb the illegal weapons traffic, including drones, "wherever they can see them, find them and interdict them". Were continuing to build up the defenses of our partners, including in Ukraine, against the use of UAVs or any other kind of weapons systems that Iran may be engaged in, Blinker added. On Oct. 11, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had ordered 2,400 more Shahed-136 attack drones from Iran, referring to intelligence data. On Oct. 17, Kyiv suffered from a mass attack of Iranian-made suicide drones, which resulted in the death of five people and multiple injures. A pregnant woman and her husband were among the victims. Read also: Ukrainian FM, Israeli PM discuss Russia-Iran cooperation in war against Ukraine Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klychko stated that about 28 drones targeted the capital that day, though the majority of them were intercepted. Even with those efforts, five explosions were recorded in Kyiv as a result of the drone attack. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has urged Iran to immediately stop supplying Russia with suicide drones. Meanwhile Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has proposed that Kyiv formally break off diplomatic ties with Iran. Ukraine has so far refused to extend the accreditation of the Iranian ambassador, and reduced the number of personnel in the Iranian embassy to only a few employees. Earlier, The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials, reported that Iran had secretly agreed to provide Russia with not only attack drones, but also surface-to-surface ballistic missiles for Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, will attend a forum in Zagreb this week aimed at supporting Ukraine's independence and the return of the Crimean peninsula to Kyiv, her office announced on Sunday. "Discussions will be centered on the international community's efforts to support the Ukrainian people while holding Russia accountable for its documented war crimes and attempted illegal annexations," Pelosi's office said in a statement on Sunday. Pelosi, who visited the war-torn country earlier this year, has been a strong supporter of providing aid and military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Pelosi will give a speech at the forum "where she will deliver a statement of America's unbreakable commitment to Ukraine," it said. The Crimea Platform summit, to be held in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, will hear from Ukrainian government officials and outside experts focusing on "the parameters of Crimea's reintegration" after Moscow's annexation of the Eastern European peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Sam Holmes) BERLIN (Reuters) - A German lobby group representing companies with interests in eastern Europe has called for a plan to rebuild Ukraine that would mirror the Marshall Plan that helped Europe recover from World War Two, the media group RND reported. The 20-page "Rebuild Ukraine" dossier covering topics from industry to agriculture and energy will be discussed at a Ukraine-Germany business forum in Berlin on Monday, attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal. In an opinion piece in German business newspaper FAZ on Sunday, Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a similar call for a "new Marshall Plan for the 21st century" for Ukraine. "The path to reconstruction is also Ukraine's path into the European Union," they wrote, saying rebuilding needed to include setting high standards on the rule of law and tackling corruption. The lobby group's dossier called for each European country involved in efforts to rebuild Ukraine to nominate a coordinator to an advisory board to liaise with Ukraine's government. German companies should be given incentives to invest in Ukraine just as the Marshall Plan, which was a U.S. initiative, encouraged investment in West Germany after World War Two, the lobby group's chair Michael Harms said. "Companies need reliable contacts, quick tenders and approval processes, and financial and legal security," Harms told RND. The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, which is organising the conference, was not immediately available for comment on the dossier. Rebuilding Ukraine could cost nearly $350 billion, according to a September report by the World Bank, Ukrainian government and European Commission, about 1.6 times the country's $200 billion gross domestic product in 2021. (Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Edmund Blair) STANISLAV POHORILOV SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 09:59 The Armed Forces of Ukraine have killed 400 Russian invaders and shot down 2 helicopters, 21 cruise missiles and 20 UAVs in one day. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Details: Total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February and 23 October 2022 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses - ed.]: approximately 67,470 (+400) military personnel; 2,584 (+5) tanks; 5,284 (+18) armoured combat vehicles; 1,667 (+14) artillery systems; 374 (+1) multiple-launch rocket systems; 189 (+0) air defence systems; 270 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft; 245 (+2) helicopters; 1,361 (+20) operational-tactical UAVs; 350 (+21) cruise missiles; 16 (+0) ships/boats; 4,039 (+18) vehicles and tankers; 148 (+0) special vehicles and other equipment. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 17:09 Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has called on world countries to ban Russia Today (RT), a Russian propaganda TV channel, after one of its presenters said that Ukrainian children must be drowned in rivers and burned. Source: Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter Governments which still have not banned RT must watch this excerpt. This is what you side with if you allow RT to operate in your countries. Aggressive genocide incitement (we will put this person on trial for it), which has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Ban RT worldwide! https://t.co/xJC371rqyg Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 23, 2022 Details: Kuleba shared a video clip from an RT broadcast during which Anton Krasnovky, an RT presenter and director of broadcasting of RTs Russian-language version, proposes that Ukrainian children who believe that Ukrainian territories are under Russian occupation be drowned. He said so in a conversation with the Russian writer Sergey Lukyanenko. Lukyanenko said that he visited Ukraine as a child in 1980 and that Russian-speaking Ukrainian children told him that Ukraine has been occupied by moskali [a derogatory term for Russians used in Ukraine - ed.]. "Those [kids] should have been drowned in Tysyna, where the duck is drifting [an allusion to a Ukrainian folk song, Plyve kacha po Tysyni, or A duck drifting along Tysyna - ed.]. Those kids have to be drowned, drownedAs soon as they say that moskali occupied [Ukraine], throw them in the river where the currents are strong," the presenter proposed. Lukyanenko responded that "birch rods have traditionally been used" for this purpose. Krasovsky, in his turn, said that children should be stuffed in huts in the Carpathians and set on fire. Story continues He then added that Ukraine "should not exist at all". Lukyanenko disagreed, saying that Ukraine should continue existing because "a large number of people will remain [on the territory of Ukraine] with whom I would not like to live in one country". "Well, well just shoot them," Krasovksy replied. During the conversation the RT presenter said that Ukrainian women "would spend all their money to pay for Russian soldiers to rape them". Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that governments that still have not banned RT "must watch this excerpt". Quote from Kuleba: "This is what you side with if you allow RT to operate in your countries. Aggressive genocide incitement (we will put this person on trial for it), which has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Ban RT worldwide!" Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! EUROPEAN PRAVDA SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022, 19:56 Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has called statements of the Russian side about Ukraines alleged plans to stage a provocation with the use of a so-called "dirty bomb" dangerous and absurd. This is reported by European Pravda. Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a dirty bomb are as absurd as they are dangerous. Firstly, Ukraine is a committed NPT member: we neither have any dirty bombs, nor plan to acquire any. Secondly, Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves. Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 23, 2022 "Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a dirty bomb are as absurd as they are dangerous," Kuleba posted on Twitter. "Firstly, Ukraine is a committed NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons - ed.] member: we neither have any dirty bombs, nor plan to acquire any. Secondly, Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves," he added. As it was reported earlier, the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation called at least three defence ministers of NATO countries (France, Turkey, and Great Britain) on Sunday, telling them about a Ukrainian "dirty bomb". Prior to this, Russian state-owned news outlet RIA Novosti, known for spreading disinformation and propaganda, had posted a message about a possibility of "dirty bomb" being used by Ukraine. According to the propagandists narrative, Ukraine is preparing to "detonate a nuclear bomb" on its territory in order to accuse Russia of using a weapon of mass destructions and turn the whole world against Russia. This information was spread by all the popular Kremlin-aligned media outlets in one hour. The Russians have spoken about Ukraines alleged intentions to create a "nuclear bomb" before. Thus, in the beginning of March, Konstantin Gavrilov, head of Russias delegation in Vienna, claimed that Russias invasion of Ukraine was allegedly aimed at not letting Kyiv create "a dirty nuclear bomb". Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Smoke and flames rise from the bridge between Crimea and Russia after an explosion on October 8. AFP via Getty Images The bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula was hit by a surprise attack on October 8. The bridge is damaged but still standing, though the attackers also likely sought psychological impact. Putin touted the bridge when it was built, and the attack on it comes after others in Crimea itself. At dawn on October 8, an explosion shook the bridge between mainland Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. The blast caused a westbound span of the road bridge to collapse into the Kerch Strait and damaged an eastbound span and the adjacent rail bridge. Ukraine had previously threatened the bridge but hasn't officially claimed responsibility, though Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Kyiv and called it a "terrorist attack." Following the blast, road and rail movement on the bridge, which had seen increased civilian traffic following Ukrainian attacks on Russian bases in Crimea in August, was limited, with heavier trucks crossing by boat instead. Bridge over troubled water The Crimean bridge on October 9. Contributor/AFP via Getty Images The Crimean bridge is very important to the Russian war effort in Ukraine. It is the shortest land route from Russia to Crimea, and Russian forces used it to transport large amounts of equipment before and after the attack began in late February. The peninsula is also home to important military infrastructure. It hosts Russia's Black Sea Fleet and numerous military airports and bases. Crimea is critical for operational and logistical support of Russia's southern front in Ukraine, where its troops are having setbacks in Kherson. As a result of the attack, Russian supply lines through Crimea are "degraded" and logistical issues on Russia's southern front are likely "more acute," the British Ministry of Defense said this month. To compensate for reduced bridge traffic, Russia now has to transport troops, equipment, and supplies across the Kerch Strait by boat or reroute them through the occupied provinces of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk in southern Ukraine, which takes much longer. Story continues Vehicles wait to cross the Crimean bridge on October 9. ANNA KARPENKO/AFP via Getty Images A "large queue of cargo trucks" has been observed on the Russian side of the strait and Russian forces "are likely increasing logistical supply flow" through Mariupol in Donetsk, the Ministry of Defense said in an October 17 update. Limited damage to the rail portion of the bridge means traffic there may soon pick up, the Institute for the Study of War said in an assessment after the attack. Watch: British intelligence says Russia's military leadership has only become 'increasingly dysfunctional' However, the bridge has likely suffered structural damage and may be weaker, requiring reductions in the weight and frequency of rail traffic, according to Colin Caprani and Sam Rigby, experts in bridge safety and blast engineering. Russian officials have said little about the impact of the blast, but a government decree signed this month orders repairs to be completed by July 1, 2023, which may be an indication of the extent of the damage. Happy birthday, Mr. president Ukrainians pose with a mock postage stamp depicting the Crimean Bridge on fire on October 8. Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images While the military impact of the attack may be limited, that was not the only goal. "The attack on the Crimean bridge was partially intended as a message," Chris Miller, a professor at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, told Insider. The 12-mile bridge is the longest in Europe and was lauded by Russian media as a major achievement. "This is a truly historic day," Putin said at a ceremony for the opening of the bridge's road section in 2018. Russian leaders had sought to build such a bridge for decades, Putin said, adding that "this miracle has come true." The attack also took place a day after Putin's 70th birthday. "Because Putin is personally associated with the seizure of Crimea, any attack on the peninsula is a blow to his signature accomplishment," said Miller, who is also director for Eurasia at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Putin inspects the completed road section of the Crimean Bridge on March 14, 2018. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via Reuters "The Ukrainians want to delegitimize Russian control over Crimea and to show that Russia's hold on the peninsula is weaker than it appears," and Russians clearly realize today that their control over the occupied peninsula is threatened "in a way it hasn't been since 2014," Miller told Insider. Following the attacks in August, Russians, many of them vacationers, scrambled to leave Crimea, with reports of 38,000 cars departing in one day. This week, Putin declared "medium readiness" in territories adjacent to Ukraine, likely setting the stage for more measures to support the war effort. But the Kremlin's handling of the war has eroded domestic support, and the latest attack on Crimea may further tarnish Putin's reputation. "The war in general has substantially dented Russians' trust in Putin's abilities as president," Miller said. "Competence and stability used to be the way that Putin justified his repressive rule at home," Miller added. "Now he is incompetently waging war in a way that has destabilized Russia." Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree in security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. You can contact him on LinkedIn. Read the original article on Business Insider US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy's crew and science team at the North Pole on October 2. US Coast Guard/Chief Petty Officer Roy Mesen Scott US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy made a rare trip to the North Pole at the end of September. Healy is one of only two icebreakers operated by the Coast Guard, and both of them are aging. US officials often warn that the US is falling behind the growing Russian and Chinese icebreaker fleets. The US Coast Guard's largest ship the icebreaker Healy reached the North Pole on September 30 on what was only the second unaccompanied trip there by a US ship. The trip comes amid increasing concern about military activity in the Arctic, where climate change is making waterways more accessible. Perceptions of an icebreaker gap have been a major worry, with US officials warning that the US's two aging vessels are a far cry from the Russian and Chinese fleets. Healy has sailed to the North Pole three times since it entered service in 1999. In 2015 it became the first US ship to reach the pole unaccompanied. For the icebreaker's latest trip to the pole, part of a monthslong oceanographic mission that began in July, it left Alaska in early September, conducting research along the way. The crew was "proud" to reach the pole, Healy's commanding officer, Capt. Kenneth Boda, said in a release, calling it a "rare opportunity" and "a highlight of our Coast Guard careers." Healy sails through multi-year pack ice in the Arctic on its way to the North Pole on September 27. US Coast Guard/Deborah Heldt Cordone The Coast Guard said the trip "also supported US national security objectives for the Arctic region by projecting a persistent ice-capable US presence in US Arctic waters and patrolling our maritime border with Russia." The Biden administration highlighted those objectives, and the role of icebreakers, in its national strategy for the Arctic, released this month to update the Arctic strategy released in 2013. Video: What's behind Russia's Arctic fleet and Putin's North Pole plans The strategy listed security as the first of its four pillars, emphasizing a need to improve awareness "to detect and track potential airborne and maritime threats" in the Arctic and a need for an enhanced presence there to support homeland defense and global power projection. Story continues "This includes expanding the US Coast Guard icebreaker fleet to support persistent presence in the US Arctic and additional presence as needed in the European Arctic," the document adds. 'Absolutely a priority' Healy breaks ice in the Arctic in August 2009. US Coast Guard/Petty Officer Patrick Kelley Healy is the US Coast Guard's largest ship and can break through 4.5 feet of ice at a continuous speed of 3 knots. Polar Star, Healy's counterpart, is smaller but can break 6 feet of ice at 3 knots. Both ships are showing their age. Healy was sidelined for months after an engine-room fire in August 2020. Polar Star entered service in 1976, and repairing it has gotten harder as it gets farther beyond its 30-year service life. (The icebreaker Polar Sea, built alongside Polar Star, has been nonoperational since 2010 and is used for spare parts.) Current and former US officials often contrast the status of US icebreakers with the dozens that Russia operates or is building and the two operated by China, the newest of which entered service in 2019. China said in 2021 it planned to build a new heavy icebreaker by the late 2020s. "I mean, Russia has like 40 icebreakers. We have one," Sen. Angus King, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, told CNN this month, likely referring to Polar Star, the US's only heavy icebreaker. Experts have pushed back against those warnings, citing the differing capabilities and roles of those icebreakers. "The idea that there's some kind of race with Russia that we're losing in the Arctic and you can measure it in icebreakers is a fallacy," Rebecca Pincus, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Polar Institute, said during an online event in March. Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika leaves St. Petersburg to begin sea trials in December 2019. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov Russia, which has the world's only nuclear-powered icebreakers, has the world's longest Arctic coastline and has invested extensively there. Many of Russia's icebreakers are for commercial rather than military use, and not all are designed for Arctic operations, while the US Coast Guard isn't responsible for supporting day-to-day commercial shipping, "so we're comparing different types of activities here," Pincus said. "That being said, yes, the US Coast Guard needs more icebreakers." Building the capability and capacity for an "enduring presence" in the Arctic is "absolutely a priority," Adm. Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard commandant, told lawmakers in July. The service is working on three new polar security cutters, which will be heavy icebreakers like Polar Star, and plans to build at least three medium icebreakers like Healy. It is doing "detailed design" for the first ship and has purchased "long-lead-time materials" for the second, but delivery of the first vessel has slipped to mid-2025, Fagan said. "We have not built a polar security cutter since the mid-'70s, when both the Polar Sea and Polar Star were constructed," Fagan told lawmakers. "It is a complex ship to build." A crew member from Healy conducts a dive in the Chukchi Sea in August 2021. US Coast Guard/PO2 Connor Dahl For its near-term needs, the Coast Guard is looking into acquiring a commercial icebreaker, which it is "excited" about, Fagan said. The US and other navies are spending more time in the Arctic, but icebreakers will likely remain the only ships capable of consistent operations there, even as the region warms. "The thing with the Arctic is it's really hard to tell where the ice is going to be, and it changes quite a bit throughout the year," Boda said in an interview aboard Healy in October 2021. Boda spoke to reporters after Healy had sailed through the Arctic on a trip around North America. Conducting that transit in late summer meant there was less ice and Healy could "skirt" around it, but ice was still present and still challenging, Boda said. "A conventional ship could not have done what we did. That's for sure." Read the original article on Business Insider Virat Kohli underpinned Indias victory (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP) (AP) Virat Kohlis outstanding 82 not out off 53 balls steered India to a thrilling T20 World Cup victory over Pakistan in a frenzied conclusion that went down to the last ball at a sold-out MCG. Pakistans decision to hold back Mohammad Nawaz until the last over backfired as, with 13 required from three balls, the slow left-armer was adjudged to have bowled an above-waist-height no-ball which was heaved for six by Kohli. Nawazs nerve deserted him as he threw in a wide down the leg-side with two needed off the last ball, after which Ravichandran Ashwin coolly lifted over the in-field for a single as India overhauled Pakistans 159 for eight with four wickets to spare. On more than one occasion India looked sunk in the run-chase, but a 113-run union between Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40 off 37 balls) kept them afloat, with the pair growing in authority as the stand grew. Kohli, who last month ended a two-and-a-half-year wait for an international century in any format, was particularly watchful after India had slipped to 31 for four, taking just 15 off his first 24 balls. He seized the moment when it counted, not just off Nawaz but helping to get the target down to a manageable 16 off six with back-to-back sixes from the last two balls of the penultimate over, bowled by Haris Rauf, amid a cacophony of noise from a 90,293 crowd that ratcheted up in a dramatic finale. Heres whats on TV tonight: The Murdaugh Murders: A Twisted Tale of Power and Money (8 p.m., CNN) For this CNN Special Report, Randi Kaye leads roundtable discussions of the Alex Murdaugh case, as the former Hampton, South Carolina, attorney sits behind bars facing charges including financial fraud and the murders of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul. Local reporters: Gathered for the conversation are some local reporters, who discuss the case. Included in that list of panelists are: John Monk, a reporter for The State in South Carolina for nearly 50 years; Mandy Matney, the creator of the popular Murdaugh Murders podcast; Matneys co-host Liz Farrell. Victims: Also included in the roundtable discussions are alleged victims or their family members, including: Sandy Smith, mother of 19-year-old Stephen Smith , whose body was found lying in the middle of a Hampton County road in 2015. Smiths death was initially deemed by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division as a hit-and-run, but Sandy Smith and her lawyer, Mile Hemlepp, believe the Murdaughs are involved. Ginger Harriott Hadwin, the sister of the Murdaughs housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield . Satterfield allegedly fell and died outside the Murdaugh home in 2018, and Alex Murdaugh has been charged with financial crimes related to her death. Alania Spohn and Jordan Jinks, who were also defrauded by Alex Murdaugh. Attorneys: Local lawyers including Eric Bland, Mike Hemlepp, Joe McCulloch and Justin Bamberg, some of whom represent these alleged victims, also join the roundtable to discuss their clients and the power and the legacy of the Murdaugh family dynasty in South Carolina. How to stream: The special report will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN OTT, and mobile apps under TV Channels, or CNNgo where available. It will also be available On Demand beginning Monday, Oct. 24, to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. Story continues The Murdaugh family murders: A list of documentaries and podcasts on the case Some programming descriptions are provided by networks. Sign up for the Happiness is a Warm TV newsletter here. Netflix viewers have condemned the ending of the new No 1 series The Watcher. Based on a true story, the seven-episode series follows a married couple who move into a house in Westfield, New Jersey, and find themselves being harassed by a sinister figure known as The Watcher. Spoilers follow for the ending of The Watcher... In the series, the couple (played by Naomie Watts and Bobby Cannavale) seem to have put the mystery to bed when Theodora (Noma Dumezweni), the private detective they had hired, confesses to being The Watcher. Theodora claims that she was a previous occupant of the house who wanted to get them to move out so she could get back in. However, this is later debunked, as it is revealed that the terminally ill Theodora lied and simply wished to give the family some closure before she died. The series thus ends with the couple moving out, and the mystery of The Watchers identity still unresolved, as it is in real life. However, Netflix viewers have complained about the lack of resolution on social media, with many branding the ending disappointing and pointless. If youre thinking of watching The Watcher on Netflix... DONT, one person wrote. The most underwhelming pointless series I have ever seen. Seven hours of my life i will never get back. Just finished The Watcher on Netflix... what a pointless , pointless series. Made absolutely no sense and ending was horrific, another wrote. Naomi Watts as Nora Brannock in The Watcher (ERIC LIEBOWITZ/NETFLIX) If youre going to start The Watcher on Netflix, dont. Officially the worst ending Ive ever seen, someone else complained. If you really wanna piss yourself offIndulge yourself with The Watcher on Netflix, another viewer commented. Wtf was that endingSo much build up for NOTHING. Great acting but not so great show. Just binged The Watcher on Netflix.. awesome plot, horrendous ending, someone else simply wrote.. The series is available to stream on Netflix now. Editors note: This story by Ron Word of The Associated Press was published Oct. 29, 2003. For the first time in 180 years St. Augustine became Floridas capital even if it was only for a day. Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Cabinet along with state agency heads were in the nations oldest city which was the capital of the territory of East Florida until 1823. Gov. Jeb Bush, right, with Attorney General Charlie Crist at St. Augustines city hall. Several Florida cities have been Capital for a Day under a program started by Bush when he became governor. I want people to know what we do Theres a disconnect with state government because we are fairly far removed," Bush said I have a servants heart and I want people in state government to realize its not our job to be the master of people but to serve them and let them know what we do. Cabinet meeting Bush joined by Attorney General Charlie Crist, Treasurer Tom Gallagher and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson conducted a Florida Cabinet meeting in what once was once the ladies parlor of the Alcazar Hotel built by Henry Flagler. The Cabinet quickly ran through a routine agenda as 300 visitors ranging from the elderly to school children were shuttled through the meeting room as the Cabinet heard reports ranging from the Plum Creek Timber Co. granting a trails easement through its land in Union and Volusia counties to a status report on Floridas World War II memorial. Forty-three members of the student government at Fruit Cove Middle School were among those who watched the Cabinet. Eighth-grader Ketan Agashi said he was excited to see the governor but said he aspires to a higher office. I want to be president. I am a good leader, I am a good listener, the 13-year-old said. When asked how he thought Bush was doing running the state government he replied Its better than I could do it. Teaching tool Patti Bums, another eighth-grader, said she thought the meeting was an excellent way to show the students how the government works. It was exciting for me as well, said Bums, who said she had never seen the governor in person. Story continues Students took pictures of Bush during the meeting and he started mugging for the cameras. Education Commissioner Jim Horne announced earlier Tuesday that Florida was the first state to receive an education flexibility grant under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The program allows eight Florida school districts to spend $30 million in federal funds a year for five years to improve reading proficiency to keep parents informed of their childs progress and to try to reduce the rate of teacher turnover by 50 percent. The districts are Broward, Escambia, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lake, Marion, Putnam and Volusia. The program known as State-Flex allows states flexibility to use certain federal funds for state priorities in exchange for increased accountability, Home said. After the meeting at City Hall, Bush was escorted to a state agency fair in the downtown plaza by guards dressed in Spanish-era costumes. State agencies had booths about their services and some even gave away T-shirts and coffee mugs. As Bush walked, children asked for his autograph. One little girl shouted Say hi to your brother for me The governor is President Bushs younger brother. This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: East Florida capital until 1823, St. Augustine was capital again in 2003 Despite a 3.8% gain in Wells Fargo & Company's (NYSE:WFC) stock price this week, shareholders shouldn't let up. Even though stock prices were relatively low, insiders elected to sell US$1.0m worth of stock in the last year, which could indicate some expected downturn. 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 Wells Fargo The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Wells Fargo Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Kleber Santos, for US$1.0m worth of shares, at about US$44.44 per share. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of US$44.83, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. It is worth noting that this sale was 51% of Kleber Santos's holding. Kleber Santos was the only individual insider to sell over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Insider Ownership Of Wells Fargo Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Wells Fargo insiders own about US$125m worth of shares (which is 0.07% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders. Story continues So What Does This Data Suggest About Wells Fargo Insiders? The fact that there have been no Wells Fargo insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. While we feel good about high insider ownership of Wells Fargo, we can't say the same about the selling of shares. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Wells Fargo. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Wells Fargo you should know about. But note: Wells Fargo may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here These affordable activities are a must-do on any trip to San Francisco. (Getty Images) San Francisco is a favourite vacation spot for Canadians, given that it's a free-spirited, edge of the continent city that embraces liberal causes and values diversity. Its also got the worlds most famous bridge, great food, wondrous views and cable cars that climb halfway to the stars. Its not a cheap city at the best of times, and its doubly tough for Canadians given our dollars lowly position these days. Luckily, there are tons of great things to see and do for less than $50 USD. Here are five recommendations from a Bay Area native and frequent visitor. Free nature hikes Take in the views from the beach near Crissy Field Park. Jim Byers Photo. The San Francisco Bay Trail stretches around one of the worlds greatest natural harbours, and theres a large section slicing through one of the most popular areas of the city for visitors. Start off at Pier 39, home to dozens of barking sea lions, and make your way west towards the Golden Gate Bridge. At the beach near Crissy Field Park youll find large pieces of driftwood that make a perfect perch for watching boats slide under the deep orange bridge. Continue on to Fort Point, which was built during the Civil War and is made of handsome red brick. The Batteries to Bluffs walk takes you along beautiful cliffs, with jaw-dropping views of the coast and the Pacific Ocean. The San Francisco Crosstown Trail was created just a few years ago and runs 27 kilometres, from Candlestick Point in the southeast to Lands End in the northwest, which is great for sunsets. The Glen Canyon Park section takes you from the Glen Park BART station (no need for a car in San Francisco, unless youre intent on driving down Lombard Street) to Twin Peaks, passing through a lovely canyon filled with sweet-smelling eucalyptus trees and craggy yellow rocks. Ride a cable car Ride one of San Francisco's iconic cable cars. Jim Byers Photo. Other than a gondola ride in Venice, this might be the most sought-after mode of transportation in any city on the planet. Not only are these US national landmarks a necessity given the citys steep hills (the cars move by grabbing onto a cable buried under the street thats constantly moving), theyre also charming as can be. Fun fact: Each cable car operator has his or her own bell-ringing pattern. Story continues The Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable cars take you between Fishermans Wharf/Ghirardelli Square and the Market Street/Union Square area and are the most popular routes. The California Street cable car is scenic as you travel from the bay to Nob Hill, but its not terribly interesting after that. Single fare cable car tickets cost $8, while kids four and under are free. You also can buy a one-day pass for $13, which covers city buses, the Muni Metro light rail system, historic streetcars (San Francisco has collected them from around the world, including from Toronto) and cable cars. Hippie-dippie Haight Ashbury tour Take in the sights and sounds of Haight-Ashbury. Jim Byers Photo. Re-live the wild and colourful Summer of Love with a Flower Power Tour of Haight-Ashbury, the neighbourhood that was home to the hippie movement in the 1960s. An engaging woman named Sunshine Sunny Powers runs the tours and knows all the secrets from the Peace and Love movement. As you walk about admiring the fine Victorian homes, often called painted ladies, Powers will point out homes previously owned by the likes of Janis Joplin, and places where folks such as Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison used to hang out. There are great shops in the area selling everything from books to psychedelic, tie-dyed t-shirts. Tours are $25 US for adults. Kids nine and under are free. Cycle or walk the Golden Gate Bridge Cycle or walk the Golden Gate Bridge (Getty Images) It can get a little foggy and windy, but you dont want to miss a chance to walk or cycle the famous orange bridge, an architectural wonder that stretches for 2.7 kilometres. The views are obstructed by protective fencing for the first part of the trip north from San Francisco, but it opens up if you persevere for a few minutes. If you have a bike, continue past the north end of the bridge and take Alexander Avenue into the bayside town of Sausalito, home to a great waterfront promenade and cute shops and restaurants. Its said that Otis Redding wrote Dock of the Bay while resting his bones on the edge of the water here. Walking the bridge is free, while bike rental prices vary. Bay City Bikes rents bicycles for $32 a day and up. E-bikes (nice for those SF hills) are $48 for two hours. Stop at the Equator Coffees Round House Cafe at the south end of the bridge for a restorative latte when youre finished. Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA is a contemporary art museum located near Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown. (Getty Images) SF MOMA is a striking building on several levels with a wide variety of cool and vibrant works of art. Youll find brilliant Roy Lichtenstein prints, as well as works by Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo and others. Chronicles of SF is a fantastic (and free) viewing panel on the lower floor off Howard Street; a large, L-shaped black and white photo of San Francisco residents. It looks like a still photo, but folks in various parts of the display move at regular intervals, perhaps jumping or even doing push-ups. Entry is $25 for adults, with discounts for seniors and young adults. Those 18 and under are free. Bonus activity: Try the ferry from San Francisco to Tiburon ($14 one-way for adults). Its a lovely, small city on the water with boutique shops and nice waterfront restaurants, including Sams Anchor Cafe. Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The K-pop superstars of the boy band BTS made headlines around the world Monday when their agency, BigHit Music, announced that all seven members would fulfill their military service in South Korea. It put to rest the speculation on whether or not the members of the band would be exempt from the countrys mandate that all able-bodied men serve 18 to 21 months in the military. The BTS Army, the groups global fandom, may be lamenting the news and dreading the time ahead without new music, but the move probably saved the globally beloved performers from having public opinion turn against them at home. Im no celebrity nor South Korean but, as a Taiwanese citizen, Ive had my own experience with conscription interrupting the trajectory of my life. It is worth noting that military service in the two countries is not comparable. One of the key differences is the time requirement. The Taiwanese conscription is either four months or a year, with those born after Jan. 1, 1994 required to serve only four months. And, for the sake of full transparency, I will say the military service I did in Taiwan is what is known as alternative or substitute military service. I spent my year as an English-teaching conscript in a remote school in Taiwan. Even so, the lack of freedom that is most criticized about conscription remains the same. Growing up, I hated knowing that I would have to pause my studies or career for a whole year and enlist in the military before I was 36. Because I grew up attending schools in the West, I envied my peers who did not have to worry about conscription or plan their 20s around it. Yet, no matter how begrudgingly, I accepted from an early age that the year of military service would happen because fulfilling ones civic duty is important in Taiwan. Although many know of at least one person who has gotten out of conscription on a technicality, and many young men in Taiwan see military service as a waste of time, it is one of those realities that is near impossible to avoid and not worth the hassle to try. So I accepted my fate and even made sacrifices for it. Story continues At 21, I graduated college half a year early and said goodbye to my friends in the middle of my senior year in the U.S. I relinquished my right as an international student on an F-1 visa to optional practical training, which would have allowed me to stay and work in the country without an employers sponsorship for 12 months. I did all of this to ensure that I could return to Taiwan and complete my military service as soon as possible to minimize the disruption it would pose to my academic and career plans. For that reason, I can understand why one might find it unfair and even upsetting if someone were to be granted special exemption from military service, even if that someone was BTS, whom I stan. In the history of South Korean entertainment, military service has been a complicated issue for male celebrities. Taking a nearly two-year hiatus to enlist at the height of ones career, as A-list actor Gong Yoo did in 2008, may be hard to bear, but evading conscription or even attempting to do so can come at a career-ruining price. The case of Korean-American entertainer Steve Yoo, a pop icon in South Korea in the 1990s, is perhaps the most infamous one. Yoo renounced his Korean citizenship after becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002, a move that South Korean officials interpreted as him trying to dodge his scheduled draft, which he had promised to comply with. Yoo has said that he didnt intend to get out of his military duties, but his actions outraged the public. To make matters worse, the Korean government imposed an entry ban on him that remains in place to this day, despite multiple appeals. If there is anything to learn from Yoos case, it is that South Koreans do not take kindly to their citizens looking for loopholes out of military service. But BTS never appeared to attempt to avoid conscription. In fact, it was others, including government officials, who suggested a special exemption for the group (and other successful K-pop artists) because of its unprecedented global success. Indeed, many argue the group has already contributed more to its country than most people ever will in their lifetime. BTS has added an estimated $5 billion a year to the economy and dramatically increased the popularity of K-pop and Korean culture globally. Nonetheless, had BTS been exempted from military service, there would have been detractors criticizing the group for receiving special treatment. After all, the South Korean public, especially young people, is quite divided on whether BTS members should carry out their military duties. From the outside looking in, it is undeniable that the members of one of the most popular bands in the world would have more to give up by enlisting than the average South Korean. However, when ordinary citizens are forced to serve, most will feel that the life they are putting on hold is just as important as a celebritys. When I was in college in the U.S., I met a number of South Korean students who were returning to campus after pausing their studies at the end of their sophomore year to complete military service. They said it felt like starting college over again, especially because the class they matriculated with had graduated and moved on in the two years they were gone. Not having friends with whom they enjoyed freshman orientation and other time-honored college traditions around was particularly hard. Thinking about these stories, what I admire about BTS is how earnest and consistent their answers about military service have been over the years. As the oldest of the group, Jin has been at the receiving end of multiple questions about enlistment. He always stated that he would be ready to answer the call of duty when it came. If news of the groups military service had come out when I was enlisting, I would have found it inspiring and reassuring. Despite what some may say about my type of service not being real military service, my year teaching English was still a sacrifice and did contribute to the country. It ended up being one of the best years of my life. What I dreaded would be a waste of time was actually a meaningful year of serving a community, putting other people first and learning more about Taiwan, the home that had never felt like home before. When BigHit Music signed off its statement with Theres much more yet to come in the years ahead from BTS, I could not help but think about how different my life is now from the one I had planned for myself before military service and how grateful I am for this life. I salute the BTS members for their decision to carry out their military service, and I, like the rest of the BTS Army, will be eagerly awaiting their safe return and anticipating their next act. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A woman suffered serious injuries in a pedestrian crash in Leicester late Friday afternoon, police said. Around 4 p.m., emergency crews responded to the area of 99 Huntoon Memorial Highway for a report of a pedestrian trapped underneath a midsized passenger vehicle. Employees from a local company assisted at the scene by using a tow motor to lift the vehicle enough to pull the victim out, police said. She was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, police said. Her condition was not known on Sunday. Police are investigating the crash. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW An 33-year-old woman was shot and killed in Mattapan early Sunday morning, according to Boston Police. Shortly before 5 a.m., Boston Police officers responded to a call for a person shot in the area of 40 Fairlawn Avenue in Mattapan. When officers arrived, they found Jasmine Burrell suffering from gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. All homicides are tragic and each is tragic in its own unique way. Investigators are hard at work gathering information on the murder of this young woman and well release more information when we can, but its clear that this is a terribly sad situation, said District Attorney Kevin Hayden in a statement. Boston Police are investigating. Anyone with information is strongly urged to call Boston Police Homicide Detectives at 617-343-4470. You can also call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463). Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Volodymyr Zelenskyy The video of the interview in Ukrainian was shared by the Office of the President late on Oct. 22. Read also: Russia destroys third of Ukraines power stations in a week Zelenskyy "If (their) message sounds like the decision-making center will be hit, then the worlds response should be the following: Look, if you strike on Bankova (street, where the Presidential administration is located), there will be a strike on your position," Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraines neighbor "understands only the language of force." Zelenskyy stated that Russian society should be aware that their government has been killing people. They should realize that if they do not put pressure on it, "the whole world will isolate itself from them." "You will not be allowed to travel abroad, earn money or do business there, if you support the terrorist state," Zelenskyy said. Read also: Zelenskyy says Russia will answer for massive missile attack on city of Zaporizhzhiya The Ukrainian president had earlier warned that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could use nuclear weapons only if he is sure that there will be no serious consequences for him. European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell also said a Russian nuclear strike against Ukraine would trigger such a powerful answer from the West that the Russian army would be annihilated. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Oct. 23Leading up to the Nov. 8 general election, The Frederick News-Post is doing podcast interviews with candidates for Frederick County executive and council. To hear past podcast interviews, go to www.fnppodcasts.com/politics. The Frederick News-Post In The Booth with Brad Young, candidate for County Council Brad Young, a Democratic nominee for one of the Frederick County Council's two at-large seats, said his number-one priority would be ensuring the county keeps funding the public school system's budget much higher than the state requirements. Young, the president of the Frederick County Board of Education, said the Frederick County Public Schools system ranks second lowest in the state in per-student funding, which has resulted in the county having among the state's lowest starting salaries for teachers. The county must continue to grow to ensure that the county government can pay for services it provides, Young said. As a council member, Young said, he would advocate for "moderate" growth to ensure that residential development doesn't overwhelm schools that are already overcrowded. "People don't want to buy a house and then find out their child is sitting in a portable, or that their child has to get on a bus and go to a school 20, 30 minutes away because the school right next to them doesn't have any capacity," Young said in a podcast interview with the News-Post. The majority of the county's residential development over the last eight years was approved by the last Board of Frederick County Commissioners between 2010 and 2014, Young said. The board approved growth that has overwhelmed the county's public school capacity, despite the county constructing new, larger school buildings. Frederick County switched from a commissioner government to a charter form of government, with a county executive and a legislative County Council, in 2014. Young's brother, Blaine, was president of the last board. Story continues Brad Young is one of two Democratic nominees for the council's at-large seats. The second is Renee Knapp, an advocate and caregiver for her son with autism. County Councilman Phil Dacey, who has represented the county at large since 2018, and Tony Chmelik, a general contractor and former council member, are the Republican nominees. General Election Day will be Nov. 8. Early voting will be from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3. The Maryland State Board of Elections has begun sending mail-in ballots to voters. In his podcast interview, Young talked about why, despite being part of a family long ingrained in local politics, he waited until now to run for a county office. Young also said he would push for the county to have strong relationships with various local nonprofit organizations, many of which Young has worked with for years. To learn about county, state and federal candidates in the general election, go to the News-Post's voters guide at tinyurl.com/generalelectionguide. Follow Jack Hogan on Twitter: @jckhogan A new artisan bakery focused specifically on European-style pastries has opened in the Lynchburg area. The Flour District sells croissants, brioche pastries, muffins, cookies, tarts and quiches. Owner Maria Niechwiadowicz, originally from South Dakota, grew up baking and said food always has been a big part of her familys traditions. When she moved to Charlottesville six years ago, she joined Earl Vallery at his Bowerbird Bakeshop, where she learned most of her professional pastry skills. She moved to the area this summer after her husband took a job at Randolph College to teach history. She is opening a brick-and-mortar presence within a warehouse owned by Stephanie Fees at 2204 Bedford Ave. in February or March, but until then, Niechwiadowicz is selling her pastries at the Forest Farmers Market on Saturdays as well as at Boonsboro Hardware on Fridays. Fees, owner of Scratch Pasta, said in renovating the new space on Bedford Avenue she had originally asked Vallery to open a second location of his bakery in Lynchburg. When he declined, Fees asked for other recommendations, which led her to Niechwiadowicz. Everything fell into place, Fees said. I approached Maria about opening an artisan bakery in Lynchburg and she was on board and really excited to do it. Ever since then, shes been making the most amazing pastries and working so hard to create something really special in Lynchburg and already has quite a following, even though shes only been producing for just a few weeks. ... Im just so excited to see what she can do when were in the whole bakery. Beginning in November and running every Saturday morning through the holidays, Niechwiadowicz will operate a pop-up shop at 2300 Bedford Ave., adjacent from The Dahlia. Dorothy McIntyre, manager of the Forest Farmers Market, said Niechwiadowicz has been serving up pastries at the market for four weeks now. When she contacted me, I wasnt sure, because I already have so many bakers at the market, she said. And when she showed me pictures of what she had done at the bakery in Charlottesville, thats a level that we dont normally see in our area. The quality of her baked goods is just absolutely phenomenal. She just puts a lot of love into it. And you can kind of see it that she just totally enjoys making that type of product. McIntyre said Niechwiadowicz does laminated baked goods, which are time consuming and labor intensive. Lamination is the process of folding and rolling butter into dough over and over again to create super-thin layers. These layers, which alternate between butter and dough, are what give croissants their signature honeycomb interior structure and their fabulously flaky texture. Its a labor of love, she said. McIntyre said the market sells croissants but not freshly baked ones. Niechwiadowicz gets up at 3 a.m. to make hers to ensure they are fresh and hot at the market. McIntyre added its gratifying to see someone has taken the time to think that the farmers market is a place to get their feet wet and see if their product is viable in the area. And then once they are, they branch out and they do go to that brick-and-mortar, and then the brick-and-mortars thrive; its really kind of very satisfying to see that happen, she said. Niechwiadowicz said her focus is to use as much local grain and flour as possible. I recognize that our entire food system is under a lot of stress right now and there are a lot of new Virginia growers who are growing local grains and then millers who are processing those grains to provide some really high-quality flours in our state, she said. Now she is sourcing most of her local flour from Deep Roots Milling in the old Woodsons Mill in Nelson County. She said when she opens her space on Bedford Avenue next year, she also will offer a full coffee bar with coffee sourced by JBird Supply in Charlottesville. A community kitchen space also will be located behind the bakery that will host classes and can be rented out to other small businesses. The problem of how Good People can lend their support to Evil has preoccupied me for some time. (I define Evil as a coherent force that consistently makes things worse in the human world a definition that works well in both the religious and secular frameworks.) The problem has arisen because of an extraordinary change in the nature of American politics. Usually, our political parties are mixtures of the constructive and destructive. But the issue of Evil so defined arises when the words and deeds of one of Americas two major parties consistently makes things worse. Yet it seems clear to me that there are a number of Good People who support such a party: a phenomenon that both defies my comprehension and offers an opportunity. Heres whats incomprehensible: how to explain how people who believe in law and order can support a leader whose repeated criminality (and utter contempt for the law) has become so clear and blatant as to make him a one-man crime-wave; how to understand the process by which people who revere the Constitution can give their allegiance to a political party waging a multi-pronged attack on the American constitutional order; and how American patriots can support a political force thats endangered American national security and openly worked to establish a fascistic regime of the kind American patriots have always opposed. Yet this same start contradiction between the values of many Good People and the nature of the political party they support suggests an opportunity an opportunity that can be illustrated by using the teeter-totter as a metaphor for this American crisis: In our still-democratic nation, power is assigned according to the numbers of people who place themselves on the different sides of the seesaws fulcrum. The side that outweighs the other gets to steer the nations course. In the current political battle which, at its heart, has devolved to be Democracy vs. Fascism (which, in turn, aligns pretty well with Good vs. Evil) it is likely only a small percentage of Americans who actually want Fascism. Nonetheless, because so many Good People have given their support to what has become the Party of Fascism (with its criminality, lies, lust for power, insistence on division and conflict), American Democracy is in considerable peril. But if those Good People were to move across the fulcrum of the teeter-totter, shifting their weight from the side of Fascism to the pro-democracy side, American Democracy would be saved. Thats the opportunity. Both the promise, and the difficulties, of that approach to our dangerous moment come to my mind these days as I interact with one of those Good People who frequently comes forward to engage me where my columns appear online. I like the man. He expresses goodwill and behaves with civility. He is an intelligent man who has developed his mind. Hes someone Id be very glad to have on my team whether it be a sport we played, or some government agency where we worked together to serve American interests and values. This gentleman has publicly declared I should use my space here differently, that I should deal with the real issues meaning those on which voters should make their political choices. I believe I am addressing the real issue, which is: Will the United States be able to preserve its basic constitutional order, or will a fascistic political force succeed in overturning that order? I believe that is the central choice facing American voters, and that if Good People like him would reject the Evil theyve been supporting, then Goodness such as they seem to embody would prevail in our nation. He seems to be a man who values integrity. Yet, in his engagement with me, he lends his support to a political party that now quite flagrantly punishes integrity. How can anyone not see that the exemplar of integrity in todays Republican Party is Liz Cheney she who clearly put truth ahead of lies, and honoring her oath of office ahead of protecting her own position? For that integrity, the Republican Party has cast her out. If Liz Cheney were to engage my columns online, shed reinforce my message, because her message to Republicans has been basically the same as mine: her party is endangering the Constitution and the rule of law. Yet somehow, when this Good Man engages me, it is to blunt and weaken my message. Somehow, this man of integrity lends his weight to the anti-integrity party, so well represented by the House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, whose willingness to sell his soul for power his videoed U-turn from speaking truth about the attempted coup to telling lies has been so embarrassingly displayed. Not understanding how such a Good Person could support, in his politics, the opposite of his own virtues, I recognize I likewise cannot say how that contradiction can be overcome, i.e., cant say what it would take to shift his weight and that of any other Good People who likewise seem to betray, in their politics, the values they express and embody across the teeter-totters fulcrum onto the side of American Democracy and its Goodness. But one can only try what one knows how to do. And, as Mother Teresa said, leave the results to God. Andy Schmookler is a prize-winning author. Many of his works can be found at www.ABetterHumanStory.org. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a triumphant visit to the newly liberated city of Kherson. He hailed the Russian withdrawal from the southern city as the beginning of the end of the war but also acknowledged the heavy price Ukrainian soldiers are paying in their grinding effort to push back the invaders. Retaking Kherson was one of Ukraines biggest successes in the nearly 9-month-old war and delivered another stinging blow to the Kremlin. But large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine are still under Russian control, and the city of Kherson itself is without water, power and heat, and remains within reach of Moscows shells and missiles. Heavy fighting continued elsewhere in Ukraine. The only incumbent in the general election, Supervisor Scott Belt is seeking a fourth term on the Pottawattamie County board of supervisors. Belt was first elected to the board in 2010, after serving 14 years on the Council Bluffs City Council. He was reelected in both 2014 and 2018, and he would like to continue his efforts to enhance the lives of the countys residents and improve opportunities for growth throughout the county. We have some of the best sheriff and security people, medical and emergencies and hospitals, and the schools, Belt said earlier this month at the Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie Countys candidate forum. I think those are all things that are going to encourage families to come. Its the issue of getting housing to put them in. Almost everything that will help grow the county, from workforce retention to enticing companies to open up shop here, is reliant on that one particular issue: housing. Weve got to get more housing in, not just the cities, but in the county, to open up the other housing so other people can come here, Belt said earlier this year in an interview with the Daily Nonpareil. I mean, theyre projecting all these potential jobs and employers, and we got to have people to fill them positions, and houses for those people to live in. So Ill hopefully continue to work with the board and the communities and figure out how we can move those things forward. Belt would also like to see more biotech and chemical companies move to the county, to work with the large soybean and corn agriculture industry thats already here. The only way to (bring companies here) is bring more people, talented workforce to the county, Belt said at the forum. We have some land opportunities for those, but having the workforce, most of the companies that want to come and look at the level of workforce that takes to be in those types of industries, want the people ready there. They dont want to have to go out and try to get them to move here. During his time on the board, Belt has worked on numerous projects that have enhanced the county, from the renovations of the courthouse B wing and moving the countys Veterans Affairs department out of the courthouse annex and into its own building, to working with the City of Council Bluffs to purchase new radio equipment for local law enforcement and building a 100-yard firing range for the Southwest Iowa Law Enforcement Training Center. He hopes to get the opportunity to keep making Pottawattamie County an attractive place, he said, both for residents who are already here and for folks who are moving to the area. We continue to work to make sure its a safe place to live and thrive and we continue to improve on opportunities for them, Belt said in an interview with the Daily Nonpareil earlier this year. Weve been pretty fiscally responsible with their tax dollars, I believe. Prior to serving in public office, Belt worked in education, banking, real estate and business management, all of which came with their own unique hurdles to success. I have faced many challenges and obstacles that give me the confidence to serve the citizens of Pottawattamie County, Belt said. Belts family moved to Council Bluffs when he was a child. His father was in the military and was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base. Belt grew up here, got married here, and he and his wife of 42 years, Ann, raised their family here. He wants to ensure a sustainable future for his four children and five grandchildren. One of the things I want to try to do, and have tried to do since Ive been on the board, is try to make sure theres gonna be opportunities for those grandkids, because thats what the worlds about, Belt said. Were supposed to make it better for those that are going to come behind us, and hopefully leave it better than we found it. I think those are the primary goals. We didnt make it. We just want to hopefully make it better. WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- IIia Malinin of the United States landed a quadruple Axel in his free skate, winning his first title at the Skate America on Saturday, according to the official website of the International Skating Union (ISU). The 17-year-old Malinin, 2022 ISU world junior champion, thrilled the crowd with his now trademark quadruple axel. He scored a personal best of 194.29 points in the free skate and a 280.37 total. Kao Miura of Japan earned the silver medal and South Korea's Cha Jun-hwan claimed the bronze. Americans Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier, the reigning world champions, won the pairs title with 201.39 points. They were followed by the Canadian duo of Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps, who scored 197.89, and Kelly Ann Laurin/Loucas Ethier were a distant third with 156.94 points. Reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan took the lead in the women's short program with 71.72 points, while American ice dancers Evan Bates/Madison Chock led after the rhythm dance with 82.63 points. The competition concludes on Sunday with the free dance and the women's free skate. Skate America is the first of six events in the ISU Grand Prix of the Figure Skating Series. Editors Note All election-related letters should be submitted by Friday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m., for consideration for publication in Sundays Oct. 30 Nonpareil. No election-related letters will be run after Oct. 30. Let the voters decide This letter is in response to the Nonpareil Letter to the Editor signed by the Freedom Three on Oct. 9 concerning their opposition to having Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors elected by districts. If you are truly on the side of transparency and freedom, why not let the voters of Pottawattamie County decide? Lets look at the facts instead of fearmongering. County signatures need to be collected by May 2023 in order for there to even be a special election! If those signatures are gathered, voters will have three choices: choose supervisors completely at-large as is the status quo; district supervisors, but everyone in the county votes for the representatives in each district; or district supervisors and only vote for someone in the district you live in. The majority of the largest cities in Iowa choose plans two or three. There are several advantages to districting. It will provide for better rural representation by spreading out members of the board in terms of geography and preventing an all Council Bluffs board. Also, district systems minimize the amount of financial resources necessary to win, and, therefore, candidates who have minimal financial resources but strong neighborhood support may have better chances of getting elected. In addition, members elected under a district system may be more responsive to citizen preferences in making land use decisions, especially if voters are geographically concentrated. Another strength is the ability to generate more balanced representation both for certain groups traditionally underrepresented such as women and ethnic minorities and for political parties. Lastly, board members may have greater opportunity to meet with their constituents because they are focused on one district. The charge that this is divisive is faulty reasoning. The rural folks would have two guaranteed seats, but the board members wouldnt only represent their own area. In order to get anything approved, cooperation among board members would be necessary, which would require the consensus of at least three out of five board members. Listening to different perspectives would broaden discussion, which would benefit the entire county. These are a few of the benefits of the district systems. Its also worth noting that even if citizens have a districted representative, they may still reach out to the rest of the board for assistance and to provide input. Again I ask, why not let the voters decide? Geri Fredriksen Council Bluffs Building a bright future Recently, Jeff Shudak, Democrat candidate for county supervisor, wrote an answer to a previous letter written by my fellow Republican supervisor candidates and me. In it we had advocated freedom from efforts to bitterly divide our county urban from rural through such as things as by-district elections, and also freedom from government overreach. Oddly enough, he mentioned everything except those two topics in his response, that did include some very negative comments about the three of us. I have a more positive perspective. Nobody in our county government can claim perfection and we must always seek to improve, but we cannot be bogged down in this negativity. My wife and I feel blessed to live in this wonderful county with its natural beauty, rich history and dynamic, creative people. In several recent candidate forums, Mr. Shudak has emphasized the fact that as a plumber, he builds things. I may not be a plumber, but Ive got all the tools I need to build a bright future for Pottawattamie County. Jeff Jorgensen Council Bluffs Board of Supervisors lacks transparency The current Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors meets on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m. They do the official business of our county while most of our residents are in their workplace and not available to participate. After much work on behalf of concerned citizens, there is now an opportunity at the board meeting for public participation, but, as soon as this opportunity on the agenda pops up, they shut off the recording. This squashes the chance for those who later seek out the video of the Board of Supervisors meetings online; they do not see/hear what Pottawattamie County residents have to say. Some board members have said repeatedly they havent held town hall meetings or sought input from our citizens because they were elected to make the decisions. We must have greater transparency! I say, we must do better! Join me in voting for one candidate, Jeff Shudak for Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors. Linda Nelson Council Bluffs Melton shows up Ryan Melton showed up to debate Randy Feenstra on PBS Iowa Press on Sept. 23. Feenstra did not show up. Feenstra has refused all offers to debate Ryan. Ryan Melton holds open meetings for all in the community and answers questions and concerns thoroughly and thoughtfully. Being against eminent domain for the pipeline, as he discussed on Iowa Press, has picked up Republican and Independent supporters for Melton. Ryan Melton refuses to be pigeon-holed on any issue, yet, Randy Feenstra seems to be pigeon-holing Republican voters. Lee Hazer Council Bluffs Jeff Shudak is a lot of things: a licensed plumber, a labor leader, a husband, a self-described big mouth, and on Nov. 8, hes hoping to add Pottawattamie County supervisor to the list. Born and raised near Underwood, Shudak is the only Democrat on the ballot. My father and mom, any of my grandparents, actually, on the Shudak side, were all Democrats, he said. But my great big crazy liberal ideas? I mean, Im probably the most moderate Democrat you know. Shudak believes a community should take care of its people, but, also, you kind of have to take care of yourself, too. Sometimes you gotta make your own breaks, too. Shudak credits his father, who worked at a south Council Bluffs oil refinery, with instilling in him his blue collar work ethic. Hes probably the hardest working man I know, and I try to resemble that, Shudak said. Im not really good at doing things poorly, and I dont really like doing things that Im not good at, to be honest with you, but the things I try to do, I try to be very passionate about. I work very hard at the things that are important to me. After a couple of years at Northwest Missouri State University, Shudak realized that academics wasnt for him. He kicked around for a few years, doing odd jobs, before eventually heeding advice that his father had given him as a child. My dad always told me to get a good union job and settle down, Shudak told The Daily Nonpareil last year. It took me a while to see he was right, but I finally did. Shudak began his plumber apprenticeship in 2007 with Local Plumbers No. 16, a labor union based in Omaha, and he quickly became a staunch and outspoken union supporter. Last year, Shudak was voted president of the Western Iowa Labor Federation, a AFL-CIO-affiliated labor union that represents more than 11,000 workers in 37 counties. He credits his WILF work with teaching him what he considers to be the most important leadership quality. Im not always the smartest guy in the room, and I realize that, and Im okay with that, Shudak said. What I try to do is take in as many different things from as many different people as I can, and then come up with an educated opinion that way. Shudak wants to bring his leadership experience and perspective as a union worker to the board. One of the biggest problems with the current board is a lack of transparency, Shudak said. He has long been opposed to the boards weekly meetings being held in the morning during the work week. He thinks residents concerns arent being heard, because not everyone can attend a meeting in the middle of the work day. Because everybodys blood, sweat, tears are paying into them taxes, and I think everybody should have at least the right to go to a board of supervisor meeting and talk if they wanted to, he said. Shudak is glad that the board began allowing public comments at the end of meetings, but its a hollow gesture if no one can attend the meetings in the first place. They feel like theyre being very transparent, Shudak said. I feel like they are absolutely horrible at being transparent. If elected, Shudak pledges to hold informal question and answer sessions once a month on Monday nights, so residents who are unable to attend a Tuesday morning board meeting can still know that their voices are being heard. We could talk about the agenda if anybody had any questions, or just anything they want to talk about, he said. In addition to lobbying the other board members to move their public meetings to the evening, Shudak would also like to hold meetings elsewhere in the county once a month. So people like myself that carries a lunch pail can actually go to a meeting, he said. I feel like thats why were buying ski hills over three times the assessed value, is because nobody can go to these meetings. Shudak thinks decisions that affect more than 93,000 people shouldnt be made by five like-minded people, but he also knows that he would just be one voice in a chorus. Being a leader doesnt mean you get always what you want, and I understand that, Shudak said. This is how this works, that essentially sometimes you have to part with things to get things, and I guess thats what I would try to do as best as possible. The ability to compromise with people he may not see eye-to-eye on every issue is an important leadership trait, but that doesnt mean Shudak wont fight for what he believes. Ive never understood why anybody spends all this time, money and energy to get on these boards just to nod their head yes for what everybody else says, Shudak said. Like, thats not me and thats not what Im gonna do. That being said, Shudak says, if elected, he doesnt plan on going in there guns-a-blazing. He would rather work with his fellow supervisors for the betterment of the county. Ultimately, at the end of the world, hey, I wanna work with everybody, Shudak said. I dont know how much they wanna work with me, but I guess theyre gonna find that out pretty soon, I hope. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) appealed Friday for $13 million in funding to support Palestinians in Lebanon, as the country reels from an unprecedented economic crisis. Palestine refugees, living in overcrowded camps are at the end of their rope, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement, adding that almost every Palestinian refugee in Lebanon lives in poverty. He said UNRWA was urgently appealing for $13 million in funding for cash assistance to families, primary health care services and to keep the agencys schools open until the end of this year. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are often unable to even scrape by, he said, adding: Our assistance is a drop in an ocean of despair. For the past three years, Lebanon has been in the throes of one of the worst economic crises in recent global history, according to the World Bank. Unprecedented levels of poverty, skyrocketing unemployment rates and increasing despair are severely hitting the Lebanese people and Syrian and Palestinian refugees, Lazzarini said. Lebanon hosts about 210,000 Palestinian refugees, including 30,000 who fled Syria after war erupted in 2011 in that country, according to UNRWA. It also hosts more than one million Syrian refugees. Most Palestinians live in 12 official refugee camps in squalid conditions, worsened by Lebanons financial meltdown, and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment. According to the UN agency, 93 percent of all Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are poor. The situation has pushed hundreds to attempt perilous sea journeys in hope of reaching Europe. Palestinians were among the more than 100 dead after a migrant boat that left from Lebanons north sank off neighboring Syria, in one of the deadliest such shipwrecks in the eastern Mediterranean. Dying from poverty will not be much different from dying at sea, said a mother of three identified as Iman, who lives in Beiruts Mar Elias Palestinian refugee camp. Life in Lebanon has become unbearable, she said, according to the UNRWA statement. Both of North Plattes planning-related city boards Tuesday are scheduled to consider a Viaero Wireless request to build a cell tower at its planned new retail store 20 feet higher than expected. The Board of Adjustment will meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to consider a variance so Viaero can build a 100-foot-tall monopole tower instead of the 80-foot-tall aesthetic tower approved by the City Council in June 2021. If that board approves, the Planning Commission will consider whether to recommend amending the projects conditional use permit accordingly during its 5:30 p.m. monthly meeting. Both meetings will be in the City Hall council chamber, 211 W. Third St.. The Planning Commission meeting also will be shown live on the citys cable TV and YouTube channels. City codes give the five-member Board of Adjustment the last word on variances to zoning regulations. The planning panel, by contrast, typically makes recommendations to the City Council on matters that it considers. If the adjustment board turns down Viaeros variance, the Planning Commission and council cannot consider changing the conditional use permit, said Planning Administrator Judy Clark. Industrial Tower West LLC, Viaeros site acquisition branch, said in requesting the variance that a third party wants to co-locate a cell antenna on the tower Viaero will install at East Francis and Chestnut streets. Earthwork to build Viaeros retail store began recently. Company officials havent identified the third party, Clark said. But her memo to the Board of Adjustment says Viaero has been contacted by other cell businesses with requests for colocation. To have multiple cell antennas, the tower needs to be 100 feet high instead of 80 so its signals clear the roof of NebraskaLand Banks main building two blocks away at Francis and Dewey, Industrial Tower West officials said. The variance itself, however, deals not with the towers height but with rear-yard and side-yard setbacks on the property. Viaero plans 30-foot setbacks for each, but the sites B-2 zoning requires 45-foot rear-yard and 50-foot side-yard setbacks for a 100-foot-tall pole, Clark said in memoranda to both boards. Aesthetically, the monopole is more intrusive, she added in her memo to the Planning Commission. However, being located in a high-traffic commercial district, the tower should not be a detriment to the area. The Planning Commission Tuesday also will hold a public hearing and recommend whether the council should annex a proposed storage facility at West Front Street and Lakeview Boulevard into the city. The City Council Oct. 4 approved a conditional use permit for the facility, along with a subdivision plat and an amendment to the citys land-use plan. An ordinance rezoning the site from I-1 light industrial to B-2 highway commercial awaits a third and final council vote Nov. 1. Clark said in another Planning Commission memorandum that its the citys policy to annex subdivisions when their boundaries abut North Plattes current city limits. The property owner wont protest the annexation, she said. The mayors of Alabamas 10 largest cities are hosting a press conference Monday in Auburn to support Aniahs Law, a state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot. The amendment if passed would allow judges the discretion to deny bail to individuals charged with crimes who they feel are likely to commit violent crimes while out on bail. The amendment is named in honor of Aniah Blanchard, who investigators say died at 19 when she was abducted from a gas station in Auburn before being murdered on Oct. 23, 2019. Police eventually arrested Ibraheem Yazeed and charged him with murder and kidnapping, discovering that Yazeed was out of jail at the time on a $280,000 bond after being arrested in February 2019 in Montgomery and charged with two counts of attempted murder and first-degree robbery. The mayors, including Auburn May Ron Anders, penned a co-signed a guest opinion for AL.com urging voters to vote yes on the amendment on Nov. 8, saying our judges will be able to deny bail to dangerous offenders who are likely to reoffend. The mayors press conference begins at 11 a.m. Monday at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. Blanchards family is also hosting a candlelight vigil to remember Blanchard on Sunday on Auburn Universitys Samford Lawn. The vigil will begin at 6:22 p.m. The Alabama Big 10 Mayors are: Auburn Mayor Ron Anders, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox. Mark Whitaker and John J.W. Barnes remember when they decided they were going to do whatever it took. It was 2016. They were both special agents with the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation and had agreed to take on the cold case of Lori Ann Slesinski, a 24-year-old Auburn resident whod gone missing in 2006. Whitaker was sitting at home at midnight looking through a mountain of information from the case file, when he saw a DVD labeled Walmart video. It was surveillance footage of Slesinski shopping, the last time she was ever seen. Whitaker watched it and said later that it broke his heart. It was just a cute college girl in Walmart on a Saturday just getting stuff because shes gonna go out that night with her friends and have drinks and have fun, Whitaker said. Then less than an hour later, shes gone. He called his partner, Barnes, who also had a copy of the disc. He got on and was looking at it at the same time with me, Whitaker said of Barnes, and I just got really emotional because I have granddaughters, I have nieces, and it just hit me. Barnes was also struck by the reality that Slesinski was gone. Thats the last image of her on the face of Earth, he said. Like the detectives working the case when Slesinski went missing, he knew the prime suspect was Derrill Richard Rick Ennis. Only Ennis knows where she is, and hes not talking, Barnes recalled thinking. Both agents knew they had no DNA linking Ennis to Slesinskis trailer or her burned-up car. They had no body. Digital photos of evidence had been lost in a computer crash, and the string of officers overseeing the case had retired. And they also knew that, generally speaking, criminal cases only get weaker with age. They knew all this. They watched the video. Then Barnes told Whitaker, We got to get this one. This is the story of how they set up a war room, built a case and helped rally the team that sent Ennis to prison for life. Going cold Slesinski was last heard from on Saturday, June 10, 2006, before she went to Walmart. She had plans to hang out with a friend that night and the next day, but she never showed up. She was reported missing to Auburn police on the following Tuesday, and police found her vehicle the next day burning on Dekalb Street. The Auburn police along with hundreds of other law enforcement personnel from different agencies worked diligently on the case over the years, but continued to hit dead ends. In cold cases you always look for what happened and why did the case go cold, Barnes said. Its usually a number of reasons. A common one is the case agent gets reassigned, retires or transfers. They just dont have the manpower to keep on these cases, especially these local municipalities because theres so much current crime. Barnes said thats what happened to the Slesinski case, in which several of the original case agents had retired. One of those agents was Chris Murray with the Auburn Police Department, who retired in 2007. Murray said those working the case in those early days were almost certain that Ennis was the culprit. We just didnt feel like we had enough evidence to prove that he was responsible for her disappearance, Murray said. We had our suspicions, of course, but if you dont have your evidence, Im not going to convict somebody, and you shouldnt. He said he and other officers were busy following tips from Ennis. We were spending time on stuff that he was telling us that turned out not to be true, but it takes time to do that, Murray said. He was feeding us information that was not accurate. Meanwhile, the APD phone kept ringing with more crimes and cases to deal with. Reopening Paul Register, today the public safety director for the City of Auburn, was a lieutenant over the detective division when Slesinski went missing. In 2013, when he became the Auburn chief of police, he still had the file and thought about it often. I kept a copy of the file the entire time because I just always felt like the case was solvable, Register said. In 2016, Register learned that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency was devoting resources to older, unsolved cases, and he made a pitch for the Slesinski case. Whitaker and Barnes had come out of retirement to start up the SBI cold case unit, and Murray, who had retired in 2007, helped convince them to take the Slesinski case. We felt like there was some good evidence in the case and just needed some time to put it together, Murray said. Register turned the Slesinski file over to the two agents. I think Mark took half of the file, Barnes said of his partner, and I took half because theres a pretty large file, because we have to vet these cases to make sure that theyre something that is viable. Pretty quickly, they saw the promise and the problems with the case. They also wanted to solve the case for Arlene Slesinski, Lori Anns mother. Shes such a good woman, Whitaker said of Arlene. Shes the strongest woman Ive ever seen in my life to have been through everything shes been through. Her faith is unbelievable. And just, gosh, shes strong. Whitaker hung a picture of Lori Ann Slesinski in his closet, where he would see it every morning while he was getting ready for the day. It would just remind me every day what I was doing, he said. This case was really a passion for me. I was probably obsessed with this case, but I think you have to be. The commitment But before they got too deep into the case, they needed to get a question answered: If they cracked the Slesinski murder case but still had no body, would the district attorney be willing to prosecute it? At a meeting, they cornered Brandon Hughes, elected as the Lee County District Attorney in 2016, and asked him. He said, Sure, Whitaker said, and he goes, Are you ready? And I went, No, were not ready. And he said, Well, Im on board if yall bring it to me and sell it to me, and if its a good case Ill absolutely prosecute it. Barnes said Hughes response was a huge step toward going after Ennis. That was a plus, Barnes said, because a lot of prosecutors, in my experience, if you dont have a body, theyre not too aggressive when it comes to seeking a prosecution. Hughes would be arrested and charged with violations of the state ethics act and conspiracy to commit theft in November of 2020. Jessica Ventiere became Lee County District Attorney Pro Tem, and then, after Hughes conviction in the summer of 2021, the countys acting district attorney who would prosecute the case against Ennis. I have to give Brandon a lot of credit there, Whitaker said, but also at the same time Jessica was fantastic. She was working this case with us initially, too. Her and Brandon were both going to prosecute this case, so we never missed a beat. Ventiere had special motivation to pursue the Slesinski cold case. Her grandmother was murdered in the 1980s while tending the country grocery store she owned. What we know is that a man came in and shot her, killed her for whatever money she had in the cash register, and then left, so she died in the store, Ventiere said. So I dont believe that we will ever have a resolution to her case. And so to me it just gives me a different perspective. Nobody should ever get away with murder, she said. The room Whitaker and Barnes needed a place to chart the evidence. They needed a war room. They asked Hughes for one, and he gave them a large space in the Lee County Justice Center. Next, the two special agents covered the walls with maps, photographs, timelines, charts, whiteboards and anything else related to the case to help them connect the dots. It was a room where we had photographs of the scene where the car was burnt, the trailer, Barnes said. We had photographs of her, we had photographs of the suspect, Ennis, we had photographs of the witnesses, we had an aerial photograph in the area where the car was burned and maybe where she lived at the trailer. Whitaker acknowledged that their need for a war room was old school. We dont use computers. Im not good with computers, and we put maps up and we do timelines, he said of the war room. Im gonna fill it up. Everything we do in the case is gonna be in there. The room also became a meeting place where the retired Auburn police officers whod worked the original case in 2006 could look at all the information on the walls and help piece the case together. These officers included Register, who was a lieutenant in 2006; Murray, who was a detective sergeant; Jason Jenkins, an investigator; and detectives Lee Hodge and Randy Armstrong. I knew all these guys from back in the day, Whitaker said. We all worked together back in the 80s and 90s. I read every piece of paperwork I could have ever read, but putting everybody in the same room, you get more out of it because theres some things that can be missed. Ventiere said building a strong team is essential to solving a cold case. You have to get a group of people together that understand its not going to be perfect, she said, but there are going to be flaws in the case just because of the nature of what it is. Once, Whitaker said, they pulled every piece of evidence from the evidence room and went over it with the detectives and investigators whod worked on the original case. And thats when we discovered some things that had never been sent off to the lab, he said. These included a scrub brush found in Ennis vehicle and rugs from Slesinskis trailer. Whitaker said the detectives whod started the investigation a decade earlier did a really good job at the time and that they were thrilled to go back over the evidence and help add new pieces to the puzzle. They were really excited about that, Whitaker said, especially some of the DNA evidence that we discovered that because of modern technology we were able to resubmit, and we got evidence from it and they didnt have that back then so they were really excited about that. The big break They kept adding to the puzzle in the case against Ennis. Then Barnes found an important piece. In assessing their partnership, Whitaker describes himself as more of the street person and Barnes as very analytical and really good at digging and finding stuff that Ill miss. While examining the case file, Barnes found an unopened envelope from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. So I opened it up and I started reading, and it was the analysis they had done on several pieces of evidence. Barnes called Whitaker around midnight. Hey, Im looking at a DFS report, Whitaker recalls Barnes saying. Did you realize that we have Ennis blood and semen inside of Loris trailer? Whitakers reply: I have no idea what youre talking about. Barnes sent Whitaker the report. It confirmed Ennis blood was found on the door handle of Slesinskis trailer and his semen was found on her bed sheets. The week of Slesinskis disappearance, forensic scientists had collected the samples from the trailer and submitted them to the lab for testing, Whitaker said, but DFS was so backlogged with DNA evidence that the report didnt come back until nine months to a year later. By that time, the original case agent had retired, so when the report came back, somebody put it into the case file without checking it. It sat there for nearly 10 years until Barnes found it. Someone would probably get it out of a central mailbox at the Detective Division and just shove it in the file, Barnes said, and so thats not unusual. But Im glad I opened it and read it because it was in my opinion a key piece of evidence. That was our first big break that showed us that Ennis was there and something happened, Whitaker said. They called Brandon Hughes and Paul Register to tell them the news. The boat While they tracked the case on maps, charts and timelines in the war room, Whitaker and Barnes would go somewhere else for a fresh perspective: Whitakers boat on Lake Martin. They would go out on the boat with papers from the case file and some beer to talk through the evidence. We would always discuss what were discovering, wed discuss motive and, in our opinion, what was the motive for this, Barnes said. We would discuss if we had the evidence that would support our theory, and if so, what were the pieces of evidence that we could show to the district attorney and to prove our theory. When they had a question, they would just call witnesses from the boat. We worked weekends, holidays, we were never off, Whitaker said, but thats just the way you have to do with these things, especially the closer we got to the trial. You kind of live these cases, Barnes added. You run them through your mind constantly trying to play it out in your mind what happened. As time went on and witnesses got older, they became more willing to talk to police, Whitaker said, and more doors opened for them to reinvestigate. Whitaker and Barnes went back and re-interviewed every person who gave a statement in 2006 and every officer who was involved, they said. By 2018, they believed they had enough evidence to make the arrest. Auburn police were so close back in 06, Whitaker said. It was obvious that Rick Ennis was a prime suspect in this case. Anybody else that we even tried to look at went nowhere, and it always led back to Ennis. Just gets started good On Aug. 6, 2018, Ennis was arrested in Pilot, Virginia. It wasnt easy to find him. We couldnt really do a whole lot of research on him because he was so savvy with a computer, Whitaker said. We were told that by a witness that if you start digging around on him, hell back-track it. Hell know youre looking for him. Whitaker and Barnes went with a team to South Carolina where Ennis had lived with his wife, but they discovered that hed gotten a divorce and was living in Virginia. Ennis arrest brought another key piece of evidence against him, which Whitaker says is not unusual. A lot of people dont realize that once I put the handcuffs on somebody it just gets started good, Whitaker said. After the arrest, police got a call from Terry Booth, who worked with Ennis in South Carolina. Whitaker said Booth told police that Ennis had basically confessed to him in 2009 that he strangled a girl from Auburn. Whitaker got on a plane the next day to interview Booth. It was a good interview, Whitaker said. It was obvious this guy was telling the truth, and he ended up being a key witness for us. Building the case Several months after Ennis arrest, Whitaker and Hughes went with a team back to Ennis property in Virginia to dig for remains, but they werent able to find anything. You have a capital murder case and you dont have a body, Ventiere said. Thats the rarest of the rare of cases. Without a body, building the Ennis case involved a lot of pieces and tiny threads of information. The most difficult part, Ventiere said, was putting it together in the right order so the jury could see the entire picture. This is the most complicated case Ive had in my entire career, Ventiere said. In 2018, the case went before a Grand Jury who found probable cause, and investigators discovered another vital piece of evidence. It was a cigarette butt. The biggest piece of evidence was the cigarette butt, Whitaker said. We had that testedthat was collected at the scene of where Loris car was burnedand that came back to Ennis. That changed everything. Now they had Ennis DNA at the trailer and at the burned car. In 2019, prosecutors declared they would seek the death penalty. Then the trial was postponed from 2020 to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It just took forever, Whitaker said, but it gave us a lot of time to do a lot more stuff. While Ventiere built the case for trial, she researched other no-body cases and the prosecutors who tried them. Ventiere and Murray, who had come back to work part-time at the APD in the cold case unit, met with the retired APD officers to build a timeline of events and gather more information. What added to the greatness of that team is that we were dealing with officers who had retired, Ventiere said, but they still felt so strongly about the case that I never had any issue with contacting them. She said there were many late-night phone calls between team members, asking questions, talking strategy, calming nerves. Its a team effort, Barnes said. Everybody has to be on the same page. It cant be each agency doing their own thing. Everybody has to be on the same playbook. Everyone was onboard from the get-go, Murray said. I dont think thats always the case. Murray said Ventiere and Assistant District Attorney Clay Thomas studied the case until they knew it backwards and forwards. They had no body, but they had a case they believed in. Ennis was certainly a risk to take, but it was worth it, Ventiere said. We knew it was him. It wasnt going to get any better even if we found Lori. I had been on my knees a bunch about this case because it meant so much to me and JW and Jessica, Whitaker said. Wed all put so much into it, and this guy, we had to get him off the street. My God, hes evil! Case closed On April 14, in a courtroom at the Lee County Justice Center in Opelika, Rick Ennis was found guilty of capital murder burglary and capital murder kidnapping in connection to the disappearance of Lori Ann Slesinski. During the trial, witnesses identified the rugs as the ones that were missing from Slesinskis trailer and found years later in Ennis possession. They had much more evidence. According to tests, one of the rugs had Ennis blood on it, the hand-rolled cigarette found at the car burn scene had his DNA on it, the door knob of Slesinskis trailer had his blood on it, her bed sheets had his semen on them, and the cleaning scrub brush found in his car had traces of human blood on it that couldnt be identified. Police told the jury that while Ennis was first being interviewed in 2006 he had scratches on his arms that he tried to hide, and he changed his story several times. During the two-week trial, Ventiere and Thomas weaved the story of Ennis guilt using the scientific evidence as well as testimony from Slesinskis mother, friends and co-workers; Ennis former roommates, co-workers and friends; dozens of law enforcement officers and forensic specialists; and Ennis himself. Ennis former coworker Terry Booth told the jury that Ennis told him he strangled a bitch who was a white piece of trailer park trash. After Ennis was found guilty, three of his stepsisters released a statement to media revealing that in 1993 when Ennis was 12 years old he murdered his mother and stepfather and was released from the juvenile system at age 21. Ive seen a lot of bad people in my career that have done a lot of bad things, but he is one of the most evil people Ive ever seen in my life, Whitaker said. After the verdict, Arlene Slesinski told the judge she did not want to pursue the death penalty for Ennis, and he received life in prison without parole. Ventiere said that pursuing the death penalty would have meant years and years of coming back to court for appeals, and that Arlene Slesinski chose life in prison without parole because it is a shorter legal process and provided closure for the family. Lori is in Heaven and I know that, and thats all that matters to me, she said. Both Whitaker and Barnes were elated. Theyd worked countless hours on the case and done their jobs, and then the prosecution had gone into the courtroom and done theirs. Jessica did a fantastic job prosecuting this case, Barnes said. I was in the courtroom, I watched it, I listened to her presentation, and thats the way you do it. Arlene Slesinski also praised the work of Ventiere, as well as Thomas and all the law enforcement personnel involved. Then she gave Whitaker a hug. My hero, she called him. This is probably the best day of our career, Whitaker said. Following a year of multiple announcements of green hydrogen projects across Europe, there are now plans for a major hydrogen corridor to be built between Southern and Northern Europe. This new link could be the first of many, creating the prototype to connect various regions worldwide and offer renewable energy sharing capabilities. The Spanish energy firm Compania Espanola de Petroleos (Cepsa) has partnered with the Port of Rotterdam to establish the first green hydrogen corridor between southern and northern Europe. Cepsa announced, last week, that it would be developing a green hydrogen supply chain between two of Europes main ports - the Port of Algeciras in southern Spain and the Dutch Port of Rotterdam, as the oil and gas firm moves into the world of renewables. Cepsa will be exporting hydrogen produced at its San Roque Energy Park near the Bay of Algeciras through hydrogen carriers such as ammonia or methanol, according to the company. The Port of Rotterdam manages 13 percent of Europes energy demand, making it the most important energy port in the region. While the Port of Algeciras provides a key trade link between Europe and Asia. The Dutch government, the Port Authority, and several private companies are funding the development of infrastructure and facilities to support the importation of green hydrogen and its transportation to other northern European countries via pipelines. The new corridor will support Rotterdams target of supplying Northwest Europe with 4.6 million tonnes of green hydrogen by the end of the decade. The new energy transport route responds to the EUs renewable energy strategy RePower EU. The hydrogen corridor is expected to come into operation in 2027 and will be supported by another hydrogen link to Cepsas La Rabida Energy Park in Huelva. Maarten Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa, stated The opportunity to build the first green hydrogen corridor in Algeciras, the leading energy port in Spain, demonstrates the unique role that Spain, and in particular Andalusia, will play in the energy transition in Europe. Spain is ideally placed to become a world leader in the production and export of green hydrogen, given its strategic location, abundant generation of renewable energies, and its robust energy infrastructures and key ports, such as Algeciras and Huelva. Cepsa, the main energy company in Andalusia, intends to play a leading role in realizing this vision. The Port of Rotterdam Authoritys CEO, Allard Castelein, explained Setting up this trade lane between Algeciras and Rotterdam is a substantial contribution to Europes ambition to reduce CO2-emissions as well as increase Europes energy independency and stimulate our economies. He also stated, northwest Europe used far more energy than it can produce in a sustainable way, and we are therefore setting up multiple trade lanes for green hydrogen, together with exporting countries and private businesses all over the world. Europes green hydrogen industry has been steadily growing in recent years, particularly following last years COP26 climate summit. In 2020, the EU established a Green Deal, which provides a three-step plan for the development of the regions green hydrogen industry, including the implementation of green hydrogen production and consumption across several industries by 2024, the creation of interconnected hydrogen valleys by 2030, and the creation of a large European hydrogen infrastructure. Related: Biden Is Running U.S. Energy Security Into The Ground Spain is currently leading Europes green hydrogen ambitions, with Repsol investing $4.4 billion in the sector. The energy company is leading a consortium of 33 companies and organisations in developing Spains green hydrogen industry. The southern European country expects to establish a green hydrogen capacity of 500 MW by 2025 and 2 GW by 2030, with a final government target of 4 GW. The EUs requirement for greater hydrogen data reporting from all member states, which commenced in February, is also expected to support the development of a cohesive hydrogen industry across Europe. The European Commission (EC) is aiming for 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolysers to be installed in the EU by 2030. The development of a largescale hydrogen sector is key for Europe, as it continues to battle with oil and gas shortages and rising energy prices. The ECs President, Ursula von der Leyen, announced, last month, the establishment of a European Hydrogen Bank, with hopes of pumping $2.91 billion in funding into Europes hydrogen market. The new hydrogen corridor announcement is likely to be the first of many, as companies are exploring the potential for greater renewable energy sharing and connectivity via pipelines and major undersea cables. As the world transitions away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives, governments and energy firms will be looking to repurpose existing infrastructure, such as natural gas pipelines, to transport green hydrogen. The European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) initiative, consisting of thirty-one energy infrastructure operators, has proposed five green hydrogen corridors in Europe. Other green hydrogen corridor initiatives are also under assessment in South Africa, Korea, and several other parts of the world. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: This week, the Biden Administration announced that it would start replenishing the SPR once prices fall to the $67-72 range, effectively putting a price floor under crude. The Biden administration is ready to sell additional volumes of crude oil from the strategic petroleum reserve after the end of the 180-million-barrel release plan and then it would begin replenishing the SPR once prices fall to $67-$72 per barrel. This is the main outtake from a fact sheet published by the White House this week as the administration continues to look for ways to tame retail fuel prices with just weeks left until the midterm elections. The SPR drawsand plans for morehave caused concern among some analysts, who have pointed out that the purpose of the SPR is not to keep gasoline prices under control but to ensure the countrys oil supply in an emergency. Others have questioned the very relevance of the SPR in todays oil world, where the United States is the biggest oil producer on the planet, but market reactions to this years SPR releases have suggested that keeping a strategic reserve is still quite a good idea. The main concern among those watching SPR levels has been its replenishment. Because of the massive draws that the Biden administration implemented as a tool for keeping a lid on gasoline prices, inventories at the SPR are now at the lowest in almost 40 years, at some 405 million barrels. The Administration intends to repurchase crude oil for the SPR when prices are at or below about $67-$72 per barrel, adding to global demand when prices are around that range, the White House said in a fact sheet this week. It went on to add that This repurchase approach will protect taxpayers and help create certainty around future demand for crude oil. That will encourage firms to invest in production right now, helping to improve U.S. energy security and bring down energy prices that have been driven up by Putins war in Ukraine. Related: Shell Resumes Oil Flows From Key Nigerian Terminal The above led some commentators in the media to suggest that Biden is effectively embracing the oil industry after spending most of the first two years of his term fighting it. Indeed, the fact sheet also noted the replenishment of the SPR would involve contracts that lock in prices for two to three years ahead. If it looks like a price floor and it sounds like a price floor, it must be a price floor, as Energy Intelligence demonstrated in a detailed analysis of the replenishment target price range. The analysis points out that the range mentioned by the administration is at about the same price level that motivates U.S. producers to hedge their future output. When oil goes higher than $70 a barrel, the authors explain, they prefer selling them on the spot market. The range is also higher than the breakeven level for most producers, the analysis also points out, suggesting this could be an incentive for drillers to boost production steadily. It makes sense, on the face of it. What producers or any commodity wouldnt be glad to hear there will be demand for their product two or three years from now? Yet this is only on the face of it. Before Biden suggested a price floor for oil, he targeted the U.S. oil industry with yet another call for a change of behavior. He told oil companies they should stop buying back shares and invest in production growth and fuel price control. My message to the American energy companies is this: You should not be using your profits to buy back stock or for dividends. Not now. Not while a war is raging, the U.S. President said. You should be using these record-breaking profits to increase production and refining. The U.S. oil industry has demonstrated more than once it is not really a huge fan of being told what to do, especially by someone who has effectively declared the industry the main obstacle to a better future for America. But it has also demonstrated something else that few could have seen coming: restraint. The pandemic seems to have knocked the growth-at-all-costs mentality out of U.S. oil, and companies are now not only focusing on returning cash to shareholders but also being more pragmatic about production growth. It bears noting that this new restraint is also related to Biden administration policies. The focus of these is entirely on the transition from fossil fuels to alternative sources of energy. In other words, the Biden administration is betting on the death of oil. It really shouldnt be surprising when oil producers dont want to help it bring prices down in time for the midterms. All of this, however, does not really solve the problem of a dwindling strategic oil reserve. Because nobody really expects oil prices to fall to $72 any time soon. If anything, they are likely to rise further in a couple of months when the EU embargo on Russian oil kicks in. And since the EU has signaled its plans to stay the course with anti-Russian sanctions for the observable future, prices may remain elevated for an extended period of time, making the replenishment job of the U.S. administration rather difficult, even as U.S. oil production is expected to return to record levels in 2023. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com Next Match: at Mississippi State 10/26/2022 | 8 PM Next Match Full Schedule Oct. 26 (Wed) / 8 PM at Mississippi State OXFORD, Miss. Trailing two sets to one, Ole Miss volleyball never wavered. The Rebels battled back to take the final two sets of the match and sweep the weekend series with Missouri Saturday evening inside the Gillom Center. Playing without their leading attacker, the Rebels (9-10, 5-4 SEC) turned to their middle blockers to power the offense. Sasha Ratliff tallied a team-high 16 kills, hitting at a .419 clip, and Payton Brgoch finished in double figures for the second consecutive match, totaling 12 kills on a .435 attacking percentage. Ole Miss opened the match for the second straight day with a strong first set. The Rebels built up an early 7-2 lead and took control. It was a balanced attack as the Rebels only needed 10 kills as a team to secure the set, taking advantage of 13 Tiger miscues. A kill from Julia Dyess and a block from Brgoch sealed the first-set victory at 25-15. Missouri responded and flipped the script on Ole Miss in the second set. The Tigers jumped out to an early 5-1. Ole Miss tried to halt the momentum with a timeout, but Mizzou continued to run away with the set, building up a 20-10 lead. Missouri found the final five points to take set two, 25-16, and even the match. With both teams tied at a set each, the third set was closely contested. Ole Miss and Missouri battled back and forth the entirety of the set, seeing the score tied 16 times. Late in the set, Dyess tied the score at 23, but back-to-back points for the Tigers gave them a 2-1 lead in the match. The Rebels build up a 9-6 lead to start set four, forcing Missouri to call timeout. Out of the break, the Tigers recaptured the momentum with an 11-1 run and put the pressure on Ole Miss. Down seven, the Rebels had their backs against the wall. Vivian Miller and Ratliff stepped up, leading Ole Miss on a late 9-0 charge to get set point before Samantha Schnitta laid down the final kill and force a fifth set. In the winner-take-all set, Ole Miss and Missouri traded points through 6-6. The Rebels capitalized on a pair of errors and a kill from Miller to take an 8-6 lead at the break. After switching sides, Brgoch and Katie Corelli helped increase the lead to four and inch the Rebels closer to victory. Ole Miss pushed the lead to five at 13-8, but Missouri wasn't going away without a fight. The Tigers clawed all the way back to tie the set at 14 all. Needing to win by two, Dyess came away with a clutch kill, and Brgoch and Schnitta sealed the deal with a block to cap off the comeback win. Ole Miss is back in action on Wednesday, October 26, when it travels to Starkville for an in-state battle with Mississippi State. Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB, Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball, and on Instagram at @olemissvb. RAMALLAH, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian militant was killed and two others injured on Sunday in an accidental explosion in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said. Medics at the city's main hospital told reporters that Tamer al-Kilani died after he was critically injured by fragments of an explosive device that went off accidentally, adding that two others were moderately injured. Palestinian eyewitnesses and local media outlets said that al-Kilani is a member of the newly formed military group known as "the Lions' Den," which was responsible for a series of shooting attacks carried out against the Israeli army on the outskirts of the city. Sources in Nablus said that al-Kilani was killed, and two of his colleagues were injured while preparing an explosive device targetting Israeli army soldiers once they storm the city. Tension has been mounting between Israel and the Palestinians since March after the Israeli army clamped down on Palestinian militants and activists by storming Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank. Since early January, more than 174 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including women and children, official Palestinian figures showed. Meanwhile, more than 20 Israelis have been killed since March. 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 want to establish an independent Palestinian state on these territories. O'Neill Heinrich Damkroger Bergmeyer & Shultz PC LLO The law firm of O'Neill Heinrich Damkroger Bergmeyer & Shultz PC LLO is pleased to announce the addition of Attorney John P. Weis to their litigation team. Mr. Weis is a graduate of Creighton University School of Law and has practiced in the areas of Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice Defense, Commercial Litigation, Civil Rights Litigation, Employment Law, Agricultural Litigation and Construction Law. For more than 30 years, John has practiced law throughout Nebraska from Omaha to Scottsbluff. His career has included wide and varied civil litigation experience and appellate practice. He has personally appeared before the Nebraska Supreme Court and Court of Appeals on numerous occasions and has argued cases of first impression before the Nebraska Supreme Court with regard to issues of prescriptive easements, statutory interpretations of the rights of trustees to amend decedents trust documents. He was one of the first attorneys in Nebraska to argue the procedure, burden of proof, and decision in a Daubert evidentiary hearing. In 2013, John was co-counsel in a successful jury trial, Sprague v. Toyota Motor Corp., Inc., where the jury awarded the Plaintiff $6.25 million in damages. John has also been involved in civil rights litigation. He has successfully represented clients with discrimination and free speech claims and argued issues of first impression in the Federal District Court of Nebraska and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. O'Neill Heinrich Damkroger Bergmeyer & Shultz PC LLO provides legal services in the areas of business law, mergers, acquisitions, estate planning, real estate, banking, government, labor relations, employment, and commercial litigation. Time is precious in the final weeks of any political campaign, and Bellevue State Sen. Carol Blood is using every second to her advantage in the gubernatorial race. Give the senator 1 minute and 22 seconds, and she will explain how transparent, annual strategic planning is superior to the Nebraska Legislatures usual approach. The pure difference between me and all the candidates that were in the primary and my opponent in the general is that I want to put together a statewide strategic plan where we travel all over the state of Nebraska, Blood said. We talk to different communities and we talk to the citizens in those communities, and then we will bring in the elected officials and we will bring in nonprofits and businesses and manufacturing. We will take away the top three priorities from every community, because we arent going to do it all. We cant do it all. Then we will put together a strategic plan a living, breathing document that everybody knows their voices have been heard in. It gives us a road map to success. Then, we are going to mirror the budget to those goals. Because right now, the way we budget, we cut cut cut. You hear it all the time, We are going to cut government spending. Well, they dont. What they do is cut without a plan, and then we end up throwing money at problems that we create. The Papillion Times 10 a.m. interview with the Democratic nominee was her third call of the morning. Blood said she had traveled from McCook to Falls City over the weekend, following seven town hall meetings in two days. At a stop at the Omaha Firefighters Hall in South Omaha 12 hours earlier, Blood took more than two hours including one-on-one time to address the concerns of the more than 70 people in attendance. She said her audiences defenses come down when they realize I am not blowing smoke up their skirt that I am really there to help. People are excited. Unlike my opponent, my events are not one-party invite only. I invite everybody. We invite Republicans, nonpartisans, Democrats. We are being enthusiastically met everywhere we stop at. And if they arent enthusiastic when they get there, they most definitely are when they leave, Blood said. (Other candidates) tell you all the things that are broken, all the things that need to be fixed they never really tell you how they are going to fix them, she said. Im very pragmatic. If I see a problem, it is an opportunity to do better. As the 64-minute Times interview progressed, the Blood campaign was simultaneously canvassing by phone and on foot throughout the state. By the time Blood moved on to her next call, the campaign has contacted 152 voters, according to real-time metrics the candidate can access on her laptop. They have reached over 300,000 Nebraskans this year, nearly 40,000 in Sarpy County alone. The instantaneous information will support get-out-the-vote efforts, as well as act as a sort-of tracking poll. It allows the campaign to be nimble, Blood said, shifting attention to specific regions. By using smartphone apps, technology makes campaigning cheaper and more efficient. Blood said she has spent about 3% of what her opponent, Republican candidate Jim Pillen, paid on similar canvassing efforts in the primary alone. Her thrift comes from experience in successful races for Bellevue City Council and the Legislature. It is not my first time at the rodeo, Blood said. I dont have to hire campaign managers or handlers to tell me what to do or how to do it, or what to say and when to say it. It saves us a lot of money. The frugality is also necessary. Early October filings with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission showed Blood had raised $453,000 in total for the governors race, compared to Pillens $10,475,000. Pillen, who serves on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, had $606,000 cash on hand going into the final month of the campaign, while Blood has around $75,000. People have lost hope for a Democrat to win a statewide race here in Nebraska, Blood said, noting she has not received the same level of national support as Pillen. To compete, she said she is answering voter questions and providing specifics solutions. Her approach with strategic planning is what Nebraskans need to hear, she said. By making the process approachable, then following up with an annual report, the state will measure what you treasure. Any money that we use to make Nebraska better, we should be able to report back how that money was used, what it was used for and how you got a bang for your buck, Blood said. She said her commitment to community interaction is in sharp contrast with Pillens strategy. His campaign has ignored requests for most interviews from local reporters, including the Times. He also has refused to debate in the primary and general elections. My opponent is picking who he wants to talk to, when he wants to talk to them and how he wants to talk to them. I think that is a red flag. Ive been really careful about not talking about my opponent for most of the campaign, Blood said. Its time to pull back the curtain. If you look at his latest commercial, he talks about school funding. He basically said I was surprised to find out that two-thirds of our schools arent funded by the state. Well, gosh, do you read a newspaper? Do you watch TV? Do you listen to the radio? Weve been talking about that for decades, she said. Blood said an advantage she has over Pillen is tenure as an elected local official, giving her a keen understanding of how state statute addresses every level of government. About 94% of school district funding is determined by a formula referred to by its enabling legislation TEEOSA, short for the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Act which Blood calls that stupid, antiquated formula. Roughly put, the funding formula considers a districts financing needs based on enrollment and spending and subtracts what local governments could conceivably fund with property and income taxes and other revenues. The gap left is what the state government supplies in aid. With nearly 60% of Sarpy County property taxes allocated to schools, dealing with state aid is a headache for local school administrations and a cause for consternation to taxpayers with ever-increasing property valuations. Blood said rural landowners tend to share a disproportionate amount of the burden. We need to evaluate how any change that is going to happen is going to affect a school districts funding. We need to evaluate district tax rates, and then any additional state equalization that is required for each local effort, she said. Blood proposes using a more advanced student-based modeling input and a reevaluation of local funding using technology to better decide what tax rates should be We have to remove the school dependence on property taxes. The state has to step up to the plate and fully fund all of our schools, but we can do that if we address all the reasons the state funding formula is not equitable and how it relates to everything that it touches, she said. Reformulating school funding is one major step in transforming Nebraskas property tax issues. Eliminating unfunded and underfunded mandates is another. In the 2022 legislative session, Blood proposed Legislative Resolution 263CA, which would have put a constitutional amendment abolishing such mandates on the November ballot. Despite overwhelming support, Speaker Mike Hilgers refused to put the measure to a vote. (Hilgers, a Republican, is running for attorney general.) Unfunded/underfunded mandates and full funding our schools. Until we fix those issues ... people will never have true property tax relief, Blood said. People have been lied to for 25 years. Weve known how to fix property taxes. We have chosen not to do it because I clearly and truly believe after this years session and all the shenanigans that happened with taxes that nobody really wants to lower your property taxes, because what are they going to run on every two years? Its all been shell games. In one of his few interviews, Pillen told the Nebraska Examiner he would reform school aid with a billion dollars of state funds divided by the number of students, and the funding follows a student to the school district. So its per student funding, not per district funding. On property taxes, Pillen told the online news outlet that we just absolutely have to decrease spending and run government like a business and make sure that a whole lot of initiatives that were put in with a good step forward that doesnt work, then we stop doing it if theyre not creating value. Blood said those types of answers are standard fare for many politicians who dont care, because theyre just lumping us all into one big pile and do whatever the hell they want. I think it is pretty clear from what little we have heard from him that he doesnt really understand how government works. You really need to be able to hit the road running, she said. Blood said her work in Lincoln has been successful because she listens to constituents. She refers to the Bellevue Farmers Market, which she has organized for several years, as her satellite office. Nobody brought me legislation. The legislation I crafted was from what I had heard on the streets while I was campaigning, she said. I had my new bills turned in before I had even started with staff in the office. Its time we brought back collaborative government to our state to move it forward. Because with all the amenities we have in our Nebraska, all the wonderful research groups and universities and hardworking folks that we have, we should be much further than we are. And it is really time that we got back to the working men and women the middle class and let them know that they are heard. Blood and former State Sen. Al Davis, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, face Pillen and Joe Kelly, the criminal bureau chief in the office of Nebraska Attorney General, in the Nov. 8 general election. Libertarian candidates Scott Zimmerman and Jason Blumenthal are also on the ballot. Weird entered the world 63 years ago. Alfred Weird Al Yankovic, whose comic parodies of other artists songs have won him five Grammys, was born Oct. 23, 1959. On Nov. 4, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a film parodying biopics scripted by Yankovic and Eric Appel will premiere on Roku. Daniel Radcliffe plays Weird Al. Alfreds the modern form of Old English lfrd, elf counsel. The original famous Alfred (848-899) became King of the West Saxons in 871. His victory over Viking invaders in 878 prevented their conquering all of England. In 886, Alfred reclaimed London from the Vikings and proclaimed himself King of the English. Alfred was an enlightened ruler concerned about his subjects welfare. He promoted educating children in their native language, having many Latin works translated into English. Though Alfred was a pious medieval Catholic, his promotion of English education made him a favorite of 16th-century Protestant historians, who dubbed him Alfred the Great. After Normans conquered England in 1066, their French pronunciations changed Alfred to Alvery and Avery, versions used by some English families until around 1800. Then, the Victorian love of medieval names revived the form Alfred. Alfred soon crossed the Channel to Europe, where it was accepted as an updated version of Altfrid (noble peace), name of a sainted 9th century German bishop. By 1850, Alfred was used in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Poland and Scandinavia. World famous Alfreds include Swedens Nobel (1833-1896), inventor of dynamite whose will funded the Nobel Prizes; Frances Binet (1857-1911), developer of the first IQ test; and Austrias Adler (1870-1937), psychiatrist who described the inferiority complex. Alfred was among the top 15 names in England between 1850 and 1900, partly because of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1800-1892), Poet Laureate from 1850 until his death. Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all is one of his famous lines. Alfred wasnt quite as common in America. The 1850 U.S. census includes 39,789 Alfreds, compared with 85,129 in Britain, when total populations were about equal. In 1880, when Social Securitys baby name data starts, Alfred ranked 35th. It had fallen to 45th in 1927, and then jumped to 33rd in 1928, its highest American rank, when Alfred E. Al Smith was Democratic nominee for president. After Smith lost to Herbert Hoover, Alfreds decline accelerated. It fell to 100th in 1951 and 583rd in 2001, bottoming out at 961st in 2013. British-born film director Hitchcock (1899-1980) and sexual behavior expert Kinsey (1894-1956) keep Alfred well-known. Alfreds with famous firsts include Johnson (1846-1927), who, in 1876, was first to cross the Atlantic single-handedly; Jones (1900-1989), creator of Wall Streets first hedge fund; and science fiction writer Bester (1913-1987), whose The Demolished Man won the first Hugo Award in 1953. Fictions most famous Alfred may be Alfred Pennyworth, Batmans butler, created in a 1943 comic book. Sean Pertwee played him in Foxs Gotham (2014-2019). Since 2019, Jack Bannons starred in Pennyworth on Epix. There were jumps in newborn Alfreds in both 2014 and 2019, when those shows began. Alfreds booming for boys in Scandinavia, in 2020 landing in Denmark and Swedens top 10. Since 2019, Alfreds back in Englands top 100. Its a good bet Alfred wont be a weird baby name in the U.S. by the time Yankovic turns 83. Two recently awarded federal grants will let Nebraska researchers focus on improving outcomes among minority and rural moms and babies in the state. The Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative has been awarded a five-year, $1.375 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. The group was founded in 2015 to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies in Nebraska. Separately, Elizabeth Mollard, an assistant professor in the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursings Lincoln division, received a $304,641 grant from the National Institutes of Health that will fund an 18-month study exploring ways to improve maternal wellness and reduce health disparities among Black women. Morbidity and mortality rates among new mothers in the United States are increasing, said Dr. Ann Anderson Berry, the collaboratives neonatal medical director and executive director of the Child Health Research Institute, a collaboration between UNMC and Childrens Hospital & Medical Center. In addition, Nebraskas neonatal mortality is higher than the national average and rising. A number of recent government studies indicate that many of the poor outcomes in the perinatal period, broadly defined as one year before to 18 to 24 months after the birth of a child, are worse among Black and Native American women. Anderson Berry said disparities in outcomes are not driven by race but by social determinants of health, such as access to care, quality of care and communication with the health care team. Studies in other states indicate that doula services are associated with improved outcomes for moms and babies, she said. The CDC grant will support the integration of culturally matched doula support for women with high-risk pregnancies. Doulas are trained professionals who support pregnant people through pregnancy and after delivery. Thats really the focus, is to get high-risk pregnancies doula support so we see better pregnancy outcomes, said Anderson Berry, the principal investigator for the grant. The collaborative previously launched a statewide initiative to roll out a series of protocols intended to help health care providers quickly recognize and address conditions that can put mothers at risk of death or injury. Currently, she said, the group is working with I Be Black Girl, a Omaha-based support organization for Black mothers and women, and the Omaha Black Doula Association. But the collaborative plans a rollout that will include Native American, rural and other minority groups. The group is in preliminary talks with officials at Twelve Clans Unity Hospital in Winnebago, Nebraska, which is operated by the Winnebago Tribe. Over the last seven years, Anderson Berry said, health officials have seen a steady decline in neonatal outcomes namely, premature birth and low birth weight among Indigenous people, according to data from the March of Dimes. Thats worrisome, she said, because those outcomes once were on par with those of White people. In rural areas, women may live a long way from health facilities. We want the program to serve statewide high-risk pregnancies, Anderson Berry said. We see urban and rural access to care discrepancies that impact outcomes. This wont solve those issues, but can provide another layer of support. She stressed that the culturally matched support is essential to the work. This will be community-engaged work throughout the process. The money, Anderson Berry said, wont directly fund doula services but instead will be used to create infrastructure to train doulas and to teach hospital officials and health care providers the importance of accepting them. In addition to the CDC grant, United HealthCare of Nebraska has made a one-year grant of $100,000 to supplement the work on culturally matched doula support. Doulas are not covered by Medicaid or Medicare, and only some private insurance covers the services. I Be Black Girl also recently launched the Ndu Doula Access Fund, which provides Black pregnant people awards of up to $2,000 a person for doula support. Mollards project, by comparison, is a randomly controlled trial that will examine a program called Protective Assets Reinforced with Integrated Care and Technology, or PARITY. It is intended to empower women to take control of their health care. Mollard, who has a doctoral degree, said those strengths include things such as self-efficacy and resilience that women already are using to overcome disparities. The idea is to maximize and leverage them. Participants in the PARITY intervention will be assigned a community-based Black doula to offer support, emphasize their strengths and promote care adherence and healthy behaviors such as sleep, nutrition and movement. They also will receive 12 weeks of tailored wellness, strengths and health care adherence messaging via a mobile technology program. The mobile technology also allows participants to communicate with a virtual doula. A control group will receive standard, information-only care. Mollard, who is a certified nurse midwife, said the inspiration for the grant application came from the grassroots work of Black birth workers in Omaha and Lincoln. The idea really came into focus late one night while she was working with Anabelle Elya, a doula and co-investigator on the grant, to support a woman through labor and birth. Traditionally, Black birth workers were a big part of a Black womans birth experience. That changed when births began taking place in hospitals. This is coming back to a solution, Mollard said. Results of the intervention will be measured through changes in blood pressure, gestational weight gain, cesarean rates and changes in wellness behaviors. Millions of dollars have poured into the race for Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District, a hefty sum that analysts say reflects a competitive contest. In the neighboring 1st Congressional District, impressive, but not nearly as aggressive, spending also has occurred. Unsurprisingly for a Republican-dominated state and given the power of incumbency, the Republican incumbents have outraised, and outspent, their Democratic challengers, overall, in both races during the election cycle. As of Sept. 30, more than $12.3 million had been spent by the candidates and outside groups for the 2nd District seat. That race pits Republican incumbent Rep. Don Bacon against his Democratic challenger State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha. The combined totals are according to the Federal Election Commission and Open Secrets, an independent nonprofit that tracks campaign finance. Its a sizable chunk of change, said Randall Adkins, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Its not big, big money, but its starting to get into that. The spending on the Bacon-Vargas race is a sign of a tight race, he said. (Bacon) is having to work really hard in his campaign, which includes spending a lot of money because he has a quality challenger, Adkins said. Everybody knows Omaha is a blue dot and its possible for a Democrat to win. Multiple political prognosticators, including at the Cook Political Report and Politico, have rated the 2nd District race as a toss-up. The district includes Omaha and all of Douglas County, as well as parts of western Sarpy County and, following redistricting in 2021, all of Saunders County. Noteworthy in the race is the large amount of outside money seeking to influence the outcome. More than half of money spent in the Bacon-Vargas contest, nearly $7.4 million, has come from outside groups, according to Open Secrets. A significant share of the outside money, $3.5 million, has been spent in opposition of Vargas compared to $2.1 million in opposition of Bacon. Another $1.7 million has been spent in support of Bacon. Voters are experiencing the results of that opposition through the harsh negative ads in their mailboxes and over the airwaves. Top outside donors supporting Bacon are the Congressional Leadership Fund and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Top groups supporting Vargas are the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the House Majority PAC. Kevin Smith, chair of the political science department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said negative ads serve two purposes: Swaying a persons vote and depressing turnout among supporters of the candidate targeted by the ads. Bacon is vying for his fourth term in a district that typically, but not always, votes Republican. A Democrat, Brad Ashford, held the seat from 2015 to 2017 before losing to Bacon. The district also went Democratic in presidential elections involving Barack Obama (2008) and Joe Biden (2020), garnering the blue dot label. While Biden easily topped Donald Trump in 2020, Bacon defeated Democratic challenger Kara Eastman by nearly 5 percentage points. In the third-quarter report filed with the Federal Election Commission, Vargas added nearly $1.07 million to his coffers, while Bacon added $645,776. Both candidates teams see good news in their campaign numbers. Meg Mandy, campaign manager for Vargas, said Vargas has outraised Bacon for two quarters in a row. More of the Vargas money has come from within the district, she said, and about 99% of his donors are individuals. Bacons campaign said the funding picture paints a positive outcome. Derek Oden, campaign manager, said Bacon is on pace to raise a record amount and noted that this campaign is the first one in which Bacon has outraised his Democratic opponent. Oden said their polling shows Bacon pulling ahead of Vargas after being neck-and-neck in August and September. The national environment has shifted right the last couple of weeks, he said. Vargas reported $431,747 cash on hand at the end of the period, while Bacon reported $787,186 cash on hand. About $3 million has been spent by the candidates and outside groups in the race between Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Flood and Democratic challenger Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, according to Open Secrets and the Federal Election Commission. Flood and Pansing Brooks are vying for the for 1st Congressional District, which serves a swath of eastern Nebraska, including Lincoln, Norfolk and parts of Sarpy County. According to the most recent federal filing, Flood added $465,671 during the quarter, while Pansing Brooks collected $418,246. In a statement, Pansing Brooks noted that $1.3 million, or 90% of her total donations, has come from Nebraskans. Shes received donations from 5,335 individuals at an average of $123, a reflection, she said, of grassroots support. The support, she said, is allowing her to be competitive. A Democrat hasnt held the seat since 1967, and unlike the forecasts in the states 2nd District, most prominent political predictions have the 1st District staying in Republican hands. Floods campaign manager Hudson Buell said in a statement that the numbers show that Flood is in the race to win. He noted that Flood won in the June special election to replace then-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned after being convicted of felonies related to campaign finances. That race also was against Pansing Brooks, a state lawmaker from Lincoln. Congressman Flood doesnt take a single vote for granted, and in the face of challenges, the Flood campaign has left it all out on the field this year, Buell said. Congressman Flood is doing everything he can to get his conservative message in front of voters. The amount of money spent by outside groups in the 1st District, $283,000, is a fraction of that spent on the seat representing Omaha. About 61% of that opposes Flood and virtually all of the rest supports him, according to Open Secrets. He reported ending the period with $307,094 cash on hand, slightly less than the $315,403 cash on hand that Pansing Brooks reported. Widespread, wind-driven grass fires that injured two firefighters swept through southern Lancaster County on Sunday, destroying homes, closing roads and prompting evacuation orders as a thin haze of smoke settled on Lincoln. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency ordered the evacuations as two separate blazes in the southern part of the county crept north over the course of the afternoon, fueled by winds from the south and dry conditions. By the time night had descended and the fires had been mostly contained, three houses were destroyed and two firefighters were injured, including one seriously, according to a press release from the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office. Lancaster County declared an emergency about 7 p.m. and a relocation center was set up at Lincoln Southwest High School for displaced residents. Officials asked those who left their homes not to return. Several roads in the southern part of the county were blocked off, the Sheriffs Office said. The public was asked not to drive around barriers. The Nebraska State Patrol, Games and Parks officers and Saline County deputies assisted with traffic control and checking on the safety of residents. The first evacuation orders came about 2:44 p.m., when a fire that had started at the Lancaster-Gage County border threatened areas in Lancaster County south and west of Southwest 12th Street and Saltillo Road. The Hallem Fire Department requested that deputies begin evacuating residents in the path of the fire, while a phone alert from the Sheriffs Office also ordered evacuations. Officials later said the order was voluntary. About that time, another evacuation order was issued for people in the area bound by South 38th and 54th Streets and Olive Creek and Apple Roads a swath of rural land roughly between Cortland and Firth due to a blaze southwest of Firth quickly advancing north. Christopher Smith was one of several people gathered at a farm near Southwest 72nd and Panama Roads near Olive Creek State Recreation Area in southwestern Lancaster County, just east of one of the fires. The farms residents and neighbors were planning to move cattle and other valuables to Smiths farm a few miles south. Everybodys just trying to help out, Smith said as the farms owner scrambled to spray down the homes back porch with water and set up sprinklers in case the fire got close. About 4:45 p.m., the fire had burned much of the area around Olive Creek State Recreation Area in southwestern Lancaster County and was spreading rapidly to the north. A red flag warning had been in effect for central and eastern Nebraska, including Lancaster County, until 8 p.m. The National Weather Service said winds from the south gusting as high as 55 mph combined with dry land and low humidity made for dangerous fire conditions. Temperatures were also unseasonably warm, climbing to the upper 80s and setting records for late October. As of 8 p.m., the fire that started southwest of Firth was contained while firefighters continued to battle hotspots near Southwest 100th and West Panama roads north of Olive Creek Lake and near Kramer. The city of Lincoln was not considered to be threatened. In addition to the numerous fire departments who responded including Lincoln Fire and Rescue farmers used irrigation pivots to battle the blaze. BROOKINGS, S.D. A trip to South Dakota to open the Summit League volleyball season netted a pair of five-set losses for defending league champ UNO. Two days after South Dakota edged the Mavericks 15-13 in the fifth set, South Dakota State (7-7, 1-1) went on an 8-2 run to close the fifth for a 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12 comeback win Saturday afternoon. UNO (5-7, 0-2) played two five-setters last year, when it went 16-2 in league play the Mavs split those five-setters. After splitting the first two sets Saturday, SDSU grabbed a 2-1 lead after hitting .371 to run away with the third. The Jackrabbits led 11-6 in the fourth before UNO put together a 10-3 run, capped by a pair of Marriah Buss kills. SDSU regained the lead at 22-20, but UNO won the last five points to force a fifth set. There were six ties early before UNO moved in front 10-7. The Mavs had eight kills on their first 13 swings in the fifth, but they had one on their last 14 swings as the Jackrabbits surged to the win. Crystal Burk led SDSU with 24 kills and hit .357 while Aurora's Masa Scheierman added 12 kills. Buss led UNO with 21 kills while Shayla McCormick added 19 kills and 11 digs for her eighth double-double this season. McKenna Ruch finished with 11 kills and seven blocks, Sami Carlson had a double-double (57 assists, 10 digs) and Jaiden Centeno finished with 23 digs. UNO returns home to face Western Illinois on Thursday. BROOKINGS, S.D. - A trip to South Dakota to open the Summit League volleyball season netted a pair of tough five-set losses for defending league champ UNO. Two days after South Dakota edged the Mavs 15-13 in the fifth set, South Dakota State went on an 8-2 run to finish the fifth as it rallied for a 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12 win Saturday afternoon. UNO played only two five-setters last year when it went 16-2 in league play - the Mavs split those five-setters. After splitting the first two sets Saturday, SDSU grabbed a 2-1 lead as it hit .371 to run away with the third. The Jackrabbits led 11-6 in the fourth before UNO put together a 10-3 run, capped by a pair of Marriah Buss kills. SDSU regained the lead at 22-20, but UNO won the last five points to force a fifth set. There were six ties early in the fifth before UNO moved in front 10-7. The Mavs had eight kills on their first 13 swings in the fifth, but they had just one kill on their last 14 swings as the Jackrabbits surged to the win. Crystal Burk led SDSU with 24 kills and hit .357, while Aurora's Masa Scheierman added 12 kills. Buss led UNO with 21 kills, while Shayla McCormick had 19 kills and 11 digs for her eighth double-double this season. McKenna Ruch added 11 kills and seven blocks, Sami Carlson had a double-double with 57 assists and 10 digs, and Jaiden Centeno finished with 23 digs. UNO returns home to face Western Illinois on Thursday. Editor's note: This is part of a series examining the state of McLean County's housing market. RELATED COVERAGE: BLOOMINGTON While swelling population growth complicates the local housing market, area leaders say it offers a promising sign for the region's future economic stability. The Bloomington-Normal metro area population was recorded at 170,954 in the 2020 U.S. Census, a less than 1% increase from the prior decade. But that data doesn't reflect the surge attributed to Rivian Automotive, which has added thousands of jobs in the past year and a half. A shortage of housing options to accommodate the new arrivals has driven up prices and forced some into hotels for the short term. But in the long run, the influx is good for the community and the wider region, said Frank Beck, director of the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development at Illinois State University. People buying houses and spending money in the community capture more dollars in the local economy, Beck said. "Those dollars that are spent by people coming from outside the community they migrate here, they buy a house those dollars are captured, at least in the first round, by the home builder and whatever suppliers the home builder is relying on," he said. Having a stable, diverse economy also helps attract new business, furthering growth, Beck said. The region's top employers span multiple industries. Insurance giant State Farm has served as a longtime economic anchor for Bloomington-Normal, but Country Financial in Bloomington, Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan University, two hospitals and a handful of major manufacturers contribute to the Twin Cities economic stability. Patrick Hoban, president and CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, focuses on workforce growth and new industry players. He says there's plenty of good to tout. We use workforce to sell this community, he said. So I've been using ISU and Wesleyan to land most deals, saying if (workers) are not here now, you can get them. The steady flow of new residents and their effect on the strained housing market has been largely attributed to Rivian's manufacturing plant in west Normal, but community stakeholders have also made strides to strengthen the economic impact of the burgeoning electric vehicle industry. Heartland Community College officials broke ground in September on a new facility that will serve as the home for the school's electric vehicle and energy storage (EVES) program on the north Normal campus. Also attending were state leaders who have shown support for the growing industry. Bloomington-Normal is fortunate to see economic investment from industry as well as state leaders, which is not the case for every part of the state, said Joseph Trefzger, a finance professor at ISU. Its certainly encouraging that Rivian and (Italian chocolate maker) Ferrero are both making investments in our community when Illinois is seeing too many companies pull back or pull out, and suffering net job losses will never be good for an area's housing market, he said. In 2022 alone, several large corporations have announced their impending departure from Illinois, including Boeing, Caterpillar, Citadel, Highland Ventures and Tyson Foods. But in Bloomington, Ferrero cemented its commitment to Central Illinois with a multimillion-dollar expansion. Construction is underway on the 169,000-square-foot addition dedicated to producing Kinder Bueno chocolate bars; it is expected to open on the city's southwest side in 2024. Other major employers with consistent job openings in Bloomington-Normal include State Farm, Bridgestone and Brandt Industries, Hoban said. And the increases are expected to continue: An analysis of the regional housing market released by the EDC in May predicted that McLean County would experience the largest net increase in population for any Illinois county outside of the Chicago area, adding more than 10,000 residents over the next decade. In economic development, growth often begets more growth. Because as somebody like a Rivian grows or a State Farm grows, you need more support services for all those. They have a very large multiplier effect, Hoban said. Just five years ago, projections for the area's future looked very different. The McLean County Regional Planning Commission did a housing study in 2017, and more recently worked in coordination with the EDC on its regional analysis this year. Between the two studies, much has changed. A lot of things have happened between 2017 and 2022, the pandemic wasnt here, Rivian wasnt here, the (expansion) announcement from Ferrero, said Raymond Lai, director of the regional planning commission. Results of the 2017 study indicated population growth was expected to slow compared to previous decades but still continue to grow through 2040. At that time, new construction was outpacing demand. Put simply, demand for residential housing did not keep pace with the number of construction permits, the report said. The growth of major manufacturers has flipped that. With high demand still pulsing, I think we're finally at a spot where we're going to see some continual growth over the next five years, said BJ Armstrong, operating principal for Keller Williams Revolution real estate company. Of course, nothing comes without a cost. More residents create more traffic and infrastructure needs, and local governments must spend more on essential functions like police, fire and education, Beck said. But the growth of business and population can also be very good for homeowners, especially if it leads to rising property values. The new Italian government formed by appointed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was officially sworn in at the presidential palace on Saturday. If Meloni and her cabinet pass confidence vote at the parliament, she will serve as the country's first female prime minister ever. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Bloomington- Normal Galleries, museums Some cultural institutions are open or making plans to reopen under current COVID restrictions. Check with each facility for indoor, online or outdoor programming. Open facilities have face covering, distancing and other guidelines in effect; see websites or call for details. Angel Ambrose Fine Art Studio; 101 W. Monroe St. Suite 201, Bloomington; Open First Fridays 5-8 p.m. and by appointment; 309-825-4655; angelambrose.com. David Davis Mansion; 1000 Monroe Drive, Bloomington; open for tours, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; groups of 10 or less; $10 per person; $100 minimum; daviddavismansion.org; 309-828-1084. Eaton Studio Gallery; 411 N. Center St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays; 5-8 p.m. First Fridays, or by appointment or ring bell; eatonstudiogallery.com; 309-828-1575. Illinois Art Station; 101 E. Vernon Ave., Normal; Gallery open Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; illinoisartstation.org; 309-386-1019. Inside Out: Accessible Art Gallery & Cooperative; 200 W. Monroe St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; by appointment Sunday-Tuesday; and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. First Friday; insideoutartcoop.org; 309-838-2160. Jan Brandt Gallery; Normandy Village, 1100 Beach St., Building 8, Normal; by appointment; janbrandtgallery.com; 309-287-4700. Joann Goetzinger Studio and Gallery; 313 N. Main St. Suite A, Bloomington; open first Fridays 5-8 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m., also by appointment; masks and social distancing required; 309-826-1193. Main Gallery 404; 404 N. Main St., Bloomington; 12-5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays; By chance or appointment at 309-590-6779. McLean County Arts Center; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; open; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, 12-4 p.m. Saturday; masks and social distancing required; mcac.org; 309-829-0011. McLean County Museum of History; 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays, until further notice; reservations at education@mchistory.org or 309-827-0428; mchistory.org; 309-827-0428. Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; Illinois Wesleyan University; Bloomington; open; 12-4 p.m., Monday through Friday; 7-9 p.m., Tuesday evening; 1-4 p.m., Saturday through Sunday; iwu.edu/art/galleries; 309-556-3391. Prairie Aviation Museum; 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; opens April 2; hours 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; prairieaviationmuseum.org; 309-663-7632. University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal; open; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday; 309-438-5487; galleries.illinoisstate.edu/about/visit/. Central Illinois Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; advance reservation required; adults $15, seniors $12, under 5 free; presidentlincoln.illinois.gov; 217-558-8844. Art Center at Greater Livingston County Arts Council; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday; 209 W. Madison St., Pontiac; pcartcenter.com; 815-419-2472. Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water St., Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; peoriacac.org; 309-674-6822. Dickson Mounds Museum; 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 309-547-3721. Illinois State Museum; 502 S. Spring St., Springfield; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Monday-Friday, free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 217-782-7386. Lincoln Heritage Museum; Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1-4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sundays, Mondays and on Lincoln College breaks; $4-7; museum.lincolncollege.edu; 217-735-7399. Peoria Art Guild; 203 Harrison St., Peoria; open; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday or by appointment; peoriaartguild.org; 309-637-2787. Peoria Riverfront Museum; downtown riverfront Peoria; open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday and Friday; 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday; and closed Sunday; adults $11, seniors, students $10, ages 3-17 $9; peoriariverfrontmuseum.org; 309-686-7000. Simpkins Military History Museum; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 1-5 p.m.; Free admission (donations accepted); Private tours, call first; 309-319-3413; Open House, 1-5 p.m., March 19, marking 63 years of collecting military items. Time Gallery; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Saturday; Closed Sunday; Clock Tower Place Building, 201 Clock Tower Drive, East Peoria; 309-467-2331. U of I Krannert Art Museum; 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; open; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Thursdays until 8 p.m. when classes are in session; closed Sunday and Monday; kam.illinois.edu; 217-333-1861. Exhibits Andy Warhol: Endangered Species; Owens Gallery; through Dec. 11; Mars; Experience Gallery; through Spring 2023; American Revolutionaries: Art & Distribution; Gallery 1; through Spring 2023; Archibald Motleys Bronzeville at Night; Owens Gallery, through March 2023; Peoria Riverfront Museum. Stories of Survival; Object. Image. Memory.; through Jan. 22, 2023; Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. 2022 Honoring the Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans; through Nov. 12; Simpkins Military History Museum. Climate Change in Your Back Yard; first floor Hot Science Gallery; through April 22, 2023; Illinois State Museum. Midwest; group exhibit; through Nov. 4; Lincoln Arts Institute. When All Things Could Speak; Sarah Edmands Martin; Merwin Gallery; In the Foothills of the Endless Mountain, Vol. 2; Lisa Lofegren; Wakelegy Gallery; through Dec.11. BLOOMINGTON Police are investigating a report of gunfire Friday night in west Bloomington. Sgt. Josh Swartzentruber with the Bloomington Police Department said officers were called around 10:50 p.m. Friday to a shots fired report in the 900 block of West Washington Street. He said no one was injured, and there is no suspect information available for release. The police sergeant also confirmed no arrests have been made. He added anyone with additional information on this gunfire report is asked to call BPD dispatch at 309-820-8888. Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the time the shots were reported to police. How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region. 100 years ago Oct. 23, 1922: Roy Smith, ticket agent for the Illinois Traction System at Bloomington, is being held in the county jail on a charge of grand larceny. Smith admits taking over $2,700 from the company since last March, but said he did so to cover debts for his family and his wife's family. He decided to convert all of his small debts into one large debt that he could pay by time in the penitentiary. He knew he would be arrested eventually but did not care; he had looked after his family, and he is in ill health and may not live long. Read the story. 75 years ago Oct. 23, 1947: One infallible sign of approaching winter in Central Illinois can be read in most any town that has a school: Carnival time is here. Throughout the land, school classes, PTA groups and women's clubs are busy selling tickets, setting up booths around the school gym and hoping to rake in the proceeds. The biggest moneymaker from the standpoint of net profit is voting for the queen. For instance, at Saybrook High School, it costs a nickel to vote for your favorite candidate, and the winner will be crowned at the 10 p.m. climax of the event. Read the story. 50 years ago Oct. 23, 1972: An audience of mostly students politely welcomed Illinois Sen. Charles Percy, but heckled Nixon cabinet member Rogers C.B. Morton during an event at Illinois State University. Morton, secretary of the interior, said he had no inside information about the bugging of the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel, but condemned the action. He said he hoped investigations would "find the culprit," and added that he did not think President Nixon "had anything to do with it." Read the story. 25 years ago Oct. 23, 1997: Bloomington's Eastland Mall is planning a major building expansion that includes the addition of St. Louis-based Famous-Barr as a fifth anchor store. The store, which sells a variety of merchandise, including clothing, shoes, housewares, linens and furniture, is expected to be about 120,000 square feet. By comparison, Bergner's, one of Eastland's current anchors, is 100,000 square feet after a major remodeling. Read the story. Earlier this month, the McLean County Museum of History reported that it may have found a World War II "yosegaki hinomaru," or Japanese good luck flag, in its collection. These were popular war trophies among U.S. servicemen serving in the Pacific because they were easy to collect and small enough to fold discretely as they came home. These flags, with writing all around the central image of the red sun, contained personal messages from family and community members wishing the soldiers luck, safety, and bravery. Yosegaki hinomaru flags were more than a memento; they had spiritual meaning for Japanese soldiers and their families. The well-wishes inscribed on the fabric kept many of these soldiers going during brutal wartime conditions. Due to their spiritual meaning in Japan, there is now a global effort to reunite the flags with the families of the fallen Japanese soldiers. The Obon Society is an organization dedicated to this mission. Based in Astoria, Oregon, they collect such flags from veterans and their families and work to reunite the flags with their respective families and communities in Japan. Families who have been reunited with soldiers' yosegaki hinomaru flags report feeling a sense of closure and relief. For many Japanese families, the flags are the only remains of their relative that will ever return home. As you can imagine, it takes a great deal of research to reunite these flags with their families. Names and addresses change over the almost 80 years that have passed since the end of the war, and it can be challenging to locate relatives after so long. The Obon Society works diligently to find an appropriate location in Japan where the flag can rest, either with family of the fallen soldier or a community center. The staff at the McLean County Museum of History wanted to do our part in this peace-building project and return the flag in our collection to Japan. As we previously reported, the flag does not have any provenance, meaning we are unsure where it came from, (although we were fairly certain the flag was donated during or immediately following World War II). Since we know so little about it, including its connection to McLean County, the staff felt that the best place for the flag would be with family in Japan if at all possible. While there are no laws that require us to return items such as these to their home countries, the museum staff here believed that there was an ethical responsibility to return something that could potentially serve a larger humanitarian mission. Before calling on the Obon Society for assistance, staff wanted to make sure we did our homework. After some research, we started to question the flags authenticity. We noticed the size and the red on the center circle sun seemed different from other good luck flags wed seen. Additionally, the writing we could make out seemed impersonal. There was nothing that pointed to a family, date, or location. We thought that perhaps our flag could be a fake, but also acknowledged that none of us had the language skills or expertise to say for certain if it was authentic or a reproduction. The staff decided to email a photo of the flag to the Obon Society to get a better idea if sending them the flag would be worth their time. We are delighted to report that the Obon Society responded to the museum quickly! And our hunch was correct: This isnt necessarily an authentic yosegaki hinomaru, but it is authentic in its own way. According to the experts at the Obon Society, our flag was from World War II, however it was not taken from a fallen soldier. Rather, it likely originated in the Philippines. During the war, a cottage industry of sorts developed in the Philippines in order to create fake war prizes for American soldiers stationed there. These particular soldiers often did not see combat, but rather worked on other vital wartime tasks such as mail delivery, infrastructure projects, radio transmissions and mechanical work. American soldiers still wanted war prizes to bring home to show their bravery, but without access to the battlefield they had to get creative. The locals that had some Japanese language skills would design these counterfeit flags and sell them to American soldiers in exchange for commodities like cigarettes and kerosene. The forged flags were typically turned 90 degrees, so Japanese people would not be offended by the counterfeiting. By turning the flag, the artists were able to make it clear that these were reproductions and were strictly for business and not meant to duplicate the personal messages from families. To the untrained American eye, however, there would be no difference between the authentic and fake yosegaki hinomaru. This was true for us on staff, as we were unable to discern the direction of our flag until the Obon Society pointed it out to us. While our flag doesnt necessarily hold any value for anyone in Japan, it still tells us a great deal about life and values during and immediately following World War II. Our flag illustrates the deep desire to demonstrate proof of bravery and the ability of material objects to serve as evidence. Soldiers went out of their way to be able to show off these souvenirs, so much so that a cottage industry was born out of it. Although our flag is not from a Japanese soldier, and likely not even Japan, it is still authentic just not in the way we originally thought. Since there would be little interest in the flag in Japan, it will remain in the McLean County Museum of Historys custody. The museum continues to find ways to learn from those that served and sacrificed abroad and at home during World War II. If you would like to learn more, mark your calendars for the first weekend of November. On Nov. 5, the museum will be rededicating our World War II memorial in front of the building on the east side of Museum Square. The rededication will begin at 1 p.m. and will include a military flyover, music, reading of names, and a military honor guard and flag presentation. In addition, check out the museums display cases on the first floor during and after this event. They will feature objects, uniforms and stories of McLean County Soldiers who served during World War II. Its certainly not uncommon for a machinery technician to save the day during harvest season, but it is rare for one to literally save a farmers life. A John Deere technician had dropped by Evan Leakes farm near Lexington in August 2019 when the 30-year-old suddenly collapsed while experiencing a heart attack. Only days before, Evan had passed his medical checkup and had no reason to suspect anything was wrong as he started a routine oil change. Moments later he was in a life-or-death crisis. Today Evan and his wife Erika tell their story in hopes of helping others. This September, they spoke to farmers at a Farm Bureau meeting arranged by longtime friend and fellow farmer Jason Kieser. Kieser, the chairman of the McLean County Farm Bureau, had attended a statewide meeting for young leaders in January and was moved by the story of a young farmer who survived a farm accident. He was even more touched when the young farmers wife told how the experience affected the whole family. Kieser thought of his friends, Evan and Erika, and invited them to tell their story. He knew it would have more impact in the farming community than hearing statistics. Hes one of us, Kieser said. Kieser said hearing the whole story of his friends experience has motivated him to take action in regards to CPR training and getting an AED, an automated external defibrillator designed to analyze the heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock to victims. Evans experience was a health issue, rather than a farm accident, but it still has a valuable message people can learn from and take action on, Kieser said. That morning of Aug. 16, 2019, Erika had left their farm in Lexington, taking her baby and 2-year-old sons to daycare on her way to work at the State Farm Insurance office in Bloomington about 30 miles away. Their John Deere tech dropped by just to let Evan know he would be back after another call. He got light headed and fell against the visiting technicians truck. At first he thought Evan was joking, Erika said. Then Evan collapsed. The technician, humble about his role that day, prefers his name not be used. He started CPR immediately, Erika said. CPR is a critical part to his story, she said. A farmer Evan worked for at the time called 911 and dispatch got things in motion immediately. When the call came, a county deputy was nearby and reached the farm before the ambulance arrived, Kieser said. Evan had a mitral valve prolapse, a heart condition some people live with into their 80s and 90s, Erika said. He doesnt remember much of what happened at the time of the accident, so Erika tells that part of the story. She got the phone call at work, which was near OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington. So close in fact, she got to the hospital before the ambulance. At first I thought it was a farm accident, she said. She was warned initially that he could have brain damage and might have to go to extended rehab to relearn skills. The quick action of those on the scene and immediate specialized treatment at the hospital set him up for a quicker recovery than most people in this situation. Within a day, she learned he would recover fully. Hes literally a walking miracle, she said. He was quickly back to himself and regained his strength. My takeaway is the value of an AED. It opened my eyes, Kieser said. Kieser, who has employees on his farm, said the cost of a new defibrillator is less than $2,100 and a used one is about $900. In my opinion its a drop in the bucket, he said of the investment for a farm. The key would be to keep it nearby where the farm work happens, he said. Post-harvest he plans to talk with his parents at their farm in Shirley in central Illinois about getting CPR training as well, he said. Kieser said if those two things, CPR and the AED, werent available for Evan that day, his friend likely would not be here. It is worth the cost, Erika said. Its not a guarantee it will save a life, but it could, she said. SKOKIE - Hollywood actress Sharon Stone is again boosting the work of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie on social media. Stone, famous for playing glamorous, strong female leads in movies such as Basic Instinct, Total Recall, Catwoman and Casino, posted on her Twitter and Instagram accounts a photo of herself on the museums grounds with the caption Be a kind neighbor; Stand up. The tweet contains a link to the museums website page that accepts donations; that page also contains a photo of Stone. The museums Vice President of Marketing & Business Development Noah Cruickshank said the support is meaningful to the museum in a moment when anti-Semitic rhetoric is widespread. Its always nice to know that there are folks who are supporters of ours across the country and across the world, he said. Were always very grateful for support from people who have large bullhorns that can speak to the work that we do in our mission to remember the past and transform the future. Cruickshank added that Stone has a personal relationship to one of the museums board members, Holocaust survivor Sam Harris, and stays connected to the museum through Harris. Cruickshank also noted that much of the response to Stones social media came from people outside Illinois and invited those people to get to know the museum online. We are always welcoming folks to interact with us whether that is online or in person, he said. Stone stars in the movie, What About Love, set to be released next year. Stones tweet comes at a time of recent antisemitic remarks by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and former President Donald Trump, who supported Wests remarks. Republican gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia has also been criticized for his remarks about Jews. CHICAGO - In his thick country drawl, Darren Bailey stood at a lectern clutching a microphone, trying to convince a crowd in his rural home base of southern Illinois that he speaks their language. Im a farmer. This is an agricultural fair. How many farmers do I have out here with me today? Bailey asked in late August at the Du Quoin State Fair as several people raised their hands. All right. You guys get it agriculture is the backbone of this nation. Agriculture is the backbone of this state. And were getting pushed aside. Our futures are getting pushed aside and ignored. And we must stand up and say, No more. A few weeks earlier, the burly Republican candidate for governor was 329 miles north at a pro-law enforcement event in a forest preserve by OHare International Airport. He climbed behind the wheel of a hulking, black, heavily armored SWAT vehicle for a photo op as if it were a combine on his farm back in Xenia and took a flippant swipe at his campaign rival, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. You think Pritzker knows how to turn on and shut this thing off? Bailey joked. Shortly before that, he had cast a different tone when he led a few dozen at the event in a three-minute prayer that blamed Chicagos persistent violence on politicians who are preventing police from doing their jobs. I pray for forgiveness that we have allowed our government to diminish the authority of law and order, and instead to lift up the rights of people who break the law, Bailey told the crowd. And I pray that soon, and very soon, that that would cease and that would end, and the men and women who serve and protect would be lifted up. In his run for governor, Bailey has offered himself up as a herald for those he considers to be the overlooked in Illinois, those he believes have been ignored, forgotten and excluded from a Chicago-driven plan led by Pritzker for the state to thrive. Its a religion-rooted regional crusade that has made Bailey the most conservative major nominee for the highest elected office in Illinois, a state where all three branches of its government are controlled by Democrats. Once a little-known politician, Bailey has gained notoriety in part because of a series of controversies, including when hes denigrated Chicago by referring to it as a hellhole, urged people to move on and celebrate the Fourth of July even as a gunman who killed seven people in Highland Park remained at large, and compared the deaths from abortion to the millions of Jews killed during the Holocaust in World War II. Baileys emergence from being a farmer, school board member and state legislator to become the GOPs nominee for governor comes at a time when the Republican Party at the national level has embraced far-right ideologies that were championed by former President Donald Trump, who lost Illinois by 17 points in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Trump helped Baileys stock rise among voters by endorsing him three days before he won a six-man primary for the Republican nomination. Baileys ascendancy also was boosted by a combined $35 million in ad spending by the billionaire Democratic governors campaign and the Pritzker-financed Democratic Governors Association in the GOP primary. Their ads labeled Bailey as too extreme for Illinois and served as a backhanded way to help the Republican gain support from the GOP base. Theres a tendency on either party, a candidate kind of more on the extreme, they can get people real excited and get them to turn out in a primary, said former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, who ran as a moderate Republican. Somebody thats in the middle that might be thoughtful may not be as exciting, and that I think has a tendency not to do as well in a primary when you have a higher proportion of the extremes, in both parties, show up. In an interview with the Tribune this month at the Trump Tower in Chicago, Bailey expressed his belief that he can be a governor that can unify the state, despite generally not being a go-to person on issues in the state legislature. Ive served two years in the House, two years in the Senate. I see the divide. I see the problems. I recognize that my ideologies, you know, (are) not on the top of everyones list, he said. Bailey has decried woke school curricula that incorporate LGBTQ teachings and hes spoken out against critical race theory academic analyses of how racism has persisted in long-standing policies and institutions despite on the campaign trail not providing examples that it is being taught to youths in Illinois schools. Hes promised to push for the repeal of landmark criminal justice reforms he thinks weaken the powers of law enforcement. And, as a legislator, hes filed a bill that would repeal a requirement that Illinoisans obtain a Firearm Owners Identification card, which requires a criminal background check, to own a gun. Though he hasnt offered any proof of fraud, hes said election integrity is another big problem in the state following Trumps erroneous claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Since joining the General Assembly in 2019, Bailey has aligned himself with a group of Republican legislators known informally as the Eastern Bloc who mainly represent the southeastern parts of the state and are often regarded as the most conservative voices in the legislature. Hes also sponsored legislation in Springfield urging Congress to declare Chicago the nations 51st state and separate it from the rest of Illinois. Perhaps the most attention Baileys drawn as a lawmaker was defying Pritzkers COVID-19 pandemic mitigations in 2020. To improve social distancing in the early days of the pandemic, the House moved its legislative session from the Illinois State Capitol to the airy Bank of Springfield Center. Bailey, who sued Pritzker because of his emergency mitigation orders, was ready for a fight when a top House Democrat proposed a resolution requiring all lawmakers in the arena wear masks. I stand here before you today on behalf of the people of Illinois who feel captive, burdened, and unheard and I share their message. Friends, enough is enough, Bailey said. You want to send me or anyone else out these doors today, I understand. Go right ahead. But know this, that if you do that, youre silencing millions of voices of people who have had enough. The resolution from then-House Majority Leader Greg Harris of Chicago passed 97 to 12. And in a subsequent resolution from then-state Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, a Hillside Democrat who is now the House speaker, the Democrat-led chamber voted 81 to 27 to force Bailey to leave the House floor for refusing to wear a mask, though he showed up for session the next day wearing one. Bailey earlier this month wouldnt say if hes vaccinated against COVID-19. I dont think thats anyones business to know, he said. Thats my personal health. No, you dont need to know whats going on there. A true believer Bailey, 56, grew up in Clay County in a small town called Louisville pronounced LEWIS-ville. Labor unions were active in this region of Illinois decades ago, and Democrats were widely elected to office. But many local union jobs disappeared, particularly as coal mining and manufacturing declined. GOP state Rep. Blaine Wilhour, who is from far south central Illinois and has known Bailey for years, said the Democratic Party has gone too far to the left politically and lost legitimacy while Republicans have overtaken Democrats and better represent the working class. Theres no good-paying jobs in southern Illinois outside of government jobs, and unfortunately, theres not enough of those to go around, Wilhour said. Over the years, college graduates seeking white-collar jobs a demographic that tends to vote Democrat have moved to bigger cities from their rural homes downstate, said Ryan Burge, an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. The ones who go get a college degree then leave are going to be a little bit to the left of center. So where are they going to live? They live in the Metro East. Or they move to the collar counties, DuPage, Kane, places like that, said Burge, who once taught Baileys campaign manager, Jose Durbin, as an undergraduate student. Bailey never got a degree from a four-year university. He instead earned an associate in applied science degree in agricultural production and management from Lake Land College, a community college in Mattoon. A married father of four, hes a third-generation farmer whose family owns Bailey Family Farm LLC, which, according to the companys website, has acreage in six counties and also owns a freight company. Given the farming business and the land the Bailey family owns, Bailey likely has millions of dollars in assets, even as his tax returns show a modest income. Before Springfield, Bailey spent 17 years on the school board in Clay County, 12 of them as president. But he also founded a Christ-centered private school, the Full Armor Christian Academy for preschool through high school-age students. The school has campuses in Olney and Louisville, Illinois. Its staff is armed, and it uses curriculum from BJU Press, a publishing company founded by the Christian conservative Bob Jones University, the Effingham Daily News reported last year. BJU Press has offered textbooks contending the Bible is the unerring source for analysis of historical events and is the ultimate source if it conflicts with scientific conclusions. As a devout evangelical Christian, Bailey publicly intermingles his faith and politics. You need to have something on your mind except financial gain when you are representing the people. And maybe Darren being a true believer in God is a handicap, but thats him, said Baileys uncle, Don Bailey. He believes in God wholeheartedly, and sometimes that kicks him in the groin. Hes not going to change that. In one of his daily devotionals that he posts on Facebook, Darren Bailey read passages from Ephesians that included Gods guidance that slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Bailey said of the slave reference that we know today what that means is people, if youre working for someone, if you have someone above you in authority, you know, respect. But then he continued reading the passage that included, Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good that we do, whether we were slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Dont threaten them. Remember, you both have the same master in heaven and he has no favorites. He says what they want to hear Bailey arrived in Springfield after defeating longtime Republican state Rep. David Reis in the 2018 primary even though both men shared a background in farming, supported gun rights and opposed abortion. Bailey challenged and defeated Reis after Reis and about a dozen other Republicans joined Democrats in 2017 to pass a state budget that ended a nearly two-year impasse under former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner but included a permanent income tax hike. After Rauner vetoed the budget, Reis didnt join Democrats a second time as they overrode that veto, but the political damage was done and Bailey seized the opportunity. The new legislators style was noticeably different. I kind of came into the House when you were told to shut up and listen for the first three or four years and figure out how to do things, said Reis, who is now registered with the state as a lobbyist. Where Darren just came in and, you know, he was rah rah and people back home love that. He says what they want to hear, Reis added. And whether its reality or not, he says it. And whether or not its achievable or not, its what he says. Bailey was later elected to the state Senate, where hes served since January 2021, but in his entire time in the General Assembly his accomplishments of getting bills to become laws are few. Out of about 50 bills hes been the chief sponsor of just two have become law, including one that makes it easier for firefighters to get hired in small towns. Bailey blames the Democratic-controlled legislature for his inability to get laws passed and says hes proposed some really good bills such as tax credits for foster parents. But he also largely dismisses the job of being a lawmaker as unnecessary. If we would adhere to transparency and accountability and government holding entities responsible, we wouldnt have to continually come up with laws, he said. Still, that hasnt stopped him from sponsoring a series of bills that reflect his conservative views, including reinstating the death penalty and barring taxpayer-funded gender-reassignment surgeries. His bill calling for Chicago to become the 51st state was a reflection that the majority of residents in downstate Illinois disagree with city of Chicago residents on key issues such as gun ownership, abortion, immigration and other policy issues. On education, hes sponsored a bill that would have required the Illinois State Board of Education to issue school vouchers to parents of public school students if those schools werent providing instruction in a classroom. The legislation would have helped private schools such as Full Armor. Bailey has said he removed himself from Full Armor a few years ago but didnt deny that if the bill were to become law, private schools like Full Armor could potentially benefit from such a policy. Perhaps Baileys most controversial position is on abortion. He says he only condones the procedure if the mothers life is in danger. As a legislator, hes co-sponsored a measure to repeal the 2019 Reproductive Health Act that enshrines abortion rights in Illinois and another bill that would have forced medical facilities that perform abortions to offer those who are more than eight weeks pregnant the chance to see ultrasounds of the fetus. But on the campaign trail, Bailey routinely downplays the power hed have to affect abortion laws if hes elected governor. In the interview with the Tribune, Bailey said that its up to the General Assembly to change abortion laws, noting the state legislatures Democratic majority supports abortion rights. But Bailey has fewer concerns about what impact hed have as governor on repealing the sweeping criminal justice reforms known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today, of SAFE-T, Act. Bailey has repeatedly pounded away on the laws no-cash bail policy that is supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, saying it will result in more crime. Democrats who championed the law and its mission to improve police accountability and create a more equitable court system have accused the Republicans of spreading misinformation about its effects for political gain. Like the states abortion laws, the Democrat-led General Assembly would have to approve a repeal of the SAFE-T Act. The SAFE-T Act is destroying our way of life, Bailey said. As a governor, I intend on using the platform to talk to the people and let them know that things can be different. It doesnt have to be this way. While Baileys initiatives havent gone far in the General Assembly, Wilhour downplayed notions that Bailey cant work well with others. Darrens not some great articulator, or anything like that. Hes just genuine. And people feel that, Wilhour said. Its funny some of the caricatures that they do of Darren in Springfield, like he doesnt get along with anybody. But other Republicans, particularly those not as conservative as Bailey, have privately expressed lukewarm feelings about him being at the top of the ticket. During the GOPs day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin didnt even acknowledge Bailey by name. State Rep. Tim Butler, one of Durkins assistant GOP leaders who used to sit next to Bailey on the House floor, thinks the Bailey campaign has made missteps by not reaching out to other elected Republicans from around the state to help introduce him to their voters. I think there have been some missed opportunities in creating some relationships with folks that have been through these battles before, that have helped on statewide campaigns, that have run elections, that know what theyre doing, said Butler, of Springfield, who defeated a Bailey-endorsed primary challenger. Darren very much talks about himself being an outsider and things like that. But at the end of the day having people with experience is really helpful if you want to get the job done. Bailey said hes used to getting pushback from fellow Republicans in his four years in the legislature. If I was to get upset with something like that, you know, Id go back home and go back to the farm. And the reality is that we have got to be bigger than that, he said. I continue to do what Im doing, and at the end of the day, I want to make sure that my message gets out to the people and they know who I am, and theyre going to make their decision. Rock-solid conservative principles In early September, Bailey was in the Chicago area speaking at the Palestinian American Club in Bridgeview. His appearance at the club drew criticism from Jewish Democratic legislators after he was seen on video talking to the crowd in front of a map of Israel labeled as Palestine. The legislators saw this as part of a pattern of anti-Semitic rhetoric from Bailey who, in 2017, posted a video message on Facebook where he declared that the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust in World War II pales in comparison with lives lost to abortion. But to those in attendance at the Palestinian event, Bailey offered the group a vague promise that, if hes elected governor, theyd have a seat at the table to help decrease crime, lower taxes and create business opportunities. Lina Othman of Orland Park said she was impressed by Baileys demeanor but concerned about his connection to Trump, an ardent supporter of Israel. When she asked Bailey what he liked and disliked about the former president, Bailey said he agreed with his business policies and putting America first before going on a tangent about his dissatisfaction for Pritzkers budgets. That message about Pritzker resonated with Bob Kelsey of Berwyn. If something happens where the guy that calls himself our governor is still in office on Nov. 9, hes going to be the U-Haul salesman of the decade because everybodys getting a U-Haul. Everybodys leaving, Kelsey said, referring to Pritzker. Back at the Du Quoin fair on Republican Day, Larry Tadlock stood under a giant canopy with dozens of people and held a sign that read, LETS GO BRANDON, a rallying cry Trump supporters have adopted to disrespect President Joe Biden. Tadlock said he supported Bailey because he saw him as an everyman, especially compared to Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel empire. Hes from a country background. You can walk up to Darren Bailey and hes not like a regular Chicagoan. Hes like a regular country folk, regular citizen, Tadlock said. In his stump speech, Baileys rhetoric about the struggles of farmers resonated with Mary Kozuszek, a farmer from Scheller, a town about 25 miles from the fairgrounds. He stands for the common everyday person like Trump did. They dont have to be doing this. Either one of them didnt have to run for the office they did, she said. Bailey, hes conservative. He is a farmer. Farmers feed the country. We feed the people and feed the world. Her husband, David Kozuszek, thinks Bailey is a good Christian man with rock-solid conservative principles, that play well with people in southern Illinois. Kozuszek said many in the region used to support Democrats but thats when the party was for the working man. But todays modern Democratic Party, people feel like (theyre) being left behind, he said. We were all Democrats at one time. Chicago Tribunes Rick Pearson and Ray Long contributed. Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, the Minister for National Security, has commended officers of the various security agencies for sacrificing to maintain and ensure peace and tranquillity in the Country. He said the fact that Ghana was recognised as the most peaceful and secured country in the sub-region and considered the second most powerful and secured country in Africa, was an achievement all Ghanaians should be proud of. If our investment drive has been successful, that has fed into it. Investors come because they know that there is peace and tranquillity in our country. Let us, as Ghanaians never forget that the peace and tranquillity that we have is the result of sacrifices being made by our gallant troops. I want to take this opportunity to salute and thank them and to let them know how much we in government appreciate the work that they are doing for us, the National Security Minister said. Mr Kan Dapaah gave the commendation in Bolgatanga at a brief ceremony to hand over motorbikes and pick-up vehicles to four security agencies in the Upper East Region to boost their operations. The beneficiary agencies were the Ghana Immigration Service which received one pick-up vehicle and 10 motorbikes, the Ghana Armed Forces had a pick-up vehicle and 15 motorbikes. The Ghana Police Service had a pick-up vehicle and 20 motorbikes, while the National Investigations Bureau, got two pick-up vehicles and five motorbikes. Mr Kan Dapaah said even though it was not the primary responsibility of the Sector to provide vehicles to the security agencies, the Ministry took the initiative from its budget to support the agencies to function effectively. He noted that some of the agencies, especially the Ghana National Fire Service, and the Ghana Prison Service had not benefitted, and gave the assurance that they would soon receive their share of the vehicles. The National Security Minister said the security challenges in the Upper East Region were peculiar, and needed a lot of attention to handle, and commended members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) for the successful management of the security challenges in the Region. He said the conflict in Bawku required careful management, In recent times, the reports that I get from Bawku indicate that to a large extent, we are able to get the two sides to work together. That is necessary and can only be achieved through the commitment, loyalty, and determination of the security agencies, especially the REGSEC, Mr Kan Dapaah added. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful ( MP), has been adjudged the Digital Leader of the Year for the second consecutive time at the 12th Ghana Information Technology and Telecom Awards (GITTA) which was held last night 21st October 2022 at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra. This was in recognition of her excellent performance in championing Ghana's Digital Transformation Agenda for national development. The GITTA awards also celebrated other Change Makers and those providing Digital Leadership in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry with the aim of spurring business and enable corporate leaders to innovate and provide better and more efficient services and products. The Deputy Minister for MoCD, Ms. Ama Pomaa-Boateng (MP), who received the prestigious award on behalf of the Sector Minister, commended the organizers, INSTINCT WAVE, for a laudable and inspiring event to encourage individuals and institutions to continue to work hard for a resilient digital economy. She said the GITTA event was one of the most celebrated ICT awards in recent times and might be arguably referred to as the Oscars of the ICT and Telecom industry, noting that, the ICT and Telecom industry had also cemented its position as the most important enabler of development . Ms. Pomaa-Boateng said innovation remains the hallmark of entrepreneurship which provides huge opportunities for job creation and economic growth to build a robust digital economy. She added that having a digitally literate workforce was necessary to enhance the widespread adoption and use of digital products and services by all Ghanaians irrespective of geographical location and economic status. According to the Deputy Minister, it was against this background that governments across the world continue to adopt digital technologies to fast-track their development, provide better and more efficient services, while better responding to the needs of the people. She said the MoCD remains committed to the Presidents digitalization agenda and would continue to work around the clock to transform Ghanas economy. To achieve this, she mentioned that the Ministry has implemented several initiatives including the annual Girls-in-ICT programme that provides a platform for Ghanaian girls in High schools to acquire digital skills and stir up interest in them to pursue ICT courses at higher educational levels. "Over 9,000 girls have been trained so far since the inception of the initiative in 2012 in Ghana. We also have the cyber security version of the Girls in ICT which focuses on the Senior High Schools and has so far trained over 50,000 young women across the country", she stated. She indicated that, in order to equip the youth with digital skills to manage the transforming economy and meet the labour markets expectations of our growing digital economy, the Ministry facilitates ICT knowledge and skills acquisition by individuals and institutions. She revealed that MoCD has established a state-of-the-art mini tech hub, called the Ghana Digital Centres Limited (GDCL) to harness the digital potential of Ghana by driving Digital innovation and entrepreneurship to create digital and ancillary jobs for the youth through the hosting of Tech firms and Digital Start-ups. She noted that the Centre which commenced operations in 2017, has incubated 200 digital start-ups over the period, adding, that with funding from the World bank, the Ministry set up an Innovation Centre at the GDCL made up of an Innovation Hub (iHub) and a mobile Applications Lab (mLab). She mentioned the ministrys effort to provide training in Digital marketing, call centre skills, basic IT, Microsoft office suite, BPO skills to disadvantaged youth in the Greater Accra Region at the Centre and the success story was being replicated in other parts of the country primarily to create more job opportunities for the youth irrespective of geographical location. The CEO of Instinct wave, Mr Akin Naphtal in a short welcome address indicated that the GITTA awards is aimed at promoting and celebrating governments institutions, digital operators, Infrastructure Providers among others to share the progress of their successful innovations aimed at further enhancing the Ghanaian community as part of Governments vision of building a robust digital economy. GITTA was created as a strategic platform to recognize, reward and showcase the pioneering ICT initiatives driving the Ghanaian private and public sectors with a vision of setting a benchmark to the sub-regions wave of development in ICT, he added. According to him, GITTA will recognize organizations and individuals at the forefront of Digitization with innovative products and services that keep ICT sector exciting. The prestigious annual ICT gala awards night has inspired and promoted further development, growth, and innovation of the countrys ICT industry as a regional leader, he said. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Government intends to construct a health facility at Agbogbloshie according to the Executive Director of Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Henry Kokofu. However, renowned journalist and host of Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' has doubts following delay in completing La General Hospital. It may be recalled that La General Hospital was pulled down in March 2020, to pave way for the construction of an ultra-modern one. Two years on, no work has been done. Agbogbloshie hospital The EPA boss, Henry Kokofu contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's Kokrokoo programme indicated that all is set for the construction of Agbogbloshie hospital to begin. "Do you know government has already made plans to construct a hospital at Agbogbloshie? The permit and everything have already been taken care of" he pointed out. In reaction, however, Kwami Sefa Kayi said: "I doubt it will happen because it's been two years and La General Hospital has still not been completed". Listen to Kokofu's response in the video Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video JERUSALEM, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday rejected petitions that called to prevent the government from approving a landmark deal setting a maritime border with Lebanon. A three-judge panel at the court decided to throw out four petitions submitted by right-wing groups and activists. The petitions claimed that the government should not conclude the deal ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, and the government's move to "fast-tracking" the deal requires parliament approval, calling on the court to intervene. The court did not publish the reasons for the judgment immediately. The court's decision paves the way for the deal to receive final approval by the government in a vote expected to be held later this week. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz welcomed the ruling. "It will allow us to advance the important agreement on the maritime border with Lebanon in the coming days," he wrote on Twitter, adding that the deal is a "good and right agreement with positive security, political and economic implications for the entire region." Israel and Lebanon announced on Oct. 11 that they reached a U.S.-brokered agreement to demarcate a maritime border between them in a disputed zone in the Eastern Mediterranean, where natural gas fields are located. 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. " " A letter carrier pushes her mail cart through Brooklyn on a rainy day. You know what they say: "Neither snow nor rain ..." Keith Getter/Getty Images There he is again, just like yesterday and last week and seven years ago. "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night" keeps your loyal mailman from making his daily rounds in his powder-blue shirt, gray shorts and occasional awesome safari hat. But how exactly did your trusty mail carrier get assigned this specific route, and how long is he or she stuck with it? According to Sue Brennan at the United States Postal Service, your mail carrier's route is one of more than 74,000 rural postal routes and nearly 145,000 city routes across the nation. The longest single route in America is in Mangum, Oklahoma, where a well-traveled rural carrier drives 182.75 miles (294 kilometers) a day to serve 248 customers. The shortest route is in Athens, Georgia, where a city carrier walks 950 feet (289 meters) to make 281 deliveries. Advertisement "If you've had the same letter carrier for a long time, that probably means you're part of a desirable route." Brian Renfroe is a second-generation letter carrier from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, currently serving as executive vice president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, a labor union representing America's 200,000 city postal workers. Renfroe was happy to explain the process by which an individual postal route is designed and assigned. For starters, Renfroe says, rural carriers and city carriers have different systems for determining the size of a route. A rural carrier's route is much more consistent, and he or she is paid for the amount of time it takes to complete the route. For city carriers, the guiding principle of route design is for a carrier to complete the route in as close to eight hours as possible. As you can imagine, an eight-hour route looks a lot different depending on your location. In a dense urban center full of high-rise apartments, it might take a postal worker eight hours to service a couple of blocks. Out in the suburbs, another postal worker might walk and drive miles delivering to hundreds of single-family homes. The size and dimensions of each route are calculated using a combination of computer-based mapping software and old-fashioned, on-the-ground experience. "The Postal Service has a computer program that maps the exact location of every delivery point. Not just 'this house is here,' but where the mailbox is," says Renfroe. "And this program uses a number of algorithms to try to generate the most efficient way to travel the route based on the time value that's assigned to each street." The computer's timing of the route is just a starting point. Then it's the postal manager's job to "account for reality," says Renfroe, which includes all the variables that can impact the time it takes to complete a route. There are seasonal fluctuations in mail volume. There's inclement weather. There's road construction and new home construction and the very human differences between one carrier and the next. "Some letter carriers are tall, some are short, some are young, some are older, some are faster, some are slower," says Renfroe. "There are all sorts of variables that play into it." There's no set time to deliver mail at a particular house. The postal carrier has to spend a few hours sorting the mail into trays before heading out on his or her route. The trays correspond to the order of the route. If the houses ahead of you on the route happen to be heavier on mail than usual on one day, the letters may get in your box later than on another day, even if the weather is good and there's no road construction or other delays. Keeping the routes as close to eight hours as possible requires regular adjustments. Postal managers will conduct six-day route inspections to accurately time each part of the letter carrier's day, from the daily morning sorting to the on-the-street delivery to hanging up the bag at night. If a carrier's day is stretching closer to eight-and-a-half hours, the postal manager will slice off a portion of his or her route and divvy it up among nearby carriers with lighter loads. That explains why you might see a new face on your route every couple of years. Otherwise, the assigning of routes at any given post office is done by seniority. When a route is vacated the carrier quits or retires or a new one is created, all the carriers in the office get to bid on the route. The carrier with the most seniority wins. If you've had the same letter carrier for a long time, that probably means you're part of a desirable route. Or those cookies you give him on National Postal Worker Day (July 1) are paying off. In addition to the long-term route adjustments that are made every few months or years, the Postal Service also makes short-term route fixes. When letter carriers show up to work every morning, they look at the day's mail volume and make an estimate of how long it will take to complete their assigned route. Maybe it's a snow day, or a day after a holiday when mail volume is doubled. If they know it's going to take more than eight hours, they can either volunteer for overtime overtime signups are every three months or the supervisor can assign a portion of the route to other carriers for the day. "It's actually much more complicated than that, but that's a simplified way of explaining how it works," says Renfroe, noting that individual post offices in big cities like New York, Los Angeles or Boston might have 200 to 300 letter carriers to manage. Now That's Cool The U.S. Postal Service was established by the Constitution and the first Postmaster General was named by George Washington in 1789. The new country was served by 75 post offices delivering to 4 million people. NOW that borders have opened, tourism exchange between the Philippines and Switzerland is seen on the rise. Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines Alain Gaschen, in his visit to Cebu on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, said the Philippines should expect more tourism investments now that European countries, including Switzerland, are fully back in business traveling and looking for countries to experience and invest in. Swiss are traveling back to the Philippines, said Gaschen, in an interview during a luncheon meeting sponsored by the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. But he noted that the main problem faced by travelers now is the high price of international flights, especially if Switzerland doesnt have any direct access to these tourism destinations such as the Philippines. Swiss goes more to Thailand because we have direct flights. We have a Swiss airline that is flying directly to Bangkok, for example, but if we want to go to other islands, we have to find access again and that is burdensome but still people come, said Gaschen. Swiss arrivals to Cebu in the first eight months of the year stood at 1,050 from 194 in the same period in 2021. Expensive tickets The International Air Transport Association (Iata) warned that air tickets may become more expensive due to the lack of refining capacity and the financial state of airlines. The decline in refining capacity during the pandemic and higher jet fuel prices caused by the increase in demand for fuel are of concern to the airline industry, according to Iatas director general William Walsh in an international news. US refining capacity dropped by 5.4 percent in 2022 since it peaked in 2019 the lowest in eight years. The dip came in the wake of refinery closures and conversions to produce more renewable fuels. The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia that is causing a global oil supply chain disruption is also causing air tickets to become expensive. But despite these challenges, the Swiss are back to traveling. Gaschen said when the Swiss visit the Philippine, they go for diving and surfing. In fact, they are concerned with the impact of typhoon Odette to Cebus natural resources, including the reefs. But Swiss are coming back and when they hear about these international chains like Sheraton, theyll come, he said, referring to the expected robust investments in the hospitality sector. The envoy added the opening of more airport facilities is an advantage to the Philippines, as foreign tourists now have more options when they visit the Philippines. The Swiss ambassador is also expecting the return of Filipinos traveling to Europe. We are also opening tourism antenna to promote Switzerland as a tourist destination, he said. We expect that there will be increase in tourism on this side also because as more people travel they also bring in return investments and trade. This photograph released by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) shows India's heaviest rocket prepared ahead of the launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. India launched 36 private internet satellites on early Sunday, stepping in to keep the orbital constellation growing after a monthslong interruption related to the war in Ukraine. Credit: Indian Space Research Organization via AP India launched a rocket carrying 36 private internet satellites on early Sunday, stepping in to keep the orbital constellation growing after a monthslong interruption related to the war in Ukraine. The liftoff from southern India was the first launch for London-based OneWeb since breaking with the Russian Space Agency in March because of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "We have accomplished the orbit very accurately, now the rocket is in its intended orbit," said S. Somanath, the chairperson of India's space agency. He said 16 satellites were put into orbit and expressed optimism that "the remaining 20 satellites will get separated as safely as the first of the 16." OneWeb now has 462 satellites flyingmore than 70% of what the company said it needs to provide broadband services around the world. Despite this year's disruption, OneWeb said it remains on track to activate global coverage next year with a planned constellation of 648 satellites. It's already providing service in the northernmost latitudes. Each OneWeb satellite weighs about 330 pounds (150 kilograms). It was the 14th launch of OneWeb satellites and relied on India's heaviest rocket, normally reserved for government spacecraft. All of the previous OneWeb flights were on Russian rockets; the first was in 2019. This photograph released by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) shows India's heaviest rocket prepared ahead of the launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. India launched 36 private internet satellites on early Sunday, stepping in to keep the orbital constellation growing after a monthslong interruption related to the war in Ukraine. Credit: Indian Space Research Organization via AP The launch is important for India and reflects the gradual opening of its space agency to private customers, said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a director specializing in space and security at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. Rajagopalan said India is an expert at launching smaller satellites and has been trying to corner this market, pitching itself as a satellite launch facility. With the war in Ukraine still raging, it could open an opportunity for India as many countries shun Russian launch services. "It could spur that trend in a big way," she said. 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. In this file photo from March 6, 2019, a woman checks Albert Einstein manuscripts at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The Israeli government decided on Sunday to allocate millions of dollars for a museum to house the world's largest collection of Albert Einstein documents, the Hebrew University said. It will be built on the university's Givat Ram campus in Jerusalem, with the government committing to approximately $6 million and the university raising another $12 million. Einstein, one of the founding fathers of the Hebrew University, was a non-resident governor of the institution. Lauded as one of the greatest theoretical physicists of all time, Einstein died in 1955 aged 76. He bequeathed his archives to the university, and curator Roni Grosz said its 85,000 items make it the world's most extensive collection of Einstein documents. The museum will house the entire Einstein archive, and serve as an "innovative space for scientific and technological education", the university said. "With cutting-edge exhibition techniques, scientific demonstrations, and original documents, the Museum will present Einstein's contributions to science, the impact of his discoveries on our lives today, his public activity and involvement in key historical moments during his lifetime," a statement said. Einstein's theories of relativity revolutionized the field by introducing new ways of looking at the movement of objects in space and time. A file photo of Albert Einstein documents on display at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He also made major contributions to quantum mechanics theory, and won the Nobel physics prize for 1921. Einstein also became a pop culture icon because of his dry witticisms and trademark unruly hair, mustache and bushy eyebrows. Original papers written by Einstein sell for millions at auction to this day. 2022 AFP A partial solar eclipse in Iraq in 2019. Tuesday's eclipse is not expected to darken the sky. A partial solar eclipse will be visible across a swathe of the Northern Hemisphere on Tuesday, with amateur astronomers warned to take care watching the rare phenomenon. The eclipse will start at 0858 GMT in Iceland and end off the coast of India at 1302 GMT, crossing Europe, North Africa and the Middle East on its way, according to the IMCCE institute of France's Paris Observatory. Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow down onto our planet. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon completely blocks the Sun's disk, momentarily plunging a portion of the Earth into complete darkness. However Tuesday's eclipse is only partial, and the "Moon's shadow will not touch the surface of the Earth at any point," the Paris Observatory said in a statement. The Moon will cover a maximum of 82 percent of the Sun over Kazakhstan, but it will not be enough darken the daylight, Paris Observatory astronomer Florent Deleflie said. "To start getting the sense of darkness in the sky, to perceive a kind of cold light, the Sun needs to be at least 95 percent obscured," Deleflie told AFP. Those hoping to watch the eclipse should not look at the Sun directly, even through clouds, to avoid eye damage, according to experts. Protective eyewear should be worn instead. "We will see that a small piece of the Sun is missing. It won't be spectacular, but it's always an event for amateur astronomersand it can make for beautiful photos," Deleflie said. It will be the 16th partial solar eclipse of the century, and the second of this year. The next total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, according to NASA. 2022 AFP MOREAU Ray Apy, CEO of Saratoga Biochar Solutions, says the Article 78 petition filed by the Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls against the Moreau Planning Board and his company is just a delay and the carbon-fertilizer factory proposed will be built. We will build the facility in Moreau. Its going to be built, Apy told The Post-Star on Wednesday. Apy was referring to the lawsuit filed by the Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls, or CAAN, in state Supreme Court of Saratoga County asking a judge to review the State Environmental Quality Review, or SEQR, conducted by the Moreau Planning Board. On March 7, the Planning Board issued a conditional negative declaration that indicated the proposed carbon-fertilizer factory would not negatively impact the environment. The petition filed on Sept. 26 states that the negative declaration failed to identify the pertinent areas of environmental concern, take a hard look at them and advance a reasoned elaboration of the grounds for its determination. Apy and Biochars President Bryca Meeker, a resident of Kansas City, continue to defend their plans and claim their product and process is environmentally friendly. Municipalities are not the best place to try new technology. These people wanted to keep a dirt track to ride their bikes on. They didnt want an industrial park in their backyards, Meeker said. Apy further explained that New York was chosen due to the state having the largest biosolids problem in the country and paying the highest for sewage removal and disposal. The disconnect here is that CAAN does not believe in the scientific or engineering references we have provided. They dont think its possible, and they dont believe its true. They say they want more proof, but it has to start somewhere and thats why we would only start with one operating line, he said. The petition states concerns over the factory being the first of its kind in New York that would take in biosolids, or what the opposition calls sewage sludge, and process the waste with a technique called pyrolysis. This process employs extreme temperatures to extract and destroy PFAS, VOCs, pathogens, microplastics, and numerous other trace contaminants. The court documents also state that the Planning Board voted in favor of retaining an expert to review the SEQR, but did not follow through, and the board proceeded with the application without any education on these issues, outside of the applicants one-sided reports and communications with the Planning Board. Member of CAAN and Moreau resident Mary Clear is named in the petition due to the proximity of the proposed factory to her home of 40 years. The biochar facility would be only 700 feet from her property line and 1,600 feet from her home on Sisson Road. CAAN member Rojana Padron is also named as a Sisson Road resident in Moreau. Her home would be approximately 965 feet away from the proposed Saratoga Biochar facility. In fact, she recalls that her residence appeared on Saratoga Biochars plans filed with the Planning Board. Her family moved to Moreau in large part due to their desire to live among the trees and wildlife that exist in what is now their approximately 13 acres of land. She enjoys the peace and serenity of clean, fresh air living, the petition states. The documents go on to list Padrons concern with the facility being the first in the state and the impact on odors, traffic, noise, air emissions, as well as fears of fires or explosions at the plant. CAAN also claims the Planning Board did not set proper conditions for the facility plans to be approved, listing the following conditions as inadequate: Impacts on air mitigated by state Department of Environmental Conservation issuance of air emissions permit and periodic third-party monitoring. Impact on noise, odor and light mitigated by building enclosure, scrubbing, and being under negative air pressure and bio filters. Human health hazardous waste not received nor processed at site in accord with solid waste permit. The organization is seeking to have the Planning Boards determinations overturned and prevent Biochar from building the facility until the plans are properly considered by the Planning Board. Moreau Planning Board members did not respond to requests for comment. PHILADELPHIA A man who admitted to setting a police vehicle on fire during protests in Philadelphia over the police killing of George Floyd has pleaded guilty to federal charges. Carlos Matchett, 32, of Atlantic City, pleaded guilty Friday to felony counts of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and traveling to incite a riot, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. In exchange for the pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop arson charges that would have carried a seven-year mandatory minimum prison term. Matchett, who is to be sentenced in February, is the fourth defendant to acknowledge having set police cars ablaze during a mass demonstration outside Philadelphias City Hall in May 2020. He was also charged in an Atlantic City protest the next day that began peacefully but ended up with theft and vandalism at outlet stores. According to a criminal complaint, police in New Jersey arrested Carlos Matchett at the scene with a folding knife, a hatchet and a jar containing what appeared to be gasoline. Authorities alleged that he had a social media page containing a post stating LETS START a RIOT and video showing him urging people to enter a store. Matchett admitted in court that he set fire to an overturned police car in Philadelphia, saying he sprayed the car with lighter fluid before throwing the whole bottle into the burning car. He also acknowledged having livestreamed his efforts to encourage looting in Atlantic City. Three other people remain accused of setting police cars ablaze in Philadelphia during the demonstration; one awaits sentencing and two face trial. ATLANTIC CITY I went to work, and should have stayed home, said Dorris Aultman, 76, of Atlantic City, speaking of the day in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy hit. Aultman, 66 at the time and still working at the casinos, was living alone in a one-story, ranch-style home on New York Avenue. I got back here. It didnt come into the house (yet), Aultman recalled. I threw some stuff into a big plastic bag, a credit card and a few clothes and walked into that water, which was very dangerous. She was able to get off her front porch easily, navigating the two small steps from her front door to the ground. The challenge began after that, when she stepped into the fast-moving floodwaters. The current was so powerful, I could hardly balance myself, Aultman said. The entire section of the city was underwater, everywhere north of Arctic Avenue on New York Avenue, with a record tide of more than 8 feet above an average low tide. Sandy was an historic event, but in Atlantic City and the neighboring counties on the Shore the threat of high water from storms is growing. And seniors such as Aultman are increasingly at risk. Sea level rise affects almost every facet of life here, from the economy to culture and the physical landscape. To better understand how the sea will reshape our communities, The Press of Atlantic City and Climate Central teamed up to examine these challenges. In South Jersey, senior citizens live in areas subject to flooding at above-average numbers, including the most frail elders, 85 years or older, who can be difficult to evacuate and can face health setbacks when they do. A problem now, a bigger one in the future Roughly 11,000 people in Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties 85 years or older would experience some flooding if a storm the magnitude of another Sandy were to strike, according to a Climate Central analysis. Of those, an estimated 1,853 people at or above 85 years old currently live in areas that would be have at least 3.5 inches of water on the ground, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. That includes much of Brigantine, Atlantic City, Ventnor City, Margate City, Ocean City and Long Beach Township. And with rising seas and more intense hurricanes trends largely driven by climate change that flooding scenario is becoming ever more likely. As Aultman fought through the surging waters a decade ago, instinct took hold, she said. She followed a fence, heading to the Old Soldiers Memorial Building. However, water got into that building. So, the National Guard arrived and evacuated her and others to Pleasantville High School, where she stayed for four days. That four-block walk from her home to safety is a journey she will never forget. It was a situation I dont want to have another time, Aultman said. Unfortunately, scientists predict that storm-driven coastal flooding will recur, and become more frequent, in these New Jersey counties heavily populated by vulnerable seniors. A 2019 report by the Rutgers Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel called it virtually certain that future sea level rise will cause greater overall storm flood events. Climate change is contributing to more powerful hurricanes and higher sea levels. On the Jersey shore, it rose 17.6 inches from 1911 to 2019, according to the Rutgers report. Of that, roughly 45% was man-made and 55% naturally occurring, but the man-made component is accelerating. If human carbon emissions continue on a business-as-usual path, flooding now considered disastrous will become routine, said Reza Marsooli, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. With water levels higher, even less severe storms will cause more flooding on the shore. Marsooli projects that a New Jersey coastal flood with a 1% chance of occurring today will gradually increase to a 100% chance of occurring every year by the end of the century. The biggest reason, his research team found, is because of the rising seas. For the New Jersey area, climate changes impacts on sea level rise will have the greatest impact on how hurricanes impact the region in the future, Marsooli said. So it means that for our region, sea level rise is really a bigger problem in the future, Marsooli said. In Atlantic City, Bill LaBarre, 79, a lifelong resident who lives with his wife on North Newtown Place, said the first floor of their house is nine steps above street level. During Sandy, the first floor was fine. However, he had 3 feet of water in the basement, losing the freezer, washer and dryer. They were lucky. Their son, Chuck LaBarre, who is Margates current Emergency Management Coordinator on Absecon Island, was able to help them collect their belongings and evacuate to the sons Downbeach house for 10 days. However, the comfort and assistance of family is not always available. Its not that theyre not intelligent enough to leave, Mike Cahill, chief of the Ventnor City Fire Department, said of the elderly. Half the time they dont have a place to go because they dont have anybody left. The analysis by Climate Central identified 10 census tracts, relatively permanent small subdivisions of a county, of the South Jersey shore with the highest concentration of residents 85 years or older, where elders aging in place would more than likely require evacuation by emergency services or third parties during a significant flood event. Ocean City between 18th and 32nd streets had the highest number, with 17.7% of the population 85 or older. Ventnor City between Suffolk and Jackson avenues is the third highest, with an estimated 11.6%. During Sandy, the Ventnor City Fire Department made multiple rescues, including seniors, in town. Wed get calls that my aunt is somewhere. ... When are you getting them? Cahill recalled. I said, When are you coming? But at a certain point, it became even too dangerous for the fire department, he said. Move somebody, lose somebody Even seniors who might otherwise be safe at home in a flood face dangers if theyre relying on medical devices that need electricity, so they must be rescued, according to researchers at the University of Iowa. That research also found that 12% of those over 80 lacked mobility to evacuate on their own and 13% would be unable to hear sirens or commands from emergency personnel. Michael Greenberg, an expert in environmental health and risk analysis at Rutgers University, studied the impact of Sandy on seniors. Tragically, he said, nine seniors died just from falling down stairs because they didnt have a working flashlight when the power went out. People become more frail, and that manifests itself typically after the age of 75, Greenberg said. So the kinds of things you could do during a hurricane are hard to do even when you have time to prep. And that has to do with the fact that your muscles are not as strong, your heart is not as strong, all sorts of things that come with age that seem to suddenly sneak up on us and we just cant do what we thought we could do. The Ventnor Fire Department rescued seniors and put them in military vehicles for transport to an auditorium, Cahill said. In one instance, an elderly woman living in a home elevated 4 feet above curb level had 6 inches of water in her home when rescuers arrived, Cahill said. Because pressure from the waters outside had wedged the door shut, rescuers had to instruct the woman to go upstairs so they could blow the door open. We do the best we can because theyre taxpayers and members of the community, Cahill said. But even a successful rescue can be stressful. Dr. David Dosa, a gerontologist and associate professor of medicine at Brown University who conducted studies on Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana during 2005 and Hurricane Ida in Florida during 2021, found the evacuation of nursing homes led to far more deaths in the months after the storms than the number of people who had died while the disaster was ongoing. The common refrain was, Every time we move somebody, we lose somebody, Dosa said. For every solution, a cost Once Sandy passed, the next challenge for many at the shore, including the elderly, was what to do with the new reality that their homes werent high enough to combat the storm surge a problem that will only worsen in the decades to come. Sandy damaged or destroyed 364,000 housing units, and 22,000 of those were rendered uninhabitable, according to information released at the time by Governor Chris Christies office. The increased threat has prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency to require some homes to be elevated far above ground level. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is proposing that homes in tidal areas be set 5 feet above the FEMA level for a 100-year storm under a new Inundation Risk Zone to prevent against extreme flooding. For seniors, that means more steps to climb and more money to protect their homes. Seniors adding a flight or more of stairs to the front door can become isolated at home, as the climb becomes a barrier to casual trips, said Anamaria Bukvic, a researcher at Virginia Tech, who studied the problem in Cape May County. Aultman had her Atlantic City home, which is in a flood zone, raised. FEMA approved up to $140,000 to raise her home. Four steps take her up to a landing, where she can rest if need be. Another three steps take her up to her porch. She says she believes shes safe there but cant be too sure. Fury Feraco, 90, has his house atop a 10-foot high dune on Bay Drive in Lower Township, right along the Delaware Bay. However, getting to the beach from his house is not so simple due to ongoing erosion. Now, the bottom of his steps hover 3 feet above the beach. When the tide rises on a calm sunny day, the waters rise nearly as high as they once did during an average storm. A storm with the intensity of Sandy would cause considerable damage, he said. While hes asked the state and township about beach replenishment, he was advised instead to invest in a bulkhead. Unfortunately, 200 feet of bulkhead is above my paygrade, said Feraco, who bought property 57 years ago, when it was on a dirt path. Insurance wont cover the cost. So, to step onto the beach on his beachfront property, he cut a path through a bamboo forest to his neighbors house. The neighbors allow him to use their stairs to get onto the beach. Preparation is critical Despite the challenges for town officials, many refer back to the states Register Ready program as an effort to identify seniors who will need special assistance. Billed as the first step in emergency preparedness for individuals who may need assistance in a disaster, its a voluntary, confidential registry that can be accessed at registerready.nj.gov. The Register Ready program was started in Atlantic County, said Vince Jones, the countys director of emergency management. We have that address so if there was an emergency call, we know we need four to five firefighters to take (that person) out, Jones said. Jones said the office of emergency management contacts people on the list beforehand and asks, Do you need a place to go, or do you need us to help them get out of here? During the blizzard of 2022, on Jan. 29, town emergency managers asked for the list to check on seniors living year-round in their communities. The biggest thing for seniors is, if they cant register themselves, to reach the police department, said Robert Burnaford, chief of police for Harvey Cedars. Always have medication information updates and points of contact listed. Let them know if theyre on oxygen. Burnaford was lauded as a hero for rescues during Sandy, as an off-duty police officer, along with then-mayor Johnathan Oldman. They rescued three families just as the eye of the storm passed through the area, when the ocean breached the dunes. Harvey Cedars lies in a census tract, which it shares with Long Beach Township north of Ship Bottom and Barnegat Light, with an estimated 6.5% of its residents are 85 years or older, according to the 2020 data. A part of the Register Ready asks if they are wheelchair bound or have physical limitations, to let them know. A lot of them have elevators, Burnaford said. As sea levels continue to rise, and as storms intensify, seniors emergency plans will be used more and more often. It is a risk of living near the shore. But for some seniors, it is a risk they are willing to take. Greenberg said that after Sandy, he found many seniors whose homes were damaged declared they would stay and rebuild. He recalled them saying, Im an old person. I love the place. I want to live here. Im gonna die here. Ill will whatever the propertys worth to my children and they can do whatever they want with it. Alanna Elder, of ClimateCentral, contributed data to this story. KAMPALA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's Ministry of |Health on Sunday urged the public to remain vigilant as the Ebola cases in the capital city Kampala continue to rise. Minister of Health Ruth Aceng said in a tweet that two more contacts of the people under quarantine at the country's Mulago National Referral Hospital on Saturday tested positive, bringing the cumulative number to five. On Friday, three people of those under quarantine tested positive. Aceng said all the cases in Kampala were contacts to a confirmed case that had earlier passed on at the hospital. Over 50 people are still under quarantine at the referral hospital, according to the ministry. The rare Sudan strain of Ebola broke out in Uganda on Sept. 20 in the central district of Mubende. Mubende and neighboring Kassanda districts are under total lockdown as the government strives to contain the spread of the disease. The Ministry of Health figures on Thursday showed that the country has so far register 65 positive cases and 27 deaths. Days before National Coming Out Day this month, Jaiden Briggs-Spies' English and language arts teacher at John Deere Middle School in Moline shared an article about how to make people feel safe when coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Briggs-Spies, who came out as transgender a little over a year ago, said discussing LGBTQ+ topics in class was fairly common. But English class isnt the only place where the eighth-grader feels supported from Google forms asking preferred names and pronouns to birthday parties featuring Pride flags, and many John Deere educators promote acceptance. I haven't really told any teachers specifically that I'm trans, but one of my teachers they came up to me and asked if I was trans, and I was like, 'Yeah,' and now they're using my pronouns, and on the first day I did correct all my teachers on my name, Briggs-Spies said. All my teachers are pretty accepting. Other students, some parents and political candidates, however, can be another story. School districts have become battlegrounds between educators, parents and political candidates with LGBTQ+ topics often in the spotlight. While all public schools are federally required to implement policies that battle discrimination, conflicting opinions on gender identity have sometimes muddied the policy waters. All schools, local and state educational agencies and other entities receiving federal funding must abide by Title IX, a statute enforced by the U.S. Department of Education. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bars discrimination on the basis of sex and gender in federally funded educational spaces. In 2016, the Obama administration clarified Title IX to include transgender students, ensuring they have equal access to opportunities and gendered spaces or activities consistent with their identity. The Trump administration rescinded these protections in 2017, but the Education Department issued a Notice of Interpretation reenforcing Obama-era protections following an executive order by President Biden in March 2021. A look at the numbers A 2022 study using data from the Behavioral and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Systems, the Williams Institute highlighted the following key data points: About one in five people who identify as transgender are ages 13-17 The percentage and number of U.S. adults who identify as transgender have remained steady over time An estimated 300,000 youth and 1.3 million identify as transgender In Iowa, the study estimates that 3,500 individuals ages 13-24 identify as transgender; that number jumps to 36,000 for those in the same age range in Illinois. All federally assisted PK-12 districts must employ at least one person who maintains Title IX compliance, often called Title IX coordinators. Concerns and clarifications Some Bettendorf parents shared concerns about gender-related topics at the Sept. 29 school board meeting, and many centered on preferred pronoun and bathroom-use policies. I understand and respect that at the school, you need to respect all children and keep all children safe, parent Melissa Zumdome said at the meeting. Who has done their research on how safe the process of transgendering a child is? Have you done your research over the years to prove that its safe for these children to behave in this manner? Zumdome called on the board to research the impact of the transition process on transgender individuals by age. What kind of treatment do they go on? Whats the process? Do they end up living a healthy, long life or does it end in suicide? Does it end up destroying them genetically and biologically? she asked. Though research largely suggests that gender-affirming hormone therapy is safe, as backed by medical powerhouses like the Mayo Clinic and Stanford School of Medicine, there have been some high-profile instances where those who transitioned later regretted the decision. Many attribute a lower life-expectancy rate in the transgender population to historical stigmatization. When Briggs-Spies came out to her mother, Lindsey Svetlick, the two decided that she should go to counseling to help build her self-confidence and give her the tools she needs to respond to a world that wont always understand or accept her. Part of building Briggs-Spies confidence was helping her to express her gender identity through her appearance. Medicine and procedures do not represent the entirety of transitioning, Svetlick said. Finding preferred clothes, makeup and other accessories is a process all people go through when theyre young, not just the gender-nonconforming, Svetlick said, adding that prohibiting children from taking that first step into their true selves can be detrimental. I think if we're allowing them to experiment with just the outside stuff first, and we allow that, then they're the ones that get to answer the question on medications and surgeries, Svetlick said. But if we're not going to allow them to do that, then their psyche is being completely affected by the other person, and not by their own selves. In response to the recent backlash at Bettendorf, Superintendent Michelle Morse said she and all district staffs No. 1 goal is to create an environment that is welcoming, inclusive and safe for all students. Whether theyre a second-language learner, new to Iowa or if they choose to go by a pronoun different from the sex they were born ... I always welcome conversations if someone has questions or concerns about a policy," Morse said. Some of the policies being questioned, she added, have been in place since the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965. Did you know? The passage of the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965 prohibited discrimination in areas of employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education. This codified that discrimination on the basis of the following traits is illegal: Race and color Creed and religion National origin Sex and sexual orientation Gender identity Pregnancy Physical and mental disability Age Familial and marital status One parent, Laura Engels, said the district's 2022-2023 handbook didn't address specific gender-related protocols. As a taxpayer, Id hope that youd reach out to us, regarding any sort of transgender policy that youre going to adopt as a board, Engels said at the Sept. 29 board meeting. As Bettendorf schools are financed by both state and federal dollars, the district and its board have no say in the adoption of Title IX. As Ive shared with many individually, these laws arent governed by school districts. We dont create those; were required to adhere, Morse said. If students arent feeling welcomed or safe in their school environment, we want them to reach out to an adult a counselor, teacher or principal and share those concerns, and well work with that family to create a plan to address it. Engels acknowledged the federal role in school policy, but she had other concerns. How will the district also affirm a childs sincerely held belief against gender-identity choices, and when will that protocol be communicated to your constituents? she asked, inquiring also about field trips and bathroom protocols for transgender-identifying students. How will you be keeping all of our students safe as we navigate these waters? District protocol for transgender students are individualized, Morse said. Typically, a school counselor and administrator would sit with that student and their parents and create a plan that helps that student feel safe in their environment, she said. But there is no one-size-fits-all. We very much work with families and adhere to the law. Options for these plans include access to a gender-neutral bathroom or locker room, and Morse said they extend these individualized plans to cisgender (those whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex) students who arent comfortable sharing spaces with transgender peers. Protocols are similar in Bettendorfs neighboring school district, Pleasant Valley. The No. 1 thing is to listen to understand questions or concerns, then make sure to explain what the laws we follow entail, Superintendent Brian Strusz said. No matter the situation, it's always listening to understand, provide support as needed and respond in the most respectful way to anyone involved. Strusz said it's important that public schools strictly adhere to Title IX and similar laws. People may not agree with parts, he said. But as a public institution, well handle that in the most respectful way and be sure were not discriminating against any identity. Briggs-Spies has had more problems with students using slurs against the LGBTQ+ community than with teachers not being supportive, she said. A friend of hers who came out as transgender a few years ago still are referred to by some by their deadname, or the name they were given at birth, rather than the name they chose when they came out. One thing Briggs-Spies wishes her peers realized is that making the decision to fully change gender identity isn't simple, and it's not a trend. It's not that easy to just, like, swap, she said. I've seen a bunch of people just joke about it when we did the Pacer Test (physical-fitness test). They didn't want to do it that day, so they're like, Well, I'm just going to tell them I identify as a different gender.' No, it's not something that you can just do. Strusz agreed the changes do not occur over night. Every situation is different, once kids or parents are ready to share that, he said. How we proceed really just depends on where the comfort level of that student is, the confidentiality that goes along with it and who becomes involved in that conversation." Morse said each of the 4,500 students in her district was unique and equally as important to the other, each with individual strengths and needs. We, as educators, are responsible for understanding each, and ensuring they get what they need to excel, she said. If families feel their child's needs arent being addressed, for one reason or another, I encourage them to have conversations with myself, their building administrator, school counselor who knows them and their students and we can address their concerns. Support for students As gender identity remains a contentious topic, schools and other groups are providing supportive spaces to LGBTQ+ students. In Rock Island, the Clock Inc. LGBT+ Community Center offers training to school districts, businesses and other organizations. Executive Director Chase Norris said the common theme in much of the training was respect and support. Taking a little extra time to ensure students are comfortable, through practices like affirming preferred names and pronouns and watching for bullying in the hallways, helps them become better students. The overall goal of Clock is that we reduce the ridiculously high suicide rates right now with the youth in the community, Norris said. So if you put in a little bit of extra work to learn a new name, that speaks volumes. However, getting schools to enter the training can be a struggle. Norris said their best ins at school districts were counselors and parents, who could take materials from the nonprofit directly to administration. The COVID-19 pandemic has kept Norris from meeting with schools in person, and reaching out virtually and via mail has yielded few results. We get a lot of school counselors who respond, and depending on what side of the river they're on, a lot of them have to raise the money to do it, and they do it outside of school hours because the administration doesn't want to cover it or doesn't feel it's important," Norris said. "Supportive teachers and counselors recognize that it's a need, so then they've done it. The Rock Island-Milan School District is the only district in the Quad-Cities that has completed Clock Inc. training, Norris said. All Davenport Community School District high schools, excluding MidCity, have a Gender-Sexualities Alliance (GSA) club. GSA promotes acceptance and inclusion for all, regardless of sexuality or gender. Bettendorf, North Scott, Moline and United Township High Schools all have GSA clubs. Pleasant Valley High School has two similar clubs, A Positive Place and Unite Club, aimed at inclusion. Bettendorf Spanish teacher and GSA adviser Emily Henneman said she typically saw 10 to 15 students at GSA meetings, but the number fluctuated. She said GSA was aware of some of the backlash expressed by district community members, and theyd discussed it at meetings. Its important for us to talk about these things because they directly affect our GSA students ... and its important that parents or the community are taking an interest in the school, Henneman said. This isnt just a Bettendorf issue. I think were all just learning how to figure it out, based on law and what's best for our students. She said GSA also discussed state and federal laws, so students knew they're protected. Bettendorf junior Ray Menke, president of the GSA, has been involved since seventh grade. They said the general consensus among Bettendorf students didnt reflect that of recent school board meetings. For the most part, no one really cares anymore, Menke said. A lot of people are busy with so many other things a lot of people just come to GSA, because they know they can find other people with similar experiences. This applies to pronoun usage. My pronouns clearly arent just she/her or he/him. I use two different sets: she/her and they/them. People really dont care that I use those pronouns and will use both for me, Menke said. I think teachers have a harder time understanding, just since theyre used to she/her or he/him. There are a few who arent that great, but most are accepting. To adviser Henneman, GSA is just like any other high school club. Sometimes it can be hard to manage different perspectives, but I think that everyone in our administration and district office wants what's best for students, she said. To those who disagree with LGBTQ+ identification, Menke asks for two things: acceptance and respect. You can be against it, but you dont have to avidly hate me because of who I am. Thats pretty much all we ask for. We want to be accepted like any other person wants, they said. People tend to like tradition, so when something newer comes along, they dont want to deal with it but we dont plan on leaving. Officers found Eric Brandon Beale, 40, suffering from stab wounds and a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Jonathan Rojas-Carrasco, 28, is charged with murder and home invasion in connection with Beale's death. Leo Hayes sat in a lawn chair along Molines 4th Avenue on Saturday in the Floreciente Neighborhood enjoying a day in the sun and watching the first parade in the city for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Hayes said it was the first parade of its kind he had ever seen and was a great way to celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday honoring the lives of loved ones who have died. While he was growing up, Hayes said the family would get together for a big feast. Wed have a big feast at home, and wed have gorditas and tamales and just enjoy the family, he said. Mercado on Fifth Executive Director Anamaria Rocha could not have picked a better day for the event. Mercado on Fifth organized the event. The normal temperature for Oct. 22 is 62 degrees. On this day under sunny skies the mercury topped out at a record-tying 84 degrees, which also was set in 1927. Im just enjoying it, Hayes said. Its a beautiful day with beautiful scenery. Dia de los Muertos is commonly celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, but the time and length can vary by location. Teresa Salinas of Moline said Rocha did an excellent job this year. Im very proud of her," Salinas said. "Im very proud of them. Theyve done an excellent job. Salinas said usually she had an altar in her house for the Day of the Dead for her parents who had passed away. But now, this is the bomb, she said of the parade. Carlos Garza was with his wife, Amanda, and son Santana for the parade. Garza said has been to a couple of parades in other areas but was thankful to have such a celebration here. They have like 84 entries, and thats amazing for the first time, and the turnout is nice, he said. Looking down 4th Avenue, hundreds of people of all ages lined the streets, many in colorful costumes or with faces painted in traditional Day of the Dead fashion. Naturally, candy, lots of candy, was thrown for the children to grab. Many families living in the Floreciente Neighborhood set up chairs on their front lawns to watch the parade and eat and enjoy time with their neighbors. That the parade is now happening is amazing and about time, Samantha Garza said. I dont think we had anyone to take charge to do it, she said. I went to school with Ana (Rocha), and I think its great what shes doing. Carlos Garza said when they celebrated Day of the Dead they would just do it indoors or in the driveway or garage. Joe Esparza of Moline loved it. Its awesome, he said, adding that hes glad to have a parade here. But even without a parade, Dia de los Muertas must be celebrated. You have to celebrate it, Esparza said. Its tradition. You celebrate it as a family, as neighbors, as a neighborhood, as a community," he said. Focus on what Democrats are for. That was a message Deidre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for governor who is trailing in polling and fundraising, had for Democrats at a rally for reproductive rights and canvass launch with local candidates for office on Saturday at the MLK Interpretive Center in Davenport. DeJear is facing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican up for reelection. Early voting started Wednesday in Iowa for the Nov. 8 general election. DeJear ticked off central tenants of her campaign to cheers and chants, framing her priorities as freedoms freedom to access abortion, to attend a fully funded public school, go to public spaces without facing gun violence, drink clean water. "The Supreme Court has relinquished its duty to protect a woman's right to choose to the states. That should be our signal. Is the State ready? Are we ready? Are we willing to carry this even though it may be challenging?" DeJear asked. In an interview afterward, DeJear said she supports codifying the protections for abortion in Roe v. Wade in Iowa, which protected abortions until viability, about 23 or 24 weeks. When asked if she would support rolling back Iowa's current 20-week abortion ban, DeJear said she didn't want to dive into a specific number because "pregnancy has infinite variables and diving deep into dictating it in black and white, I believe is irresponsible." A recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll put DeJear 17 percentage points behind Reynolds, who has 52%, and Rick Stewart, who has 4%. DeJear has 35%. Reynolds holds a commanding lead over DeJear in fundraising. As of last week Friday, Reynolds had close to $2.5 million. DeJear had $366,000. She urged those there many of whom were volunteers for door knocking, sending text messages, and making calls Saturday to not get stuck in what she called "distractions." Initial material for the event on Saturday advertised Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush, a Democrat who has continued to promote "defund the police" rhetoric, which the Iowa GOP was quick to seize on with social media posts earlier this week. But, DeJear had said the event hadn't been finalized yet, and that although she and Bush don't agree on reducing police budgets, they are in alignment on reproductive rights. Bush was not on the updated event advertisement released Friday. "I know you all may have some some qualms on the other side, and you're trying to figure out: 'Republicans are doing this, Republicans are saying that.' Let's not adhere to those distractions," DeJear said. "Your candidate is not in belief of defund the police. Just put it to the side. Your candidate believes in seeing people first but your candidate believes that police are part of the solution. Your candidate believes that the problem is our current leadership's failed policies." Reynolds and the state Republican Party have painted DeJear as anti-police. "When it comes to standing for lowa's law enforcement officers, Deidre DeJear sits. She is endorsed and supported by radical organizations who want to defund the police. Her policies are out of touch with lowans," said Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann in an emailed statement. DeJear campaigned on Saturday with local candidates for office, including state Rep. Phyllis Thede, D-Bettendorf, who faces a reelection bid in a newly drawn district. Once squarely in Bettendorf and Davenport, Thede's district now reaches north and includes all of Eldridge. Thede faces a challenge from Mike Vondran, a Republican who runs communications for the Davenport School District. Thede is a founding member of the Iowa Democratic Black caucus, worked for Davenport school systems, and is running for a sixth term in the Iowa House. Thede said she's concerned about further action on abortion a Republican-controlled Legislature could take, as well as contraception. School funding, she said, is also a prominent issue for her. Reynolds has championed a plan to use per-pupil taxpayer funds to help families pay for private school expenses. Republicans bill the change as a chance for families to give their child a different educational environment that may better suit the child's needs if they can't afford it on their own. But Democrats and some Republicans warn the proposal could accelerate a rural school's enrollment decline. "I look at North Scott High School, the only high school in their town. If vouchers go through and a lot of students leave and go elsewhere, that will hurt that rural area," Thede said. Weather conditions are increasing the risk of fires getting out of control, according to a National Weather Service statement issued late Sunday morning. When windy conditions are coupled with warm temperatures, cured agricultural fields and humidity levels ranging from 40% or 50%, the risk of fire is expected to be very high. The NWS warned against outside fires and also that farmers should exercise more caution while harvesting. The winds could also blow away Halloween decorations and other objects outside and make driving vehicles with high profiles more difficult, according to the NWS. NWS meteorologists predict warmer temperatures will continue at least through Monday, and a chance of rain beginning tonight. The high Monday is expected around 74 degrees, then the NWS projects it will drop to the mid- to high 50s through Saturday, according to the service's website. As of this afternoon, the chance for rain showers was expected at 40% tonight, then 60% on Monday, with the higher chance after 4 p.m., according to the NWS website. Monday night, the chance of rain is projected at 100%, with potentially as much as half an inch falling. Rain showers could still be possible Tuesday -- a 60% chance-- then Wednesday should dry up and be mostly sunny, according to the NWS website. Rain is also not expected Thursday through Saturday, but the skies could be partly cloudy Thursday and Friday. Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny. Meterologists expect the low Monday to be 51 degrees, then it should range from the high 30s to the low 40s through Friday, according to the website. A pilot was rescued from Badlands National Park Thursday night and into the early morning hours of Friday after the pilots plane ran out of fuel and made an emergency landing. According to the Pennington County Search and Rescue team, the call initially indicated an aircraft went down and both the pilot and plane were missing. Several agencies responded to the Sheep Mountain Table area of the national park, including Black Hills Life Flight. When Life Flight arrived, Pennington County Search and Rescue said the helicopter crew saw a flashing light deep within a ravine. The crew guided rescuers to the area, but the distance was too far for verbal communication. Light signals were used to ensure that the pilot knew rescue operations were underway. A vertical rescue apparatus was used to lower personnel into the ravine, which was reported to be 230 feet deep. The pilot was reported to be partway up the opposite slope. Rescuers were able to reach the pilot and complete a medical assessment. The pilot was placed in a harness attached to the rope system and was extracted without any additional injuries. Following discussion with the pilot, rescuers were able to determine that it was not a crash landing as originally thought. Instead, it was a forced landing because of fuel. The pilot told rescuers he attempted to self-rescue but lost contact with the rest of his group due to the lack of cell phone service in the area of the landing. He was able to use the map feature on his phone for guidance, but the signal was not strong enough for communication. The pilot told rescuers he was prepared to spend the night in the Badlands and resume efforts at daybreak. However, when he heard the sound of the Life Flight helicopter, he knew rescue operations were beginning. Pennington County Search and Rescue said National Park Rangers resumed operations Friday morning to coordinate efforts to recover the airplane, described as an ultralight aircraft. Additional agencies that assisted with the rescue include Pennington County Emergency Dispatch, Pennington County Emergency Management, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota Army National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration. Responding agencies included Oglala Sioux Tribe Emergency Management, National Park Service Badlands Rangers, Black Hills Life Flight, Pennington County Sheriff, Pennington County Search and Rescue, New Underwood Fire Department and Rapid City Fire Department medics. Do you have an event or calendar item you would like published in the Ravalli Republic? Please email your submission to events@ravallirepublic.com. Submit information in paragraph form. Posters and flyers will not be accepted. Announcements The Hamilton High School Bands are currently taking orders throughout the month of October for their annual Citrus Fruit Fundraiser. The band sells navel oranges and ruby-red grapefruit in 20lb and 40lb boxes, and mandarin oranges in 5lb boxes. The proceeds from the sale go to help fund music, instruments, tuxedo cleaning and repair, and festival entry fees. The citrus fruit will be delivered the first week of December, just in time for holiday entertaining. If you would like more information, or to place and order, please call the HHS Bandroom at 375-6060 ext. 5216. Child care doesnt have to be so expensive. Your family may qualify for a scholarship to significantly reduce your monthly child care bill. Contact Child Care Resources today for more information at 406-728-6446 or go online to childcareresources.org. Monday, Oct. 24 Bitterroot Public Library, A Nightmare on Main Street, Downtown Hamilton, through October. This spooky literary walk is a collaborative event with 13 businesses around Hamilton, primarily on Main Street. Each business displays a poster board with a spooky/Halloween related short story, riddle, song, or poem, followed by a challenge. Join us in Downtown Hamilton and solve the challenge. Pick up an answer booklet at the library during open hours. Literary Pumpkin Contest, through October. What do you get when you cross a pumpkin with your favorite book character? A literary pumpkin, of course! Decorate and paint a pumpkin to look like your favorite book character. (Sorry, carved pumpkins not accepted). Open to kids and adults. Paper Book Wreath Take Home Kit. First come, first served grab-bag kit. Kit includes all materials and instructions you need to create this decorative fall wreath at home. For more information call 363-1670. 306 State St., Hamilton. bitterrootpubliclibrary.org. Hamilton Senior Center, lunch is served 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $4; Hand and foot (canasta) $2, every Monday, 12:30 p.m. 820 N. 4th St., Hamilton. Stevensville Senior Center, 8 a.m. Coffee Club, meals at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Wednesday at 6 p.m. by Florence Carlton Church Soul Suppers. Pinochle at 7 p.m. 100 Mission St., Stevensville. Golden Age Club, exercise class, 9-10 a.m. 727 S. 5th St., Hamilton. Journey Through Grief Support, a six-week series for anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one. Mondays, October 17 November 21 from 12 1:15 p.m., at St Francis of Assisi, 411 S. 5th St, Hamilton. Life and loving make us vulnerable to experiencing loss. Sharing our loss gives us strength to journey this path. This series covers the six needs of mourning based on The Journey Through Grief and Understanding Grief by Alan Wolfelt. Contact stfrancishwm@gmail.com for more information. Sweathouse Creek Conservation Easement Public Meeting, 5:30-6:30 p.m. North Valley Public Library, 208 Main St., Stevensville Tuesday, Oct. 25 Bitterroot Public Library, Coloring Club for Adults, meeting room, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Builders' Club 4-5 p.m., meeting room, registration required. For more information call 363-1670. 306 State St., Hamilton. bitterrootpubliclibrary.org. North Valley Public Library, Role Playing Games (RPGs) in-person or online, 4-6 p.m., teens (12-18). Enter the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Create your own character and join an online campaign. No experience required. For more information call 406-777-5061. 208 Main St., Stevensville, northvalleylibrary.org. Stevensville Senior Center, 8 a.m. Coffee Club. Exercise, 10 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday. 100 Mission St., Stevensville. Corvallis Sewer District monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., 234 Brothers Way. Hamilton School District Special Board Meeting/work session, 6 p.m., Washington Elementary, room 4. The Board will be reviewing potential plans for the Middle School and discussing the possibility of running a bond and/or levy in the spring. The Board will be conducting this meeting with live participation. Corvallis School District Special Board Meeting, 4-4:30 p.m., District Conference Room. Ravalli County Republican Women's Club will hold its monthly meeting and lunch at 11:30 a.m. at BJ's Restaurant in Hamilton. Guest speaker will be State Senator Theresa Manzella who will show us how to follow bills in the Legislature. Ravalli County Republican Women meet the fourth Tuesday of each month. Bitterroot Conservation District meeting, 8-9 p.m. at USDA Building in Hamilton Wednesday, Oct. 26 Bitterroot Public Library, Baby and Toddler Story time, meeting room, 10:30 a.m., registration required. Junior Chef Creations, meeting room, 4 to 5 p.m., registration required. Quantum Discussion Group, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., meeting room. For more information call 363-1670. 306 State St., Hamilton. bitterrootpubliclibrary.org. North Valley Public Library, Songs & Stories for Preschoolers, 10:30-11:30 a.m. (children, babies and toddlers). Public PAR Meeting to Discuss the Services & Facility Requirements of the Library 12:15-1:15 p.m. & 6-7 p.m. For more information call 406-777-5061. 208 Main St., Stevensville, northvalleylibrary.org. Hamilton Senior Center, lunch is served 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $4; 820 N. 4th St., Hamilton. Stevensville Senior Center, 8 a.m. Coffee Club, meals at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Wednesday at 6 p.m. by Florence Carlton Church Soul Suppers. Pinochle at 12:15 p.m. 100 Mission St., Stevensville. Golden Age Club, exercise class, 9-10 a.m. Pinochle games, 1 p.m., multiple bid, $2. 727 S. 5th St., Hamilton. Victor Sewer Meeting, 5-6 p.m. at 114 Martinell Lane, Victor. Thursday, Oct. 27 Bitterroot Public Library, Little Explorers, meeting room, 10 to 11 a.m. Registration required. Bitterroot Book Club, noon, meeting room. Artful Thinking for Kids, 4 to 5 p.m., meeting room, registration required. Five Steps to a Winning Novel with Author Gwen Florio, 6 to 7:30 p.m., meeting room, registration required. For more information call 363-1670. 306 State St., Hamilton. bitterrootpubliclibrary.org. North Valley Public Library, Halloween Special: UFOs & Extraterrestrials in Montana with Dr. Joan Bird, 6-8 p.m. For more information call 406-777-5061. 208 Main St., Stevensville, northvalleylibrary.org. Stevensville Senior Center, 8 a.m. Coffee Club. Exercise, 10 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday. 100 Mission St., Stevensville. Friday, Oct. 28 Bitterroot Public Library, Preschool Story time, 10:30 a.m., meeting room, registration required. One-on-One Tech Support, 11 a.m. to noon. For more information call 363-1670. 306 State St., Hamilton. bitterrootpubliclibrary.org. North Valley Public Library, Open World Fridays, 4-6 p.m., teens (12-18). Make Fridays more exciting, come to the library for an all access pass to all the cool stuff. Choose to 3D print objects and then paint them, create a craft, explore the Dungeons & Dragons handbooks, or make a zine, it's up to you. For more information call 406-777-5061. 208 Main St., Stevensville, northvalleylibrary.org. Hamilton Senior Center, lunch is served 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $4; Pinochle games, 1 p.m., $3. 820 N. 4th St., Hamilton. Stevensville Senior Center, 8 a.m. Coffee Club, meals at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 100 Mission St., Stevensville. Golden Age Club, exercise class, 9-10 a.m. 727 S. 5th St., Hamilton. Saturday, Oct. 29 Bitterroot Public Library, Homeschool Open House, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., meeting room. Join us in the library meeting room to hear from Homeschooling experts, discover new resources to help you in your homeschooling efforts and meet other homeschooling parents. Stop in anytime, no registration needed. For more information call 363-1670. 306 State St., Hamilton. bitterrootpubliclibrary.org. North Valley Public Library, Foundation Book Sale, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information call 406-777-5061. 208 Main St., Stevensville, northvalleylibrary.org Stevensville Senior Center, pinochle at 7 p.m. 100 Mission St., Stevensville. Hamilton Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., downtown Hamilton on Bedford, 2nd and 3rd Streets. AA Meeting, 6-10 p.m., Bitterroot Public Library, 306 State St. Further ahead Sunday, Nov. 6 Coping with Grief and Loss During the Holidays, a two-hour pre-holidays grief care session offered on both Sunday, Nov. 6 and Monday, Nov. 7 from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. at St Francis of Assisi, 411 S. 5th St. Hamilton (attend one or the other). The death of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences we face in our lifes journey. All are invited to come learn how to honor and remember our loved ones, as well as care for ourselves this holiday season. (These sessions will use the Griefshare.org "Surviving the Holidays" program with group discussion.) Please join us. Free. Please register at stfrancishwm@gmail.com for more information. Monday, Nov. 7 Coping with Grief and Loss During the Holidays, a two-hour pre-holidays grief care session offered on both Sunday, Nov. 6 and Monday, Nov. 7 from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. at St Francis of Assisi, 411 S. 5th St. Hamilton (attend one or the other). The death of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences we face in our lifes journey. All are invited to come learn how to honor and remember our loved ones, as well as care for ourselves this holiday season. (These sessions will use the Griefshare.org "Surviving the Holidays" program with group discussion.) Please join us. Free. Please register at stfrancishwm@gmail.com for more information. Saturday, Nov. 12 St. Francis Ladies "The Spirit of Christmas Market", 411 S. 5th St, Hamilton from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Newly designed venue including community vendors with quality gift items, exquisite basket raffles, drawings for gift cards, classy treasures and crafts. Doughnuts/coffee @ 9:00 a.m. and Lunch @ 11:30 a.m. Shop the online auction for more great gifts, noon Friday, Nov. 11 - 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13. Browse and register in advance at: https://www.32auctions.com/SpiritofChristmas-SFL Explore the Arts Executive Director Barbara Liss has transformed her Montana Bliss Gallery on West Main Street in Hamilton into a beautiful artistic space with work areas, a showcase gallery and encouragement for the entire community of budding artists. It organically grew, Liss said. I didnt have a big picture of this is what I want. After my long business career, I found a new passion which was sculpting concrete faces. I made a change and opened the Montana Bliss Gallery when I still had my other business. I knew retirement was coming. In May of 2017, she opened Montana Bliss studio on Main Street. I never missed a day of work, I went from one to the other, Liss said. I had the gallery and the studio. In 2018 I went to the conference that Phyllis Washington hosted at the University of Montana, Arts Transform Community. Liss said she felt inspired and empowered to bring arts to the Bitterroot Valley in a larger way. She teamed up with retired art educator Jean Driescher who wanted to continue to be involved in arts. As more spaces became open in the building on Seventh and Main Streets, Liss purchased them and added more art opportunities in the form of workshops, classroom space and studio space. She did all the behind-the-scenes work of scheduling, advertising, and registration for the workshops. Thats when it really took off, Liss said. The artists show up and give a class that was the key. I was happy to do that because of my business background, it came easily to me. Adding more space means it is open, we can offer two workshops at the same time, and in the new area thats where we do poetry readings during Culture Crawl. The nonprofit Explore the Arts offers private classes, writers workshops, free family art days, open painters studio and a full slate of exciting workshops. The camaraderie of artists working together and inspiring each other is phenomenal, Liss said. Liss and Driescher recently attended the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association. It was so amazing being around these art professionals, Liss said. Were not booking shows that larger galleries can book. There are all sizes of shows. One we are booking is Historic Bridges in Montana. The photography show displays images of historic bridges, powerhouses and missile sites across the state. Its so cool to bring these kinds of things to our little community, Liss said. Were looking forward to working with Open Air. They place artists in residence so we can bring in more skills and opportunities. There are just more opportunities as a nonprofit. Liss said the key to all the presentations and workshops is the funding that comes through the sale of items in the gallery. She is not currently looking for grant funding as the money comes with obligations. She said she was working through another nonprofit for youth education but is enjoying the dynamic of independence. It helped us realize where we needed to be, she said. To me, organic growth is the way Ive always done things. If you set a big vision and youre struggling to accomplish it, it can be distressing. But if you grow and add on it is so rewarding and people appreciate it. Each month, on the second Saturday, Explore the Arts participates in Culture Crawl and hosts poetry readings from 11 a.m. to noon, live music, and other experiences and presentations. On the first Tuesday of each month, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. there is a Writers Circle to support authors efforts at creative story writing. Liss is known as a concrete face sculptor who has digitized some of her images and recreated them in silk and collage. She has written a book on healing and resilience. She journaled the steps, and efforts involved in recovering a large concrete face that had crashed and shattered. One unexpected event made it possible. During 2020 I was doing product reviews, Liss said. One concrete product, Paltiya, was full of fibers, and I decided it was not for me. She explained that doing concrete is a subtractive process where you drill out spaces for eyes and other additions, but the Paltiya is an additive process. When you mix this those fibers knit together like felting, Liss said. You add it little by little, its a whole different process. But the Paltiya allowed me to rebuild the piece that fractured. A friend asked me to donate the piece to a girl with a difficult life struggle and I want her to see she can rebuild her life. Liss wrote the book including her frustration, support systems and her path to optimism and completion. Healing was slow, but I learned, she said. I had to leave some things behind and couldnt use all the parts. I had to heal on the inside first. The sculpture will be different and thats okay. It took me longer to repair than build the first time. Liss has the book on Etsy, in her studio and has donated copies to as many counselors that she could find. People who hear the story think of somebody they know going through some struggles, Liss said. You look at it in a whole different context. Its more about if it is meaningful to somebody. Donations to youth Explore the Arts workshops and family workshop days are graciously accepted. The Rotary Club of Hamilton is donating $1,000 to the Education Program for scholarships. For more information about the gallery, workshops and programs visit https://www.explorethearts.art, or call 406-381-2488, email art@explorethearts.art, or visit 701 Main and 101 South 7th in Hamilton In 1999, current Ravalli County Commission Chair, Dan Huls, and other members of the farming and ranching community were approached by local leaders to help support the future of the agricultural industry in Ravalli County. They asked us to put together a meeting and we ended up forming a committee which later became the advisory board called the Ravalli County Right to Farm & Ranch Board, said Huls. Coming from a long line of dairy farmers, Huls didnt have to be convinced that there needed to be some sort of action taken to help support an industry that was already diminishing. My passion for this work started in large part because of my own personal experience dairy farming in the Valley, and the changes Id seen happening to our agricultural land, families, and economy, said Huls, whose family owned the business from 1950 to 2020. We knew at that time that if we didnt do something proactive, ag in our valley would be in big trouble. Oftentimes, agricultural families count on the equity in their land as their retirement nest egg or as their 401K. The Right to Farm and Ranch Board realized that the community needed to find another way for landowners to extract some of the value from their land and have it remain available for agricultural production. After researching what other ag communities were doing to help balance rapid growth across the state, the committee learned about the successful open lands bond program in fast-growing Gallatin County which created financial incentives for local landowners to protect critical open landscapes for the benefit of agricultural, wildlife, water resources, and the public. That program planted the seed for what would eventually become the Open Lands Bond Program in Ravalli County. In 2006, Ravalli County Commissioners agreed to place the issue before the voters and that November, Ravalli County voters approved a $10 million bond to be used to purchase development rights from willing private landowners in order to preserve open land, maintain agriculture, and protect wildlife and water resources. Now, 16 years and over 10,000 conserved acres later, County Commissioners have asked Ravalli County voters to consider renewing the Open Lands Program. Designed as a voluntary, landowner-driven investment in the Bitterroot Valleys future, the Open Lands Program has helped the community conserve family farms and ranches, wildlife habitat, nearly 40 miles of Bitterroot River and tributary streams, hunting, fishing and recreational access, and community parks and trails since its inception. If private agricultural land in middle America is lost, for whatever reason, it will never be regained, says Joann White Hosko, Board Member of Yes to Ravalli County Open Lands, as well as serving on the Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board. Her ancestors first homesteaded in 1891 on what would become the John Harold White Family ranch in the foothills northwest of Victor. The fact that selling off land is so easy in todays market, emphasizes the urgency of incentivizing landowners to retain their open lands. This is where the Open Lands Program and funds have such a positive impact. While many of the conservation projects completed to date support local Bitterroot farming and ranching families, the Open Lands Bond Program preserves more than ag land. Funding from the program has helped create community parks, like Skalkaho Bend Park along the river in Hamilton, fishing and recreation access sites like C. Ben White Memorial Fishing Access Site and Trail in Conner, and secured public hunting opportunities on the 1,080-acre Lazy J Cross Ranch near Sula that provides hunting access through Montanas Block Management Program. I think a lot of people think that the Open Lands Bond Program is just about open space and agriculture, said Eddie Olwell, a fly fishing outfitter who has operated his business Fishs Eddy O for the past 23 years. But the Open Lands Program has also protected nearly 40 miles of river and stream habitat in the Bitterroot watershed that is the lifeblood of our valley. It benefits access for anglers. For example, the C. Ben White Fishing Access on the West Fork preserved 100 acres of riparian land, and also connects thousands of acres of national forest land. Without the Open Lands Bond Program, that access would likely have been lost. This is about maintaining the work that the program has accomplished since 2006, said Loyd Rennaker, Darby rancher. With so many local landowners waiting on this funding to start their conservation projects, if we dont come together as a community and pass this bond, this valley might look a whole lot different tomorrow than the valley we all love today. It looks like the Supreme Court will be forced to enter the social media free-speech policy war. While this has enormous implications for society, it also may have consequences for businesses. Conservatives rail against what they perceive as censorship by social media companies, especially Twitter and Facebook. Responding to that criticism, Florida and Texas enacted laws that restrain the ability of social media companies to restrict their users speech through post deletion, kicking off users, and burying disfavored content with various content-moderation tools such as shadow banning. A group of internet-focused trade organizations challenged the constitutionality of these laws. While the laws of the two states have unique elements, they have major features in common. They each classify social media platforms as common carriers. Private companies can be restricted from many kinds of discrimination if they are common carriers. A common carrier is a business that provides some transportation or transmission service to the general public. While the phrase common carrier brings to mind transportation services such as airlines and railroads, it also applies to some communications companies, such as telephone and internet service providers. Whether social media companies are common carriers may be central to whether the states laws survive. The laws of each state put limits on what kinds of posts can be deleted or buried. For example, Florida protects political candidates and journalistic enterprises, which include both print and online publications with sufficient subscribership or web traffic. Texas more broadly protects all social media posters from viewpoint discrimination. The statutes of both states also require social media companies to disclose their editorial practices, including what kinds of speech those companies ban, delete, promote or hide. Federal appellate courts have come to opposite conclusions as to the constitutionality of these laws. The difference in outcome mainly arises from the courts legal analysis, not differences in the statutes. The federal appellate court with jurisdiction over Florida, the 11th Circuit, declared that most of the Florida statute is unconstitutional because it held social media companies have a First Amendment free-speech right to decide what speech to carry and to delete editorial control. Crucially, the court also rejected Floridas classification of social media companies as common carriers. It allowed some of Floridas disclosure rules to stand, but those arent the heart of the law. The federal appellate court with jurisdiction over Texas, the 5th Circuit, issued its decision later and saw things differently. It upheld Texas classification of social media companies as common carriers. It also ruled that the Texas law does not violate First Amendment speech protections because it regulates social media censorship instead of compelling or restricting the social media companies own speech. The Florida attorney general petitioned the Supreme Court to take up the issue, and the high court may be forced to do so. This is an important issue, and only it can fix the split in outcomes of the two federal appellate courts. What is the effect of all of this on businesses? Any business whose products or services might be considered inappropriate by people on the right or left must think about what will happen if such businesses lose the ability to promote their products or services through social media. While the major social media companies currently are controlled by people with liberal views, the rules might change if conservatives buy those outlets. One can make a long list of legal products and services that attract the ire of the left or right. Then there are companies that hold varying views on controversial business policies, such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), LGBT rights, or environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment guidance. Will businesses that hold what social media companies consider to be the wrong views or fail to espouse the right ones be kicked off social media? And what about businesses with ties to certain parts of the world? What about Israel, Saudi Arabia, China, Venezuela and even Russia and Iran to the extent U.S. companies can still do business there? Will access to social media be used to try to force companies to cut ties with such countries or, conversely, punish them for pulling out? Obviously, restricting the actions of social media companies is controversial and presents interesting and challenging constitutional questions. This would make a great hypothetical on a law school exam. But for some businesses, perhaps many, its not hypothetical. The outcome may determine whether such businesses can stay on social media and, in some cases, survive. Highlights of foreign congratulatory messages on 20th CPC National Congress (15) Xinhua) 14:04, October 23, 2022 BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Political party leaders worldwide have congratulated the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and General Secretary Xi Jinping of the committee on the convening of the 20th CPC National Congress. The CPC has led the Chinese people in creating remarkable achievements in all fields, said Armanda Berta dos Santos, leader of the KHUNTO Party and Timor-Leste's vice prime minister, hailing Xi's foresight as admirable. Under the strong leadership of Xi, China has realized its first centenary goal and is playing an increasingly important role in the present-day world, said Mahinda Rajapaksa, leader of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party and the country's former president, deeming the 20th CPC National Congress as a new milestone in building socialism with Chinese characteristics. China is recognized by the international community as a leading force and an example and source of inspiration for developing countries, said Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Socialism with Chinese characteristics and China's system of governance have become successful models of striving for people's happiness, he added. The world is facing huge geopolitical challenges, said Solomon Lechesa Tsenoli, a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party and deputy speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa. He said he believes the 20th CPC National Congress will help the world overcome the difficulties. Jose Luis Gioja, vice president of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina, expressed confidence that the CPC will continue to lead China in striving for the happiness of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and play an important role in addressing challenges in today's world. The 20th CPC National Congress reviews the successful experience of the past and draws up a blueprint for future development, which will surely lead China to new development, said Stephen Ayesu Ntim, national chairman of Ghana's New Patriotic Party. The CPC has led the Chinese people in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, a great achievement that will go down in the history of human development, said Sophia Shaningwa, secretary general of the SWAPO Party of Namibia. Under the leadership of the CPC, China has eliminated absolute poverty, significantly improved the living standards of its people and become the world's second-largest economy, which are remarkable achievements in the world, said Norbert Ratsirahonana, chief of the national office of Malagasy political coalition IRD and former Malagasy prime minister. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu) KAMPALA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Fresh fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has forced hundreds of people to cross to neighboring Uganda to seek refuge. Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), a local humanitarian agency, said on Sunday that among the new arrivals include those who had returned recently thinking the situation was getting better. Irene Nakasiita, URCS spokesperson, said it is not yet possible to estimate the number of asylum seekers who crossed to Uganda through the border town of Bunagana on Saturday. Esther Anyakun, Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, told Xinhua by telephone preparations were in high gear to receive the refugees. "According to the reports we have so far received, there are many, many refugees who have re-entered the country. The World Food Programme is already on the ground to offer some support," Anyakun said. She added that government was in the process of relocating the previous entrants from holding centers to resettlement camps and with the re-entrance of more refugees, they will have to work faster. "They rushed to return home, because the situation was not yet stable. We had given some of them transport to go to resettlement camps but they opted to return home. Now you can see they have come back to Uganda," Anyakun noted. She also said the United Nations Refugee Agency had dispatched a team to offer humanitarian assistance to the refugees. "Over 1,000 Congolese refugees have already crossed into Uganda following fresh fights between the M23 rebels and the Congolese government forces. They are currently camped at Bunagana border town in Kisoro district," Ismail Ndayambaje, a local leader, told Daily Monitor, a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. "We appeal to the humanitarian organizations in liaison with the office of the Prime Minister to transport these refugees straight to Nyakabande refugee transit camp where they can be accommodated. We faced a lot of challenges as we accommodated them here at Bunagana town council in March this year when they crossed into Kisoro district because of similar fights," Ndayambaje added. Studio Two Three, the arts center and printmaking studio currently located in Scotts Addition, is buying the Dogtown Dance building in Manchester. The listing price was $1.8 million. We joked about a headline: Scrappy artists pry treasured building from the hands of condo developers though theres a measure of truth in it, Ashley Hawkins, executive director of Studio Two Three, said. When the 15,000-square-foot historic building in Manchester went up for sale in the spring, many were concerned that the property would be scooped up by a developer for apartments or condominiums for the booming neighborhood. Dr. Robert Pops Petres, a local OB-GYN, purchased the building 15 years ago to support his sons dream of starting a dance nonprofit, which turned into Dogwood Dance. Together, they renovated the building at West 15th and Bainbridge streets putting on Tyvek suits and removing asbestos themselves, cutting giant furnaces into small pieces to carry them out and ultimately transforming the 1930s school gymnasium into an engaging space for the arts. Petres estimates the renovation cost $2.2 million. I poured almost all my paycheck into it, he said. The 2022 assessment of the property was $1,672,000. The theater held a variety of performances over the years, including the RVA Dance Collective, aerialist group Host of Sparrows and the RVA Burlesque Festival. It also held the after-party for the annual Mardi Gras parade. Then came COVID, and that just destroyed any kind of financial support the building was generating, Petres said. When the theaters executive director, Jess Burgess, took a promising job as CEO of the Greenville Center for Creative Arts in South Carolina earlier this year, Petres said the nonprofit could no longer go on. Im 83 years old. We had to seek some relief somewhere else or the building would be lost, Petres said. Petres decided to list the building for sale, and Studio Two Three was one of the first to respond at asking price. Dr. Petres had other offers on the building, but he told us he wanted it to go to an arts organization, Hawkins said. We are delighted to have found such a special, enduring place in an otherwise untenable real estate market, which has been pricing many small nonprofits and arts and cultural efforts into closure or out of the city, she added. This move will save us about $5,000 a month [in rent]. Studio Two Three began in 2009 in a small studio in Plant Zero before moving to its 13,000-square-foot space in Scotts Addition at 3300 W. Clay St. The nonprofit has grown steadily over the years. It is now home to over 140 member artists who use the building for printmaking, art-making, events, classes and private studio space. Studio Two Three operates on a $600,000 budget and said buying the building is a huge leap for us. Were not big and rich, but we had a great opportunity. Studio Two Three will receive financing from Virginia Community Capital for the purchase. The nonprofit will also use a grant from the Golden Rule Foundation as well as the Mary Morton Parson Foundation and continue to raise funds for the purchase. Studio Two Three plans to close in November or early December. Studio Two Three is looking to move in April 2023. Between now and then, its expecting several months of renovations at the Dogtown Dance space, including adding a new roof. Dogtown Dance did not respond to calls or emails about their future plans. *** Studio Two Three has many plans for its new three-story building. The downstairs space, which currently houses three large dance studios/practice spaces, will be turned into print shops for screen printing, letterpress and risograph printing, and bookmaking. In the main space that was the black box theater, Studio Two Three will keep the screen and blackout curtains for events. The main floor will be used as an open artists workspace during the day as well as a space for evening classes. Studio Two Three often opens up its space for vendor markets, winter markets, speakers and union groups, like the Starbucks unionizers. The third floor will be used for artists studio space. Studio Two Three has over 140 members who have 24/7 access to the building. They have a key and can come and go whenever they like, Hawkins said. To have this treasure of a building, we never would have dreamed it when we were starting out at Plant Zero. It really feels like were coming full circle, Hawkins added. In the current Richmond real estate market, where prices are skyrocketing, ownership is more important than ever for arts organizations to continue, said Kate Fowler, Studio Two Threes director of community partnership. She said long-time Richmond arts organizations like Art 180 and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond own their own buildings. Permanent space is key, Hawkins said, To keep it affordable and accessible for artists during challenging times. Studio Two Three is also known for its activism work. Studio Two Three provided materials and posters for the Black Lives Matter protests, was on-site making prints at Lee Circle during the summer of 2020 and most recently created pink posters and T-shirts for abortion rights marches in Richmond. Besides being home to artists, Studio Two Three is also home to Milk River Arts, the Afrikana Film Festival, Richmond Young Writers and other groups. This sale marks a big moment, Hawkins said. Studio Two Three is purchasing its first building a place that will ensure that were able to keep our doors open and operating for the long haul. The opening sentence offers a glimpse of humor: Theres a time and a place for erect nipples, but the back of a Seattle police car definitely isnt it. But what follows in Jennifer Hilliers Things We Do in the Dark (Minotaur, $27.99, 352 pages) provides a panorama of dread, deception and death. When Paris Peralta, a 39-year-old yoga instructor, returns to her Seattle home, she finds her husband, 68-year-old Jimmy Peralta, dead in a bathtub. A retired actor-comedian, he once had attempted suicide. When the cops arrive, Paris is covered with blood, clasping a straight razor and headed for a first-degree murder charge. Meanwhile, Ruby The Ice Queen Reyes is about to be paroled from prison in Canada after serving over a quarter century for being convicted of the 1992 murder of her married lover, bank president Charles Baxter. And Paris soon receives a letter from Ruby threatening to tell authorities that Paris did away with Rubys daughter, Joelle Joey Reyes. Enter podcast journalist Drew Malcolm, a former roommate of Joeys, who seeks and is granted a prison interview with Ruby. Hilliers story employs subtle misdirection with equally ingenious clues as she relates the pasts of characters and the connections that bind them in a web of intersecting intrigues. *** When a child goes missing, relatives ricochet between hope and despair, friends and neighbors gather to commiserate and search, and media outlets swarm to cover the anguish of every parents worst fear. Youll find that and much more in Australian writer Hayley Scrivenors debut novel, Dirt Creek (Flatiron, $26.99, 336 pages) absent the media presence. Twelve-year-old Esther Bianchi vanishes soon after leaving school in Durton, a small town in southern Australia. And Scrivenor delivers a stunner on Page 2. Esther is dead, but the reader knows neither why, nor how, nor by whom. Thats a job for Detective Sgt. Sarah Michaels, whos upset about her recent breakup with girlfriend Amira Hassan. Scrivenor details how Esthers parents and other adults react, but she chooses to emphasize the effects on three children: Veronica Ronnie Thompson, Esthers best friend; Lewis Kinnard, who sits with Ronnie and Esther at school; and Campbell Rutherford, who sometimes seeks Lewis company but sometimes avoids being seen with him. With a narrative that moves inextricably toward a conclusion born of a sad convergence of events, a wealth of meticulously drawn and nuanced characters, and inventive prose, Dirt Creek holds the reader spellbound. But its not until Scrivenor describes the aftermath of Esthers death that she achieves lyricism and imparts wisdom. *** When someone remarks that an acquaintance has a past, the comment is usually meant to be pejorative. Anyone who doesnt have a past, though, might not have much of a life, either. But that cant be said of Iris Sparks, who trained to spy for Britain in World War II and co-founded The Right Sort Marriage Bureau with war widow Gwendolyn Bainbridge in London in 1946. As they match lovers, they also catch criminals. Both women figure prominently, if sometimes separately, in The Unkept Woman (Minotaur, $26.99, 320 pages), the fourth installment in Allison Montclairs series. The trouble starts when a Polish woman with a tie to Iris former lover, Andrew Sutton, is found dead in the apartment Iris occupies. One of the cops on the case, Michael Kinsley, has also enjoyed Iris favors. And her current beau is gangster Archie Spelling. Meanwhile, Gwen continues to try to free herself from her father-in-laws control over her and her son. And she has been warned that further investigation into murders might threaten her chances. Head spinning? Worry not. Montclair handles this storyline with assurance while focusing on the physical and psychic damage of WWII and foreshadowing the Cold War. The author deepens the portrayals of the intelligent and resourceful, vulnerable and sensitive heroines and reaffirms their stature as two of the most appealing figures in current historical crime fiction. Jason Vice, a hospital orderly from Cincinnati, jokes that he lives up to his name. I have a few vices, that is Tattoos being one of them. Wiry and sporting a white goatee, Vice spent at least 13 hours this past weekend flat on his belly, stretched out a folding table while Josh Payne, a heavily inked tattoo artist from Denver, etched on Vices left calf a multicolored fantasy of dinosaurs being blown up by crashing UFOs. And, Payne acknowledged with a smile, there are those who say he, too, is appropriately named. Payne makes his living creating art with an electric-powered, high-speed needle. It is used to wound flesh in a design of ones choosing, often accented with a rainbow array of indelible dyes. Trevor Carson, a burly U.S. Navy sailor from Hampton by way of Houston who was having tattooed on a lower leg a rose-wrapped likeness of the face in Edvard Munchs iconic painting The Scream put it this way: Its temporary pain for forever beauty. For 2 days an estimated 4,000 people many of them tattooed, others un-inked but curious streamed through a Chesterfield County hotel for the Richmond Tattoo, Art & Music Festival. It goes back nearly 35 years and was started as a trade show. This years was the first since 2019, having been interrupted by the pandemic. While coronavirus masks were rare, tattoos were plentiful. And some sporting them were eager for more. The droning buzz of the hand-held devices used to create tattoos some refer to them as guns was a sign of brisk business, even in the closing hours of the festival Sunday afternoon. For safety and hygiene, needles are only used once, then thrown away. Nobody wants to use a needle twice, said Big Jaz, a Brooklyn, N.Y., ex-pat who works as a tattoo artist in Norfolk. Damian Barley of Richmond, a bartender at the hotel, spent his break prone as Jake Raburn, a tattooist from Las Vegas, fashioned an elaborate pattern on Barleys right calf. Barley, 27, was 16 when he got his first tattoo. Designs on his upper arms are tributes to his little brother and late sister. Stars are reminders of his years in the Marine Corps. They call it ink therapy, Barley said of tattooing. I always feel better after I get one. I think of my body as a canvas. Raburn got into tattooing as many of its practitioners do: through art. As an early adolescent, he became a drawing and painting enthusiast. Raburn has been a tattoo artist for six years, having served with what he described as an old-school apprenticeship under a veteran of the craft. Among the tattoos that adorn Raburn is one just above his brow that is intended as a warning to others. It reads, in an Old English font, Anti-Social. Raburn said that an inebriated passenger on his flight to Richmond from Nevada began pestering him during a layover in Austin, Texas: I told him, Man, read my forehead. Raburn, whose studio in Vegas stands in the citys art district north of the casino-lined Strip, said cabin attendants had the man removed from the aircraft. Tattooing is ancient, with humans using for thousands of years permanent designs on their skin as emblems of faith, status symbols, bravery and punishment. In recent years, tattoos and piercings have become increasingly popular among generation s. Perhaps affirming its Gen X and Gen Z vibe, Richmond ranks third behind No. 1 Miami and second-place Las Vegas for its number of tattooed residents, according to a 2019 segment on the NBC morning show, Today. It attributed Richmonds distinction to tattoo shops aplenty about 14.5 per 100,000 people in a city thats home to 229,000 people. A 2017 study by the Pew Research Center indicated that nearly 40% of people ages 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo. You have to be at least 18 to get a tattoo in Virginia, under a state law that allows those younger to be tattooed with the consent of a parent or guardian who must be present at the time a minor is inked. Cervenna Fox, a Briton who lives in Las Vegas, was 16 and still in England when she got her first tattoos: likenesses of swallows on her hips. Now 31, Fox is covered with tattoos, many of them recalling her British heritage a fox on her right arm and a lion on her right leg. There are also images of ancient weaponry, including an ax and malice. Fox who is also a burlesque artist, performing in a shimmering, silver bustier and feathered fans said that tattoos are illustrated stories not unlike what might be seen on walls of an ancient shrine. Girls and young women between the ages of 5 and 18 wore hard hats and took up nail hammering, concrete mold making and excavator driving outside a Roanoke construction business Saturday. Aisha Johnson, an EEO, economic inclusion and diversity specialist for the Branch Group, said the company wants young women to understand that there is a place for them in the construction field. They shouldn't shy away from it, because it is for women just as much as it is for men, Johnson said. Fifty-three percent of the construction workforce nationally is expected to retire by 2036. We really need to get many different people into construction to fill those jobs, and we would like to focus on women as well as men. While a recent milestone was hit in 2022, with 1 million women working in construction, the industry still falls behind compared to other industries, according to a news release about Saturday's event. Women only make up 14.1% of the workforce, and many of those jobs are still in female-traditional roles, such as accounting, marketing, sales, and administration. Nikki Williams, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline, said that by the time girls enter high school, less than 12% will consider a career in STEM. As early as second grade, girls have been known to say that math and science are actually fields for boys, and that they're not good at those, Williams said. We believe part of that challenge is access, so this really gives girls an opportunity to start, from the youngest of ages all the way up, to have some hands on experience, to understand that all these fields are open to them. Saturdays event at the Branch Groups headquarters on Peters Creek Road Northwest had about 100 pre-registered participants and featured activities at booths sponsored by about 20 other organizations, from Salem City Schools and the Kids Square Childrens Museum to the Build Smart Institute and Carter CAT. As participants completed age-appropriate activities, they received a sticker or badge to slap on a white hard hat. Girls could fly drones, take a virtual reality tour of a construction site and ride into the sky on a boom lift. Maggie Jackson, now a recruiter for the Branch Group, had never worked in construction until about two years ago. I didn't come from a construction background, but now that I'm with construction, I can't imagine not being part of it, Jackson said. It's really exciting to see all of these girls coming in and having an opportunity to see all the options in the industry and opportunities for them as they consider their future in construction, hopefully. Tiffany Purdham, 40, of Blue Ridge brought two of her daughters to the event, which she thanked the Branch Group for organizing. They like to build things. They build things with their dad all the time, Purdham said. Its not just for guys. Girls can do anything that they want to do. CHRISTIANSBURG Community members, including students and people affiliated with the Montgomery County Dialogue on Race, turned out to the countys school board meeting this past week to speak out against some of Gov. Glenn Youngkins education stances. Those include his recently proposed policies for transgender students and his position on school choice. The governors supported policies would require parental consent on the use of any name or pronoun other than whats in a students official record, according to recent reports. Participation in certain activities and the use of school facilities would also be based on a students biological sex, based on those reports. Youngkins proposal has drawn criticism over the expectation it would roll back policies in many districts, including Montgomery County Public Schools, which were approved last year in response to legislation enacted by the state. MCPS own policies aimed to generally combat harassment and discrimination of students based on gender identity. Among the more specific points of the policy is guidance on the use of school facilities and participation in school programs and the students rights to be addressed by the names and pronouns that correspond with their gender identity and expression. Cassidy Ackerman-Garvin, president of Blacksburg High Schools Pride Club, was among those who addressed the Montgomery County School Board this past week, asking that MCPS join other Virginia districts like the one in Alexandria in opposing the governors proposal. Ackerman-Garvin cited some figures, including ones related to suicide. The BHS student said over half of trans youth considered suicide in 2022, with one in five actually making an attempt. Ackerman-Garvin voiced concerns about the changes being proposed leading to distress and discomfort for her peers. The student said over 175 students, teachers and parents signed letters that were sent to the governor. Trans students are not too young to deserve autonomy, or too young to know themselves, said Ackerman-Garvin, who urged the district to stand up for the students. Crow Sindelar, another speaker from Blacksburg, echoed several of Ackerman-Garvins points and concerns. Sindelar raised concerns about the recent proposals violating discrimination laws intended to protect gender identity. Sindelar also asked the school board to push back against the governors proposal. I implore you to honor these values and keep our children safe, Sindelar said. Others who spoke this past week said the governors proposal on the trans policies appears to contradict points included in an education report his administration released earlier this year. Among those principles is the zero-tolerance stance for discrimination, which they said seems to be undermined by his stance on trans student policies. Several members of the local Dialogue on Race group spoke out against the governors recent moves. A document the group provided this past week cited parts of the report his administration released earlier this year. The Dialogue on Race group noted a principle in the Youngkin administration report calling for zero-tolerance on discrimination. However, the Youngkin administration violated this principle before the ink was dry, reads the Dialogue on Race paper in reference to the governors proposed policies for trans students. Federal court decisions have upheld protections for transgender people. For example, a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision, written by Trump appointee Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, ruled that civil rights law barring sex discrimination covers transgender people. A number of local officials, including county School Board member Penny Franklin, have been involved with the Dialogue on Race over the years. Despite the many comments to the board this past week taking issue with Youngkins recent positions, areas such as the current policies for transgender students have received pushback from the more conservative sections of the community. The policies the board approved last year didnt get support from all members of the elected body. Issues such as the debate over the rights of trans students has been one of the drivers for the Montgomery County GOPs push for school choice, itself a controversial subject due to concerns that it would divert funding intended for public schools to private institutions. Bob Beard, who was among the last speakers to address the board this past week, pointed to the significant support in Montgomery County for Youngkin, whom he said won the locality during his election. He [Youngkin] won his election based on parents rights and family, Beard said. BUCHANAN Folks drift from afar, sometimes without realizing, to this small town for the fun and beauty of nearby trail hikes, bike rides and inner-tube floats, but they might stay a while upon discovering the classic charm of Main Street. In idyllic Buchanan, Town Manager Susan McCulloch said she often watches from her home on Lowe Street while summertime paddlers put into the James River. As autumn falls over Botetourt County, reinvention is how she describes changes of recent decades in this rural town of 1,100 residents. People just love the river here. And it is beautiful, absolutely beautiful, McCulloch said. The river used to be this space we turned our backs toward. Now, were facing and embracing it. The James River of the past was periled by pollution, and poor watershed management resulted in frequent flooding, culminating in a 1985 flood that remains deepest on record, town officials said. The river for decades was kind of let go, but is now a renewed focal point for townspeople and visitors, said Harry Gleason, Buchanans director of community development and events. The outfitters and their success really got people thinking differently about the river, because they were bringing so many people here, Gleason said. It continues to grow that way, people seeing it as an asset. Twin River Outfitters offers adventures afloat from its waterside storefront on Lowe Street beside Buchanan Town Park. Co-owner John Mays said there are still too many tires to fish out of the James River, but far fewer now than when the tubing business began 17 years ago. We ended up relocating our business from Glasgow, Virginia, to Botetourt County, specifically Buchanan, because of all the numerous river access points on the James River, Mays said. Its just worked out really well as a nice tourism, outdoor recreation-minded area. Town officials said they hope to facilitate future outdoor assets for Buchanan by looking ahead. It is one of 25 small communities nationwide participating in the federal planning program Recreation Economy for Rural Communities. Were happy that this is going to be a community-driven plan that will be coming from the citizens of Buchanan, McCulloch said. It will be a roadmap for our long-range planning. The goal of the federal program is to help rural communities leverage outdoor recreation to revitalize Main Streets, improving environmental protection and public health along the way, according to an announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency. A 12-member local steering committee is now working with federal consultants over a six-month span to develop strategies and an action plan for growing Buchanans outdoor recreation economy, town officials said. These are things that the residents of the town will be enjoying also, Gleason said. Its not something thats being done for a customer base, its really things that will improve life for the community. The recreation economy has been at play for years in Buchanan, but by putting a name to it and nailing down actionable plans for the future, town officials hope to garner more momentum for downtown revitalization. Already, redevelopment of the former Groendyk factory buildings will result in something new for Buchanan: creation of a 4,000 square-foot brewpub, McCulloch said. Thats one example of a strong outdoor economy helping to attract new business. Whatever tourists like, so do residents. If you drive around Buchanan, you see so many canoes and kayaks outside of peoples porches, McCulloch said. People move here to be near the river, and to enjoy it. Homes that would have never been purchased in prior years are now desirable places to live, Gleason added. Its seeing a lot of investment, simply because of the ties to the river and recreation, he said. And Buchanan is not the only small town in Botetourt County angling for the future. Fincastle this year commemorated the 250th anniversary of its founding, with every intent to carry that history into the future, said Mayor Mary Bess Smith. I cant think 250 years into the future, but you know, just short-term theres so much going on, Smith said. With the new courthouse remodel and the new history museum thatll go up, this is really going to give us an opportunity to reinvigorate downtown Fincastle. With construction underway downtown on a new county Courthouse, and recent plans announced to open a Fincastle History Museum, Smith said those public investments should help entice business growth. I would love to see more private sector investment coming in, Smith said. Weve got some old buildings even on Courthouse Square that are outside of the scope of the courthouse project, but would just be beautiful if they could be reinvigorated, remodeled and repurposed. A lot of people have put time into the community, its traditions and history, and thats something Smith said can be built upon during a time of great societal change. In this era of technology and everything associated with it, one of the things I hope Fincastle will become is like a Mecca for genealogical research, Smith said. A lot of the paperwork related to some of the early families is located in Fincastle. We have a couple of resources that you can only get by coming to town. She also mentioned bolstering the artisans and other talented people of Fincastle, population 700, as a means of building the community. It takes more than brick and mortar to give a town its presence, Smith said. Two hundred and fifty years from now, I would hope that a lot of our buildings would still stand, she said. As testament to the fact that people did a lot of work to try and continue to preserve those buildings. Across the state, small communities looking to develop their downtowns can access small business and tourism grants, said Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt, a Buchanan native. Its very challenging today to be a small town, Austin said. We have to be very innovative and creative to attract and draw people, but I think we also have something that those other entities dont have, and thats a personal aspect. There are lessons small towns can learn from each other, he said. Successes from one place, be it in Vinton, Lexington or Williamsburg, could be worth replicating elsewhere. Im impressed with the little town of Clifton Forge, the Masonic Theater over there, Austin said. I wish we had a facility like that. The 1906-built theater in Clifton Forge reopened in 2016 after extensive renovations, and, like Twin River Outfitters, is an example of how business investment can drive downtown revitalization, Austin said. There is a growing movement to return to small towns and tight-knit communities with quaint downtown storefronts, he said. I think thats what people are going to seek in the future, Austin said. I witness people every day who are giving back, whove grown up in small town communities and are coming back and devoting their time. I think thats a critical component of society today. As internet becomes more accessible and with more people able to work remotely, the opportunity arises for more people to live in rural areas, said Bo Trumbo, a former state senator and longtime Fincastle resident. A lot of people think of the future and they think in terms of technology, and they see the West Coast and the Northeast, and Northern Virginia, Trumbo said. So its ironic that the increase in broadband has provided an opportunity for people to migrate into more rural areas and still be able to work from a distance and be able to take hold of the advantages that small town life has. Furthering the outdoor economy in Buchanan and emphasizing the historicity of Fincastle are continuations of those towns foundations, he said. It makes good sense for any town to use its existing and past assets to encourage authentic future growth, for community and commercial well-being. When people think of history, they think of tri-cornered hats and all that sort of thing, but it was very much a commercial aspect, Trumbo said. Each one of those towns has a history in and of its own that has continued on to the present. BRISTOL, Va. Southwest Virginia law enforcement officials said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkins plan to ask the General Assembly to pass a bill that would charge drug dealers with homicide in overdose cases is a move they support. Youngkin made the announcement that he would sign a bill charging drug dealers with murder if someone they sold illegal drugs to died from an overdose recently, while visiting the Southwest Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. He wants the Virginia General Assembly to resubmit bill 2528 during their upcoming session. The bill was passed by the House and Senate but was vetoed by former Gov. Ralph Northam in 2019. The legislation would make the sale, manufacture, and distribution of drugs resulting in a fatal overdose a felony homicide. Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis, who was in attendance at the event where Youngkin spoke about the bill, believes such a move could serve as a much-needed deterrent for drug dealers selling fentanyl in Washington County. I think it would be great if we had that. It would be a deterrent hopefully for these drug dealers thats out there because theyre preying on these users and with the fentanyl being so plentiful, Andis said. Fortunately enough, the federal system, if we can track it back to that drug dealer, we can still go with the harsher penalties, life in prison and all that. This just gives a better bite. Scott County Commonwealths Attorney Kyle Kilgore pointed out that more than 90% of the cases he deals with on a daily basis are drug-related. He believes going after drug dealers with legislation similar to the bill proposed in 2019 is a possible solution for one side of the issue. Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants Southwest Virginia to go nuclear. This is not an election metaphor, although if voters in Southwest Virginia turn out to blast shell-shocked Democrats in November the way they did in 2021, Youngkin probably would not mind that, either. Released on Oct. 3, the Commonwealth of Virginias 2022 Energy Plan spends a lot of time deriding legislation passed during the administration of Youngkins Democratic predecessor, Ralph Northam a stance typical of documents released by the new Republican administration. Youngkins plan essentially takes the position that encouraging growth of renewable energy is well and good, but fossil fuel infrastructure should be left in place to ensure the power grid is stable. Those seeking urgent action to counter global climate change will find little to like in these proposed policies. In fact, theres a passage dismissing land-bound wind farms and solar farms as sources of deforestation and pollution that seems specifically designed to troll the libs. The new energy plan condemns the commonwealths membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative as a bad deal for Virginia residents that offers electric utilities no incentives to reduce emissions and furthermore, the plan asserts that Virginias utility companies were doing a fine job reducing emissions on their own before Virginia joined the RGGI in 2020. The plan lambasts the Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020, declaring that its goals of seeing the commonwealth switch completely to clean energy by 2050 are grossly unrealistic, based on projections that are not panning out in practice. What the act will do, according to Youngkins plan, is cause electric bills to skyrocket as utilities pass the costs forced upon them along to customers. The plans exhortations that the State Corporation Commission be given more discretion in determining timelines for power plant retirements make some sense. Suggestions that the energy market should be made more accessible to independent power producers so that they can compete with big utilities and offer consumers more choice sound promising, though its not clear how that would be accomplished. Easy promise, difficult delivery What interests us most in this outing is the pledge the plan specifically makes to Southwest Virginia, whose conservative voters turned out in droves to put Youngkin in office. Much ado is made in the governors plan about the possibility of building a nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia so much ado that the plan rollout took place in Lynchburg, site of the headquarters of BWX Technologies, a supplier of nuclear fuel and components and provider of nuclear energy services, and site of the North American headquarters of French nuclear industry company Framatome. Its not unreasonable for Youngkin to suggest that Virginia should build on its nuclear engineering resources with an aim toward national leadership and technological advancement. He does himself no harm by positing that Southwest Virginia could be home to a cutting-edge small nuclear reactor that would be the first of its kind, as theres no possibility construction could begin during his term. For all the credulous chirping in news reports about small modular reactors, or SMRs, in the wake of Youngkins announcement, there is a bit of a Mr. Snuffleupagus factor that ought to be acknowledged. If youre a reader of a certain age who remembers your childhood Sesame Street, then youll recall that Mr. Snuffleupagus, a.k.a. Snuffy, was Big Birds imaginary friend that only he, and the audience, could see. SMRs dont exist in North America. The plan acknowledges this with its framing of the project as the first commercial SMR in the U.S. Designs for SMRs do exist, and its not difficult to find information extolling their virtues from the likes of the U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Yet according to research compiled by the Australian Conservation Foundation in a report released this month, only two reactors that qualify as SMRs have been completed, one in Russia and one in China. The Russian one, floating in the Arctic Ocean, took 12 years to build and cost the equivalent of $740 million. The two reactors on the Russian barge together generate 70 megawatts less than the 75 megawatts expected from the proposed Rocky Forge Wind Farm in Botetourt County. Unproven technology The Chinese one took nine years to build and reportedly cost the equivalent of $5 billion. With both the Russian and Chinese SMRs, plans to build more power plants of the same type were abandoned. In Argentina, an SMR that began construction in 2014 has experienced such setbacks that it is not expected to start generating power until 2027. That reactor will generate 32 megawatts, less than half the proposed Rocky Forge offering. Lest one assume American ingenuity is whats missing, a handful of American SMR projects have failed to even reach the construction phase, including one announced in 2009 by Babcock & Wilcox (a former subsidiary of BWX) that received a $5 million Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission grant and $111 million in U.S. Department of Energy subsidies, but still fizzled out. Youngkins plan, in an instance of unintentional irony, scolds opponents of Mountain Valley Pipeline and other pipeline projects for causing a loss of $7.8 billion in GDP, yet doesnt think too deeply about the sort of opposition that might arise once ground breaks on an experimental nuclear power plant. Its certainly feasible that, as designs refine and technologies evolve, our region could see the construction of an SMR that serves as a shining example to the world. Alas, its also feasible that this particular gift from the governor to his supporters is an empty box. TOKYO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Toyota Motor Corp. expects its full-year production forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2023 to be lower than its planned 9.7 million units, showed its official announcement. The company is examining the exact number of units it will produce. The adjustments to its production plan were due to parts shortage resulting from the spread of COVID-19, the Aichi Prefecture-based automaker said in the latest announcement. Toyota said its global production volume for November is expected to be approximately 800,000 units, with about 250,000 to be produced at home and 550,000 units overseas. The automaker will also suspend operations of 11 production lines in eight plants in Japan out of 28 lines in 14 plants, according to the statement. "It remains difficult to look ahead due to the impact of semiconductor parts and other factors. However, we will continue to closely examine the supply of parts and work with related parties to consider all possible measures to ensure that we can deliver as many vehicles as possible to our customers at the earliest possible date," said the announcement. In the fiscal year of 2021, the automaker globally produced about 8.57 million units after revising downward its initial outlook, market data showed. Shirley Contreras lives in Orcutt and writes for the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society. She can be contacted at 623-8193 or at shirleycontreras2@yahoo.com. Her book, The Good Years, a selection of stories shes written for the Santa Maria Times since 1991, is on sale at the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society, 616 S. Broadway. This article was republished with permission from CalMatters. You can read more coverage of California state government on CalMatters.org. Luna is a fellow with the CalMatters College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. This story and other higher education coverage are supported by the College Futures Foundation. This article was republished with permission from CalMatters. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar turns over the podium to Diane Rath, execuitve director of the Alamo Area Council of Governments, as the congressman announces nearly half a billion dollars in funding coming to Guadalupe County for road improvements Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, at the Cibolo Municipal Building in Cibolo. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). However, the southeast Iowa farmer said he is watching what happens along the Mississippi River and whether that will impact supply at all. Low levels have caused a backup of barges along the southern portion of the river which may slow transportation in the ag industry for a time. Thats a little bit different, he said. We are a long ways away from next year, but it will be interesting to see how that goes. Regardless, Vittetoe said farmers will likely take the practical approach to decisions in the 2023 season. If prices are high, they will adjust as needed, but large-scale changes arent likely. It always comes down to profitability and what makes sense agronomically, he said. The amount of dollars grains have gone up, inputs are still priced at a point where they are still paying for themselves within reason. I think its cutting back on people with excess use of inputs because people wont throw money down the drain for no reason. You want to be more on target with everything which is a good thing from an environmental standpoint. Gary Schnitkey, economist with the University of Illinois, echoed those thoughts in an article for farmdoc Daily. He said the high fertilizer prices are likely to stay until 2023, if not longer, which means reducing application rates is prudent. Phosphorus and potassium applications can be reduced or eliminated if soil test levels are sufficiently high, he said. He also noted that some farmers may consider waiting on their 2023 purchases until the spring in hopes fertilizer prices will decline. While that may be the case, he noted that corn, natural gas and anhydrous ammonia prices are very much related. As one goes, the other will follow. 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. Bruguiers 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. NORTHWOOD-- They like Deidre DeJear, two women say at separate political events, held 120 miles apart on the same autumn afternoon in rural Iowa. They think DeJear is a great candidate. They think she would make a great governor. They just wish more people could hear her speak. Such has been one of the challenges faced by DeJear, the Democratic candidate in Iowas 2022 gubernatorial campaign, the first Black woman to earn a major partys nomination for Iowa governor and Iowa Democrats latest hope of earning back at least some share of the state lawmaking process that they have been completely shut out of for six years. DeJear came into the campaign with some statewide recognition, having run unsuccessfully in 2018 for Iowa Secretary of State. But DeJear had nowhere near the name recognition of Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds, who has been governor since 2017 and before that was lieutenant governor for six years. DeJears muted campaign fundraising has stunted her attempt to broaden her message to Iowans with television ads, leaving her to campaign in true grassroots style, making political visits to all corners and all counties in the state, often in front of small groups. Thats why, on one August day, she made appearances in the communities of Northwood in Worth County, Boone in Boone County and Harlan in Shelby County. Northwoods population is just north of 2,000, and Harlans just a little more than 4,000. Roughly a dozen people saw her speak in Northwood. Connect with people. Engage them in this race. Fight for that common ground. Let them know that theyre not alone, and that the current governors complacent mediocrity and how she formulates policy no longer has to be accepted, DeJear said. We can go the distance for all Iowans. And again, nothing about that is easy. And it takes time and energy. But Im willing to put in the work. A recent Mediacom/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll showed Reynolds with an expansive 17-point lead over DeJear, 52 percent to 35 percent. Rick Stewart, the Libertarian Party candidate for Iowa governor, polled at 4 percent. That poll was followed this past week by the latest campaign fundraising figures, in which DeJear continued to struggle and lag far behind Reynolds pace. The incumbent governor has raised nearly $11 million this cycle, according to state records; DeJear has raised just more than $2 million. The big-money Democratic donors are sitting out this campaign. DeJear has received 15 donations of $10,000 or more this cycle, according to state records; Reynolds has 338. Despite those dispiriting numbers, DeJears optimism on the campaign has not waned. This past week, while speaking at Drake University, her alma mater, to a pair of student organizations, DeJear called on the roughly 100 students in attendance to vote themselves and persuade their friends to as well. Now is the moment and I shared this with the team a couple of days ago that we remember our why, and we remember what were capable of, DeJear said after the event. Remember your why. Theres no point of coming up with new things at this point in time, because we are not new to this in this state. Were not new to progress. Thats what Im reminding folks about all over the state. On the campaign trail, DeJear often highlights Iowas progressive history, how the state desegregated its schools and legalized same-sex marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court. And in looking to the future, DeJear says the state is in need of new leadership. I see more people who know our current governors name then when I was helping to organize for (former Democratic Gov. Chet) Culver and when (former Republican Gov. Terry) Branstad was in office. We see more millennials and more Gen Z-ers knowing who this governor is, and the reason why they know who she is, is because they have some qualms with this current representation, DeJear said. So as Im going out here, meeting people where they are, Im talking to these folks and saying, Go let people know that theres another option. Because they know people that are unsettled about the disposition of our democracy right now. Perhaps emboldened by her large lead in the polls, it was only just recently that Reynolds began addressing DeJear by name in public remarks. In fact, during her remarks at a state Republican Party fundraiser in early August, Reynolds did not even mention that she was up for re-election. Once it did turn its sights on DeJear, the Reynolds campaigns most prominent criticism has been over DeJear remaining seated during a standing ovation for Reynolds when she talked about her support for law enforcement during her annual condition of the state address in January to the Iowa Legislature. DeJear said she supports law enforcement as well, and has talked to officials throughout her campaign. However, she said she also believes that law enforcement should be a part of discussions about the criminal justice system, and that Reynolds should do more to support law enforcement than the one-time retention bonus she authorized using federal pandemic relief funding. DeJear has been critical of Reynolds education policies, including her proposal to start a program that would shift taxpayer funding for public schools into private school tuition assistance. DeJear has argued that Iowas public schools have been underfunded for years, and mirrored a proposal by Democratic state lawmakers to inject a one-time, $300 million infusion of state funding into the K-12 public school system. DeJear also has criticized Reynolds on abortion. The governor has asked the state courts to reinstate a 2018 law that would ban abortions once a fetus heartbeat can be detected. DeJear has said she supports the legal structure that was in place federally before the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year struck down Roe v. Wade and, in the process, shifted the issue back to individual states. And DeJear has criticized the state income tax cuts signed into law earlier this year by Reynolds. The latest round of state tax cuts will phase the states tax on income down to a flat rate of 3.9 percent for most workers, which will eventually result in total taxpayer savings and thus a reduction in state revenue of nearly $2 billion annually. Early voting is underway in Iowa. Election Day is Nov. 8. NORTH SIOUX CITY Jim Zortman isn't seeking a seat for a local office, but the North Sioux City native and businessman is campaigning, nonetheless, in the days leading up to the Nov. 8 election. Zortman is a member of a group that garnered enough signatures to get the city of North Sioux City to set a special election so that residents can decide whether to cap on the number of licenses for medical marijuana establishments in the city. "We're doing mailers. We're doing advertising in the local paper. We also have a few campaign signs out in the community," Zortman said. Zortman, of North Sioux City Specialty Retail, LLC, and his two partners want to open a medical cannabis dispensary at 107 South Derby Lane. He said they paid the $1,500 application fee, worked with a licensed engineer to develop a site plan and met all the other requirements, but ultimately lost out in a lottery conducted by the state of South Dakota. Currently, the city ordinance limits the number of establishments to four dispensary, two growing, two processing and two testing facilities. A "yes" vote on Initiative Measure No. 5 will remove all limits on the number of medical cannabis facilities. A "no" vote will leave the current restrictions in place. "Just leave it open to the public," Zortman said. "It's not any different than a license for a hamburger stand or a taco place in town. Give everybody a chance. Some are going to make it and some aren't. That's just the reality." The South Dakota website "medcannabis.sd.gov" lists the four North Sioux City certified medical cannabis dispensaries as being Kind Care of South Dakota; Nirvana SD, LLC; Tru Essence, LLC; and True North Dispensary. Those sites were chosen at a random drawing by the South Dakota Medical Cannabis Program on April 20, along with cultivation winners True Essence, LLC and Dakota Health & Wellness and processing winners Zaza 605 and Twisted Greens. No testing establishments were given licenses in North Sioux City, according to the website. None of the winners have opened their establishments in the city, according to North Sioux City Administrator Eric Christensen. "We're aware of three facilities that are being remodeled for the purposes of their license. Of the eight who received approval to get a license, I'm only aware of three that are actively doing something," he said. "I think some of these people were probably throwing in applications all over the state. I have no idea what the intentions are going to be for some of them. Some of them we have just not heard a word from." Fresh start In November 2020, South Dakota voters passed Initiated Measure 26, which approved medical marijuana in the state. With the approval, local jurisdictions were given the ability to limit how many medical cannabis facilities can come into town. They were also allowed to enact ordinances governing the time, place and manner in which the establishments conduct business. "We wanted four dispensaries, two growers and two manufacturers. If we didn't make that choice, then, anyone could grow marijuana. We felt for a city our size, that was probably plenty," City Councilman Gary Bogenrief said. "That's how we made our decision. That's what we went with. We thought we were doing the right thing. But, because of this public voting, it's up for the taxpayers to decide." On Aug. 15, the North Sioux City Council approved the request from Christensen to set the special election. Christensen told The Journal the council "did not have a choice" but to put the local proposition on the ballot, since the group Zortman is a part of gathered enough valid signatures required by state law. Christensen said 150 of the 190 signatures submitted were valid registered voters of North Sioux City. The petitioners needed only 5%, or 111, of the total number of registered voters in the city, he said. According to a list of dispensary winners and losers, which Christensen provided, two of the dispensary winners, Nirvana SD, LLC and Tru Essence, LLC, have the same point of contact. That individual is also listed as the contact for four other proposed dispensaries that were not picked in the lottery. "There were some things that just really weren't quite, I thought, kosher, the way things went down," Zortman said. "It would be nice if we could all be on the same playing field and start out fresh." Dave Watson, of Kindcare South Dakota, has been in the medical cannabis business since 2009 in Colorado. He received dispensary and manufacturing licenses in North Sioux City, but not a growing license. "They offered up four dispensary licenses and they only offered two manufacturing and two grow licenses. I'd be for them guys bringing that all in line," he said. "Without the grow license, it doesn't make any of it work. I would be in favor of them going back to the drawing board and full integration. No one is going to survive in that town if they don't let us grow cannabis." Economic boon? Ben Nesselhuf, a former South Dakota state legislator, hopes to have True North Dispensary open in the 1300 block of River Drive around Christmastime. Several years ago, the Union County native saw how homemade cookies containing cannabis helped alleviate the pain his late father was in while undergoing cancer treatment. Nesselhuf, however, does not support North Sioux City having an unlimited number of medical marijuana dispensaries. "I believe the current number of licenses is more than enough to service the population of adults in North Sioux City. If, after the market is up and running, we need more dispensaries, the city can make that decision," he said. "If this passes, the city can never put a limit on the number of licenses. This will ensure that only the largest operators can do business and drive out all local owners." If the measure wins approval, applicants who didn't previously receive a license to operate a medical marijuana facility will be automatically eligible for one. As for what the city could gain from such a move, there could be an uptick in economic activity and an increase in license fees. According to the South Dakota Department of Revenue's website, sales or use tax does apply to the purchase of medical cannabis. That rate is 4.5% and a municipal tax can be added to it when "possession is taken, or the product is consumed or utilized within city limits." Since it's illegal to take marijuana across state lines, Christensen said the medical cannabis facilities' legal customers will be coming from North Sioux City and Dakota Dunes. "There will obviously be people that will come from out of the state. They'll take that risk," he said. "I think that's what people are hoping on -- that that market is big enough to be a goldmine for everybody. I don't know that there's any evidence that that's the case or not." In the arid American West, wildfires now define summer. Recent years have seen some of the worst wildfires in recorded history. Shrubs and grasses growing in this post-fire forest offer abundant food for deer. Sarah Bassing, CC BY-ND Im a wildlife ecologist studying how the presence of wolves and other predators is affecting deer and elk in Washington state. Im particularly interested in understanding how these species interact in changing landscapes. Habitat degradation and other factors have caused populations of mule deer, a common species in many parts of the West, to decline across much of their native range. My collaborators and I recently published a study examining how mule deer use forests that have burned, and how wildfires affect deer interactions with cougars and wolves. We found that mule deer use these burns in summer but avoid them in winter. Deer also adjusted their movement to reduce predation risk in these burned landscapes, which varies depending on whether cougars or wolves are the threat. Understanding how mule deer respond to burns and interact with predators in burned areas may be essential for conserving and restoring wildlife communities. Our findings could help land managers and policy makers balance the needs of wildlife with those of humans as they evaluate wildfire impacts and create policies to address future wildfires. A spotter monitors the Okanogan Complex wildfire on Aug. 22, 2015, near Omak, Washington. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Long-term effects of wildfires Many forests in western North America have trees that have evolved to withstand fire. Some even depend on burning to dispense seeds. Herbivores can thrive on the lush vegetation that grows after a blaze so much so that burned areas have a magnet effect on deer, attracting them from surrounding areas. But as fires trigger forest regeneration, they also restructure landscapes. And this process is influencing interactions between predators and prey. Wildfires have had major impacts in recent decades in the Methow Valley of Okanogan County in northern Washington, where my collaborators on the Washington Predator-Prey Project and I focus our research. Wolves recolonized this area over the past 15 years, and researchers, land managers and the public want to know how the presence of wolves is affecting the ecosystem. Fires have burned nearly 40% of this region since 1985, with more than half of those burns in the past decade. As in much of the West, low-severity fires historically were frequent here, burning every one to 25 years, with mixed-severity fires burning every 25 to 100 years. But now the area is seeing larger and more frequent fires. Fire reshapes forests and wildlife behavior In northern Washington and much of the American West, fires clear the forest understory and burn away the shrubs and small trees that grow there. In more severe fires, flames reach treetops and burn away the upper branches of the forest. More light reaches the forest floor post-fire, and fire-adapted plants regenerate. After a fire, burned forests can be lush with shrubs and other vegetation that deer favor as summer forage. In our study, deer generally preferred burned areas for about 20 years post-fire, which is the time it takes for the forest to move beyond the initial regrowth stage. Fires also affect deer behavior in winter. In unburned evergreen forests, trees upper branches intercept much of the falling snow before it builds up on the forest floor. Where fires have removed these upper branches, snow is often deeper than in unburned forests. The snow prevents deer from feeding. It also makes deer more vulnerable to carnivores, since their hooves sink into the snow, while predators like wolves and cougars have wide paws that help them walk over the snow. For these reasons, the mule deer we tracked avoided burns in the winter. Cougars and wolves prey on mule deer in different ways. Cougars, like nearly all cats, hunt by stalking and ambushing their prey. Often they rely on shrubs and complex terrain to approach deer undetected. In contrast, wolves hunt by chasing their prey over longer distances. This strategy works best in open terrain. After fires, vegetation growth and the accumulation of fallen trees and branches can create stalking cover for cougars and also provide refuge for deer to hide from wolves. In Washington, we found that deer were generally less likely to use burned forests in areas of high cougar activity, although their response also depended on the severity of the fire and the time that had elapsed since the fire. Deer had to balance the availability of improved summer forage in burns with increased predation risk from cougars. In areas heavily used by wolves, however, burns created a win-win for deer: more food and less risk of being detected by a predator. Mapping fires, deer and predators To assess how wildfires altered forests in our study area, we used satellite data to map 35 years of impacts from fires that occurred between 1985 and 2019. This data set represents one of the widest ranges of fire histories yet examined by wildlife researchers. To investigate how deer navigated burns and avoided predators, we captured 150 mule deer and fit them with GPS collars programmed to record a location every four hours. We also caught and GPS-collared five wolves and 24 cougars to map the areas those species used most heavily. Putting all of this information together, we examined burn history, wolf activity and cougar activity at the locations that mule deer used and compared the results with locations the deer could have reached but did not use. This approach measured how strongly mule deer selected for or avoid burned areas with varying levels of cougar and wolf activity. A log yarder hauls a log up a steep slope where a crew is thinning a 100-acre patch on private land owned by the Nature Conservancy in Cle Elum, Wash. The organization is cutting trees to restore the areas pine forests and make them more resilient to wildfires and climate change. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Wildlife is part of healthy forests Our study and others show that deer and other wildlife use burned areas after wildfires, even when these zones have been intensely burned. But these fires bring both costs and benefits to wildlife. Mule deer may benefit from the opportunity to feed on better summer forage. But avoiding burns in the winter, when the ground is covered with snow, could reduce the deers range at a time when the animals already gather at lower elevations to avoid the deepest snow. Our research suggests that in fire-affected areas, scientists and land managers who want to predict how burns could affect wildlife need to account for interactions between species, as well as how fires affect food supplies for herbivores such as deer. As policymakers debate suppressing wildfires, treating forests to reduce fuels and logging after fires, I believe they should consider how these strategies will affect wildlife a key part of biodiverse, resilient landscapes. Taylor Ganz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. The world faces many challenges. One of the lesser noted, but timely, challenges regards national self-governance. The authoritarian trend growing worldwide has an impact beyond any one nations borders. Russia recently conducted faux referenda in territory they occupy in Ukraine, with results that would have made Saddam Hussein blush. In countries such as Hungary, Russia, and Nicaragua, election results are predetermined. Recent analyses note a worldwide decline in free and fair elections. Freedom House, a US-based non-profit since 1941 that advocates for individual freedom, notes that global freedom has declined 16 years in a row. The Varieties of Democracy Institute, a Swedish-based international organization, assesses that the number of free countries is back to 1989 levels. They conclude that "electoral autocracy" is the most common country type and controls 44 percent of humanity. In such systems, elections are conducted, but done in such a way that the winner is predetermined. Such countries lack a commitment to the democratic process. They demonize their opponents and fail to protect the rights of minority groups. A fairly consistent trend with these countries, which had been free and open at one point, is that national leaders create toxic polarization. This allows them to frame their opponents as illegitimate. In such situations, leaders ignore the respect for democratic principles and rules in order to save the nation. I witnessed the consequence of such polarization in the Balkans. In other cases, such as Rwanda, it has led to genocide. One of the main leaders behind that atrocity is only now being tried at The Hague. For most of our history, the United States has been a beacon of free and fair elections. Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution have served as models for people around the world. That image, sadly, has diminished. In a Pew survey from 2021, 57 percent of respondents from European and Asian democracies said that the United States used to be a good example of democracy, but has not been in recent years. Only 17 percent believe the U.S. remains a good example of democracy. Our ability for self-governance is important for ourselves, and for the rest of the world. Some estimates show that democratic republics have per capita Gross Domestic Products 20 percent higher than autocratic regimes. They also provide stable growth, as there tends to be greater accountability and transparency for businesses. The conduct of free and fair elections is an open discussion this year. A major party candidate for Secretary of State in Arizona has said he would not certify the election of a president from the other party. A candidate for governor in Arizona refuses to answer that she will accept the results of the election. Neither will cite any specific concerns that could be addressed ahead of time. Similar attitudes exist elsewhere and appear to be acceptable to a good portion of the population. Abraham Lincoln wrote to Congress 160 years ago about the pressing issue of slavery during the Civil War. His message remains relevant today: "No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth." Nations with leaders who question the legitimacy of the government are not likely to last long. Those tossing spurious conspiracy theories about opponents and the government ultimately undermine the nation. Leaders, as the U.S. Army defines it, provide purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. The ability for future Americans to determine their own destiny through free and fair elections rests in our hands and through our votes. A Sioux City resident, Steve Warnstadt is government affairs coordinator for Western Iowa Tech Community College. He is a former Democratic state senator and retired Army National Guard brigadier general. He and his wife, Mary, are the parents of one son and one daughter. Last month, for the first time since World War II, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of army reservists to bolster Russias forces in Ukraine. That meant 300,000 reservistsall menwill be going to the front lines. And, more than 700,000 people have since fled the country to avoid such a fate, according to Forbes Russia. This estimate cannot be independently verified, and has been disputed by the Kremlin. But if accurate, it suggests that nearly 0.5 percent of the population left Russia in just three weeks. Advertisement Even conservative projections from border control agencies paint a picture of a nation in flight. During the two weeks following Putins mobilization announcement, 119,000 Russians entered the EU and an independent review of Russias Federal Customs Service data for the same period showed 200,000 going to Kazakhstan and another 49,000 entering Georgia. In total, because precise figures are hard to come by so quickly, hundreds of thousands have likely escaped Russia, Reuters reports. It will take months to fully understand the impact of the mobilization on Russias demographicsmost of the available data is not disaggregated by gender. But while the number of draft-eligible men among the exodus of Russians is unknown, anecdata certainly suggests that the people leaving skew male. Which means that the Russian women who stayed behind have been learning to live without men. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few days ago I was at a kids birthday party. There were 20 people there, all women with kids and not a single man! a Russian woman from Moscow who Ill call Anya told me. (The women interviewed for this story asked for varying levels of anonymityon March 4, Russias parliament adopted new laws making it illegal to spread false information about the Russian army and its activities, with penalties up to 15 years in prison. The laws are so broad that many fear speaking about the war at all.) All of their husbands leftfor Israel, Dubai, somewhere else. I imagine its hard for them to remain behind, alone with the kids and without their husbands support, but no one is complaining. With their partners safely aboard, these women have to manage household finances, raise kids, and often figure out how to quickly pack up their whole lives and join them. Advertisement This story is now all too common among Russian women: A male spouse or partner hastily flees the country, unsure if he meets the mobilization criteria but not wanting to risk staying, while she remains. Of the four women who shared their experiences with Slate, two have partners who moved abroad. Advertisement It is so hard when someone you love leaves, said Katya, a 26-year old woman from Moscow who asked that her name be changed for her safety. I spend a lot more time now missing him, and I focus on work to distract myself and not think about it. Katya said that her daily life doesnt feel that differentthough she did learn how to fix home appliances, which would typically have been her partners domain. Its more a question of accepting the fact that this person is far away and you dont know when he will return, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For others, the moment feels a little different. Right now I am happy that I dont have a family, Sofia, who studies cartoon animation in a Moscow university, said. I used to be so worried, thinking, I still dont have a husband and kids and now, its like, Phew, I dont have a husband and kids. Im already anxious enough for my relatives. Aleksandra, a regulatory affairs manager at a Moscow company, has long felt disillusioned with the Russian government. Soon after the country invaded Ukraine in February, she started asking her husband to leave the country. But the couple had just bought their first apartment and were about to finish the renovations, which held her husband back. When the mobilization order came, he finally agreed to leave. Although we werent sure if he would fall under the categories of men being mobilized, we didnt want to risk it, Aleksandra said. Especially seeing how in practice theyre calling up everyone, essentially anyone they can get their hands on. And all the promises from the government that there would be no mobilization, or that it would be partial (only those who served in the army)they all turned out to be lies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mobilization effort unleashed chaos across Russia, sparking protests and criticism. Stories of men who were illegally issued draft notices, despite failing to meet mobilization criteria, circulated online. Opposition to mobilization was vocal enough to prompt Putin to publicly chastise officials in a televised conference and call for mistakes to be corrected. Like many bureaucratic tasks in Russia, mobilization is being conducted using quotas levied on districts, Mark F. Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explained. The quota system decentralizes and simplifies execution but incentivizes local authorities to prioritize output at any cost. This can create abuses. Advertisement Rumors of men grabbed off the streets and shepherded to the nearest military commissariat generate fear and anxietyenough to drive many men to permanently leave the country. Among people I know, everyone left, Aleksandra said. There are a few couples like us, where the husband or male partner left while the woman stayed behind. But all of them are planning to leave eventually. For now, no one is planning to return. Advertisement The overnight disappearing act has resulted in several strange situations. Katya, who works in a creative industry, realized suddenly that many of her male colleagues had left the country. The problem is everyone on my team has a different specialization so its not always possible to reassign technical tasks, she said. She also used to ask male co-workers for help with physically challenging tasks, like carrying heavy equipment or repairing something. Now, theres no one left to ask. Advertisement Anya has been covering shifts for two male colleagues who left for Europe. She works in the media industry, which is particularly important right now. On some days we didnt have people to cover for them, so we were working extra, she said. The days she worked extra were days of referendums in Ukrainian regions and Putin signing their annexation, so they were full of news, when media organizations especially cant afford to be short staffed. Advertisement All four women told me theyre constantly worried about the men in their lives, whether partners, friends, or passing acquaintances. It feels like this constant anxiety, Sofia said. You look at your professor, and you worry. Hes explaining something in class, and youre wondering if hes OK. In her free time, Sofias mother now hunts down military supplies and prepares backpacks for recruits, just in case someone she knows is drafted. Advertisement Advertisement Days after Putins mobilization announcement, Russians were Googling how to break an arm at home in record numbers. One of the women I spoke to told me about a colleague who really worried for her brotheruntil one day he actually accidentally fell and broke his collarbone. Now my colleague doesnt have to worry when she reads the mobilization news, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Articles advising men on how to avoid mobilization proliferate in Russian media. Legal and not so legal lifehacks include not opening the door when someone knocks, staying off social media, undergoing a surgery, adopting a child as a single father, faking a physical or mental illness, and checking yourself into rehab for drug addiction. This is particularly relevant to people who dont have the financial resources to just leave. Everyone I spoke to is a middle class urbanite living in Moscow. They can go if they want to. Which might be one reason why Russian authorities often target men from poor and rural regions, as well as those of Muslim and Asian backgrounds. The Washington Post reported that activists in the impoverished far eastern regions of Buryatia and Yakutia believe that the mobilization disproportionately targets ethnic minorities. Advertisement I dont know anyone who was drafted or taken away, except my cousin who is out in the countryside, Sofia said. Although her cousin has heart problems, he was deemed fit to serve. His family is exploring many options to shield him from the draft, including enrolling him in seminary schoolthey heard that people in religious careers are exempt from service. Advertisement Unlike their male counterparts who had to flee quickly, Russian women have the luxury of time. Or maybe they dont. Among women, there is this fear that you have to leave the country now if you want to get married and start a family because there is no one left here, Sofia said. How do you raise kids in this country? But Sofia hasnt left yet. Her loved ones are holding her back. She hopes her parents will soon join her sister and her sisters husband in the Balkans, but she will only consider leaving herself if most of her loved ones have gone. Even people who are leaving, I dont think fully comprehend this, theyre running because everyone is running, she said. I am afraid of that moment when it sinks in, when we get to see the true results of this mobilization. PALMER, AlaskaAfter I ponied up $20 to get into the sixth-annual Valley Republican Women of Alaskas chili cook-off, the greeter at the door told me to hold on to my entrance ticketId need it to vote. And for an extra $5, she said, I could purchase a second ticket to help my favored chili take the top prize. Were voting Chicago style, she said with a smile. Vote early, vote often. On this drizzly Friday evening in August, 17 amateur chefsincluding some local conservative luminarieshad turned out to compete for the chili trophy, all in the name of Republican fundraising. The event was held inside a historic train depot in Palmer, a town within the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, a fast-growing region just north of Anchorage that has become a driving force in right-wing Alaskan politics. Advertisement Cooks spooned stew into paper bowls while several dozen attendees milled about with cups of pink lemonade, stopping on occasion to shake the hand of a state legislator or give well wishes to the congressional candidate Nick Begich III. The dress code was casual, heavy on plaids and puffer vests, and the outdoor temperature hovered in the low 50s, which explained a chili tournament in the middle of the summer. The event had the comfortable, boisterous air of a gathering of good friends, save for this regrettably conspicuous journalist from down South, as they say in Alaska. Cauterucci? Sounds like an East Coast name, one attendee said when I introduced myself. But at this cozy gathering of the valleys conservative movers and shakers, there was one glaring absence. Though the small agricultural town of Palmer sits right next door to Wasilla, home to former governor and current congressional candidate Sarah Palin, she was nowhere to be found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The humblest excuse for Palins nonattendance came from Brendan Carpenter, 53, who is running for a seat in the state House of Representatives. I think its hard, once you go out, and you get into the level of economic stratosphere that shes in now, to come back here, he said. Advertisement But theres a more plausible explanation. Despite Palins long political history in the state and her endorsement from Donald Trump, in this election, the Alaska Republican Party is not on her side. The story of how Palins own party soured on its former hometown hero began with her 2008 vice-presidential run, and resentments grew deeper this summer. In a stunning debut for ranked-choice voting in the state, Palin helped pave the way for a Democrat to win Alaskas one House seat for the first time in half a century. Republicans have a second chance to take the seat back in Novemberand here, over steaming bowls and knowing smiles, I got some clues about why Trump-loving officials in Alaska feel just fine about turning their backs on the Trump-backed celebrity candidate. In Alaska, where a new voting system is revealing divisions on the right, the national GOP is watching its long-held advantage implode. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2009, after losing her bid for the vice presidency, Palin came back to Alaska to finish out her term as governor. Then, she resigned midway througha move that didnt sit well with voters. She spent the next decade enjoying the trappings of her fame in the lower 48. Palin joined the national conservative commentariat, rebranded as a reality television host, and bought and sold several properties in Arizona. As she sought a more glamorous lifestyle than Alaska could provide, the state arm of the GOP went on without her. One of its rising stars was Begich, a scion of a prominent clan of Democrats who went against family political tradition and became a protege of the famed Republican Rep. Don Young, who held Alaskas sole seat in the House of Representatives for nearly 50 years. Advertisement The sign for the Scary Hot, Smoken Moose chili clarified that it was not THAT hot. In 2021, Begich announced his intent to primary his mentor, positioning himself as a more conservative alternative, an appealing option to many party leaders who thought the 88-year-old Young had stayed in Washington for too long. But then Young died before his term was upand what would have been a moderately contentious election became a raucous free-for-all. More than 40 other candidates, including Palin, jumped into the special-election race, competing to finish out the remainder of Youngs term. The Alaska GOP endorsed Begich, the only candidate who bothered to request the partys backing. To make things even messier, the special election marked the debut of a new ranked-choice voting system in Alaska. Under the new arrangement, candidates from all partiesor no party, evennow run together in an open primary. The top four vote-getters then move on to a general election in which voters rank the top four candidates in order of preference. (They can also choose to rank just one, two, or three candidates.) After the initial primary, in this summers special election, the four choices on the ballot were Palin, Begich, the Democrat Mary Peltola, and an independent candidate who eventually dropped out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republicans split the conservative vote. Peltola, who famously ran on a pro-fish platform, won with 40 percent of first-choice votes and enough second-choice votes to get her over the 50 percent threshold. Palin captured 31 percent of first-choice votes, beating Begich by about 3 points. Now, members of the Alaska GOP brass had another reason to resent Palin: Not only had she deserted Alaska to seek her fortune down in the states, but she came back to blow up what had potentially been an easy win for the GOP. Before Palin showed up, Begich was already in the race with a conservative platform, strong ties to Republican Party machinery, and a persona as palatable as Palins is divisive. When Palin swooped in, she won over the hardcore MAGA Republicans with her Trump endorsement, leaving Begich with a much narrower path to victory and allowing a particularly talented Democrat to take the seat. Advertisement In November, Palin has another chance to win her way to Washington. She is locked in a close race with Peltola and Begichalong with a different fourth candidate, this one a libertarianfor the next full term in Congress. Lest they lose to Peltola again in November, Republican officials and conservative influencers have been frantically beseeching right-leaning voters to rank the reda plea to rank both Palin and Begich on their ballots, regardless of their views, to prevail against Peltola. (The Democrat is still leading the polls.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Palmer chili cook-off was a chance for GOP officials to take a break from such election-season anxieties, at least on the surface. After reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, they chowed down on chicken chilis, moose chilis, beef chilis, green chilis, bean chilis, and one made from blackened salmon, topped with brown sugar. None were remotely spicy. Even the sign for the Scary Hot, Smoken Moose chili clarified that it was not THAT hot. Advertisement Mike Shower, a state senator running for reelection, competed in the cook-off with a moose-meat entry. Towering behind his slow cooker, Shower identified himself as the most conservative senator in Alaska and insisted diners accessorize his chili with sour cream and herbs. If you like cilantro, take a lot of cilantro. If you dont like cilantro, take a little bit of cilantro, he said. The next morning, Shower would co-host a rank the red voter-education seminar at a local church. But at the cook-off, he kept election chatter to a minimum, holding court with his constituents and insisting I attend a renowned annual fireworks display in a nearby town the following evening. In his journeys to more than 70 countries as a former Air Force pilot, Shower said, Ive never seen better fireworks than in Houston, Alaska. I felt shell-shocked when it was over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Begich made the rounds in a North Face jacket and jeans, radiating buoyant vibes and singing the green chicken chilis praises. He hadnt yet learned that he would come in third place (alas, last place) in the special election that week, but he was already focused on the rematch in November. Im running against a former VP nominee who was governor, who was endorsed by our former president in a state where he won by 10 points, and Im only down by 3. Thats amazing, he said. While both Begich and Palin are quite conservative, Palin has embraced the MAGA wing of the party as Begich has softened his messaging in a bid for voters in the middle. He has focused his campaign on pitching what he calls the business case for Alaska, with an aggressive approach to drilling and miningpopular positions in the state, even among some Democrats. And though he promotes himself to right-leaning audiences as anti-abortion, his campaign website does not mention the issue by name; it merely endorses a textualist, originalist interpretation of the Constitution. (Alaska is a solidly pro-choice state.) Begich said that Palin hadnt been putting in much face time during the campaign season, so he liked his chances of pulling ahead in November. If elected, he said, he hopes to serve long enough to develop the kind of seniority that made Young a legislative force, though he allowed that spending five decades in Congress is probably too long. Im 44 years old. So Ive got, pray to God, some actuarial runway here, Begich said. One of the highlights of the cook-off was a live auction, conducted by Ron Johnson, 72, an officer in the Alaska GOP. Artworks depicting wolves, moose, and beluga whalesall the heavy hitters of Alaskan faunawere up for sale. But the crown jewel of the event was a Congressional Club cookbook signed by Young. There were a few interested parties at the start, then a good-natured bidding war, and finally, going once, going twice, soldat $1,000, dripping with symbolismto our next congressman, Johnson boomed, Nick Begich! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sporting a sheriff badge on his gray blazer, Johnson told me hed like to see a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Because I have deep Christian beliefs, I believe the matter of life is up to God, from natural birth to natural death, he said. I mean, you know, I believe in capital punishment. But I believe that the taking of innocent lifeI believe thats what abortion is. He views Palin as a Johnny-come-lately, he said, someone who abandoned Alaska politics for the better part of a decade, only to make an opportunistic return when Youngs death left the congressional seat open. I dont know where Sarah Palins been, he said. Shes referred to the Republican Party as the corrupt bastards and the good old boys club. It was back when she was around. Where has she been in 10 years? There are several hundred of us who have reformed the Alaska Republican Party. We needed help. I needed help. Before he turned back to his chili, Johnson told me Palins daughter and his granddaughter used to play volleyball together. Over the course of the cook-off, I came to recognize this rhetorical movethe volunteering of a six-degrees-of-separation connection to Palinas a common accompaniment to criticism of the former Wasilla mayor. Youve only seen the celebrity, they seemed to say. We know Sarah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That familys been around this valley forever. Theyre great people. I love em, said Patrick McCollum, 65, of Palins clan. He has voted for Palin in the past but now believes she has too much baggage to be an effective congresswoman. When asked about Trumps endorsement of Palin, McCollum shrugged: We all make mistakes. Ive known Sarah since she was a little girl, said Edna DeVries, the mayor of Mat-Su Borough and former president of the womens group that hosted the chili cook-off. We feel Nick is more solid regardinghes not gonna be somebody whos gonna chase the headlines. DeVries said that this isnt the first time Palin has caused a rift among Republicans in her own backyard. When she accepted the vice-presidential nomination in 2008, some Alaskans objected, on the grounds that the then-governor should stay in Alaska and, well, govern. At the time, members of the Republican womens club in the Mat-Su Valley were divided on whether to encourage Palins bid for VP, so they splintered into two factions that continue to function independently of one another: The Valley Republican Women of Alaska, they of the chili cook-off, were in favor of Palins higher ambitions. The Mat-Su Republican Womens Club was not. Today, both groups favor Begich. Nick Begich could still win in November. And if he does, it will be due to one of the primary selling points of ranked-choice voting: The system is deliberately designed to elevate candidates who are not just popular with their partys base but whom the majority of all voters agree they can live with. Heres where things get a bit technical, so stay with me: If, in the special election, every conservative Alaska voter who ranked a Republican first on their ballot had ranked the other Republican second, a Republican would have won the special election. But thats not what they did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Begich came in third, so he was eliminated after the first round of counting in the special election. Then, his votes were redistributed to the voters second-choice candidates, only about half of which went to Palin. Another 29 percent of Begich voters had ranked Peltola second, giving her enough votes to exceed the 50 percent threshold needed to win. A full 21 percent of Begich voters didnt rank any candidates in the second-place slot. This failure of right-leaning voters to band together to get a Republican into office is partly the fault of the national GOP. Many conservative Alaskans distrust the new ranked-choice system and believe it was established to help Democrats steal the election, having bought into the GOPs narrative that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Republican leaders in the state have thrown themselves into voter education efforts to try to convince constituents to use the system anyway. But it has been a tough battle, and it didnt help that in the months leading up to the special election, Palin repeatedly railed against ranked-choice voting, encouraging voters to rank her alone and leave the rest of the ballot blank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, the fact that more than 1 in 4 Begich voters would rather have a Democrat in office than Palin is worth analyzing on its own. Alaska is one of the least partisan states in the country, with far more registered independents than Republicans and Democratsand though the state went for Trump by 15 points in 2016 and 10 points in 2020, most voters are not keen to follow the former presidents endorsement when it comes to the congressional race. (Alaskas idiosyncratic politics are also a function of the states reliance on federal aid, of which it receives the highest amount per capita, and the states intimate connection to federal policies on resource extraction, the military, and public lands. As one conservative power broker told me this summer, We like to think that were conservative, but Alaskans have never met an infrastructure bill that they didnt like.) Youve only seen the celebrity, they seemed to say. We know Sarah. Palin is a flawless archetype of the type of candidate that ranked-choice voting is built to disadvantage: a person who is fiercely loved but also fiercely despised, who may be able to squeak across the finish line with a plurality of votes, but who is too polarizing to achieve a majority. She retains a strong base of support among rank-and-file conservatives, and she is, again, popular among MAGA Republicans. (By way of explaining her interest in Palin, a woman waving a Palin sign on a street corner in Anchorage on the day of the special election told me, I know Trump supports her, and I support Trump.) But her sky-high unfavorability rating and near-total name recognition in Alaska meant she had little room to grow throughout the special election campaign. Alaska voters already knew what they thought of her, and a lot of them were unimpressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, a data analysis of the special election by FairVote found that, had Palin been eliminated first in the special election instead of Begich, only 6 percent of her supporters second-choice votes would have gone to Peltola. Begich would have won. As Begich put it during the cook-off: What we know from the polling data that weve seen, public and internal, is that if I finish second, I win. In the name of journalism, I sampled every single chili at the cook-off. But I opted out of the Wall of Guns. This event, a type of firearm raffle, was overseen by Sterling Cook, 43, the proprietor of a Wasilla gun store. He explained that if I purchased an additional $20 ticket, and my number was called, I could take my pick of a dozen or so pistols and rifles that were artfully zip-tied onto a vertical metal grate. (Of the congressional race, Cook confessed that he didnt know Palin well. I know her dad though. Her dads actually a gun person, he said.) I was fascinated by the concept of a Wall of Guns, having never seen anything like it. Is this just an Alaska thing, or? I asked one of Cooks employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He regarded me with what looked like a mixture of suspicion and pity. A Wall of Guns? No, they do them at all kinds of fundraisers, he said. Further betraying my naivete, I asked Cook if it was legal in Alaska to give a gun to any anonymous nogoodnik whod entered a raffle at a chili contest. He assured me that winners must visit the shop to undergo a standard background check before claiming their weapon. A few minutes after I slipped my voting ticket into the cup for the salmon chiliIm a sucker for a local delicacyI checked back to see if anyone else had voted for it. The ticket cup was empty. What happened to my vote? I asked my chosen chef, worried that it had been misplaced or fallen on the floor. He mumbled something about a few chefs pooling their tickets to help a certain contestant take home the trophy. Stunned by the blatant fraud and feeling cheated out of my role in this micro-democracy, I stumbled back to my seat. When all the votes were tallied, the winner of the rigged contestthe recipient of the secretly redistributed tickets, who, nonetheless, had whipped up an actually quite tasty moose chiliwas Shower, the state senator running for reelection. He received a trophy and a hat shaped like a chili pepper for his efforts. Wearing the hat with palpable pride, Shower told me that, a few years ago, he and several other Republicans asked Young to retire with enough time to pass on his know-how to a successor. I said, Were all afraid youre gonna die in office, and youre gonna take all that with you, Shower said. And thats exactly what happened. He paused. So it was a big loss for us. That was dangerous for us to let somebody stay in that seat so long. If Young had lived to endorse an heir to his seat, Republicans might have been united, rallying around a replacement. Instead, while a Democrat makes her mark in Congress, Begich and Palin are fighting it out to the finish. So who would the chili champion vote for in November? Ill tell you what I did, Shower said, seemingly poised to explain his ranking of the candidates. Then he paused. My campaign people are gonna be very upset if I say that, he said. So Ill keep that to myself for now. Tennessee starting safety Jaylen McCollough was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly assaulted a man at his apartment complex, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. McCollough was charged with aggravated felony assault on Sunday afternoon, per the report. His status with the team is unclear. We learned of it really late, Volunteers coach Josh Heupel said Monday, via the News Sentinel. When we gather more information, Ill have [an update] for you. Police said they responded to an apartment complex near Tennessees campus around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. A man that lives in that apartment complex said he was drinking with friends there when he briefly left to retrieve something from a car. When he returned, he said he accidentally entered the wrong building and ended up entering an apartment where McCollough was by mistake. Once the man realized the error, per the report, he said he apologized to McCollough and quickly left. Thats when the man said McCollough pursued him and became aggressive. The man said he apologized again and told McCollough that he didnt have to be an [expletive] about it. McCollough then allegedly punched the man in the face, knocking him backward down stairs and knocking him unconscious. Police said they found the man with a bloody, swollen mouth and missing teeth. McCollough had left when police arrived, per the report, and officials then spoke with his girlfriend at the complex. She called him back to the scene, and he reportedly arrived with a bloody bandage on his right hand. McCollough didnt answer any questions and was then arrested, per the report. The 21-year-old had seven total tackles in Tennessees 40-13 win over LSU on Saturday. He has 23 tackles so far this season, the fourth-most on the team. No. 6 Tennessee will host No. 3 Alabama on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. McCollough is the third Tennessee player to be arrested so far this season. Offensive lineman Savion Herring was dismissed from the program last month after he was charged with domestic assault, and linebacker William Mohan was arrested on domestic assault charges in August and then dismissed from the team. https://sputniknews.com/20221023/barred-from-elections-imran-khans-popularity-will-only-grow-further-analyst-says-1102550504.html Barred From Elections: Imran Khan's Popularity Will Only Grow Further, Analyst Says Barred From Elections: Imran Khan's Popularity Will Only Grow Further, Analyst Says Just days after securing a victory on six of the seven National Assembly seats contested in the October 16 by-polls, the former prime minister has been... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T14:02+0000 2022-10-23T14:02+0000 2022-10-23T16:00+0000 world pakistan imran khan politics elections asia & pacific /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/08/17/1099906411_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_9775d81e9d0f7c80f0bde29880e3bccf.jpg The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has barred former prime minister Imran Khan from contesting elections in the country for the time being. The sentence against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was passed on Friday by a five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan over his alleged failure to properly account for monetary proceeds from the sale of gifts he had received from foreign dignitaries while he was prime minister. The gifts were stored at the state gift repository, Toshakhana.The verdict also formally removes Khan from the National Assembly seat he had retained in 2018.The ex-PM challenged the verdict in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday, a day after the body barred him from holding public office for the time being.The announcement sent ripples across the legal and political circles of the country, with PTI party members and Khan's supporters flooding the streets to hold massive protests against the verdict.Khan himself has slammed the ECP following the verdict, describing the poll body as "part of the mafia" and vowing "to fight these thieves as long as I am alive."In an exclusive interview with Sputnik, Hamza Ghaznavi, a political analyst based in Toronto and co-founder of digital media production agency, ProperGaanda, shared his views on what this means for Pakistan's political landscape and what will happen next."The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced its verdict in the Toshakhana reference against PTI chief Imran Khan, disqualifying the former premier under Article 63-1(p) of the Constitution. It was brought forward by Sikander Sultan Raja, the head of ECP. The issue with this ruling is that the length of disqualification cannot be told exactly. The length of disqualification is determined by the High Court and that can include: three years of imprisonment or five years of not being allowed to run in the elections. However, it is most likely that Islamabad's High Court will overturn the decision," Ghaznavi told Sputnik.The election commission can only disqualify a person if he has been penalized by High Court or Supreme Court.However, Imran Khan has not been disqualified previously, due to that reason the current situation may be "deemed dubious and in my opinion will likely be overturned," the analyst added.Talking about Khan's strategy moving forward from this point on, Ghaznavi explained that the former prime minister has called off protests, but is moving towards announcing plans for the long march.During Saturday's press conference, Khan addressed the nation and said that he would announce the exact date for the long march coming Friday."That goes to show that Mr. Khan is not that worried and he has an idea that this ruling will be overturned," the analyst said.He further explained that while the ECPs findings in the Toshakhana case may not have been completely unexpected, the PTI seemed to have an idea of what was coming, given how persistently it had been assailing the commissions perceived partiality."When Imran Khan talks about 'higher powers' pointing towards Pindi, he repeatedly says that they were talking against him for quite some time and it is the same people who brought forward the recent ruling against him," Ghaznavi elaborated.As for the Toshakhana case, the analyst thinks it is not a "small case."The Toshakhana case against Khan started in August after the ruling members of the parliament alleged that the former prime minister had sold 52 gift items from the state gift repository at high prices in the open market. These gifts were received by Khan between 2018 and 2019 from various foreign dignitaries.However, it is worth pointing out that the 144 million allegation was made by Shehbaz Sharif, and the same numbers were also quoted by Fact Focus, but it has been denied by Imran Khan who called these allegations ill-founded and baseless.Ghaznavi further said that Imran Khan in most of his speeches, on multiple occasions, said that he doesn't take anything from the government."However, this case points out that his (Khans) humbleness is somewhat being questioned now, because for a country like Pakistan, 100 million is a big deal, so this case should be perceived seriously," the analyst added.Talking about Khan's current narrative, Ghaznavi told Sputnik that the former premier will continue to press for elections to take place as soon as possible.He also said that it is possible that now Khan will raise a few points against General Bajwa, although it is no denying that more cases might be brought against Khan as well."I think in terms of country wide strategy, politicians should sit down together and talk. They need to realize that in order to strengthen democracy in the country, in some situations all politicians must work together," ProperGaanda founder said.Looking at the future developments, the analyst added that the month of November will be crucial for Pakistan because the new army chief is set to come in.According to him, whenever a new army chief comes to power in Pakistan, he ultimately becomes involved in the political landscape, so nobody can really predict what the new army chief will do."We will just have to wait and see," concluded Ghaznavi.The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik. https://sputniknews.com/20221021/imran-khan-reportedly-issues-72-hour-container-ultimatum-to-party-workers-ahead-of-freedom-march-1102493847.html https://sputniknews.com/20221022/imran-khan-slams-pakistan-election-commission-mafia-after-being-barred-from-public-office-1102525890.html https://sputniknews.com/20221020/pakistans-imran-khan-appeals-for-probe-into-audio-leaks-from-pm-office-1102457896.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Aneela Rashid https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/0e/1100768477_0:338:606:944_100x100_80_0_0_af078d1bbaf1e33c21f16169e9ed7a5f.jpg Aneela Rashid https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/0e/1100768477_0:338:606:944_100x100_80_0_0_af078d1bbaf1e33c21f16169e9ed7a5f.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Aneela Rashid https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/0e/1100768477_0:338:606:944_100x100_80_0_0_af078d1bbaf1e33c21f16169e9ed7a5f.jpg pakistan, imran khan, politics, elections, asia & pacific https://sputniknews.com/20221023/bojo-sunak-hold-talks-on-a-joint-ticket-amid-tory-leadership-race--report-1102543336.html BoJo, Sunak Hold Talks on a Joint Ticket Amid Tory Leadership Race Report BoJo, Sunak Hold Talks on a Joint Ticket Amid Tory Leadership Race Report A new Tory leadership contest unfolds after British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation on Thursday, admitting that given the situation, she... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T07:32+0000 2022-10-23T07:32+0000 2022-10-23T07:32+0000 world uk boris johnson rishi sunak liz truss race leadership contest penny mordaunt europe /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/17/1102543026_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_e1517eaf60b541908bc784e23d4ce3b2.jpg Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak have conducted three-hour face-to-face talks amid rumors that they could clinch a deal, according to the Daily Mail.The two are the likely contenders in the race to become the UKs next prime minister and they have yet to declare themselves in the contest to succeed Liz Truss, who announced her resignation on Thursday.The talks followed BoJo cutting short a luxury stay in the Dominican Republic and returning home on Saturday in a bid to join the Tory leadership race as his allies argued that he was up for it.Also on Saturday, The Times quoted an unnamed cabinet source as saying that Sunak and House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt - who has already declared her desire to run - should unite to prevent Johnson from returning to Downing Street.In a separate development, Mordaunt made no mention of her own leadership bid in an article for Telegraph, instead stressing the need to consolidate everything we've worked for over the last decade.This apparently means that Mordaunt, who is now well behind her rivals, seeks to position herself the kingmaker in the leadership contest next week, according to the Daily Mail.Sunak is currently ahead in the race, with the public support of 128 MPs against Johnsons 53 and Mordaunts 23. On Saturday, the ex-Chancellor allies questioned claims by the Johnson camp that BoJo had secured the backing of the 100 Tory MPs needed to make it to the next stage of the Tory leadership contest. https://sputniknews.com/20221022/boris-johnson-secures-backing-of-100-conservative-lawmakers-to-run-for-office-reports-suggest-1102535675.html https://sputniknews.com/20221020/the-lettuce-won-truss-resignation-met-with-cheers--jeers-from-online-crowd-1102466087.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg uk, boris johnson, rishi sunak, liz truss, race, leadership, contest, penny mordaunt, europe https://sputniknews.com/20221023/children-with-cancer-watch-new-russian-satellite-carry-their-drawings-into-space-1102541533.html Children With Cancer Watch New Russian Satellite Carry Their Drawings Into Space Children With Cancer Watch New Russian Satellite Carry Their Drawings Into Space MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Over a dozen young cancer patients from ten different cities were invited to watch the launch of Russias new Skif-D communications... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T05:07+0000 2022-10-23T05:07+0000 2022-10-23T05:08+0000 russia space satellite cancer children drawings roscosmos russian federal space agency roscosmos /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/17/1102541382_0:18:3051:1734_1920x0_80_0_0_c20107b75c42be2af1b4005a8d106ac5.jpg "The launch of a spacecraft is always an exciting event for creators of space technology. The launch of a new spacecraft is double the excitement. For children whose drawings are featured on the elements of the new Skif-D spacecraft, the launch of this satellite is an event akin to magic," Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov told Sputnik.The Russian Skif-D satellite, the first orbital spacecraft from the Sfera (Sphere) multi-satellite orbital constellation, was launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome on October 22, at 22:57 Moscow time (19:57 GMT), using the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket. Skif-D was successfully put into orbit along with three Gonets-M communications satellites, according to Roscosmos.Earlier this month, Unity Foundation President Alena Kuzmenko told Sputnik that the drawings of around 100 children aged 2 to 17 who have cancer were placed on the plates installed inside and on the surface of the Skif-D spacecraft, as part of the "The Dream Satellite" project.Sergey Kud-Sverchkov explained that volunteers from the Unity charity foundation spent a year engaging young cancer patients in art therapy and collected the children's drawings, depicting their dreams.His wife Olga, an ambassador of the Unity foundation, said that the project involving young cancer patients was launched over a year ago and has given hope to children who have cancer, making their dreams come true."After all, somewhere out there, 24 metal plates with engravings of 150 drawings of little patients from Serbia, Zambia, Irkutsk, Lipetsk, Tambov, Tula and Chekhov are attached to the Skif-D communications satellite. It is symbolic that the drawings are attached precisely to the communications satellite and already at this very moment, traveling through the expanses of the universe, they broadcast the innermost childhood dreams into the universe," Olga said.Unity volunteers have visited cancer hospitals for children in 13 different Russian cities, as well as in Serbia and Zambia. Twenty children who participated in the art project were able to attend the Skif-D launch in person. They also visited the space museum in the city of Blagoveshchensk in Russias Amur region, as well as the Amur State University, which prepares specialists for the Vostochny cosmodrome. The children and their families were accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and his wife Olga during the Blagoveshchensk tour.Now, every participant in "The Dream Satellite" project can look up to the skies knowing that his or her drawing is somewhere far up above, revolving around the Earth. The Skif-D satellite will fly in space for about half a century, carefully keeping the children's dreams inscribed on it. https://sputniknews.com/20221013/roscosmos-unity-foundation-to-send-cancer-patients-drawings-into-space-on-sputnik-skif-d-1101824275.html https://sputniknews.com/20221022/russia-launches-rocket-with-first-satellite-of-sfera-orbital-constellation-1102538121.html space Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International space, satellite, cancer, children, drawings, roscosmos, russian federal space agency roscosmos https://sputniknews.com/20221023/chinas-xi-jinping-secures-third-term-as-head-of-communist-party-1102540799.html China's Xi Jinping Secures Third Term as Head of Communist Party China's Xi Jinping Secures Third Term as Head of Communist Party On Saturday, the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) wrapped up in Beijing. This was followed by the CPCs new Central Committee approving on... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T04:11+0000 2022-10-23T04:11+0000 2022-10-23T06:54+0000 world asia & pacific china communist party of china (cpc) xi jinping resolution /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/17/1102541025_0:16:3072:1744_1920x0_80_0_0_6a60909c34439022009cbe66131028c4.jpg Xi Jinping has been elected for a third term as head of the Communist Party of China (CPC), according to the decision of the CPC' Central Committee.He also secured a third term as Chairman of the Military Council of the CPC Central Committee, in what came after the 20th Congress of the CPC wrapped up on Saturday. On Sunday, the new Central Committee, consisting of 205 people, approved the Politburo of 25 people and the Standing Committee of the Politburo. The Standing Committee's new members include Li Qiang, Ding Xuexiang, Cai Qi, and Li Xi.Speaking to reporters after securing his third term, Xi Jinping for his part underscored that China and the world need each other. Xi insisted that the CPC is capable of performing new and greater miracles during a new march into a new era. He urged the party to strengthen its historical confidence and initiative, as well as fight boldly and achieve victories.Thank you all for this. I urge you to travel more across China, and speak objectively about the country and the CPC, Xi added.The remarks came after the Chinese president declared the 20th Congress of the CPC closed on Saturday. The delegates unanimously approved a resolution on the report of the CPC Central Committee of the 19th convocation, a resolution on the report on the work of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the 19th convocation and a resolution on amendments to the party charter. https://sputniknews.com/20221022/cpc-congress-agrees-to-boost-armed-forces-prevent-taiwan-independence-1102535292.html https://sputniknews.com/20221015/china-to-guarantee-own-food-and-energy-security-cpc-congress-spokesperson-says-1101881030.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg asia & pacific, china, communist party of china (cpc), xi jinping, resolution https://sputniknews.com/20221023/dprk-says-it-opened-fire-with-grenade-launchers-in-response-to-shots-from-south-korea---reports-1102559127.html DPRK Says it Opened Fire With Grenade Launchers in Response to Shots From South Korea - Reports DPRK Says it Opened Fire With Grenade Launchers in Response to Shots From South Korea - Reports South Korea says it fired warning shots at a North Korean boat that crossed the maritime border between the two countries. North Korea said it responded with... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T21:30+0000 2022-10-23T21:30+0000 2022-10-23T22:07+0000 world asia & pacific north korea south korea rocket launcher /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/102596/04/1025960494_0:105:2133:1305_1920x0_80_0_0_1639d8e3c71935c3c6cdf9db6db4e1b5.jpg The North Korean retaliatory shots came around 5:15 am, a little less than an hour and a half after South Korea says it shot its warning shots at 3:42 a.m. local time on Monday. North Korea fired ten shots from a rocket launcher, according to Reuters. North Korean state media claimed South Korea fired "10 shells of multiple rocket launchers in the frontline zone."According to South Koreas Joint Chief of Staff, it sent back a North Korean merchant vessel that had passed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the unofficial sea border between the two nations.South Korea maintains that a North Korean commercial vessel was the first to cross the sea border, the South Korean Yonhap news agency said. Meanwhile, the North Korean military said that a South Korean warship violated the western sea border around the same time.No casualties or injuries have been reported.On October 19, North Korea accused South Korea of military provocation during its military drills by firing rockets near Cholwon County in the South Kangwon Province. Those alleged actions have not been confirmed by the South Korean government. North Korea said units in the area were ordered to fire retaliatory warning shots. It is not known if the shots on Monday were related to this order.Tensions have been rising in the area after North Korea conducted multiple missile tests, including one that landed in Japanese waters last month. The United States and South Korea then held military drills in the area and US Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Korea a week later. Pyongyang condemned the military drills, calling them provocative. https://sputniknews.com/20221014/north-korea-retaliates-seouls-provocations-near-forward-defense-area-state-media-report-1101833951.html south korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ian DeMartino Ian DeMartino News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ian DeMartino asia & pacific, north korea, south korea, rocket launcher https://sputniknews.com/20221023/erdogan-lauds-turkey-turning-into-major-international-gas-hub-1102545465.html Erdogan Lauds Turkey Turning Into Major International Gas Hub Erdogan Lauds Turkey Turning Into Major International Gas Hub ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey is turning into a major gas hub that foreign countries rely on thanks to its balanced policy on the Ukrainian conflict, President... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T09:53+0000 2022-10-23T09:53+0000 2022-10-23T09:53+0000 world turkey gas russia recep tayyip erdogan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103758/96/1037589646_0:37:3774:2160_1920x0_80_0_0_4a9ddb4334303bb93ca449f5ddd81eb8.jpg Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow could redirect gas transit from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines to Turkey and later discussed this initiative with Erdogan. The two leaders instructed relevant institutions to quickly work out the details.The president noted that "foreign countries pin their hopes on Turkey as it is turning into a major gas hub."The start of hostilities in Ukraine in February exacerbated the energy crisis unfolding in Europe over the past year. Disruptions in logistical and financial operations due to the crisis and Western sanctions against Russia have undermined supply chains and led to a spike in energy prices worldwide, pushing many European governments to resort to contingency measures. turkey russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International turkey, gas, russia, recep tayyip erdogan https://sputniknews.com/20221023/ex-president-sarkozy-says-european-commission-exceeds-mandate-by-meddling-in-ukraine-arms-supplies-1102549462.html Ex-President Sarkozy: EU Commission Exceeds Mandate by Meddling in Ukraine Arms Supplies Ex-President Sarkozy: EU Commission Exceeds Mandate by Meddling in Ukraine Arms Supplies PARIS, October 23 (Sputnik) - Issues of foreign policy and arms supplies to Ukraine go beyond the mandate of the European Commission, which is primarily a... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T12:55+0000 2022-10-23T12:55+0000 2022-11-03T19:29+0000 world eu europe ukraine nicolas sarkozy france /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103491/53/1034915339_0:24:1024:600_1920x0_80_0_0_5d3aff18e4ae33acf9c5e549a22b5791.jpg The EU must be careful not to foment military escalation in Ukraine, Sarkozy said.The European Commission's president said on Friday that the EU intended to continue financing Ukraine in 2023, planning to allocate up to 18 billion euros ($17.7 billion).While European countries have claimed that they are not a party to the conflict in Ukraine, the EU has been delivering weapons and providing funds for the Kiev regime. Moscow has repeatedly rebuked western countries for their hypocrisy, warning that their military supplies to Kiev only prolong the conflict. eu ukraine france Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International eu, europe, ukraine, nicolas sarkozy, france https://sputniknews.com/20221023/is-your-country-training-ukrainian-soldiers--1102500655.html Is Your Country Training Ukrainian Soldiers? Is Your Country Training Ukrainian Soldiers? Western nations began to train Ukrainian troops long before Russia launched a military operation. The US has been doing so for quite a while, with other countries following suit. Here is a closer look into the notorious list. 2022-10-23T15:26+0000 2022-10-23T15:26+0000 2022-10-27T04:48+0000 ukraine russia army special operation russia's special operation in ukraine soldiers us canada poland germany /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/17/1102549603_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_8e11495891423e624e8e59aee32d5512.jpg Despite the Wests incessant flow of money, weapons and military packages to Kiev, the US and its allies do not think twice before insisting that they are not parts of the Ukraine conflict, allegations which Russia says hold no water.Moscow has repeatedly blasted the West over "recklessly investing in protracting hostilities" in Ukraine by supplying arms to the Kiev regime. Following the latest decision by the EU to funnel additional millions of euros in military assistance to Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed Brussels for allocating more money to "train and equip Ukrainian militants with deadly weapons which will continue to destroy civilians, destroy civilian and critical infrastructure".Who Sends Instructors to Train Ukrainian Soldiers?Information published on the US State Department website earlier in October revealed that Washington has been involved in providing Kiev with military training-related assistance since 2014.A year later, the UK military sent military instructors to eastern Ukraine, where local forces were taught first aid and defensive tactics.Apart from the US and the UK, other countries which trained the Ukrainian Army include:Where are Ukrainian Forces Being Trained?Prior to Moscow kicking off its military operation in Ukraine, the Pentagon, joined by some of its allies, carried out some training sessions on Ukrainian soil. Following that, the US Department of Defense relocated its instructors to Germany and several unspecified areas in Europe, DoD officials confirmed last month.In September, head of the US Special Operations Command Europe Steven Edwards argued that US special forces involved in training Ukrainian soldiers had been pulled out of Ukraine after February 24.Edwards added that the US had shifted to a system in which military instructors conduct remote training alongside partners and allies.Earlier this year, the UK started to host scores of military instructors from an array of countries, including Canada, Sweden and Finland.Their deployment came in sync with an initiative encouraged last summer by then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who stressed the necessity of training about 10,000 Ukrainian troops within at least four months.At the time, BoJo urged members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to join his initiative. The JEF was formed in 2014 and currently consists of:Johnson likewise confirmed that aside from the UK, Poland would also host Ukrainian forces who would be trained to use anti-aircraft equipment, among other tasks.In one of the latest moves, EU countries agreed earlier in October to train 15,000 Ukrainian military personnel in the blocs various member states as part of its so-called Military Assistance Mission. Its headquarters is to be located in Brussels, and Admiral Herve Blejean, the director of the EEAS Military Planning and Conduct Capability, is set to be mission commander.Similarly, French Armies Minister Sebastien Lecornu pledged that his country would provide training to about 2,000 Ukrainian troops. Hungarys Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, however, said that Budapest will not participate in this training mission.Are There Foreign Instructors in Ukraine?The West currently remains mum on the issue of foreign instructors based in Ukraine.However, a number of military training centers in the country have been destroyed since late February.In June, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a news briefing that the Russian military had destroyed an artillery training center of the Ukrainian Armed Force, in which foreign mercenaries taught local soldiers to handle the US-made 155mm M777 howitzers. He added that high-precision air-launched missiles hit the training center near Stetskovka in the Sumy region.According to Russian media, there were up to 50 NATO instructors in Ukraine last year from the US, the UK, Canada, Denmark, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, who also trained Ukrainian troops in previous years under the US-run program JMTG-U (Joint Multinational Training Group Ukraine).How Are Trainings Conducted?Sputnik estimates that foreign training programs for Ukrainian soldiers, in particular, stipulate that troops are drilled in the implementation of the following tasks:Before Moscow started its operation in Ukraine, foreign instructors were involved in preparing sabotage groups and sappers there. They also trained Ukrainian soldiers to conduct sniper work and fire adjustment, specifically focusing on things like disguising explosive devices as household items.As far as the US is concerned, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in May about training sessions for Ukrainian troops that take place in Germany and other key areas. He declined to elaborate.Kirby said that the US had begun teaching the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use key weapons systems at US military bases in Germany.According to him, the training process includes the use of advanced artillery equipment, as well as new radar stations and armored vehicles that Washington supplies to Kiev.The remarks were preceded by The Hill citing unnamed Pentagon sources as saying that 20 Ukrainian soldiers had completed a weeklong training course in the US in how to use Phoenix Ghost loitering ammunition.In the UK, training sessions are conducted in line with Britains basic infantry training and comprise a number of tasks, according to the countrys Defense Ministry:The courses advanced training includes:How Much Does Training Ukraines Troops Cost?Washington and its allies inject hefty sums into providing Kiev with military assistance. Pentagon official Joseph Hilbert told reporters in September that the US pumped about $126 million to train more than 23,000 Ukrainians troops at the Yavorov military base in western Ukraine in 2015. Subsequent years saw the US military aid to Ukraine, including training projects, increase significantly, and in 2022, the Pentagon provided $950 million in security assistance to Kiev, according to Department of Defense officials.For now, the US is the biggest provider of military assistance to Kiev, having funneled a whopping $16.8 billion since February. On Washingtons heels is the UK, with 2.3 billion ($2.6 billion) in military support, including training programs designed specifically for Ukraine according to the UK parliaments website.The program, which is backed by a host of UK allies, including Sweden, Finland and Canada, stipulates training 10,000 Ukrainian military personnel within four months.The newspaper El Pais has, meanwhile, reported that military instructors from Spain will drill several hundred Ukrainian troops on Spanish territory as part of the new EU training mission, a program that is expected to cost about 106 million ($103 million).Who is Sending Troops to Ukraine?Western countries continue to insist that they do not send their troops to Ukraine within the framework of the military assistance to Kiev.At the same time, thousands of foreign mercenaries continue to fight Russian troops in Ukraine, with Russias Defense Ministry warning that they are all subject to criminal liability.The Russian Defence Ministry also estimated that the number of mercenaries in Ukraine had decreased from about 6,600 to less than 2,200. As of August, some 2,682 mercenaries had been destroyed by Russian forces and around 2,408 were left in Ukraine, according to the ministry's estimates.The Russian MoD previously said that mercenaries come to Ukraine from all across the world and mostly include residents of Poland, Canada and the US. Those from the UK, Romania, and Georgia also act as soldiers of fortune in the territory of Russias immediate neighbor.How Big is Ukraines Army?Kievs Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov estimated this past summer that the number of Ukrainian troops stood at more than a million, and was comprised of:He declined to elaborate whether the figure includes those who were enlisted in the Ukrainian Army following full draft that was announced by authorities shortly after Russias military operation started. https://sputniknews.com/20220905/uk-expands-its-program-to-train-ukrainian-citizen-soldiers-amid-russian-special-operation-1100379865.html https://sputniknews.com/20221023/ex-president-sarkozy-says-european-commission-exceeds-mandate-by-meddling-in-ukraine-arms-supplies-1102549462.html ukraine russia canada poland germany Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg ukrainian soldiers training, who is training ukrainian soldiers, ukraine military aid, western military aid to ukraine, what countries train ukrainian soldiers, instructors to train ukrainian troops, is us training ukrainian soldiers, https://sputniknews.com/20221023/kim-jong-un-congratulates-chinas-xi-on-reelection-for-third-term-1102549206.html Kim Jong-un Congratulates China's Xi on Reelection for Third Term Kim Jong-un Congratulates China's Xi on Reelection for Third Term SEOUL (Sputnik) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has congratulated Xi Jinping on his reelection as General Secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T12:39+0000 2022-10-23T12:39+0000 2022-10-23T12:39+0000 world china democratic republic of north korea (dprk) xi jinping kim jong-un communist party of china (cpc) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/106553/20/1065532002_0:89:2587:1544_1920x0_80_0_0_90c126d632a22e7dfcd34e717b18c612.jpg Xi's reelection for a third term marked an "epochal milestone" for China and its population, the North Korean leader noted, expressing his hope that Pyongyang and Beijing would further bolster relations. Kim promised to shape "a beautiful future" of bilateral ties and drive the socialist cause in both countries.Earlier on Sunday, Xi was elected for a third term as CCP General Secretary and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) by the 20th Congress of the CCP.The first plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP appointed other senior leadership of the party members of the Politburo and its Standing Committee which will lead the country in the next five years. china democratic republic of north korea (dprk) Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International china, democratic republic of north korea (dprk), xi jinping, kim jong-un, communist party of china (cpc) https://sputniknews.com/20221023/pollster-high-odds-for-gop-taking-both-congress-chambers-in-2022-oval-office-in-2024-1102557232.html Pollster: High Odds of GOP Taking Both Congress Chambers in 2022, Oval Office in 2024 Pollster: High Odds of GOP Taking Both Congress Chambers in 2022, Oval Office in 2024 Democrats should brace themselves for a "mene-tekel-upharsin" moment during the November midterms. Poll numbers and trends rule out a potential Blue wave this... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T18:33+0000 2022-10-23T18:33+0000 2022-10-23T18:39+0000 americas us opinion poll republicans democrats joe biden donald trump kamala harris 2022 us midterms /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/104264/83/1042648346_0:219:4256:2613_1920x0_80_0_0_12a4ce1bbbf4757161e561206ce79637.jpg A number of polling and non-polling metrics indicate that Democrats are set to lose their slim majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, concluded US pollster Democracy Institute. What's more, a plurality of voters say Democrats represent the wealthy elite, whereas a majority say Republicans representing ordinary people, according to the pollster's head, Patrick Basham.Sputnik: In your article for Chronicles Magazine you projected a 44-seat gain in the House of Representatives for the Republicans. What's your prognosis for the Senate? What are the GOP's odds of taking the upper chamber?Patrick Basham: We are currently projecting that the Republicans will win the Senate. I think the Republicans have a 75 percent chance of gaining a majority of the seats in the upper chamber. We expect the Republicans to hold all of the seats they are currently defending, including the most competitive of those seats, such as Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. We think incumbent Senator Ron Johnson will be reelected in Wisconsin, JD Vance will win the open Republican Senate seat in Ohio, and Dr. Mehmet Oz will win the open Republican Senate seat in Pennsylvania.It is possible that the Republicans may win one to three more seats than we are currently projecting. Republican candidates are currently running surprisingly competitive campaigns in New Hampshire and in Democratic strongholds of Colorado and Washington state. Although currently we do not project any of these three states to elect a Republican senator this year, it is certainly possible. Should the very good election for the Republicans we are expecting become an extremely good election for the Republicans, it would not be a shock if the Democrats lost one or more of these safe Senate seats.Sputnik: If the GOP takes the House, will they launch impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden, in your opinion? Would it be a reasonable move if the Senate still remains in the Dems' hands? Would it be reasonable to oust Biden given that Vice President Kamala Harris would fill his shoes in the case that the GOP impeachment succeeds?Patrick Basham: I expect a Republican-controlled House to initiate impeachment proceedings against Biden. The Republicans will see the impeachment effort as a reasonable response to Bidens disastrous, arguably corrupt, presidency, and as political revenge for the Democrats two efforts to remove Trump from office via impeachment.Although the Republicans will be able to pass an impeachment vote in the House against Biden, it is highly unlikely that the Senate, where the trial of Biden would take place, would vote to convict him, as the Republican majority will fall far short of the numbers required for conviction.The Republicans face a dilemma regarding their pursuit of Bidens removal of office. As Bidens removal probably results in the ascension of Harris to the presidency, the Republicans would be responsible for putting in the Oval Office someone who they would expect to be an even worse president than Biden. The Republicans would argue a Harris presidency would equate to short term pain for long term gain. They believe, correctly, that 18 months of a Harris presidency would further erode her public support. Subsequently, Republicans expect that Harris would be a weaker presidential candidate than Biden in 2024, which is a logical expectation based upon our polling of the potential 2024 presidential match-ups.Sputnik: How would the GOP-controlled (or semi-controlled) Congress and the Dems-controlled US administrations solve the pressing economic, social and political issues given that they pursue opposite agendas? Could it result in a deeper crisis? Or could Congress force the Biden administration to reverse its course and take a more moderate approach?Patrick Basham: A Republican-led Congress matched with a Democratic presidency will not solve any of the pressing issues plaguing America. That is the bad news. The good news is that, while the Republicans will not be able to maneuver any of their major policy prescriptions around Bidens veto pen, they will be able to put a stop to the ill-advised legislation that has been the Democrats specialty since January 2021. The net result will be a state of policy limbo until the 2024 presidential and congressional elections at the earliest.Sputnik: What's your prognosis on the socio-economic situation in the US ahead of the 2024 presidential race? What are the odds of the majority of the US population voting Republican in 2024? Under what circumstances would the GOP have an advantage over the Dems?Patrick Basham: Between now and the 2024 presidential race I expect Americas socio-economic situation to get worse, not better. It will take sensible policies supported by a large majority of Congress and the presidency to begin to rescue America from her current domestic and foreign policy troubles. Regrettably, that is highly unlikely to occur.If the Republicans nominate Donald Trump as their next presidential candidate, our polling shows there is an excellent chance that not only Trump defeats his most likely Democratic opponents but he wins a majority of the popular vote, too. Two years from now, economic and social conditions in America may be so dire that any Republican candidate may comfortably defeat Biden, Harris, or whomever the Democrats nominate as their candidate. However, currently it is only Trump who is in position to almost guarantee that outcome. https://sputniknews.com/20220913/why-bidens-latest-approval-rating-surge-may-be-just-a-mirage-1100736386.html https://sputniknews.com/20221021/democrats-fret-over-polls-showing-once-solidly-blue-states-at-risk-of-flipping-to-gop-1102510059.html https://sputniknews.com/20221020/laptop-from-hell-watchdog-says-hunter-biden--partners-committed-459-legal-violations-1102470869.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova us, opinion, poll, republicans, democrats, joe biden, donald trump, kamala harris, 2024 us presidential elections https://sputniknews.com/20221023/presence-of-russian-military-instructors-is-something-car-always-wanted-parliament-speaker-says-1102540675.html Presence of Russian Military Instructors 'is Something CAR Always Wanted,' Parliament Speaker Says Presence of Russian Military Instructors 'is Something CAR Always Wanted,' Parliament Speaker Says MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The presence of Russian military instructors in the Central African Republic (CAR) is beneficial for the country and they will remain until... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T04:07+0000 2022-10-23T04:07+0000 2022-11-14T12:17+0000 africa central african republic russia military instructors africa insight central africa /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/0f/1101870718_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_6949b2288b87a576f01e05c3818276e9.jpg "The fact that Russian military instructors come to the Central African Republic is something we have always wanted. If they come to train our military, it only benefits the CAR," Sarandji said, adding that "It is true that there are foreign military personnel in the CAR, but they will not stay here forever. They are here for a certain time and will leave our country at some point, as soon as the security problems are completely resolved."In August, Alexander Ivanov, the Head of the Officers Union for International Security, said that Moscow was going to ramp up the number of Russian instructors in the law enforcement agencies of the CAR upon the request of the country's leadership.At the time, Ivanov expressed confidence that said request was a testament to the effectiveness of Russian instructors, as they succeeded in training the armed forces and helped the army to plan operations and tactical moves. Thanks to these efforts, the rebels were defeated, with the government fully controlling the territory of the nation, the OUIS director stressed.Sarandji also expressed gratitude to Russia for its continued support of international efforts to lift the United Nations arms embargo against the CAR.The UN arms embargo on the CAR has been in effect since 2013 when a civil war broke out between the government and various armed rebel groups. In addition to Russia, the countries seeking the lifting of CAR arms embargo include China, Gabon, Ghana and Kenya.The African nation was plunged into a security crisis after a coup in 2013, followed by violence between Muslim-majority Seleka and Christian Anti-Balaka fighters. The government and the leaders of 14 armed groups signed a peace deal in February 2019 to put an end to the fighting. In February 2022, the CAR ambassador to Russia, Leon Dodonou-Pounagaza, told Sputnik that the government controls around 95% of the countrys territory, but rebels in some areas were still resisting the official authorities.In early 2018, Russia sent its first military instructors to the CAR at the request of the government. As of February 2022, a total of 1,135 Russian instructors were operating in the country, training military personnel of the CAR army. Moscow says that Russian representatives are not involved in hostilities and were deployed in the CAR with the notification of the UN Security Council.CAR Supports RussiaThe Central African Republic understands and supports Russia in the current situation, there is no misunderstanding between the leaders of the two countries, and relations are developing at a high level, Sarandji told Sputnik.The politician stressed that the high level of relations between the presidents of the two countries contributes to the quality of bilateral relations."I have to note the high level of relations between our presidents there are no misunderstandings between them, and our peoples can only benefit from this. Our countries support each other on the global arena, the situation in our relations is very good, cooperation is developing," Sarandji added.Earlier this month, the CAR, among other countries, abstained from voting on a resolution against Russia in the UN General Assembly that does not recognize referendums in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Observers from the CAR were also present at referendums in the new regions of Russia.CAR Ready to Cooperate With Russia on Resource Exports, AgricultureThe CAR and Russia need to develop economic cooperation, the republic needs investments in the production sector of the economy and is prepared to cooperate with Russia in the export of resources, agriculture, and trade, Sarandji told Sputnik."We need investments in the production sector of the economy. The security situation in the country is improving, so the time has come to move on to the development of other areas of cooperation the export of our resources, support for agriculture and farming, trade," Sarandji said.The politician explained that he discussed this issue at a meeting with the president of the Russian Chamber of commerce and industry (CCI), Sergey Katyrin, who proposed to conclude a partnership with the CCI of the CAR to intensify business contacts.CAR Prime Minister Felix Moloua told Sputnik in June that Bangui was discussing with Moscow energy, technology and transport cooperation. https://sputniknews.com/20221011/as-france-prepares-to-leave-car-expert-recalls-how-abuse-scandals-tarnished-relations-1101736106.html https://sputniknews.com/20221007/car-investigating-reports-us-embassy-personnel-traveled-200-km-to-illegally-film-army-base-1101622796.html africa central african republic russia central africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International central african republic, russia, military instructors, africa insight, central africa . If you do not agree with the blocking, please use the Access to the chat has been blocked for violating the rules . You will be able to participate again through:. If you do not agree with the blocking, please use the feedback form The discussion is closed. You can participate in the discussion within 24 hours after the publication of the article. https://sputniknews.com/20221023/shooting-at-medical-center-in-texas-results-in-two-dead-suspect-in-custody---reports-1102539568.html Shooting at Medical Center in Texas Results in Two Dead, Suspect in Custody - Reports Shooting at Medical Center in Texas Results in Two Dead, Suspect in Custody - Reports WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A gunman has shot and killed two employees of Methodist Dallas Medical Center, located southwest of downtown Dallas, Texas, NBC News... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T00:08+0000 2022-10-23T00:08+0000 2022-10-23T01:12+0000 americas us texas dallas shooting /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/01/19/1081869502_0:139:1920:1219_1920x0_80_0_0_2fe5191d293640bed04f1ff69b830a53.jpg The shooting occurred at around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday (16:00 GMT).Charley Wilkison, the CEO of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), said on social media that the suspect shot two maternity ward nurses."111th @CLEAT Critical Incident, OIS [officer-involved shooting], Dallas Methodist Hospital. Suspect shot two maternity ward nurses. Officer heard shots, saw suspect w/gun, fired one round, suspect hit. Officer OK! Staff Atty Ben Casey responded to OIS," Wilkison said.A Methodist Health System police officer confronted and shot the suspect, who is now in custody, according to hospital officials.The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International us, texas, dallas, shooting https://sputniknews.com/20221023/slovenia-opens-polls-for-presidential-election-1102544097.html Slovenia Opens Polls for Presidential Election Slovenia Opens Polls for Presidential Election BELGRADE (Sputnik) - Slovenia opened polling stations for presidential elections, with 1.7 million people being eligible to vote, the national election... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T07:38+0000 2022-10-23T07:38+0000 2022-10-23T07:38+0000 world slovenia election /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/104251/29/1042512970_0:97:1024:673_1920x0_80_0_0_7e13d632297dcd0ce1b1fbdc75c0e465.jpg Parliamentary and municipal elections have already been held in Slovenia in 2022. Robert Golob the former head of an energy trading company, led the green-liberal Freedom Movement Party to victory against the right-wing Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Janez Jansa during parliamentary elections in April. Jansa was one of the initiators and participants of Slovenia's secession from Yugoslavia in 1991 and an ardent supporter of Kiev during the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.Five men and two women are among the candidates for the post of head of state. The incumbent Slovenian President, Borut Pahor, has served two terms in office and cannot be elected for a third term, according to the constitution.According to the national election commission, 1,696,893 citizens have the right to vote. The projected second round of voting will take place on November 13.The Slovenian President has mostly ceremonial powers, additionally he proclaims laws approved by parliament, appointments to certain posts, including the judges of the constitutional court, the head of the central Bank and ambassadors, and also sets the date of elections to the lower house of Parliament. slovenia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International slovenia, election https://sputniknews.com/20221023/somalian-security-forces-neutralize-all-militants-involved-in-hotel-siege---reports-1102558448.html Somalian Security Forces Neutralize All Militants Involved in Hotel Siege - Reports Somalian Security Forces Neutralize All Militants Involved in Hotel Siege - Reports MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Somalian security forces have neutralized all militants who were laying siege to a hotel in the port city of Kismayo, the Somali National... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T19:38+0000 2022-10-23T19:38+0000 2022-11-14T12:16+0000 africa somalia kismayo militants east africa /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/08/1a/1100019263_0:285:3072:2013_1920x0_80_0_0_dcdc2bb65f33ce0a45f2fa951a027c68.jpg Earlier in the day, Somalian media reported that a group of militants started the siege of Tawakal Hotel, a popular meeting place for government officials, by detonating a car bomb. The siege reportedly left five people dead.According to the SONNA, the civilians trapped inside the hotel were rescued. No casualties among the security forces have been reported so far.Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda*, has claimed the responsibility for the blast. The radical group has been waging an armed insurgency against the government of Somalia for years and controls large areas in the southern and central parts of the country.*a terrorist organization, banned in Russia africa somalia kismayo east africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International somalia, kismayo, militants, east africa https://sputniknews.com/20221023/us--nato-raising-stakes-in-ukraine-may-end-in-nuclear-havoc-observers-warn-1102554843.html US & NATO Raising Stakes in Ukraine May End In Nuclear Havoc, Observers Warn US & NATO Raising Stakes in Ukraine May End In Nuclear Havoc, Observers Warn The US Army's 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed the "Screaming Eagles," has been deployed in Romania to engage in war games just miles from Ukraine's border... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T15:42+0000 2022-10-23T15:42+0000 2022-10-23T15:42+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine us opinion russia ukraine special operation germany air defense weapons nuclear weapons /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103363/78/1033637879_0:171:3600:2196_1920x0_80_0_0_6797d2912426cd3e67203359479bc16e.jpg "President Biden said many times that US troops are not going to get involved in Ukraine. Unfortunately such statements are worthless because history has shown the US does not abide by its commitments and promises," said Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and author. "For example, the US promised to not expand NATO. They did, right up to Russia's border. The US committed to the JCPOA agreement with Iran. President Trump tore up the agreement. President Obama promised there would be No US boots on the ground in Syria. US troops have been there since 2015, stealing the oil from Syria. The US reneged on all these commitments."About 4,700 soldiers from the US Army's 101st Airborne Division have been dispatched by the Pentagon with heavy equipment to strengthen NATO's eastern flank amid the Russian special operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. Speaking to CBS News, "Screaming Eagles" commanders claimed that the division is "fully prepared to cross the border into Ukraine" if "the fighting escalates" or "there's any attack on NATO."It's All About Bleeding Russia WhiteIn late March, Moscow and Kiev managed to strike a preliminary compromise in Istanbul. Unexpectedly the Ukrainian leadership backpedalled on its peace commitments despite Russia voluntarily withdrawing its forces from the Kiev region. Kiev's change of heart was accompanied by the Bucha hoax and western vows to significantly step up the arming of Ukraine in order to bleed Russia white. "We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine," claimed US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on April 25.However, Austin was not the first US politician to talk about Ukraine as a tool for weakening Russia. On March 1, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew a parallel between the Ukraine conflict and the USSR's involvement in Kabul's conflict with Mujahideen in Afghanistan in 1979-89. Clinton hailed the Reagan administration for arming Afghan jihadists and suggested that if Ukraine is supplied with sufficient armaments for a long period of time, this would eventually weaken Russia and drive it out. "We have to provide sufficient military armaments for the Ukraine military and volunteers, and we have to keep tightening the screws," insisted the former secretary of state on Twitter. However, netizens reminded Hillary that arming Mujahideen in Afghanistan did not end well for the US.Wiesbaden Command & European Sky Shield InitiativeAnother sign of the US and its NATO allies planning to drag on the Ukraine conflict as long as possible is the reported establishment of a new US-led command in Wiesbaden, Germany, to streamline training and arms to Ukraine. Likewise, the NATO-backed development of a common EU air defense system dubbed European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) is aimed at strengthening Europe's "deterrence and defense", citing a potential "threat" from Russia.He pointed out that there has also been "an unprecedented expansion of NATO along its northern flank, where erstwhile neutral Sweden and Finland are in the process of joining the alliance.""Swedens purchase of surface-to-air launched cruise missiles and Finlands $9.4 billion purchase of 64 cutting-edge United States F-35 fighter jets would significantly improve NATOs air defense and attack capabilities. With 1,500 artillery and rocket systems, Finland has one of Europes strongest artillery forces that is crucial to modern warfare," he said.Rao has drawn attention to the fact that the conflict in Ukraine is de facto a proxy war between Russia and the West, adding that the escalation started almost eight years ago."It should be noted that the CIA and allies have been training Ukrainians for a long-drawn insurgency against Russia since 2014," the Indian scholar pointed out.The US and NATO have been pumping Ukraine with weapons, sending military instructors and training Ukrainian service personnel. According to the White House, the US overall military assistance to Kiev has totaled more than $19.6 billion since 2014, when the US-backed coup was carried out.The US military appears to have been collecting information about Russia's tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) since 2014, as a peculiar Twitter exchange between The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe and former CIA agent Marc Polymeropoulos indicated in April 2022. After Lamothe cited a US general bragging about the Pentagon getting a "bonanza of information about Russian 'tactics and procedures' by watching 'how they performed in combat'" since the beginning of the February 24 special operation, Polymeropoulos pointed out that the US Intelligence Community (IC) had amassed "tons" of information about Russia's military since 2014. "It was an 8 year lab experiment on Russian TTPs [tactics, techniques, and procedures]. On EW [electronic warfare]. On everything. This is why Ukrainians (with our advice/assist) [are] doing so well," he wrote.However, the Pentagon's military adventurism in Ukraine is fraught with severe risks of igniting nothing short of the third world war, according to Sterling and Rao, who also warned about the possibility of a nuclear escalation.Washington's Nuclear Rhetoric and Possible False FlagTo complicate matters further, Washington has circulated the narrative of Moscow resorting to nuclear strikes "out of despair" from the outset of the special military operation.The Biden administration misinterpreted Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning against using nuclear tactical weapons by the West in his September 21 address to evoke the idea of Russia's alleged "nuclear" blackmailing. On September 25, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan threatened Moscow of "catastrophic consequences" should it use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, even though Russia's nuclear doctrine explicitly rules out the first strike strategy.Its very important that Moscow hears from us and knows from us that the consequences would be horrific. Weve made that very clear," claimed Blinken.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for nothing short of a preventive nuclear strike on Russia, thus raising the stakes higher.Apparently exploiting the Gulf War PR playbook, the US is depicting Russia is a loose and brutal international actor, according to Sterling.Against the backdrop of Washington's threats and Zelensky's provocative rhetoric, the newly emerged information about Kiev's alleged plan to use a "dirty bomb," also known as a "radiological dispersal device" (RDD) are ringing alarm bells.Unnamed credible sources in various countries revealed that the Kiev regime is preparing a provocation related to the detonation of the so-called "dirty bomb" in Ukraine to accuse Moscow of using weapons of mass destruction and launch a global anti-Russian campaign.According to insiders, the administration of the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant located in the town of Zholtye Vody in Ukraines Dnepropetrovsk region, as well as the Kiev Institute for Nuclear Research, was tasked with making the "dirty bomb", a process that the sources said is being overseen by Kievs western curators. Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu voiced concerns about the potential provocation on October 23. https://sputniknews.com/20221015/us-designed-european-sky-shield-initiative-to-escalate-tension-with-russia-analyst-says-1101880792.html https://sputniknews.com/20221014/ex-dod-officer-bidens-schizophrenic-security-strategy-fraught-with-risk-of-igniting-ww3-1101860994.html https://sputniknews.com/20221023/live-updates-ukraine-shells-civilian-infrastructure-in-energodar-zaporozhye-region-1102542832.html russia ukraine germany Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova us, opinion, russia, ukraine, special operation, germany, air defense, weapons, nuclear weapons, nato https://sputniknews.com/20221023/us-mediator-lebanon-israel-may-sign-maritime-demarcation-deal-on-october-27-1102556989.html US Mediator: Lebanon, Israel May Sign Maritime Demarcation Deal on October 27 US Mediator: Lebanon, Israel May Sign Maritime Demarcation Deal on October 27 MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - US State Department envoy Amos Hochstein, who serves as a mediator in negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, said on Sunday that the... 23.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-23T17:58+0000 2022-10-23T17:58+0000 2022-10-23T17:58+0000 world middle east lebanon israel demarcation line the united nations (un) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/17/1102556843_0:77:3072:1805_1920x0_80_0_0_462879cac25d6cf4a5e8cbb70adb8a72.jpg Lebanon and Israel reached a historic agreement on maritime demarcation on October 13.The negotiations on the demarcation of land and maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel have been taking place in the Lebanese city of Naqoura since 1996 on the basis of a memorandum of understanding under the UN auspices and the US mediation. In June 2022, Israel urged the Lebanese authorities to speed up the talks. The draft agreement settles claims to gas reserves in disputed waters. lebanon Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International middle east, lebanon, israel, demarcation line, the united nations (un) In a September 2022 publication, two researchers from the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center (PREEC) proposed a natural land classification unit for comparing soil samples. First, acknowledgment, understanding how soil is important; its not just dirt, it is a life sustaining finite resource we have on the earth. And we need to preserve it, conserve it, I think thats the whole idea, Bijesh Maharjan said. Maharjan, associate professor and PREEC specialist, and Saurav Das, research assistant professor, both serve in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They collaborated with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to promote soil health evaluation. The project initially began in 2020 when the researchers teamed up to tackle soil conservation from the ground up. Topsoil, the top six to eight inches, has a finite resource of nutrients that can deteriorate over time. Its like a movement, suddenly people woke up and felt we need to take care of our soil resources, Maharjan said. Topsoil is where the magic happens and soil as a resource needs to be conserved. Das said soil health became a hot topic with growing concern about preserving topsoil for future generations and food security. The pair asked the question, how can a farmer determine if his topsoil is good or needs improving? There are definite measurements for one pound of rice or one pound of something, but for soil, we dont have the same kind of measurement or benchmark, Das said. I talked to (Maharjan), and he also had some ideas and we sat down to figure out how we can actually put numbers to define soil is it good or bad? The concept, named Soil Health Gap, effectively defined the difference between undisturbed native soil and soil health in cropland systems. Soil Health Gap can be used as a benchmark measurement tool to guide soil health management decisions and goals. Lets say your native land has a soil organic matter of 4% and your farmland has 2%. You know that there is a gap of 2%, during different kinds of management practices, we might have lost the 2% organic matter, Das said. That is why we came up with the concept we call Soil Health Gap. The two researchers carried the concept further by sampling soil organic matter from grassland, no-till and conventional-till cropping systems and exposed subsoil. We saw that there was an exponential decline in soil organic matter across different types of land use, Das said. That gave us a set of numbers to define the natural state of soil health which hasnt had any kind of farming practices and you can compare that to your cropland. Soil organic matter (SOM) is a carbon component of soil consisting of plant and animal tissues in various stages of decomposition. Maharjan said SOM was used as a consistent measuring tool because carbon organic matter is central to properties and processes that happen in healthy soil. Organic matter precipitously drops from unmanaged land to reduced-till cropland, to no-till cropland, to exposed subsoil land, he said. The more you work the soil, the more you are losing (SOM). Grassland or undisturbed native pasture was used as the reference land. Wherever the minimal disturbance has happened, so pasture and rangeland where there can be grazing, thats what we call reference land, Maharjan said. Now, youre benchmarking against that. Otherwise, in the past, people can say do this and that and make erroneous, outrageous claims that you can improve your soil. Now, we are setting a ceiling. The Soil Health Gap study found that cropping systems should be compared to reference land within the same soil type and climate conditions. Localized differences in soil type and precipitation allow the soil health to respond differently to management practices. We realized that healthy soil will be specific to the region. What is healthy in Lincoln may not be possible in the Panhandle, Maharjan said. So, we decided soil health has to be benchmarked Panhandle healthy soil will be referenced with native soil in the Panhandle. The Soil Health Gap study encouraged the researchers to further pursue a reference land classification system. Cropland Reference Ecological Unit (CREU) would compare all cropland to identified reference land found in the same ecological area. The comparison system will set a natural framework to compare soil health within the same soil type and climate conditions. Can I compare my cropland with native land near Lincoln? Most likely not, it has to be very region specific, Maharjan said. The CREU talks about a unit of landmass where you can compare the soils from different sites. It shouldnt be just geographic like Scotts Bluff County; it should be more natural boundaries. The theory will mean all soil within an identified land unit can have similar SOM potential. Das further explained the significance for developing CREU in Nebraska by noting that the Panhandle receives, on average, half the amount of annual precipitation as eastern Nebraska and the Panhandle soil type is more sandy. If SOM is on average 7% near Lincoln, it is not reasonable to expect the same percent to be achieved near Scottsbluff. All the soil has different potential, what (SOM) can be reached, then you can compare each land within this natural boundary, Das said. Initially, the soil all has the same potential in the land blocks, then management practices or something has happened which made (SOM) to go down or up. The researchers worked with NRCS existing land hierarchy of Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) as benchmark land sites. The CREU model was established by further segregating MLRA sites by soil characteristics and precipitation. The NRCS already has their own land classification system. We are taking that and then divvying it up even further, Maharjan said. Once CREU sites are designated and soil samples are compared to the identified reference land or native rangeland. As a result, management practices can be addressed. Maharjan said that typically cropland in Scotts Bluff County is 1-2% SOM but native land has been found at 4% SOM. So, we can do better, Das said. When soil is healthy, it can store more water, more moisture for the crop and your production can be better compared to unhealthy soils. Maharjan said, Its hard to reach (4% SOM), its a ceiling but at least now you know. If you manage the land properly, you can shoot for four. The researchers both stress the importance of being good stewards of land. If topsoil is healthy and rich, it has its own natural system that will cope with severe weather better, Das said. The concept of CREU can be used anywhere to promote soil health. Maharjan and Das are moving into the next stage of CREU demonstrating and validating. With the aid of funding and in cooperation with NRCS, soil sampling within identified land units and analyzing will be underway. Maharjan said his PREEC lab is currently looking for an assistant to aid with organization and the additional workload. The researchers said the end goal is to establish a web-based tool for anyone to use. Our end goal is an interactive map for the state where anybody can go in and check their land against some reference land and find the (soil health) gap, Maharjan said. A soil health interactive map, it will be unique for the nation. Volunteers flocked to an unfinished home in rural Minatare Saturday to help a wounded veteran get a new lease on a more independent life. Friends and strangers alike helped beautify the future home of Army veteran SSGT Timothy Kramer and his family. In 2006, Kramer suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq after a vehicle he was in drove over an improvised explosive device. Three years later, he suffered a stroke and from then on needed to use a wheelchair. Kramer said this new abode will be much better than his old house and that hes looking forward to the independence the design will allow him. I can actually get in my chair and get around this house. Our other house, I couldnt go into certain rooms, I couldnt go down certain hallways, because I couldnt go in and turn. Id have to back up, he told the Star-Herald. The home is being built through the Homes for our Troops (HFOT) organization. The Massachusetts-based charity has constructed almost 350 specially adapted, custom-made houses for wounded veterans. Krystina Goroshko, a community engagement coordinator with HFOT, said the company focuses on building homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans. We want our veterans to feel as welcome as possible in their new home. One of the best parts of our organization is that our veterans do get to choose where they want to live, anywhere in the country, and well make it happen, she said. Goroshko said volunteer days take place about six to eight weeks before veterans receive the keys to their homes in key ceremonies. We do landscaping, whether its plants, mulching, sod just to get everyone out and about and involved in the build of this home, she said. Many of the volunteers were Kramers friends, family members and neighbors, but several were people from around the community. On Saturday, a team of around 60 volunteers planted shrubs and flowers around the exterior of the house. In exchange for their hard work, they received free T-shirts and lunch. Its so rewarding being able to give just a little bit back to our veterans who gave so much for us, Goroshko said. Getting to see strangers come out and help someone theyve never met before, do a little bit of good for them, its just amazing. Kramer said a caregiver through the Veterans Affairs system first told him about the HFOT charity. A few years later, his and his familys new house is just weeks away from completion. The familys future neighbor, Heidi Wahlstrom, said, Were excited for them, happy for them. They deserve this. She was helping plant, along with her husband and sons. She said her older son, Duane Wahlstrom III, who turns 3 in November, had loved driving his toy tractor to watch construction workers build the houses foundation. Theres still much to be done, including all the siding, floors and interior work. But the living room is wide open, and each rooms entrance is expansive enough for Kramer to maneuver easily. He and his family are excited for the opportunities it can provide, he said. Im at a loss for words, (seeing) the amount of people who pay it forward and take time out of their schedules, their lives, to help fulfill a dream of mine, Kramer said. I just say thank you. Its overwhelming support from this community. Thats what Nebraska is all about. Thats why we love it here. A recent round of North Korean ballistic missile tests revealed that a new method for launching ballistic missiles had been developed. This one involved the use of an underwater launch tube placed in lakes and used to launch SLBMs (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile). North Korea later claimed that this lake based SLBM launch involved a production model of their SLBM using a nuclear warhead that successfully detonated above the water. This is called an air burst and is the most efficient way to use a nuclear weapon. But there was no nuclear warhead on this SLBM because no radioactivity could be found where the missile landed. North Korea already has land and railroad train silos for its ballistic missiles. Air delivery (by fighter-bomber) was never an option because North Korean warplanes are so old and unmaintained as to be useless for combat, plus the air defenses for South Korea and Japan outmatch the best planes even China can field. In late 2021 commercial satellite photos indicated that North Korea attempted to launch an SLBM from their lone submarine modified to do that. This was apparently successful. At the same time North Korea apparently completed construction of a 3,000-ton diesel-electric sub that can carry three SLBMs. Satellite photos show that this boat has not yet been used for a SLBM test. North Korea has Gorae (Whale), a smaller (1,500 ton) diesel-electric sub modified t0 include a single ballistic missile launch tube in the sail. This sub was used as early as 2016 for SLBM tests but most SLBM tests were still launched from an offshore underwater platform. North Korea used their smaller Gorae, which is one of a kind and used for the North Korean Polaris SLBM, a copy of the Russian Cold War R-27 but with a solid fuel motor. The Gorae is still in service and work continues on getting the SLBM to work reliably while the new 3,000-ton missile sub awaits any last-minute modifications from tests carried out using the smaller Gorae. North Korea recently declared that it had changed its policy on the use of nuclear weapons and that from now on it would use its nuclear weapons without warning if it believed it was about to be attacked. This ominous declaration had more to do with the dismal shape of the North Korean nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. North Korea has conducted six nuclear weapons tests between 2006 and 2017. The last one, in 2017, appeared to be the largest one yet indicating a yield of over 100 KT (equivalent to tons of conventional explosives or a kiloton) and described as a hydrogen bomb. The first nuclear test was in 2006 (less than one KT) but the first one that was truly successful occurred in 2013 (6 KT) and despite the fact that the test was not a complete success, the nuclear bomb program continued with two tests in 2016. In late 2015 Kim Jong Un claimed that North Korea had developed a hydrogen (fusion) bomb. Foreign experts openly expressed skepticism given that North Korea didnt really have a reliable fission type nuclear bomb yet. You need an efficient fission bomb to trigger the fusion reaction that makes the H-Bomb so much more destructive than a fission bomb of the same weight and size. Nuclear test number four in January 2016 was described by North Korea as a fusion (H-bomb) test when it clearly was not, or not a successful one. That would be in contrast to the 2013 test which appeared to be seven KT and a complete detonation. The second test was a two KT weapon in 2009. Western intelligence believed that the original North Korean nuclear weapon design was flawed, as the first two tests were only a fraction of what they should have been. The first one was less than a kiloton and called in the trade, a "fizzle." The second test was less of a fizzle and apparently a modified version of the original design. North Korea needed more tests to perfect their bomb design and was still years away from a useful nuclear weapon even though the second bomb appeared to be more effective. The third test in 2013 was considered overdue and that may have been because more time was spent designing and building a smaller device that could fit into a missile warhead. The second 2016 test is still something of a mystery. U.S. intelligence agencies have collected air samples (as have most other neighboring countries) from the test which can tell much about the design of the bomb. The January 2016 nuke appeared to be the same as the 2013 one. The second 2016 test in September appeared to be a better design and was about ten KT. The 2017 test was the largest (in KT) yet and North Korea insisted it was a fusion bomb. Air samples were collected for weeks and it took even longer to analyze the samples and come to some useful conclusion. The sheer size of the 2017 test (100 kilotons) indicated either an enhanced (some fusion involved) fission bomb or a true fusion device (generally about 50/50 fission/fusion). Enhanced fission designs have been around and in use since the late 1940s, and fusion ones since the middle 1950s. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 a lot of Russian nuclear weapons designers and technicians were out of a job and the pensions of the retired ones were suddenly worth a lot less. The security for nuclear weapons designs, especially much older ones, became a lot more relaxed. There were plenty of opportunities to obtain previously unavailable tech. North Korea's nuclear weapons development always had an air of desperation. North Korean Leader (since 2011) Kim Jong Un insisted reliable nukes and ballistic missiles to carry them were essential to keep his socialist dictatorship in power and capable of extorting food and other aid from South Korea, Japan and the United States. That is not working either as all three of these nations have increased their ABM (antiballistic missile) defenses and the number of offensive weapons for destroying North Korean nuclear weapons, delivery systems and military capability in general. All three of these target countries had tried, for years, to help North Korea with lots of food and economic aid but it was never enough for the Kim dynasty that had ruled the north since 1945. A decade ago, South Korea, the last nation offering aid to North Korea, gave up that approach and recognized North Korea as hostile and not likely to change as long as the Kims were in charge. North Korea is undergoing another cycle of mass hunger and starvation deaths brought on by so much of the North Korean economy dedicated to the nukes and ballistic missiles. The Cowlitz County coroner running for re-election on Nov. 8 has not been charged with fraud following a 2019 investigation, during which his opponent and former employee told officials she had heard rumors of him mishandling funds. Coroner Tim Davidson, an independent, has not been arrested or charged, while his opponent, Republican Dana Tucker, did not say whether the investigation prompted her run for the office. An investigation into the fraud allegations is still under review by the Clark County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. A representative did not respond to request for comment by deadline Thursday. A Washington State Patrol report says Davidson told state auditor investigators he knowingly received reimbursement funds from two industry organizations for Cowlitz County-paid travel expenses and offered to repay the county with personal funds. Davidson told The Daily News he had not repaid the funds yet because the county has not asked him to. He said he stands by his actions as coroner, and that as an elected official, he has full discretion over his offices budget. This was a clerical issue that could have been addressed at the time of the original question, not years later, Davidson said. I fully cooperated and provided all information requested. Tucker said she decided to run because our county and citizens deserve better and want change, but would not comment on the investigation directly. I care about our county, Tucker told The Daily News. I care about the citizens, and I know they deserve better. I want to be able to provide that. The WSP report states Tucker was interviewed by a trooper in 2019 while she worked as the Island County deputy coroner after leaving her job at the Cowlitz County office. In the report, Tucker says she had heard rumors about Davidson not paying back the county for travel reimbursements. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. Tucker told the trooper a treasurer at the Washington Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners could tell what travel expenses the organization covered for Davidson during trips for events like conferences. Tucker is the executive assistant for the organization. Davidson has served as president in previous years. Allegations that Davidson committed fraud broke in April 2021 after the State Auditors Office found he accepted more than $12,600 in personal reimbursements for travel expenses that had been paid by the county between Feb. 10, 2016, and May 10, 2019. The WSP investigation confirmed auditor findings but dismissed other allegations including that he created a hostile work environment and hired unfit staff as unsubstantiated or not criminal in nature. The WSP investigation was prompted by reports filed with the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office. The county released a statement in April 2021 saying officials were disappointed in the elected coroner and deeply concerned with the facts from the case. The statement says given the weakness in the transparency of the coroners office, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the county to know the coroner was seeking payment from an outside organization. As an elected official, the county doesnt have the legal ability to discipline Davidson. Elected officials cannot be removed from office without a recall vote. Work environment If elected, Tucker said she would improve collaboration and open communication with other agencies; a change she said has been lacking in the county. It will only better our offices when we have the teamwork, because its going to provide a better, more accurate (death) investigation, a full investigation, she said. Davidson said the coroners office is separate from but works with law enforcement and medical organizations. In his 22 years at the office, its had an excellent working relationships with officers, who often attend autopsies, he said. Were separate but compliment each others investigations, Davidson said. If we didnt have a working relationship with those partners, this office wouldnt be functioning at all. The office has expanded and improved employees training over the years, Davidson said. The coroners office has seen several employee incidents over the last two decades, but the office environment has since flourished, he said. I have an outstanding team that work for me, who work together in unison professionally and spend time together personally, Davidson said. In the 2019 interview with Washington State Patrol, Tucker told a trooper she knew several employees who had issues with Davidson and his deputy coroner Brett Dundas, and many of them no longer work at the office or work there less. According to the WSP report, three deputy coroners reported concerns of Dundas being under the influence while driving for work, but troopers couldnt investigate the claims because they occurred too long ago. Dundas still works for the office. Autopsies After comparing her experiences at other county coroners offices and in talking to other coroners, Tucker said she thinks Cowlitz County may be foregoing autopsies when they should be more closely considered. Dana Tucker, Republican Age: 44 City of residence: Kalama Education: Associates degree in pre-nursing at Lower Columbia College Occupation: Lewis County deputy coroner Professional associations: Washington Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners executive assistant; International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners member Notable endorsements: Cowlitz County Commissioner Dennis Weber, Cowlitz County Sheriff Brad Thurman, Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. Davidson said the offices number of autopsies has always fallen within accreditation guidelines. Each case is reviewed on its own circumstances, and the decision for autopsy falls to the forensic pathologist, he said. If the family requests an autopsy, it will be completed, Davidson said. In Cowlitz County, the coroner does not have to be a medical doctor, and the county must use a board certified forensic pathologist to conduct autopsies. The county currently contracts with forensic pathologist Clifford Nelson, who has stated he will leave if Davidson is not re-elected, according to both candidates. Davidson said having a resident forensic pathologist on a salary contract is beneficial because it is easier and more cost effective than paying a traveling pathologist for each case review, toxicology interpretation and autopsy. Tim Davidson, Independent Age: 55 City of residence: Castle Rock Education: Bachelor's in Criminal Justice Administration; Master of Business Administration; Doctorate in Healthcare Administration Occupation: Cowlitz County coroner Professional associations: Washington Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners; Washington Association of County Officials; International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners; Department of Justice Scientific Working Group on Medicolegal Death Investigation; National Institute of Science and Technology/Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science. Notable endorsements: Davidson said he is not accepting campaign donations nor endorsements to "adhere to accreditation guidelines." He has shared letters of support from Cowlitz County Forensic Pathologist Clifford Nelson, former Coroner Mike Nichols and retired Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel. Tucker acknowledged the state and country is short on forensic pathologists, but said she knows some in the state who would be willing to assist if Nelson steps down. She said she wouldnt have the county transfer decedents to other locations for autopsies. Backgrounds Tucker began her career in 2013 at the Cowlitz County Coroners Office as a deputy coroner and autopsy technician, she said. Tucker became a certified medicolegal death investigator in 2015 and worked in Cowlitz County until February 2019, when she took a job as chief deputy coroner in Island County. In September 2021, she became Lewis County deputy coroner. I love the investigation portion, and then also being able to be there for the families and help them, she said. Davidson has worked at the coroners office since 2000 and was appointed coroner in 2006 to replace his retiring predecessor. He was last elected in 2018, and has run unopposed in each election for the last 16 years. I bring to this position vast education, knowledge, and experience, Davidson wrote in an email. His network of peers and other forensic specialists have provided the county with a strong forensic foundation and ability to use the new morgue as a training center, Davidson said. Community outreach Both candidates said they want to work on outreach to help more people understand the coroners role. Tucker said the office should work to promote safety, such as encouraging seatbelts and helmets and drowning prevention. She said she would participate in anti-drug and alcohol presentations in schools to help reduce overdose rates. Ive been doing this for 10 years. I know what Im doing. Ive been in a leadership role, Tucker said. Compassion, honesty, professionalism, teamwork, its a huge thing to me and I want to continue to provide that to my community. Davidson said hes been doing more informational meetings at service clubs like the Rotary to discuss the new morgue and the coroners duties. He would continue programs like giving Kelso High School nursing program students tours of the morgue and wants to provide internships to criminal justice and medical students to help supplement staffing levels, Davidson said. Its been an honor to serve this community for the last 22 years, he said. I hope the community looks at what the office has done in past, where were headed and the goals I have for expanding educational opportunities for students. Garena Free Fire MAX redeem codes for October 23, 2022: Other than the freebies, players can grab Lightning Falco skin, Pet Choice Box, Pet Food, etc. Know how. Free Fire MAX Garena Free Fire MAX redeem codes for October 23, 2022: Players can grab Pet Choice Box, Pet Food and the Lightning Falco skin today. Want to know how? All that you need to do is take on the Falco Mission. It can be known that the mission will be live till October 27. Informing about the same, Garena Free Fire North America tweeted, "Falco has another mission for you, and this one promises an electric reward Take on Falco Mission and earn rewards such as Pet Choice Box, Pet Food, and the Lightning Falco skin." This is not all! In another tweet, Garena Free Fire North America further informed that players can add the Pacific Breeze Motorbike and the Skateboard Swag emote to your Vault now. It can be noted that today (October 23) is the last day to do the same. "Feel the breeze on your motorbike or show off your Skateboarding skills with the latest Emote Topup. Add the Pacific Breeze Motorbike and the Skateboard Swag emote to your Vault now!," the tweet read. Other than the rewards mentioned above, Free Fire MAX players will also be able to use the daily redeem codes to grab the in-game items like skins, characters, and weapons, among others. It can be known that Garena Free Fire MAX is the higher version of Free Fire and uses the same codes and redemption website to claim the in-game items for free. Players can use the codes to claim freebies by visiting the redemption website of Garena Free Fire at https://reward.ff.garena.com/en. The codes come with an expiry time of 12-18 hours, therefore players will have to redeem them as early as possible. Check the Garena Free Fire MAX redeem codes for today below: Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem codes for October 23, 2022: FBJU YFV2 5TYT K789 O65I 3UY2 QFAC 12R4 J5IU Y7NK Y4IU DE4T B567 89L7 65I3 U2YG QAXD VBTM 78LI JHRU 56YH SAGC 2345 J6K8 9LO9 7Y9H 8NIB V7YS TAR4 ED2F 34H5 THUV JT0U KHMC BFDQ GH24 RFTG CFMY 8L9O I9B8 VU7X 4AQ2 R3F4 VTBG VJCU DJ3Y M7L8 9LOU 9HGF 76SA QE1D 234G 5UGV 4YCD XCVU 3Y5G FRM5 68LO 09I8 GU7F 6DST RAQD F2G3 HURT IG7V TCFV BRN5 TK67 KUMN 9KLO IU9B 87U6 YT5R ESDQ CVGH 2U45 TGVT CDGR 45NJ 6KOL 7MN8 K765 948E D6R4 XS3Q F1H2 34RT Russias Murmansk witnessed some dazzling aurora views on October 21. Heres how it formed. The extreme volatility on the Sun is having an impact on Earth too. The reason is that the Sun has frequently been generating solar storms and when these high energy particles smash into Earth's atmosphere, there are many things that happen at the same time. Among them are the fascinating Auroras. In the latest development, the solar wind has opened a crack in Earth's magnetosphere on October 22, which has set the stage for geomagnetic storms and the Auroras, SpaceWeather reported. Auroras, or Northern Lights, have been seen in Russia's Murmansk region and these have created some spectacular views. What causes an aurora The auroras are formed by streams of electrified particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic fields which are emitted by the Sun. NASA explains that when a solar storm comes in the direction of the Earth, some of the energy and small particles travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth's atmosphere. Resultantly, when charged particles from the sun collide with the planet's magnetic field, geomagnetic storms occur. These particles converge above the poles by the Earth's magnetic field lines, which is why we observe auroras in these areas. Auroras appearing at the northern pole of the Earth are commonly known as Northern lights or aurora borealis, similarly, the auroras on the south pole are called southern lights, or Aurora Australis. Do you know? You will be surprised to know that Auroras are not something that happen only on Earth! If a planet has an atmosphere and magnetic field, they probably have auroras. NASA has earlier shared some amazing images of auroras on Jupiter and Saturn. The Online News Act laid out rules to force platforms like Meta's Facebook and Alphabet's Google to negotiate commercial deals. Facebook warned on Friday that it may block sharing of news content on its platform in Canada over concerns about legislation that would compel digital platforms to pay news publishers. The Online News Act, introduced in April, laid out rules to force platforms like Meta's Facebook and Alphabet's Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content, in a move similar to a ground-breaking law passed in Australia last year. The legislation is under consideration at a parliamentary committee, to which the U.S. social media company said it has not been invited to share its concerns. "We believe the Online News Act misrepresents the relationship between platforms and news publishers, and we call on the government to review its approach," Marc Dinsdale, head of media partnerships at Meta Canada, said in a blog post. "In the face of adverse legislation based on false assumptions that defy the logic of how Facebook operates, we believe it's important to be transparent about the possibility that we may be forced to reconsider allowing news content sharing in Canada," Dinsdale wrote. Canada's Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who introduced the bill, said in a statement on Friday that the government continued to have "constructive conversations" with Facebook. "All we're asking the tech giants like Facebook to do is negotiate fair deals with news outlets when they profit from their work," Rodriguez said in an emailed statement. The legislation proposes that digital platforms that have a "bargaining imbalance" with news businesses - measured by metrics like a firm's global revenue - must make fair deals that would then be assessed by a regulator. Dinsdale said news content was not a draw for Facebook users and did not bring significant revenue to the company. When Australia, which has led global efforts to rein in the powers of tech firms, proposed legislation forcing them to pay local media for news content, Google threatened to close its Australian search engine, while Facebook cut all third-party content from Australian accounts for more than a week. Both eventually struck deals with Australian media companies after a series of amendments to the legislation were offered. Technology News LIVE Updates Today, October 23, 2022: Apple Watch saves life again, Google Play Store bans 16 malicious apps, iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 have seen massive price cuts, and a lot more. Technology News LIVE Updates Today, October 23, 2022: The weekend is holding India vs Pakistan match to stream online, Apple Watch saves life of a girl, asteroid zooming towards Earth, Google bans 16 apps from Play Store, ahead of Diwali - iPhones and several smartphones have seen massive price cuts Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5 users gets THIS update! Now the users of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5 can use Google Assistant on their watches. Here is all you need to do. Read in detail here. WhatsApp to mute notification from large groups SOON! WhatsApp is working on a future update under which it will automatically mute large group chats to reduce notifications. Know all about it in details here. iPhone users can extract text from videos; Check this trick Now, you can copy, translate and paste any text from a video with the help of this iPhone trick. Know the secret here with a step-by-step guide. This Samsung microwave can make pickles in a FEW minutes! Samsung has introduced an all new Pickle Mode Microwave with a price tag of Rs. 24990. Now, pickles can be made in just a few minutes. Read full story here. This is how iPhone SE 4 design leaked! Apple iPhone SE 4 is to launch in 2023, but it has already started going through the phase of leaks and rumours. Here's everything that you need to know. Diwali Sale offers massive discounts on iPhone 13, Samsung Galaxy S22, more.. Wondering what to gift this Diwali? You can get premium smartphones with amazing discounts and offers on Flipkart, including the iPhone 13 and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus. Know all deals here. 150-foot asteroid zooming towards Earth tomorrow A massive 150-foot wide asteroid is coming at massive speed towards Earth. Should we worry? NASA explains. Read more in detail. iPhone 14 Plus Review: The clever choice The iPhone 14 Plus offers a large display and the luxury of good battery life, and that does the trick for most. Read our review here. Google bans 16 malicious apps from Play Store Google just banned 16 apps from the Play Store which were draining battery and data from your phone! Do you have any of these noxious apps on your phone? Check list and more details here.. Apple Watch has again proved itself to be a life-saver for a 12-year-old girl. Heres what happened. The Apple Watch is definitely more than just wearable tech to flaunt! This has been proven a number of times in the past with many incidents highlighting when Apple Watch ended up saving people's lives during outdoor or indoor emergencies. Not just that, Apple Watch has also saved lives by detecting abnormalities in their health. Now, a new miracle has been worked by an Apple Watch to save the life of a 12-year-old girl in the US. It actually detected a rare form of cancer. A report by Hour Detroit has informed that 12-year-old Imani Miles from the US got to know about her rare cancer on time due to the watch and this helped to save her life. All credit goes to Apple Watch! Imani's mother, Jessica Kitchen found it weird that her daughter's Apple Watch was constantly alerting about an abnormally high heart rate. That's really weird because it's never happened before. It just kept going off," Hour Detroit quoted Kitchen. The concerned mother then took her daughter to the hospital, where doctors examined her and learned that the 12-year-old girl has cancer - neuroendocrine tumor - in her appendix, which is rare to see in children. By the time doctors detected the presence of the tumor in Imani, it was clear she immediately required surgery. The report further confirmed that the surgery went successfully at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and she is currently recovering at home. If she didn't have that watch, it could have been so much worse, Kitchen told the publication. However, the report didn't mention which Apple Watch helped Imani to detect the tumor. But the heart rate notifications feature is seeded on several Apple Watches such as Watch SE, Watch 7, and the newly launched Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra. KEARNEY Lexington journalist Barb Batie has been named the 2022 Communicator of Achievement by Nebraska Press Women. This award, which was presented at the organizations fall conference in Kearney, is one of the highest honors for NPW members. Selection is based on the nominees professional achievements, community service and service to the organization . Batie is well-known for her reporting, particularly on agricultural issues. A farmer as well as a journalist, Batie has won awards for her columns, photos and reporting for the Midwest Messenger, Tri-City Tribune, Lexington Clipper-Herald and, in her early days, for the North Platte Telegraph and Norfolk Daily News. Batie is a board member and secretary of the International Farm Youth Exchange Association of the USA, and has hosted several IFYE students at her home. In 2019, she traveled with Gov. Pete Ricketts on the Nebraska Trade Mission to Germany. Batie was also appointed by him to the 17-member Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission that planned and organized the celebration. Batie is a past board member of the Nebraska Environmental Trust as well as a past executive committee member of the Nebraska Alumni Association Womens Leadership Network. She has been a 4-H leader for decades, is a board member for the Lexingtons volunteer movie theater, and is active at Trinity Church, Dawson County Museum, and in county and state Farm Bureau. Barb and her husband, Don, were selected this spring for membership in the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement. Together they participate in On-farm Research studies with Nebraska Extension and often host groups that want to visit a Nebraska farm, such as the NASA Earth Scientists. A 40-year member of both NPW and the National Federation of Press Women, Batie has held every state office, organized numerous conferences, hosted the NFPW pre-conference tour and represented NPW at the national conference numerous times. Nebraska Press Women organization is open to women and men in all facets of the communications industry. It offers professional development, supports the First Amendment and nurtures the next generation of communicators. CPNRD board to consider action on 2021/2022 audit The Central Platte Natural Resources Districts Board of Directors will hold its monthly meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the CPNRD office, 215 Kaufman Ave., in Grand Island. Jake Klabenes, CPA audit director of Lutz Accounting, will present the 2021/2022 audit. The board will consider action on the audit. Also on the agenda: Managers report from Lyndon Vogt, General Manager. Natural Resources Conservation Service: Joe Krolikowski, district conservationist, and Janelle Taubenheim, resource conservationist with the Kearney Field Office, will report. Nebraska Association of Resources District: Jim Bendfeldt, CPNRD representative, will report. Nebraska Natural Resources Commission: Mick Reynolds, Middle Platte Basin representative, will report. Cost-share: Applications through the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation and the Central Platte NRD cost-share programs will be considered. Future meetings are scheduled for Nov. 17, Dec. 15 (note changes in regular meeting times due to the holidays), and Jan. 26. Central Valley Ag launches 2023 scholarship program YORK Central Valley Ag has launched its annual scholarship program for students pursuing higher education in an agriculturally related field. CVA will award 20 $1,000 scholarships. CVA is committed to improving, encouraging and enabling the healthy development of youth throughout the region, said Chad Carlson, SVP of Talent at CVA. And by helping our youth pursue their agricultural career, we ensure that the agricultural industry continues to grow. This scholarship program enables youth to continue their education on a collegiate level. Based on academic achievement, service to local communities, and knowledge of the cooperative system, the CVA Scholarship Committee will select the winners of each scholarship. Students of CVA member-owners and CVA employees are encouraged to apply online at www.cvacoop.com/scholarships. Full details are outlined online. Scholarship deadline is March 1, 2023. Central Valley Ag is a farmer-owned cooperative headquartered in York. CVA has locations in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. More information about Central Valley Ag is available at www.cvacoop.com. Applications for the Nebraska Corn Growers Association FLAGship Program now available LINCOLN The Nebraska Corn Growers Association is now accepting applications for the next class of the Future Leaders in Agriculture Scholarship Program. The FLAGship Program is a scholarship program intended for future agricultural leaders in Nebraska. The Nebraska Corn Growers Association will award up to five $2,000 scholarships to high school seniors or college freshman who are continuing their education in the state of Nebraska. Three of the scholarships are set aside strictly for those students pursuing a degree directly related to agriculture. Two of the scholarships are open to non-agricultural degree seeking students. To be eligible for this scholarship students must be a member of NeCGA or the son/daughter of an NeCGA member. The application for the FLAGship Program must include one letter of recommendation, a current resume (not to exceed one page), as well as proof that the student is continuing their education in state. Applicants are also asked to explain issues they feel the ag industry is currently facing. Applications must be submitted by Jan. 31, 2023. Recipients will be notified in the spring of 2023 and scholarships will be distributed in December 2023. For more information about the scholarship and an application, please visit https://necga.org/flagship-program/ or call 402-438-6459. Central Valley Ag releases new Growing Agriculture Together series YORK Central Valley Ag Cooperative has announced a new series for the Growing Agriculture Together campaign. This campaign consists primarily of educational videos and free downloadable resources available in an online media center. These resources are available for anyone who wants to grow their knowledge about the agriculture industry, whether in the classroom, at home or in the workplace. The newest series, What is Safety? was released earlier this month. This three-video series focuses on staying safe around grain bins, chemicals and equipment. Cooperatives play an important role in rural communities. CVA wants to emphasis the importance of safety to producers, consumers, and employees. By providing tools through an online media center, people of all ages can expand their knowledge about the agricultural industry and understand the importance of staying safe on the farm. Safety is a top priority when working on the farm, or anywhere. Releasing this video series will help educate students, parents, and teachers on potential hazards on the farm, as well as precautions to take to keep themselves, and their families, safe, said Doug Eisenmenger, safety and compliance director at CVA. This video series dives into real-life scenarios that can happen on the farm within different aspects of agriculture. Its focus is dangers on the farm and promotes safety among those dangers. The content provided by Growing Agriculture Together was developed internally by Central Valley Ag. In the media center, you can learn more about cooperatives, grain, energy, agronomy, feed, and of course, safety. Growing Agriculture Together provides the foundation to get that conversation started. GROW MORE www.growingagriculturetogether.com. Central Valley Ag is a farmer-owned cooperative headquartered in York. CVA has locations in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. More information about Central Valley Ag is available at www.cvacoop.com. In 1975, my husband, Ed Clark, and I spent our honeymoon in Guatemala City where he had a medical study grant. We fell in love with that beautiful, green country that sported mountains, lakes, beaches and three active volcanos, Santiaguito, Fuego and Pacaya. Not thinking too much, we decided to climb Pacaya for a new experience. It had been dormant for a while and was considered an easy volcano to ascend. Homecoming week was a joyous occasion for South Carolina State University alumni, especially for the Golden Class of 1971. Class members celebrated their reunion with a luncheon that was held in the Bulldog Lounge at SC States student center. SC State alumni came from all over the country to participate in the luncheon and other homecoming activities on campus. The class also celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, but did so virtually. Because of the pandemic, we werent able to get together in person. However, we still had our reunion, it was just via Zoom, said Patrena Rice, the coordinator of the event. Rice is a 1971 graduate of SC State who received her degree in math. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, but loves to visit the campus during special events. Today is our celebration and our day to meet and greet each other because we havent seen some folks in 50 years, Rice said. In addition to that, its just a matter of getting together with friends and having some fun and were excited about our guests. During the luncheon, 1971 alumni got the opportunity to mingle with classmates they have not seen in decades. Ice-breaker games were done to help them reintroduce themselves and they also got a chance to meet the universitys new president, Alexander Conyers. Conyers spoke to the class and updated them on SC States recent accomplishments. He talked about plans for new buildings and updates to the campus. He also discussed how he will continue to drive enrollment and retention. We now plan to make donations on an annual basis because we dont need to wait five years. We, the class of 71, are committed to doing that and we are incentivizing other classes to do the same, Rice said. Golden Class members like to refer to themselves as the Quarter Million Club because they have raised over $250,000 for the university. We want our alma mater to continue to grow, and they need our help and were in the position to do that, Rice said. This university means so much to so many of us. Its because of this university that we are who we are today. We are very dedicated to the university. Lester Giles is another loyal alum from the Golden Class who resides in Columbia. After 51 years, it takes a little bit of prompting to remember faces but once you make the connection, it comes back to you, Giles said. He received a degree in business administration and also met his wife, Delphia Giles, at the university more than 50 years ago. SC State is a very good place to start, he said. I enjoyed my four years here and I think it really prepared me for the future, and I think most of my classmates can say the same thing. It feels good to be back. COLUMBIA Months after accusing disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh of killing his wife and son, South Carolina investigators and prosecutors have released few details about the evidence that they believe connect him to the shootings That's led Murdaughs lawyers to file a flurry of court documents requesting information from the prosecution, seeking to publicly weaken the case before the January trial has begun. The defense attorneys argue that there was unknown DNA found under Murdaugh's wifes fingernails. They also have a different suspect, Murdaugh's friend Curtis Eddie Smith, arguing that he failed a lie detector test regarding the killings. Murdaugh has already admitted to asking Smith to arrange Murdaughs own death to defraud his life insurance company. Those defense documents even boosted a story from Smith that prosecutors later said had no evidence to back it up that Paul Murdaugh killed his mother, Maggie, when he caught her with a groundskeeper at the family's Colleton County hunting lodge and the groundskeeper then shot the son. Alex Murdaugh, 54, has proclaimed his innocence ever since June 2021, when he found the bodies, each shot several times. He has said through his lawyer he loved them more than anything in the world. It took more than 13 months for authorities to indict Murdaugh on two counts of murder and his trial is set to begin Jan. 23 after defense attorneys asked to hold it as quickly as possible. Even after the charges, prosecutors and investigators have released little on how they linked Murdaugh to the deaths or why a man who had no criminal history and was part of a wealthy, well-connected family that dominated the legal community in tiny Hampton County might have wanted to kill his own family members. In the months since the deaths, Murdaugh's life has crumbled. He was fired from the law firm founded by his family for stealing money and then lost his law license. Prosecutors said he was a drug addict who helped run a money laundering and pain killer ring and stole about $8 million from settlements for wrongful death or injury he secured for mostly poor clients. As part of the back and forth about evidence in the upcoming murder trial, prosecutors have divulged slightly more of their case. Notably, there is a cellphone video of Murdaugh, his wife and son near dog kennels around 8:44 p.m. the night they are killed. Cellphone data indicates Murdaugh left at 9:06 p.m. and his frantic 911 call to report he found the bodies near the kennels came at 10:06 p.m. Murdaugh's attorneys have requested a FBI report analyzing all the cellphone data, saying such records are crucial to their defense. There is nothing to indicate ... in the next 20 minutes, he butchers his son and wife, executes both of them in a brutal way, defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said. "Hes then on the phone talking to another lawyer from his car in a very convivial way. The defense also said they needed more complete gunshot residue reports after a few particles were found on Murdaugh. His attorney claim the particles likely landed on his clothing when he picked up a gun to protect himself after finding the bodies. Authorities have not tested Smith's DNA and the defense said it has no findings from the source of genetic material found on the clothing of the victims. Murdaugh's defense also wants complete notes from a blood spatter report after a small amount of his wife's blood was found on his shirt. The lawyers said the blood came when Murdaugh frantically attended his wife's bloody corpse. Prosecutors insisted they turned over every bit of evidence they have and what's missing is mostly incomplete reports. They said the defense was aware of that when they had a friendly conversation just before the motions were filed. This manner of conducting litigation says a lot about the defenses true motives, South Carolina Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters wrote in his response. It's clear from the pretrial back-and-forth that the prosecution does not have any eyewitnesses or video of how Maggie, 52, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, were killed on June 7, 2021. But prosecutors said people are frequently convicted through scientific evidence and circumstances that put them near the scene or give them a motivation for wrongdoing. If every murder case needed a confession and an eyewitness, it would be open season out there," Waters said in court Thursday. In the months before his murder trial, Murdaugh's lawyers are focusing on Smith, who authorities said was supposed to shoot Murdaugh on the side of a lonely highway in September 2021. Murdaugh allegedly planned his own killing so his surviving son could collect on a $10 million life insurance policy. In the end, Smith said the gun fired as he and Murdaugh fought over the weapon, the bullet only grazing Murdaugh's head. Smith's attorneys say he did not kill Maggie or Paul Murdaugh. They argue Alex Murdaugh's lawyers are looking for anyone else to blame for the killings, so they have seized on a lie detector test where Smith allegedly showed a reaction when asked if he shot the victims or was present when they were killed. Murdaugh's lawyers said Smith knew the area around the dog kennels where the bodies were found because they were a drug drop. They also point out Smith's DNA had not been tested as of mid-October. Im not saying he did it. Im just saying it certainly sounds like he could have done it, Harpootlian said. Prosecutors have pointed out that spike during the test could have been an emotional reaction as a result of Smith feeling guilty about the circumstances leading up to the crime, even if he had no involvement. They said Smith's DNA is being tested now and results of lie detector tests arent admissible in court by themselves. Murdaugh's attorneys also used court papers to make public a story Smith said he heard about Maggie Murdaugh's affair directly leading to the killings. It didn't explain how the groundskeeper avoided arrest or detection in the 16 months since. Prosecutors in court papers called it salacious scuttlebutt that is offensive to the memory of his victims. Its very telling they want to make this case about Eddie Smith, Waters said. A book that some community members in Natrona County have pushed to oust from the Kelly Walsh High School library was also purchased by the Natrona County High School library earlier this year, according to a Friday statement from the school district. In the past, the district has said that the book was only available at the Kelly Walsh High School library. According to the recent statement, Friday was the fist time district officials were made aware of the books presence at the NCHS library. Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe, is a graphic novel about the authors exploration of gender identity and sexuality. Some community members have pushed for the the book, along with another, Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, by Laura Erickson-Schroth, to be removed from the district because of the books depictions of sexuality. Other community members, however, have advocated for keeping the books out of interest for LGBTQ students who could benefit from them. A committee ultimately decided earlier this month to keep the books at the Kelly Walsh High School library. Community members could, however, appeal the decision, after which the school board would have to take a vote on the matter. During the Star-Tribunes reporting for a separate story, a Natrona County High School student informed a Star-Tribune reporter that they had read Gender Queer at the NCHS library, and that it was available to students if they asked for it. The Star-Tribune inquired with the district as to the validity of the students statements, after which the districts spokesperson, Tanya Southerland, sent the Star-Tribune an emailed statement confirming the books presence in the school library. The Natrona County High School library bought the book in January, the statement says. The book wasnt put in the library database or on the shelves, but a student had read the copy that was purchased by the library. We understand there is an increased stakeholder interest regarding the availability of books in public school libraries, the statement said. We are committed to continuing to inform stakeholders of learning resources and materials available to students. We continue to welcome stakeholder input, voice, and perspectives as we work to create exceptional learning environments for all students. A grizzly bear attacked an Evanston man on Friday as he was hunting with his son in the Rock Creek area along the Sawtooth Mountains, a press release from the Sublette County Sheriffs Office said. The Sublette County Dispatch received an SOS activated call of a hunter who was injured; Tip Top Search and Rescue volunteers were able to locate the man and bring him out for medical treatment. The release identified the man as Lee Francis, 65. The bear attacked Francis and, while shooting it with his handgun, which caused the bear to disengage and flee, he shot himself in the thigh. His son activated his SOS device and began providing first aid, the release stated. Through the device, search and rescue found both people, provided further first aid and brought the injured hunter back to a ranch, where a life flight helicopter was waiting. Francis was flown to the University of Utah hospital for further treatment, the release said. Wyoming Game and Fish has been notified, according to the release, and game wardens are currently conducting an investigation and trying to locate the grizzly bear. This marks the second bear attack this month in western Wyoming, the release noted. BILLINGS When Lee Cooper strolls through her Red Lodge neighborhood this fall, there are constant reminders of the damaging effects of Rock Creek overflowing its banks in a historic mid-June flood. River rocks and silt still rest atop some properties, carried there by the diverted creek waters. Entire homes have been torn down, nothing but smoothed gravel marking their location. Homemade signs thanking volunteers are propped on porches and hung in windows. Most startling, and a testament to the force of the floodwater, is the log-sided home on the corner of Broadway Avenue and 19th Street West. Inside one room where two outside walls were washed out by the force of flood waters and a section of tree now acts as a roof support tree branches are piled several feet deep, atop which rest lopsided dining room chairs. Hanging over the destroyed room is a decorative lamp, a quaint sign of domesticity in a ravaged structure. The city is working with the state to get a grant to buy the property, tear down the house and turn the property into a park, but city planner Courtney Long said they wouldnt know until spring if they were successful. Theres really a quarter of the town working on flood recovery, Cooper said. So were not back at all. High water On June 13, the stream gauge measuring the water flows in Red Lodge down Rock Creek halted at around 2,500 cubic feet per second before the device was torn loose. Historically, the median discharge for the stream on the same date over the past 74 years was no more than 500 cfs. The creeks previous recorded peak on the flood gauge was 7.78 feet in June 2011. Measurements on June 13 this year were roughly a foot higher. More than 300 homes were damaged by the flooding just in Carbon County, Montana, which also includes the Fromberg area where the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River overran its banks. About 100 homes in Red Lodge were affected, along with bridges washed out, power and water lines damaged and portions of roadways destroyed. No estimate of the destruction has been made, but in Red Lodge alone a figure of $5 million to $10 million has been rumored. Nobody is going to be made whole, whether through their insurance, donations or federal and state aid, said Tracy Timmons, executive director of the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. Thats certainly the case for Kat and Mike Porco, owners of the Red Lodge restaurant One-Legged Magpie. The garage at the rental home they owned on Platt Avenue South was picked up by the floodwaters and smashed into the house, moving it off its foundation. Rather than repair the damaged 1940s structure, they tore the old home down. Their long-term renters are now living in a camp trailer as they look for a new rental. Eventually, the Porcos would like to rebuild on the lot to provide housing for their restaurant workers. They already have rentals for two other employees. We hope were going in a direction to where people understand how important long-term housing is here so people dont have to commute in winter, Kat Porco said. National news Because the flooding drew nationwide news coverage, donations have poured in from across the United States, raising funds so the foundation can help residents. Initial grants of up to $3,000 were given to homeowners to help them get back into their homes, paying for things like a new water heater or to fix mold issues. The $275,000 in funding was quickly depleted. Now the foundation has transitioned to recovery case management. The foundation has trained four case managers to help residents work through the quagmire of forms needed to process requests for FEMA aid. We applied for a grant for case managers for three months, Timmons said. But they recommended a minimum of six and maybe a year for some. Timmons said FEMA personnel responding to the emergency told her not to move too fast in awarding grants. Since government funds can be slow to process, Timmons was cautioned to wait to ensure the foundation was covering unmet needs. The foundation is based in the old Roosevelt School in downtown Red Lodge. Groundwater seeped into the basement of the 100-year-old school in June, flooding the lowest sections in 5 -feet of water. Even after pumping out the water and vacuuming up the puddles which took more than a week water returned to the basement during a heavy rainstorm. It was then discovered that the drain for the buildings downspouts had been damaged by the flood, allowing drain water to back up into the building. Were not quite sure how much damage was done, said Kat Healy, Roosevelt Center director. Just down the block, another residence has a pump continually running in its crawl space as the water table has changed under the home. For sale Across Rock Creek, Kristan Apodacas family had just put her grandmothers Red Lodge home up for sale a week before the flood hit. Because of its location on the eastern bank of the stream, access to the home on Kainu Avenue was temporarily closed. Tearfully, Apodaca watched as water rushed through Red Lodge, uncertain if the creekside home would survive. Luckily, there was only 18 inches of water in the basement of the log home, she said, noting other homeowners suffered a much worse fate. The neighbor next door had their entire deck ripped off. Our biggest issue was getting permits, Apodaca said. There are so many people you have to talk to. New riprap is now stacked between the home and creek. Where a gentle bank used to slope down to the water, the land now drops straight off. A beach that once stood below the home was where Apodacas family gathered to spread some of her grandmothers ashes after she died last spring. Her grandfather and uncles built the home, making the sale even more fraught with sadness. Now, nobody wants to be near the creek, Apodaca said. We have our fingers crossed it will sell. What next? Timmons and Red Lodge Mayor Kris Cogswell are already worrying about next spring. The June flood sent tons of river rock crashing down Rock Creek, raising the elevation of the streambed. Plus there are still numerous trees and trash crowding the creek. Cogswell said the state is still gathering engineering data to determine what actions to take. Thats the big question right now, she said. Is this going to happen next year? What can we do to prevent it? The mayor said several other issues still remain unresolved. Its hard to talk about anything because were not at the end and dont know how its going to go, she said. All of the businesses are concerned because so many things are contingent on other things. Tom Kuntz, Red Lodge Fire Department chief and a local restaurant and hotel owner, said the temporary closure of the Beartooth Highway to make flood repairs hurt hotels in town especially hard. Even after the road was quickly repaired and reopened, fewer people passed through Red Lodge because the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, over the top of the pass, was closed due to flood damage. We saw a lot of cancellations in July and August, Kuntz said. September has been a little closer to normal. Kuntz predicted it may take a year before things seem back to normal in the mountain community. Two residents refused to talk for this story, citing the trauma caused by the flood. Timmons said there were a lot of difficult emotions brewing inside flood victims, along with guilt felt by those unaffected. She noted her foundation can connect people to mental health services. Were going to get through this and get our community back to better than it was before, Kuntz said. This is an opportunity to make improvements. Hope Nearly everyone who spoke to the Gazette for this article said, like many disasters, the June flooding brought out the best in neighbors, as well as the regional community. More than 500 volunteers poured in to help muck out basements and homes. It was amazing how well everyone worked together, Timmons said. It was kind of like a symphony. The people who sent donations to the company from states throughout the U.S. also were helpful, she said, saying it was such a relief not to be alone. Lee Cooper said now she knows what its like to be involved in a natural disaster, although noting that Red Lodge got off pretty easy, while Kentucky, which was flooded in early August, suffered almost 40 casualties. The Red Lodge flood has been documented as a possible 500-year flood event, Timmons noted, But theres no guarantee it wont happen again next year. CHEYENNE Wyoming was not an early advocate of electronic voting by the Legislature. The old voice roll call system was fine, legislative leaders said, and, moreover it was tradition, the culture. But in the House, they admitted, the verbal roll call did take time, because of the size of the body. In the smaller Senate the vote was faster. One House speaker years ago said the Legislature would look at electronic voting seriously after a long-term chief clerk retired. That clerk was noted for efficiently in zipping through a roll call. The clerk retired but nothing happened. Subsequent House chief clerks, legislative leaders pointed out, were equally efficient in tallying votes. Yet, proponents of electronic voting continued to push. They asserted the newer system would provide more transparency for the public so people knew more about what their lawmakers were doing in Cheyenne and how they were voting. They were quick to point out the flaws of the oral roll vote vote. With the roll call, the lucky legislators were those with names at the end of the alphabet, a W or Z was best. By the time the vote got to them they knew the outcome and voted accordingly. Also balloting by alphabet allowed members of a delegation to watch their leaders vote and follow suit. Some time ago, I used to watch a couple of Laramie senators, both Democrats. The junior senator had to vote before the senior member of the delegation. Fortunately for them, the senior senator had a desk at the front of the chamber. So when a bill came up for a vote, the senior member would signal by nodding or shaking his head; the junior member, sitting a row or two back, would then vote accordingly. Electronic voting, supporters of the new system said, would prevent these shenanigans because it required legislators to vote simultaneously. Over time, resistance lessened. Wyoming legislators now vote in a combination system. Both chambers still have the chief clerks performing verbal roll call votes. But those votes are now entered digitally on a touch screen and then are available on the Legislatures web page in near time. meaning pretty darn quick. Legislators who serve on the Select Committee on Facilities, Technologies, and Process received an update on electronic voting recently from Matt Obrecht, director of the Legislative Service Office. Apparently the Legislature is only one step to going full bore on electronic voting. That means among other things, installing equipment that allows legislators to vote by pushing a button on their laptop computers. And finally, a big screen on the wall of the chamber showing those votes. It is of interest that in Washington, D.C. the U.S. House has electronic voting, but not the U.S. Senate. The latter appears to have its own culture which it clings to. You may recall that in 1997, Wyomings newly elected U.S. Sen. Mike Enizi broke ground when he requested permission to bring a laptop computer to the Senate floor. The Senate Rules Committee turned down Enzis request. A subcommittee later submitted a report on the request. Although the report supported Enzis position, it did not sway the Senate members who wanted to maintain the Senate decorum. According to a survey by the National Council of State Legislatures, a dozen state senate bodies are following the U.S. Senate tradition and maintain their roll call with paper ballots. Another eleven are like Wyoming with a combined process. About two-thirds of the state legislatures have some form of electronic voting n the house the senate, or both. Comments at the Select Committee meeting suggested a reluctance to go all the way with electronic voting. The co-chairman, Sen. Cale Case , R-Lander, said the verbal roll call helps focus Senate members Perhaps it should be preserved, he said. The roll call does have an edge of drama. As when the chief clerk stands up and the sergeant of arms opens the door of the chamber to yell Roll Call. as a summons to members to vote. It gets everyones attention. And its part of the culture of the Senate. School board meetings are normally staid affairs. The topics can be serious school safety, teacher pay and education standards are important matters but there isnt much public controversy. Weve witnessed that change over the past few years. First, there was COVID-19, which brought with it passionate debate about mask policies, vaccines and in-person learning. More recently, groups of parents have attended meetings to criticize a handful of library books that they argue are inappropriate for students, even in high school. People can disagree on COVID measures or what books belong in a school library. Those debates, like so many others, are part of the democratic process. Theyre why we have school boards and public participation in government. But debate requires a certain degree of civility. And as weve noted before, our politics are becoming increasingly uncivil. The most recent example came during the Natrona County school boards Oct. 10 meeting, when the public was discussing two books at the Kelly Walsh library that explore gender and sexuality. A substitute teacher, who described himself as a conservative, defended the inclusion of the books, pushing back on critics who labeled them pornography. Next at the microphone was Casper City Council candidate Eric Paulson, who almost immediately called the substitute teacher a pedophile. When some in the audience began to protest, Paulson doubled down, and as the school board chairman called for the microphone to be removed, Paulson repeatedly called the teacher a groomer. A police officer had to get involved an unfortunate first for a local school board meeting. There is little worse you can call someone than a pedophile. Its more than a mere insult. It labels someone as one of the worst kinds of people in our society. Its an especially heinous thing to call a teacher, with no evidence, since it threatens his or her very livelihood. He might be the most notable recent example, but Paulson is hardly the only person in Wyoming to ratchet up the rhetoric on library books or other issues. Last year, we saw a political official in Park County suggest a lawmaker should kill herself over a policy disagreement on vaccines. Weve witnessed a state senator be stripped of his committee assignments over accusations that he intimidated others. Its well past time to dial down the temperature in the room. At the very least, this level of incivility harms the democratic process. People are less likely to participate in the conversation if doing so exposes them to insults, accusations or threats. Inflammatory insults can threaten a persons job or in the most extreme examples, even their safety. It doesnt have to be this way. The day after the school board meeting, the Casper City Council gathered to consider an anti-discrimination ordinance. Council members didnt all agree, but the conversation remained civil. There were no wild accusations or insults. Police didnt have to step in. Isnt this a better way to governor ourselves? Wyoming once prided itself on cowboy civility. Now, we seem to be increasingly caught up in fear and outrage. Neither is helpful for deciding whats best for our state. We need to reject the insults and the scaremongering. Lets support a robust debate for Wyoming, but one that begins and ends with civility. T&Ts Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) declined by 15.14 per cent between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022, according to the two quarterly reports for the Fund for this year. The HSF reports, which are published on the Ministry of Finance website, indicate that at the start of 2022, the value of the assets in the Fund totaled US$5.62 billion. At the end of March 2022, the total net asset value of the HSF was US$5.29 billion, approximately US$323.63 million lower than the previous quarters closing value. And at the end of June 2022, the total net asset value of the HSF was US$4.77 bllion, approximately US$528 million lower than the previous quarters closing value of US$5,299.5 million. The festive Christmas season is upon us, coupled with the excitement of the World Cup tournament! Its only fitting that we look into another common digestive issue that can often put a damper on our ability to enjoy life. If this topic captured your attention, then you must be all too familiar with the fiery discomfort in your stomach that rises to your chest after youve had a meal. Youve tasted that sourness or bitterness at the back of your mouth, or have had that burning wave that hits your throat and turns your voice hoarse. AN 89-year-old woman was found dead in Tunapuna yesterday morning after a fire at her home. The deceased has been identified as Zubida Mohammed of Prescott Lane in Tunapuna. Residents of the area told the Express that around 8.45 a.m. they heard a loud explosion, and then observed flames coming from one of the rooms of the bottom floor of the two-storey home. Surviving the terror of the pipeline which claimed the lives of four of his colleagues was one battle Christopher Boodram fought. Struggling to survive outside in a world filled with financial pain and mental anguish is another. Boodram, the lone diving survivor, has issued an appeal for Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd to assist him and the families of the deceased divers. In an interview with the Sunday Express last Friday, Boodram said his family is facing immense financial hardship, as he has not been able to work since the diving tragedy on February 25. There could be no doubt that the post-pandemic situation is fraught with many problems ranging from concerns for health, education, economy and personal situations. Among these that may be prioritised according to our individual cares come the national concerns. Even then debate will range over which should be our priorities. My view is that the greatest and most enduring problem will be our loss of effective teaching-learning time over well nigh two years. Uruguayan guitarist Federico Ramos is not listed among the acting credits of the Academy Award-winning Disney/Pixar animated movie "Coco," but he's in every scene that features a character playing a guitar. "Anytime you see any character, whether it is a skeleton or the little boy, grab a guitar, what you see is my fingers and what you hear will correspond with that," the veteran session musician said last week during a phone call from his Los Angeles home. "When I was doing my recording with my guitar, the Pixar people had a bunch of cameras filming the motion of my fingers. Then they animated to my hand." This weekend, we get to see more than Ramos' hands when he joins the Tucson Symphony Orchestra as the guest soloist for "Coco In Concert Live to Film." The cineconcert, part of the TSO's "Celebracion Latina!" series of concerts shining the spotlight on Tucson's vibrant cultural heritage, features the orchestra performing the score while the film plays on a large screen. Ramos, who has performed the cineconcert with a number of orchestras in the U.S. and in China, was captivated by folklorico and classical guitar from a young age while growing up in his native Uruguay and southern Spain. He studied in the United States and has toured with a number of big-name Latin acts. He also has a strong foothold in Hollywood; in addition to "Coco," he played a number of Colombian instruments for last year's Academy Award-winning Disney animated musical "Encanto." "I speak English with an accent, and I play guitar with an accent, as well," he said. Performing Michael Giacchino's award-winning "Coco" score with an orchestra is a whole other experience, he said. Precision and timing are key to successfully matching the music on stage with what is happening on the screen as young Miguel, an aspiring musician, finds himself in the Land of the Dead in search of his great-great-grandfather and the truth of his family history. "It's not like you could lag or rush here and there. It has to be precise," he said. "The guitar in 'Coco' is the soul." "It's so elating to just be a little part of this massive wall of sound that all of these instruments are capable of producing," Ramos added. "All these beautiful palettes of sound. Music moves the clock, and it announces a number of things. It foretells and then it resolves some things that the plot by itself would have trouble communicating. The music takes you there emotionally." Ramos said he advises audiences to bring tissues "because ('Coco') is a tear-jerker." "I get emotional, and I've seen it maybe 100 times, and it's still moving," he said, crediting "the genius" of Director Lee Unkrich. "He knows how to elicit these feelings in you, and then he reaches into your gut and squeezes and you go, 'OK, OK,' and he will squeeze more." The TSO will perform "Coco In Concert" at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $12 to $60 through tucsonsymphony.org or by calling 520-882-8585. PHOENIX The phone records of Kelli Ward, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party, could be in the hands of the Jan. 6 committee within days unless she can convince a higher court to intercede. And quickly. In an unusual weekend order, a majority of a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said that Ward is not entitled to keep the information from the congressional panel while she appeals a lower court ruling ordering disclosure. Judges Barry Silverman and Eric Miller said there is little likelihood she will succeed with arguments that a subpoena from the committee violates her First Amendment rights. The judges said the demand for the numbers of whom Ward called and texted, and those she received during the period around the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 riot is substantially related to the important interest of investigating the causes of the attack and protecting future elections from similar threats. Ward participated in a scheme to send spurious electoral votes to Congress, a scheme that the committee describes as a key part of the effort to overturn the election that culminated on January 6, they wrote. What also makes the weekend order so unusual is it comes just four days after the same three-judge panel agreed to enjoin disclosure until they had a better chance to review the legal issues. The decision by the appellate panel to dissolve the stay that kept the phone records from being turned over to the congressional committee leaves Ward with few legal options. Unless she can get the full 9th Circuit to intercede, that leaves only a last-minute plea to the U.S. Supreme Court. So far, however, judges hearing her plea have sided with the committees claim it needs the records and that lawmakers need them soon: The panels authority to investigate self-destructs when this session of Congress ends on Jan. 3, 2023. The weekend ruling was not unanimous. Appellate Judge Sandra Ikuta sided with Ward in her argument that production of the records would identify members of the Republican Party with whom she had contact, even if there is no transcript of conversations or texts. The only plausible explanation for the committees interest in Wards phone records is that they reveal information about other Party members, she wrote. Such identifying information may expose these members to congressional investigation, perhaps federal criminal investigation, and related public criticism. In seeking to keep the phone records from the committee, Ward and her husband Michael, who, like her, also was one of the slate of fake electors who sent a message to Congress that Trump had won Arizona, said they use their phone so make and receive calls of a political nature and to and from people in the political world. Silverman and Miller, however, said they remain unconvinced that the production of the phone records will interfere with anyones constitutional rights. Those vague statements do not show that disclosing the phone numbers involved would reveal anyones private organizational membership, much less that the people involved in the calls would be reluctant to associate with any organization or political parties if their identities were revealed, the court wrote. If that were the case, they said anyone could raise a First Amendment objection to any subpoena for a record of calls that included discussions of politics or even social economic, religious or cultural matters. Narcotics traffickers, or anyone else who might face such subpoenas, would be well advised to make at least a few calls to their preferred political party, the majority opined if that were the legal standard. But that is not the law. That statement annoyed Ikuta. Comparing Wards coordination of her Partys activities during a national election a core First Amendment activity to the criminal (and commercial) acts of a narcotics trafficker decidedly non-expressive activities conflates political dissidence with criminality, she wrote in her dissent. Regardless of Wards position regarding the 2020 election, her right to engage in discussions with her political associates remains entitled to First Amendment protection against the governments compelled disclosure of her political affiliations, Ikuta continued. We must be vigilant to protect First Amendment rights even when raised by an individual alleged to have engaged in a nefarious scheme, because the weakening of constitutional safeguards in order to suppress one obnoxious group is a technique too easily available for the suppression of other obnoxious groups to expect its abandonment when the next generally hated group appears. Attorney Alexander Kolodin who represents Ward, said he is skeptical of the conclusion of Miller and Silverman that the congressional investigation is not about his clients politics. That seems unlikely to me, he said Sunday. But Kolodin said there is a bright side in the dissent. I am deeply grateful to Judge Ikuta understanding the serious First Amendment issues caused by this political prosecution of opponents, he said. In that dissent, Ikuta also pointed out that the three-judge panel has not heard, much less decided, on the merits of her appeal of the trial courts order that she must turn over the records. Ikuta said once the records are turned over to the committee, that appeal becomes moot even if the court later determines that the records are protected. Silverman and Miller, however, appear to have reached a conclusion. In dissolving the injunction that allowed Ward to keep the records secret, they concluded she has not raised serious questions and she is not likely to succeed on the merits. Survivors of domestic violence said in a recent University of Arizona study that safe housing and legal support are the greatest needs when trying to leave an abusive situation. And despite a lack of funding, resources and staff, local service providers are working hard to fill those needs. Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse, a local nonprofit that assists victims and their loved ones, has seen a 21% increase in calls to its 24/7 hotline over the past two years. In addition to the more than 8,000 calls coming into the hotline the most in a single year the number of people seeking Emerges services and programs has also increased 18% from last year. With an intake waitlist of 60 people and reports of domestic abuse returning to pre-pandemic levels, Emerge CEO Ed Sakwa said the organization is stretched thin trying to keep up with the immediate need for its services. Also, as housing prices rise and many landlords are unwilling to take vouchers as the demand for housing outweighs the supply, finding short- and long-term housing options has become a major struggle, he said. Southern Arizona Legal Aid is also feeling the strain as staffers work to keep up with a heavy caseload of immigration and family law cases involving abuse survivors. With providers across the country competing for the same small pot of federal funds each year, finding enough money to hire lawyers and support staff has never been an easy task, according to officials. But providers say theyre focused on listening to survivors and putting their efforts toward the services they say they need. Prioritizing safety In March, the UAs 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 and unmet needs. The study was conducted at the request of the Pima County Domestic Abuse Coalition, an organization of community service providers, government and law enforcement agencies that are working to improve the landscape for survivors. Survey responses indicated that while most survivors were aware of some local services, almost all needed help accessing them, and many found that services were unavailable to them because of capacity issues. Based on the feedback from survivors and service providers, researchers determined the greatest immediate needs are increased capacity and scope of services, most notably legal and housing assistance. The report also recommended the coalition develop a training program that standardizes a collective operating framework, saying that when only certain agencies operate from a survivor-centered approach, the whole system is negatively impacted. Prioritizing survivor safety is paramount in an overtaxed system, the report said, adding that the use of a lethality assessment program will help triage survivors for the services they most need. In December 2017, the state Supreme Court adopted the Arizona Intimate Partner Risk Assessment Instrument System as the standardized form presented to judges during defendants initial appearances after a domestic violence arrest. The mandate went into effect in April 2018 and was implemented by all seven law enforcement agencies in Southern Arizona. The assessment asks questions about physical violence in the relationship; the defendants access to guns and substance use habits; if jealously or controlling behaviors are present in the relationship; and if the defendant has ever strangled or choked the victim. Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, Emerge received 1,539 referrals from law enforcement related to APRAIS risk assessment screens conducted on-scene while responding to domestic violence-related calls to 911. Emerge served 569 people from that group of survivors. During that period, 77% of all APRAIS screenings had a score that indicated the survivors were at elevated or high risk of being killed, up from 73% the previous year and 71% the year before that. Lives at risk The Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault staffs forensic examiners who have received specialty training to conduct strangulation exams, which are available regardless of if the victim has been sexually assaulted. However, there is no designated funding for strangulation exams related to domestic violence without sexual assault, said SACASA director Katlyn Monje. Forensic strangulation exams are not covered by insurance, and payment by the county for these forensic exams is not mandated by the government for domestic violence victims, Monje said. Without funding for strangulation exams, the lives of victims are at risk. Forensic strangulation exams can identify symptoms and prevent serious injury, while also providing valuable evidence that can be used in legal proceedings. Monje said that a lack of strangulation exam creates an evidentiary gap that can let violent offenders escape felony convictions. One in four women experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime and as many as 68% of them will experience near-fatal strangulation by their partner. The odds of a woman being killed by her partner increase 750% if she has been previously strangled by that person, according to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention. In late 2019, the now-Domestic Abuse Coalition was given $50,000 in grant money to fund 100 strangulation exams authorized by law enforcement. After that money ran out, the coalition was able to allocate $15,000 from a Tohono Oodham Nation grant to fund another 30 exams. Since December 2019, SACASA nurse examiners have performed 126 strangulation exams. There is funding available for only five more such exams, Monje said. SACASA is seeking additional funding sources, she said, but with an average of three strangulation exams provided each month, the organization is in critical need of funding to continue to provide the service. Some members of the coalition have been exploring the idea of creating a family advocacy center that would serve as a one-stop service hub for victims of interpersonal violence, but the group is split in terms of support for the project. Some members believe that because there isnt enough funding and capacity to support survivors from their respective locations, its too soon to bring all the providers together in one space. In addition, survivors surveyed by the UA did not indicate that co-location of services was currently among their greatest needs. While the idea of a one-stop hub of services for victims of interpersonal crime is good in theory, Sakwa said, its not realistic given the current conditions. And the notion that a victim would only have to share their story once isnt true, given that each provider collects different pieces of information, he said. We can think about the future, but sometimes we do need to address things here and now to save lives today, Sakwa said. Its not just about the short and long term, but rather what victims have asked for. Rent is through the roof Emerge received an average of 22 calls a day to its emergency, multilingual hotline, between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. More than 2,000 people received support through Emerges community-based, nonresidential services. Nearly 300 adults and children benefited from its emergency shelter services, but time of stay has increased dramatically from pre-pandemic days, with the average length of stay increasing from 28 to 71 days. Finding safe and affordable housing for survivors and their children has become increasingly difficult between the pandemic and current economic conditions, Sakwa said. Since July 2020, all people needing Emerges emergency shelter services have been sent to a temporary, undisclosed location. The temporary plan is safe, but it has been difficult to operate a shelter out of someone elses business, and the option is not the most cost-efficient. Plans for a new multi-million-dollar expanded shelter are in the works but still more than a year away, Sakwa said. Rent is through the roof, and landlords are not taking vouchers like Section 8, so the need for housing is huge right now, he said. With expected cuts to federal funding that will mean hundreds of thousands of dollars less for Emerge, Sakwa and others are concerned about what that will mean for capacity, given that there already isnt enough to meet the current need. When youre talking about an issue where peoples lives are on the line and theres a major shift in funding, it doesnt just impact Emerge. It impacts every victim service provider in the community, Sakwa said. There has to be some prioritization here. More lawyers needed For organizations like Southern Arizona Legal Aid, funding is also the biggest barrier to increasing the capacity to help more survivors, said Deputy Director Jamie Ibrahim. (We dont) receive any state or local funding, Ibrahim said, adding that SALA relies entirely on grants, donations and limited to federal funds to operate. Family law and immigration cases involving domestic violence and sexual assault survivors make up the majority of the groups legal services. In 2021, SALA handled 2,000 family law cases. Exactly the type of assistance that survivors were saying they need in (the UA report), were doing that, said Kristin Fitzharris, who heads up SALAs Tucson Domestic Relations & Immigration unit. We just dont have the capacity to do as much as we want and as much as the community needs. Nearly 25% of SALAs family law and immigration cases are handled by pro bono lawyers, as part of the organizations volunteer program. But hiring one more domestic relations specialist lawyer would mean SALA could help 30 to 42 more survivors, Fitzharris said. SALA covers nine counties and 11 tribal nations. It used to have three immigration lawyers and two support staffers, but after two of those lawyers retired, theres only one immigration attorney to handle all the cases. I could just use any more lawyers that I can get, she said. That would make a measurable impact for the community. In addition to a lack of attorneys, a post-pandemic slowdown in the courts has affected SALAs ability to take on new clients. While family law cases are already typically a lengthy process, theyre now taking even longer to resolve, Fitzharris said. The need (for our services) has been pretty consistent, Fitzharris said. If you look at crime in the United States, its been falling since the 1990s, but domestic violence and domestic violence-related homicide and crimes are not falling at the same rate. Many survivors dont report to police and arent interested in criminal prosecution but still need help with custody issues or with crime-based immigration petitions, Fitzharris said. Prosecutors say theyre overwhelmed with domestic violence crimes, but there is a huge percentage of people who arent reporting and have good reasons for that, she said. If thats not in best interest of the survivor for whatever reason were there to help them. Historically underfunded Legal and other services for survivors of gender-based violence have been historically underfunded, said Negar Katirai, a UA clinical professor of law. The federal Violence Against Women Act was signed into law in 1994 to create and support comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. From the start, only 32% of VAWA funds were allocated toward social services for survivors, with the other 68% going toward the criminal legal system, Katirai said. By 2013, only 15% of the money was earmarked for social services. Katirai runs a clinic at the UA where students represent victims of intimate partner violence. Each semester, she has between five and 10 students who assist local survivors with legal needs including orders of protection, custody, child support, landlord/tenant, public benefits and immigration issues. Many providers are at capacity, and weve done our utmost to get funding, she said. Everyone who is a funder in this space needs to think about where were allocating their funds and how theyre balancing it when it comes to all the different things we know we need. Katirais students also do policy work and community outreach, including advocacy work on behalf or survivors and presentations about healthy relationships and knowing ones rights. Katirai said theyre working to make the landscape better for survivors. They had some recent success in changing a procedural rule for how orders of protection can be litigated in court. Previously, a person could not talk about things if they were not included in the original petition, which posed a problem, as many survivors didnt know they had to write everything down, Katirai said. Now, theyre able to convey additional information through a written or verbal statement to the judge. Kaitrai said if society would think of domestic violence as a public health problem and invest in preventative services like housing, case management and legal services, it would help victims make a decision to leave before the situation escalates and the lethality risk increases. Its easier to view as a couple bad actors, but its bigger than that, she said. Talking about healthy concepts of gender norms and consent at an early age is key, she said, as is investing in bystander training. You have a role as a neighbor, as a friend. You can be part of the solution in that context, and you dont have to be a hero, she said. There are subtle things you can do just by being supportive in a nonjudgmental way. That right there is huge. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: The Colorado River was raging, fed by record snowmelt from the Rockies. As rising waters pushed near the top of Hoover Dam, engineers opened the spillways to divert the flood, steering it into steep tunnels bored through hundreds of feet of rock. Far below, at the base of the dam, the torrent emerged with a thundering roar, as if shot out of cannons. It was the early summer of 1983, and the Colorado was putting on quite a show. As the New York Times correspondent assigned to the West, I was there nearly 40 years ago as floodwaters were sent crashing around dams to relieve swollen reservoirs, drowning some downriver towns. It was a season of high water difficult to reconcile with the bleak picture of the Colorado today. In Lake Mead and Lake Powell the vast reservoirs behind Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams water levels are so low they are near dead pool, an eerily dystopian term meaning theres too little behind the dams to turn the turbines. Many never imagined we would be in this place. This is the river that gave life to the Southwest, where a labyrinth of dams, reservoirs and canals turned the basin into a complex plumbing system, as the writer Philip Fradkin described it in his 1981 book, A River No More. It was as if we were in control of nature. The great dams we built not only saved us from drowning in the floods that helped carve those magnificent canyons, but behind them we created enormous lakes to store all the water we imagined we would need. But as our runaway climate has become hotter and drier, and those vast reservoirs have shriveled, there is not enough water there. More than 40 million people already live in the basin, and the 1922 Colorado River Compact which apportioned the river among each of the seven basin states is based on assumptions the rivers flow is greater than it is. Meanwhile, our states groundwater resources are in the crosshairs again. In 1980, amid alarm over falling water tables and dry wells, Arizona adopted a landmark Groundwater Management Act, a moment of foresight intended to protect the ancient aquifers. But if we can no longer rely on the river, are those protections strong enough to push back against developers keen to stick a straw in the ground, to get the water they want? In rural Cochise County, for example, a plan to create a whole new town of 28,000 houses relies on the same groundwater source that nourishes the San Pedro River, one of Arizonas last free-flowing streams. Environmentalists say the project imperils the river; Federal regulators have suspended the plan for now. Four decades after the great floods, the reckoning is here. The federal government says the states of the basin must reduce what they take from the river. Yes, California the largest user must do far more, just as Arizona needs to embrace more aggressive conservation strategies, beginning with agriculture, which takes 80% of the water. The arid Southwest has historically defied the reality of its landscape, certain there will always be more water as long as there is pipe and concrete to move it. Even now, after two decades of drought, some imagine desert oases filled by giant oceanside desalination plants (requiring giant power plants to run them), or fed by fantastical cross-country pipelines, winding over mountains and plains. Such is life in the desert, where mirages are not unknown. Back in the 1970s, a researcher at the RAND Corporation, a think tank in California, had a plan too. He proposed sawing off chunks of the Antarctic ice sheet, towing the icebergs north and parking them along the coasts, where we could shave off what we needed. Too bad our changing climate is melting that ice before we can lasso it. Experts discuss traditional Chinese medicine quality, digital credit in Macao Xinhua) 14:10, October 23, 2022 MACAO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Experts from China and overseas have gathered online and offline at the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to discuss the quality control and digital credit of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). At the two-day forum from Friday to Saturday, the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines under the Macao University of Science and Technology established a digital center in partnership with an institute involving experiencing the treatment of traditional Chinese medicine. The institute had signed agreements with plantations and local governments in several Chinese provinces on digital credit services of natural resources, aiming to use digital technologies and artificial intelligence to improve TCM quality control during the manufacturing process. Wang Xijun, director of the Specialty Committee of TCM Pharmacognosy under the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, said he expected this event will boost the development of TCM pharmacognosy and help solve key issues concerning TCM development. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu) The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Do you hate the government? Have you stopped recently to wonder why? Since the reign of Ronald Reagan, Americans have increasingly come to believe that the federal government is the source of their personal ills. President Reagan coined many quotable phrases, but none that attached itself to our politics more than when he told cheering conservatives: Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem! These lines made for crowd-pleasing oratory, but the ingratiating Gippers words strayed far from the truth. Reagans critique was mostly intended as a narrow attack on the economic policies of his predecessors, as he sought to sell trickle-down economics. But harder-edged partisans were only too pleased to turn a patriots words into an attack on the legitimacy of all U.S. governmental institutions. Before buying into the deep state conspiracies, we would do well to consider some of the achievements of our government which have improved our personal lives. Start with communication: federally underwritten geniuses invented the internet and almost all the technologies that support it. More inventions in this field will soon be with us, including a universal translator that will allow us to talk to anyone, in any language, in real time. For good or ill, we would no longer have to study foreign languages. Government scientists were on the leading edge of the research that sharply cut deaths caused by breast cancer. How often do you type an address on Waze, Google maps, or some similar device to guide travel? You are using a global positioning satellite, compliments of our space program. And for our military, the brain trust has developed incredible (if terrifying) advanced weaponry: stealth aircraft, flying tanks and self-guided bullets that never miss. The agency behind this innovation was created by President Eisenhower in response to Sputnik and ever since has maintained the U.S. as the technological leader in electronics, robotics, communications and combat. It is called DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Scientists at this small agency have had their fingers in virtually every innovation of the last half-century. Ukraine would long ago have been in Russian hands were it not for the help of Americas high-technology weapons, which have made it possible for the brave Ukrainians to punch the invaders where it hurts and send them running. After serving as a legislative specialist on Capitol Hill, I was appointed to President Carters sub-Cabinet. I brought with me both the arrogance of youth and the myth of a slothful bureaucracy. After 10 days of briefings from civil servants, I came to realize how profoundly important the permanent government is and how hard its members work. I loved working in Congress, but my decade in the executive branch was the time I most enjoyed. The non-partisan Pew Research poll closely follows Americans views of government. On state and local governments, attitudes have improved over the last two decades, while the federal government has taken a beating. Interestingly, the criticism lands not on civil servants who are seen by the public as quite competent but the political appointees who are judged to be power-hungry and corrupt. As my mentor Mo Udall used to tell me, every system produces a predictable result. In America today, money dominates our elections, which in turn buys victories for special interests, both in Congress and the executive branch. Where money rules, corruption follows. And that is what has become obvious to the public. When I graduated from college, John Kennedy had called a whole generation to public service. Positions in the federal agencies were the plums that thousands of the best young minds yearned to have. With the baby boomers retiring, we must once again call on the best and brightest to help turn new technologies in energy, communications, transportation, and space exploration into powerful assets to build the future of the planet. No government is perfect, and ours is no different. There are inefficiencies, redundancies and occasional instances of incompetence. But the contemporary vogue for regarding our government with lacerating contempt and impugning its very motives, is both ahistorical and self-defeating. The poet, songwriter and wiseman Leonard Cohen once said: Youre not going to like what comes after America. Ignore his warning at your peril. Every election year is important, but some years are pivotal. The governors race in 1962 was one of those years. It was the year my father, Henry Bellmon, was elected as the states first-ever Republican governor. You read that right. From statehood in 1907 through 1962, Oklahoma had never elected a Republican governor. In 1962, Democrats out-registered Republicans by 4 to 1. I remember the Two Party Tea Parties my mother and her friends hosted across the state as we persuaded voters to cross party lines to elect the best person for the job. And, once he was elected, I recall the regular bipartisan dinners my dad hosted around the dining table at the governors mansion. The 2022 governors race has distinct similarities. We face another pivotal election, lopsided voter registrations and a minority party candidate, Joy Hofmeister, who is clearly the right person for this moment in Oklahoma history. Governors are only effective when they are willing to work with people from all sides of an issue to improve our state. A governor should bring people together, not divide them. Work to build consensus. And lead by doing the right thing, not the political thing. Hofmeister has a track record of doing just that. She ran against an incumbent in her own party in her first race for state superintendent because she saw the danger to public education her opponent posed. She won all 77 counties and immediately went to work building support for a teacher pay raise and higher academic standards. This work is reminiscent of the bipartisan effort my father led during his second term as governor. In 1990, he worked with a Democrat-majority Legislature to pass sweeping public education reforms. House Bill 1017 remains our states benchmark for outstanding education policy. Much like Gov. Bellmon, Hofmeister knows the importance of bipartisan cooperation in getting good things done for Oklahoma. So much is on the ballot this November: health care, public education, economic opportunity, tribal relations and womens rights. We cant afford to get it wrong. We must rise to this occasion and vote for the best candidate. Hofmeister stands for Oklahoma not a political party. She is a leader who listens and brings diverse viewpoints together to find common ground. Imagine what she can accomplish with her united vision for great schools, health care and jobs! Our state will reap the economic benefits of her leadership for years to come. Henry Bellmon did not do the red thing or blue thing, Republican or Democrat thing. He did what was right for all Oklahomans. The current governor is not a Henry Bellmon Republican, but Hofmeister will be a Henry Bellmon governor. I encourage all Oklahomans Republicans, independents and Democrats to make the strong choice. Im choosing Hofmeister on Nov. 8. I hope you will, too. Gail Bellmon Wynne is a lifelong Republican having served on several nonprofit boards including the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and Loaves and Fishes NWOK. She is a long-time volunteer mentoring elementary children and fundraising for Food for Kids. Magic City Books will have a star-studded series of book events this week, beginning with the official launch party for Oklahoma author Rilla Askews novel Prize for the Fire at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at the store, 221 E. Archer St. Askew, whose previous novels have earned her the American Book Award and the Oklahoma Book Award, will talk about her book, inspired by the life of Anne Askew, a young woman who lived under the reign of Englands Henry VIII, and whose efforts to forge a life lived on her own terms led to her being burned at the stake. The store will then host a Cormac McCarthy Midnight Release party for the reclusive Texas author, beginning at 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, at the Circle Cinema, 12 S. Lewis Ave. The evening will include a showing of the film No Country for Old Men, the debut of Blood Orange Meridian, a new beer from Heirloom Rustic Ales named for one of McCarthys more notorious novels, and the official release of the authors newest book, The Passenger. Tickets are $40, which includes one copy of the book. Food Network personality Ina Garten, of The Barefoot Contessa fame, will take part in a virtual event, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. Garten will talk about food and cooking and her newest book, Go-To Dinners, with former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni. Cost is $44 (as this event will be streamed via Zoom, one must have access to a computer to participate). Thursday, book lovers will have their choice of two events. Short story master George Saunders, whose books include Tenth of December and the Booker Prize-winning Lincoln in the Bardo, will take part in a conversation with Tulsa filmmaker Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs) about his latest book of stories, Liberation Day, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at Congregation BNai Emunah, 1719 S. Owasso Ave. Cost is $28, which includes one copy of Saunders book. Magician Penn Jillette, of the duo Penn & Teller, will be at Magic City Books, 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, to talk about his latest novel, Random. It is the story of Bobby Ingersoll, who finds himself responsible for his fathers gambling debts, and who places his faith or something like it in Random, the philosophy of basing life choices entirely on the roll of his lucky pair of dice. What follows is a rollicking exploration of what happens when we give over every decision from what to eat to whom to marry to how or when to die to the random fall of two numbered cubes. The event is sold out. Jillettes appearance was originally in conjunction with a performance by Penn and Teller at the River Spirit Casino Resort, but that show has been postponed. For more information, and to purchase tickets to any event: magiccitybooks.com. Theatre West presents Dear Brutus Theatre West, Tulsas newest theater company, is presenting a rarely seen play by J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, titled Dear Brutus. Barries 1917 play addresses the familiar hypothetical question of how ones life might be different if given the chance to live it over again. A group of people dissatisfied with their lives are invited to a gathering, where they are given just that chance but their re-imagined lives come with their own unforeseen consequences. In the end, the characters come to realize the true meaning of the Shakespeare line from Julius Caesar that gives the play its title: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Performances of Dear Brutus are 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 and 30, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 28-29, at Theatre West, 4501 W. Edison St. Tickets are $8-$15. communitytheatrewest.com. Arts & 66 Concert Tulsa musicians Cathy Venable, piano, and James Ruggles, violin, will head the latest concert of the Arts & 66 In Oklahoma series, 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at the First United Methodist Church, 1615 Oklahoma 88, in Claremore. Venable and Ruggles will perform works including the Violin Sonata by Cesar Franck, considered one of the best examples of the form. Also performing will be guitarists Joesf Glaude and Johnny Beard. Admission to the concert is free. Magic, monsters & romance on stage The blockbuster musical Frozen, adapted from Disneys popular animated film, continues its run through Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. Tickets are about as rare as snowballs in July, but some seats are available at certain performances. For more: tulsapac.com. Theatre Tulsa continues its reimagined production of the musical Little Shop of Horrors, with performances through Sunday, Oct. 30 at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. Directed by Obum Ubakam and Jarrod Kopp, this tale of a timid florist clerk and the man-eating plant that takes over his life features Graceson Todd, Majeste Pearson, Nash McQuarters, Justin Daniels, Joseph Wright, Jamia Newsome, Alexandria Moore and Elara Ford. For more: tulsapac.com. Daddy Long Legs, a musical adaptation of the popular novel by Jean Webster, will have its final performances Oct. 28-30, at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. The show stars Margaret Stall and Sam Briggs, reprising the roles they played when they premiered this work in 2019. For more: tulsapac.com. Tulsa World Scene podcast: Halloween means monster movies Boosting enrollment, increasing graduation rates and reducing student debt through more scholarships are among the goals Oklahoma State University has set for itself in a new strategic plan. The plan, which has received interim approval from the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, was finalized recently after months of work, officials said. With the plan intended to better meet the needs of students and Oklahomas workforce, the process included input from students, faculty, staff and alumni, along with donors, industry representatives, tribal partners and state leaders, OSU President Kayse Shrum said. We want to set our sights high and have some ambitious goals for where were going in the future, she said. Among the plans goals are to increase enrollment by at least 5,000 new first-year students on the Stillwater campus by fall 2026, while increasing the six-year graduation rate 10% by 2027. The current graduation rate is 65%, already better than the national average of 64%, officials said. Decreasing student debt is also a major priority. Goals include increasing the percentage of OSU students graduating debt-free from 40% to 60% and, for those who do graduate with debt, cutting it to an average of $3,000 or less per year of attendance, down from the current $5,000. As a land-grant university, access is a key part of who we are, and affordability is really a huge piece of access, Shrum said, adding that to help fight student debt, OSU will seek a $23 million increase per year in scholarships. A capital fundraising campaign will be announced later. We havent really set a number on our overall campaign goal. We wanted to focus on putting our strategy together first, Shrum said. But, she said, the projected scholarship boost would be part of a total annual increase of $47 million in fundraising. We will have to really rely heavily on our Cowboy family in fundraising, she added. The plan also calls for more investment in student support, including an increase in advising capacity. We know that students who are engaged with their advisers have more meaningful engagement and are more likely to stay on track and graduate, Shrum said. The plan further emphasizes career placement and job readiness, including a new feature to help graduates compete for jobs: a student portfolio that highlights each students competencies and interdisciplinary skills. Shrum said OSUs presence in Tulsa will also be critical to the universitys strategy and that she expects the relationship to continue to be mutually beneficial. I see OSU-Tulsa and (Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences) as really key, she said. I think theres a lot of opportunity, and with all the things that are happening, Tulsa should see a huge impact. Shrum said the new plan was crafted with the universitys traditional land-grant mission in mind. From OSUs beginning, the goal has been to provide access to people who wouldnt otherwise have access to an education and to lift up a whole new generation of people who can go out and be servant leaders in their communities, Shrum said. Thats really our charge, and today we see it no differently than when we were created. To learn more, visit bit.ly/osuplan. <&rule> April 2021 video: Oklahoma State Universitys next president, Dr. Kayse Shrum, talks about hopes and aspirations for position Bank shots: Oklahoma Attorney General John OConnor and his office last week joined a 19-state alliance investigating banks pursuing net-zero carbon emissions policies promoted by the United Nations. We joined this investigation for two reasons: America is not run by the U.N., and these banks are attacking Oklahoma fossil fuel producers and consumers as well as Oklahoma jobs, OConnor said in a press release. The Net-Zero Banking Alliance, overseen by the U.N., will destroy companies that are engaged in fossil fuel related activities or depend on them for energy or these lenders for capital. It is unacceptable that these banks are pushing an investment strategy designed to impose a leftist social and economic agenda. According to the U.N., the Net-Zero Banking Alliance controls 40% of the worlds banking assets and is committed to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050. U.S. members include the Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. Campaigns and elections: Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson will speak at a Tulsa County Republican Party Get Out the Vote rally at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Stoney Creek Hotel and Convention Center, 200 W. Albany St., Broken Arrow. Oklahoma BizPac, the political arm of the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce, endorsed a slate of candidates for Tulsa-area races: Republican Ally Seifried, Senate District 2, Claremore; Democrat J.J. Dossett, SD 34, Sperry; Republican Clay Staires, House District 66, Skiatook; Democrat Suzanne Schreiber, HD 70, Tulsa; Democrat Amanda Swope, HD 71, Tulsa; Democrat Melissa Provenzano, HD 79, Tulsa; and Republican Stan Sallee, Tulsa County Commission District 1, Collinsville. Gov. Kevin Stitts reelection campaign tried to get reporters interested again in the $50,000 State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, then a Republican but now Stitts Democratic opponent in the Nov. 8 general election, received from founders of Epic Charter Schools. Stitt and Hofmeister both received campaign contributions from the now-indicted founders, but Hofmeister received a lot more. Hofmeisters response is that, despite the contributions, she pressed for sanctions against Epic once it became clear that public funds were being misused. Without naming names, former state auditor and former state GOP Chairman Gary Jones put in a good word for a former Republican Hofmeister and a lot of current Republicans who, as legislators, voted for House Bill 1010xx, the 2018 legislation that raised gross production, fuel and cigarette taxes to balance the state budget and raise teacher pay. At that time, state revenue was chronically short of expectations, forcing severe spending cuts. Asking Oklahoma citizens for more of their hard-earned money is never easy, however in this case it saved Oklahoma from disastrous alternatives, Jones said in a written statement following ads by the Stitt campaign attacking Hofmeister for the rise in the oil and gas tax rates. As state superintendent, Hofmeister supported the measure but had no direct part in its passage. Four well-known state military veterans have endorsed Hofmeister: Maj. Pete Reed, Gen. Myles Deering, Maj. Gen. Rita Aragon and Master Chief Larry Van Schuyver. The Tulsa Firefighters political action committee endorsed Stitt. Gail Bellmon Wynne, daughter of former Oklahoma governor and U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon, was among several women to endorse Hofmeister. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin endorsed Stitt. Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, a national organization often at odds with the pharmaceutical industry, began a digital ad campaign against U.S. Sen. James Lankfords attempt to repeal recent legislation that allows Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and cap others. Lankford argues that doing so will reduce innovation and ultimately lead to higher prices. Stitt signed the Moms for Liberty parent pledge, which reads: I pledge to honor the fundamental rights of parents including, but not limited to the right to direct the education, medical care, and moral upbringing of their children. I pledge to advance policies that strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government. Moms for Liberty was started in 2021 by a Florida school board member who was defeated for reelection after she opposed COVID-19 prevention measures such as face mask mandates. The Tulsa County chapter is known for its criticism of area public schools and anything it deems an infringement on parental rights. Hours before Hofmeister and Stitts only one-on-one debate, state Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, issued a press release complaining that he had not received requested information from the Oklahoma State Department of Education about how COVID relief funds for education were spent. Stitt and Republican state superintendent nominee Ryan Walters, who is also Stitts secretary of education, have been strongly criticized for their handling of such funds. That was touched on during the debate, but not at great length. The Ekklesia of Oklahoma, a Christian nationalist group based in Guthrie, endorsed Republican Dana Prieto in Senate District 34. Suddenly, its 2024: Republican Jackson Lahmeyer, who mounted a noisy but unsuccessful challenge to Lankford in the Republican primary, is now sending up flares about a 2024 run in the 1st Congressional District. This seems to be based on the expectation that Republican incumbent Kevin Hern will not seek reelection then. But Hern has never indicated that such is the case. We are thankful for Mr. Lahmeyers kind words in regard to Congressman Herns record. While he is a staunch supporter of legislation to impose term limits on Congress, he has never self-imposed term limits. He will continue to serve the constituents of the 1st Districts as long as they and (Herns) family see fit, spokeswoman Miranda Dabney said last week. Transition: Stitt formally named Adria Berry executive director of the reconstituted Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, which will transition from the Department of Health to independent status on Nov. 1. Berry has been leading the OMMA since last year. Meetings and events: The Oklahoma Democratic Partys Leading Ladies Gala is postponed to an unspecified date after the first of the year. Bottom lines: Stitt appointed Adam Panter district attorney for Pottawatomie and Seminole counties, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Alan Grubb. The day before Oklahomas most recent execution, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the states lethal-injection protocol does not violate the U.S. Constitution or federal law. A study by personal injury attorneys ranks Oklahoma the ninth-most dangerous state in which to drive. Mississippi was No. 1. Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World Featured video: More bang: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Democratic Chairman Jack Reed of Rhode Island want to give the Defense Department wartime procurement power because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Growing Chinese aggression is also a reason to expedite the military acquisitions, they say. The so-called Inhofe-Reed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act would allow no-bid contracts for certain arms and materiel through fiscal year 2024 and shorten the procurement process in other ways. At least 13 senators from both parties have signed on, according to Military Times. The publication reported that only $1.2 billion of the $6 billion appropriated this year to buy military equipment for Ukraine has been spent and just $1.5 billion of the $12.5 billion appropriated to replenish U.S. stockpiles depleted by shipments to Ukraine. On notice: Citing a recent Government Accountability Office report, U.S. Sen. James Lankford said Biden administration policies intended to expedite processing of undocumented immigrants are instead creating more chaos. This report provides evidence that there are clear actionable items to fix the national security crisis they have created for the country and the chaos they have created at the border, Lankford said in a written statement. Last year, the Border Patrol began admitting certain immigrant families without formal Notices to Report, which would list a time and place for them to appear. Instead, the families were instructed to report to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office closest to their final destination. The policy was implemented only in Texas, and about 94,000 people were admitted before the practice was discontinued last November, according to the GAO report. In July 2021, the Border Patrol began whats called a parole with Alternatives to Detention program. It is similar to the NTR-free process but with a few more steps and new technology. About 91,000 people were admitted through it as of February, the report says. As of February, more than 75% of those entering the country through the two programs had reported. Removal actions have been initiated against those who have not. It is absurd to think that someone who is entering the U.S. by breaking the law is going to follow instructions when its time to check in with ICE, said Lankford. Dots and dashes: Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole lauded the University of Oklahomas new supply chain partnership with Tinker Air Force Bases 448th Supply Chain Management Wing. The 10 biggest spenders for lobbying, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Retailers, have laid out $238.3 million through the first nine months of 2022, according to Roll Call. Second District Congressman and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Markwayne Mullin wants to spend the $80 billion earmarked for rebuilding the Internal Revenue Service over 10 years on Border Patrol officers instead. Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World Featured video: When it comes to bullying in schools in Vietnam, many immediately think of conflict and fights by male students. However, in many current cases of bullying, the bullies are females. Due to some trivial disagreements, some students asked their friends to form a group to fight their hated friends. These groups found ways to humiliate and, in some cases, even kill their 'rivals.' Three days after the event, local people were still shocked by the death of N.T.Th., a 12th-grade student of Ly Chinh Thang High School in Huong Son District, Ha Tinh Province. On the afternoon of October 11, Th. was seriously injured and killed by P.Q.M., another 11th-grade student of the victim's high school, on a deserted path in An Hoa Thinh Commune, Huong Son District. Although he was immediately taken to the emergency room, Th. died on the way to the hospital. A counseling session is held at a school in Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam to provide students with psychological knowledge to tackle bullying at school. Photo: L.M. / Tuoi Tre According to a preliminary investigation, there had been a quarrel between Th. and M. earlier. On the morning of October 11, before going to school, M. prepared a knife and hid it in his schoolbag. On the way home from school that day, Th. and his group of friends blocked M. and beat him on the deserted road. When Th. hurried to hit M., the latter stabbed the former in the back with the knife, causing him to die on the spot. On August 8, C.T.T.H., a 16-year-old schoolgirl punched B.T.B.H., another 15-year-old student in Huong Son District, and cut her clothes with scissors over a personal quarrel. In early September, N.T.T.T., an 8th-grade student living in Thach Ha City, Ha Tinh was bullied. When the student was at home, a group of her schoolmates came to drive her to a deserted area. There, the group of students stormed up to T., grabbed her cellphone, and continuously punched her in the face and head. Both instances were recorded and then posted on social media, drawing the ire of online viewers. The most striking aspect of the posted videos is that none of the many onlookers in the area intended to intervene when the altercations occurred. A student is beaten and humiliated by her schoolmates. This screenshot comes from a clip that recently went viral on the Internet. Nguyen Hong Cuong, deputy director of the Ha Tinh Department of Education and Training, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that there have been some violent attacks on students since the beginning of the 2022-23 school year in the province. Among them is the most serious case of a male student who was killed with a knife. In the recent cases of bullying at school, there are signs that the number of female students involved is increasing. "As for the high school brawls, in addition to the responsibility of the combatants before the law, the school administrators are also to blame," Cuong said. "The leaders of these schools were not good at education management, as they did not closely observe the psychology, emotions, and characteristics of their students to take timely and appropriate action." To curb the number of bullying victims, Cuong said, the Ha Tinh Department of Education and Training will work with relevant departments and sections in the near future to provide students with information and knowledge about anti-bullying laws in school. Besides, events would be held for teachers and students to sign commitments to prevent such bullying, Cuong added. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong on Sunday offered congratulations to Xi Jinping on his re-election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. In his message, the Vietnamese leader also congratulated the 20th CPC National Congress on its success, especially the creative development in continuously perfecting the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, as well as strategic visions and important goals and tasks set by the congress for the long-term development of China. He expressed his belief that under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi being the core and the orientation of the Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, the entire Party and people of China will definitely fulfill the tasks set by the congress and soon achieve the target of basically realizing socialist modernization so as to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and beautiful. He also appreciated Xis good sentiment and attention toward Vietnam and his important contributions to Vietnam-China relations, for the benefits of the two peoples. Trong said that he always attaches great importance to and is willing, together with the Chinese leader, to direct all levels, branches, and localities of the two countries to thoroughly understand and well implement the high-level agreements and common perceptions, thus bringing the friendly neighborhood and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China to a new height that is stable, healthy, and sustainable, meeting the fundamental and long-term interests of the two parties, countries, and peoples for peace, stability, cooperation, and development of the region and the world. I look forward to seeing you again soon so that we can deepen our discussions on strategic issues, contributing to further strengthening political trust, and setting out major orientations for the future development of the two countries relations, he wrote in his message. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed his support for the main breakthroughs in Vietnams development policy, highly valued its role in the international arena, and stressed that its voice is being respected by other countries as it is one of development. The UN head was speaking at his separate meetings with Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on Saturday, the last day of his two-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. PM Chinh highly appreciated Guterress visit as it took place at a very meaningful time that marked the 45th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to the UN. He said Vietnam wishes to continue receiving the UNs support in three strategic breakthroughs in its development policy, including perfecting its institution, developing human resources quality, and building modern economic and social infrastructure, which will help realize the goal of turning it into an industrial and high-income country by 2045, according to Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper. Vietnam advocates a multilateral approach and international solidarity, with the UN as the center, in dealing with current global problems, and the Southeast Asian country persistently pursues an independent and self-reliant foreign policy, for the sake of peace, cooperation, and development in the world, the PM said. The Vietnamese government leader also affirmed that Vietnam will continue being a reliable and responsible partner of the UN. Guterres said he was impressed with Vietnams persistence in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and with its post-pandemic economic achievements, especially its effective adaptation to and control of the health crisis, maintenance of macroeconomic stability, and socio-economic recovery and development, Lao Dong cited the secretary-general as saying. Highly valuing Vietnams role and voice in the international arena, Guterres asserted that the UN and he himself fully support the three said breakthroughs in Vietnam's development policy, and wished both sides to boost cooperation in various fields, including food and energy security, climate change, human rights, and digital technology, the Vietnam News Agency reported. He also hailed the Southeast Asian country as one of the pioneering countries in combating social inequality, responding to climate change, and especially ensuring and promoting human rights. The host and guest agreed to step up cooperation between ASEAN and the UN, and support efforts to maintain peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Vietnam Sea. They advocated peaceful settlement of disputes based on international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). During his talks with National Assembly Chairman Hue on the same day, Guterres appreciated the socio-economic achievements that Vietnam has gained in the past years. Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) is seen shaking hands with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Hanoi on October 22, 2022. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre He expressed his belief that Vietnam will certainly get better gains on its development path, and that Vietnam can be completely proud of its voice being respected by all countries, as that is one of development. Vietnam has set a special example in the government making efforts to bring benefits to people, Dai Bieu Nhan Dan (Peoples Representative) newspaper cited Guterres as saying. He considered Vietnam one of the dynamic and active members of the UN, and appreciated that the countrys dedication to the UN has helped bridge the gap between rich and poor nations, Guterres commented. He told Hue that the UN is willing to assist Vietnam in energy transition, digital transformation and cyber security, as well as in realizing its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, as these issues are also of the UNs concerns. The National Assembly chairman thanked the UN for providing Vietnam, via the COVAX Facility, with 61.7 million vaccine doses, along with medical equipment, which have greatly aided the countrys economic recovery and development after putting the pandemic at bay, Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper reported. The UN is an important and leading partner of Vietnam, providing the country with practical support from its difficult early period after the war ended in 1975 to its socio-economic development and international integration over the past decades, Hue said. After the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was adopted, the Vietnamese National Assembly is one of the first law-making bodies in the world to institutionalize all the UNs policy frameworks of sustainable development into the countrys legal system, as well as in its 5-year and 10-year development plans, the Vietnam News Agency cited the chairman as saying. He suggested the UN continue strengthening connections between the Vietnamese legislature and UN activities. During the first day of his stay in Hanoi, Guterres had separate talks with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, focusing on steps to promote bilateral ties. Guterres also visited the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and joined President Phuc in co-chairing the 45th anniversary of Vietnams accession to the UN. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories in Vietnam: Politics -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue in Hanoi on Saturday, as part of his official visit to Vietnam. Society -- A tropical depression entered the East Vietnam Sea on Saturday afternoon and is expected to bring heavy rains to central localities from Monday to Thursday next week, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported. -- Authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have warned of serious flooding as the city is expected to be hit by high tide between Wednesday and Friday next week. -- Six boats docking at Xep Lon Beach on Phu Quoc Island off southern Kien Giang Province was sunk by big waves on Saturday evening. There were no casualties in the incident. Business -- Vietnams foreign trade of agro, forestry, and aquatic products hit nearly US$75 billion in the first nine months of 2022, a year-on-year rise of 10.7 percent, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as reporting. Lifestyle -- Authorities in northern Hai Phong City are planning to install QR codes along major streets so that tourists can access useful information about the city in multiple languages. -- Dinh Nhu Phuong, a beauty from north-central Quang Binh Province, was crowned Miss Sea Island Vietnam 2022, and Pham Kim Ngan, a beauty from southern Dong Nai Province, received the title of Miss Globe Vietnam 2022 during the finales of the two pageants on Saturday evening. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police in Ho Chi Minh City have suspended the operations of two popular karaoke parlors over violations of fire safety regulations. The Department of Fire Prevention and Rescue Police (PC07) under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security confirmed it had inspected the fire safety system of Kingdom karaoke bar on Pham Viet Chanh Street in District 1 and Nnice karaoke parlor on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in District 3. The examination revealed that both facilities had many violations of fire safety regulations, namely unsafe use and installation of electrical wires, use of potentially combustible material to decorate walls and ceilings, and failure to establish firefighting plans, among others. Police officers examine the fire safety system at a karaoke parlor in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: PC07 Officers required the two karaoke parlors to shut down for one month to deal with the shortcomings in fire prevention and control. The police unit in District 1 and District 3 will be in charge of supervising the two venues during this period. Police officers examine the fire safety system at a karaoke parlor in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: PC07 Such businesses as karaoke parlors, discos, and bars must satisfy all conditions on fire prevention and control in order to operate sustainably and safely in the long run, according to Colonel Huynh Quang Tam, head of PC07. Starting October, police officers in Ho Chi Minh City have been inspecting fire safety systems of local karaoke venues, discos, and bars to make sure there are no violations. Police officers examine the fire safety system at a karaoke parlor in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: PC07 Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! FILE - The wall on the Israeli border with Lebanon, is seen at right, with the Mediterranean Sea in the distance, in Ras Hanikra, Israel, on Oct. 14, 2022. Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday, Oct. 23, threw out four legal challenges to a landmark maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon, clearing a major hurdle for the deal that could mark a major breakthrough in relations between the two countries. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) JERUSALEM (AP) Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday threw out four legal challenges to a landmark maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon, clearing a major hurdle for the deal that could mark a major breakthrough in relations between the two countries. The court did not immediately release its reasons for rejecting the challenges, which were submitted by an influential conservative policy group and an ultranationalist Israeli politician, among others. The court's ruling paves the way for the agreement to be given final approval by Israel's the government, a step expected later this week. Lebanon and Israel both claim some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. At stake are rights over exploiting undersea natural gas reserves. Lebanon hopes gas exploration will help lift its country out of its spiraling economic crisis. Israel also hopes to exploit gas reserves while also easing tensions with its northern neighbor. Critics of the deal who had appealed to the court said the current interim government should not be allowed to change Israels maritime border or make such weighty, strategic decisions without an electoral mandate. Israel has crossed a fundamental democratic line, with a lame duck government agreeing to give up the countrys sovereign territory to an enemy state days before an election, said Eugene Kontorovich, of the Kohelet Policy Forum, the conservative think tank that had petitioned the court. Israel heads to the polls for the fifth time in less than four years next week. Israel and Lebanon and formally have been at war since Israels establishment in 1948. In 2006, Israel and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah fought a monthlong, inconclusive war and tensions with the group remain high. Israel says the deal will bolster its security, help stabilize the northern frontier and boost the economy with billions in revenue from any gas discovered. It has been acknowledged that it may take some time to change the mindset of farmers as they facilitate the transition to regenerative agriculture. But groups like Nestle have a team of experts with over a decade of experience that can convince and help Vietnamese farmers about the importance and benefits of such moves. Under its recently-extended Nescafe Plan 2030 programme, the company is making the commitment to fulfil targets that include halving its emissions by the end of the decade. These emissions will also be cut to 20 per cent in just three years, meaning Nestle has had to implement genuine programmes, real pledges, and wide assistance for farmers and rural communities, including those in Vietnam, to help make these crucial changes. Could you shed some light on Nestles efforts to promote regenerative agriculture and combat climate change? Rennie: It is important to take immediate actions in the fight against climate change. Nestle has been one of the first signatories to the United Nations commitment towards net-zero by 2050. In Vietnam, were also delighted to be working with the government, supporting Vietnams 2050 net-zero emissions goal announced at COP26. We are absolutely united in our ambition to achieve this. If we want to make a difference, we must act immediately. To facilitate the goal, we have just launched Nescafe Plan 2030 with a focus on seven key origins, including Vietnam, from where our brand sources 90 per cent of its coffee. In this programme, regenerative agriculture is positioned at the heart. Under the programme, Nestle has made clear commitments to fulfil the emissions goals, including halving its emissions by 2030. Were going to cut emissions from 20 to 25 per cent in three years, which is indeed a huge commitment. Therefore, Nestle has to implement genuine programmes, real pledges, and assistance for farmers and rural communities including those in Vietnam to bring out the changes. David Rennie, deputy executive vice president and head of Nestle Coffee Brands and Philipp Navratil, SVP and head of Coffee Strategic Business Unit at Nestle S.A What is the role of regenerative agriculture under Nestles net-zero roadmap? Rennie: In the past, we discussed sustainable agricultural practices to reduce the harm to the environment. On the other hand, regenerative agricultural practices are about replenishing, nurturing, and working with nature for the long term to make farming and agriculture sustainable. It is focusing on harnessing nature, as opposed to fighting with nature. Specifically, regenerative farming methods contribute to improving soil health by retaining moisture and nutrients in the soil. The method also adopts smart irrigation to water coffee plants at the right times. Meanwhile, farmers can integrate with alternative crops that protect the coffee and give them additional income. They can reduce the need for artificial fertilizers, which are a major contributor to carbon emissions. Thanks to these farming practices, regenerative agriculture contributes to drawing down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, we consider regenerative agriculture at the very heart of Nestles net-zero roadmap. What are the key focus areas of the Nescafe Plan 2030 to drive this transformation? Navratil: Nestle has 12 years of a proven record of implementing the Nescafe Plan 2030 in Vietnam. We have been building a lot of knowledge for farmers by hand. We also trained them in agricultural practices, distributed high-yield and disease resilient coffee plantlets, and brought financial literacy to them to manage their farms. With regenerative practices, we not only increase soil health but also take care of biodiversity and the watershed. We believe that by protecting nature and giving back to nature, in the long term, the farming profitability and output will increase. Another key area is that we aim to improve all sorts of conditions around the farmers and their farming communities, especially increasing their income. So, regenerative agriculture is the solution to gain those benefits. We will offer more support to help farmers switch to regenerative agriculture. What is the most difficult challenge for Nestle when implementing regenerative agriculture in Vietnam? Navratil: It will take time to change the mindset of farmers to facilitate their transition to regenerative agriculture. We have a team of experts with over a decade of experience in the field to convince farmers about the importance and benefits of regenerative agriculture. Firstly, farmers will experience a slight dip in their profitability or in the yield of their farms. However, for the right reasons, farmers will gain more benefits eventually. Nestle has the plan to offer incentives to help farmers financially transition into regenerative agriculture. This is crucial as farmers might jump out of the programme if they dont see the results immediately. Meanwhile, we need to do to make them part of the programme by spreading the news to their colleagues and other farms. Moreover, Nestle continues to partner with the Vietnamese government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute to bring changes. Public-private partnerships are important for us to speed up the transition to regenerative agriculture. We will work towards convincing farmers and all relevant stakeholders, including the government and other companies, that regenerative agriculture is a practical solution for sustainable development to protect the environment and combat climate change. The Nestle team is working hand-in-hand with Vietnamese stakeholders in boosting regenerative agriculture How do you see regenerative agriculture will be welcomed by consumers? Navratil: Leading back to why we are pursuing regenerative agriculture is sustainability. The pandemic made us face risk in everything that we want to do on the whole. Consumers we talk to all say that they are concerned about packaging made with plastic or paper. Some say they prefer paper to plastic because they know its better for the environment, but there is no common concern. Sustainability plays an important role to drive consumption. Its not just sort of nice to have I believe for a brand like ours, if were not sustainable and regenerative, we will not have success in the future. Hence, we need to act to ensure commitment to sustainability and resilience. What is your evaluation of Nestle Vietnam as a growth catalyst for your group worldwide? Rennie: Coffee is such an important aspect of what we do in Vietnam, from green coffee to finished coffee. However, beyond coffee, Vietnam is a country with huge potential. The young and dynamic country has a clear view of what it wants, as well as a plan to get there. Thats why weve been in this market since the early 1990s, and were always supportive of that journey. Were very proud to be a part of the Vietnamese community to help with employment for hundreds of thousands of people directly and indirectly in Vietnam. Besides this, I think Vietnam has an important role for Nestle, as its our single biggest source of coffee globally. To be more specific, last year, we invested $132 million in Vietnam which was off for the investment against many other places in the world, but the country still won the deal because of the success of local businesses and factories. Therefore, we are happy to continue to invest in Vietnam. Nestle Vietnam plants forests to mitigate climate change impact On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, Nestle Vietnams employees and environmental ambassadors have partnered with Gaia Nature Conservation Center to organise the reforestation activity Sow Green Seeds Nurture Life to raise awareness and contribute to mitigating the impact of climate change. Nestle and Starbucks roll out Starbucks At Home in Vietnam Nestle and Starbucks on July 18 introduced a new coffee experience called Starbucks At Home in Vietnam that includes a premium instant coffee range with four signature flavours. Nestle Vietnam joins beach clean-up to reduce ocean plastic waste For World Cleanup Day 2022, a total of 200 Nestle Vietnams staff volunteered to collect waste on a beach in Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City. Nearly 1.5 tonnes of rubbish was collected in just half a day. Patricia Miller and Donis D.L. Wilson will clash again Nov. 8, this time with Miller as incumbent Precinct 2 McLennan County commissioner and Wilson as the challenger. Miller, a Democrat, said she is running on her record, and she is the only candidate with 26 years experience in county government, county budgets, county legislation, the creation and implementation of economic development programs, and/or providing advocacy and leadership. Miller for more than 22 years served as assistant to late Precinct 2 Commissioner Lester Gibson. Gibson did not seek reelection in 2018, and Miller ran against Wilson, a Mart Republican, to take the seat for herself. She won handily, collecting 6,016 votes, about 57% of those cast, to Wilsons 4,573 votes. But Wilson, now police chief at Riesel High School, said residents who urged him to run four years ago have repeated their concern. They asked me to try again, give it my best shot, Wilson said. Its really the same situation. Roads and bridges are getting worse. This is a diverse precinct, stretching from East Waco to North Waco, nearly to McLennan Community College, and even to South Waco and Primrose Drive. Most people feel like East Waco is taken care of. Im not pointing fingers. Thats the way Ms. Miller was trained. She followed in Lester Gibsons footsteps. Miller said she remains an advocate for residents countywide. One of the promises I made when I ran in 2018 was to encourage and push for our large businesses that benefited from our local economic development program to pay their entry-level workers a minimum of $15 an hour, she said. I was proud to see that begin to happen in 2020. She applauded the emergence of diversity on the McLennan County payroll, saying she spread the word about opportunity to her constituents. I was so proud one Sunday morning to see the security being provided at my church by a young African American sheriffs deputy, Miller said. Her family has been a member of Toliver (Toliver Chapel Missionary Baptist Church) for generations. And, after that Sunday in speaking with her mom, I found out that she had also been promoted to lieutenant. Why do I believe voters should reelect me as their representative? I want to be able to continue to be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of my constituents. Experience matters. A knowledgeable voice matters. A Democratic Party perspective, especially in an environment where the other four out of five are Republican, matters. Diversity matters. And I am proud to bring all of these things to the commissioners court. Wilson said outside East Waco, in rural areas, people are hurting. He said commissioners should allocate more to volunteer fire departments, which do not get enough money to operate properly. He said something needs to be done to address ambulance response times. In places like Riesel, Mart and Axtell, its a pretty long wait, Wilson said. Its not the companys fault. We need to rework the program, put more ambulances in those areas to have a better response time. Wilson said Axtell residents have battled alone to oppose the city of Wacos efforts to place a new municipal landfill in their midst. I just dont feel the Axtell community has been represented, he said. Not that putting the landfill there wasnt going to happen, but no voice has stood up for Axtell. Ive been reading minutes from TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) meetings in Austin, and I know the law firm Axtell has hired did get a landfill halted in Hempstead. Wilson, a former Department of Public Safety sergeant, said school safety and crime in general have become hot issues in eastern McLennan County. He said he has met with police departments to get feedback. He said commissioners have done a good job revitalizing Waco and its downtown. But some East Waco families mention concern over rising property values and being pushed out of homes theyve been in for years. Miller said she steered construction of a new road and bridge building for Precinct 2 staffers. Located in Mart, it cost $375,000 and serves as headquarters for the maintenance and construction team. She said she pushed for solutions to high arsenic levels in drinking water sold by smaller water companies. With three of the four entities affected by this issue operating in and for residents of Precinct 2, this was a high priority of mine, Miller said. The commissioner said she backed a baseline study of a Soil Conservation Service reservoir in Hill County near Wacos planned landfill. Data produced will assist in monitoring water quality. Miller also said her precincts road and bridge crew provided $100,000 in labor, equipment and fuel for upgrades to Tradinghouse Lake Park in Precinct 2. She thanked her fellow commissioners for supporting her request to allocate $50,000 to the Cen-Tex Minority Business Equity Fund. She thanked them as well for adding Juneteenth to the list of official county holidays. As a descendant of slaves and now a member of the McLennan County Commissioners Court, it was an extremely emotional moment for me when the vote to add this holiday to our list of holidays was finalized, Miller said. Early voting for the Nov. 8 election will start Monday at the county's five early voting sites: Robinson Community Center, 106 West Lyndale Ave. Waco Multi-Purpose Community Center, 1020 Elm Ave. First Assembly of God, 6701 Bosque Blvd. in Waco Hewitt City Hall and Library, 200 Patriot Court Records Building basement, 214 N. Fourth St., Suite 300 in Waco. Vote center hours vary by day of early voting: Republican state Rep. Charles Doc Anderson, 77, a retired Waco veterinarian who has served in the Legislature 18 years, seeks another two-year term representing House District 56. He voices pride in pressing legislation expanding broadband, which he sees as critical in improving quality of life and education in rural communities. Rural transportation and water are other priorities. Accomplishments he cites include securing new headquarters funding for Company F of the Texas Rangers in Waco; legislation concerning school-bus safety belts; increasing punishment for child predators (Jessicas Law); legislation banning the hallucinogen salvia divinorum; and a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2011 to extend property-tax exemptions to the surviving spouses of veterans who had already gained such exemptions due to service-connected disabilities. He has also supported tougher state abortion laws. In this interview with Tribune-Herald Editor Steve Boggs and veteran journalist Bill Whitaker, Anderson sorts through priorities as defined by the Republican Party of Texas platform crafted at its summer convention, including immigration and election integrity, as well as local GOP precinct resolutions. Question: When did you become a Republican and why? Charles "Doc" Anderson: It was as a teenager. I was leaning in that direction, you know, through Eisenhower and later Reagan. I liked the conservative mindset. And I define conservatism as empowerment of the individual as opposed to Democrats where its more about the power of the agency or the government. And on a very simple level, thats what it comes down to, both in terms of the individual and small business. Q: In June some 60 McLennan County Republicans including you participated in the Republican Party of Texas convention in Houston. Delegates produced a 2022 policy platform, complete with a resolution that reads: We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential Election and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States. It contends that various secretaries of state illegally circumvented their state legislatures in conducting their elections in multiple ways, including by allowing ballots to be received after November 3, 2020. Considering your stature as a party leader and a legislator at the convention, I ask you for specifics. My understanding is much of this was addressed by our state and federal courts. Anderson: Well, I think its a wide open question. Q: Did you support this resolution? Anderson: No. Im not advised as to whether it was legitimate or not. I will say there was a lot of evidence (of concern about the 2020 elections legitimacy). Q: You were a delegate, but you didnt vote for it. Anderson: No. Actually, I wasnt there that day. Q: Had you been there, would you have voted for it? Anderson: Read the resolution again. Q: We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential Election and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States. Anderson: Well, I will say there is a lot of evidence that there were some shenanigans going on in different areas, particularly in the swing states, but Im not advised as to whether it should be thrown out. I do believe the Supreme Court didnt live up to its role. The Supreme Court is the pressure valve of our government and our culture. I think if theyd taken that on, if the chief justice had taken that on, and looked at the evidence, we wouldnt have all of this conspiratorial thinking we have now. The fact that he refused that case with prejudice was a signal for every other judge Q: Did Chief Justice John Roberts refuse the case with prejudice? I thought the court just rejected it. Anderson: Yeah. So the other courts attitude (thereafter) was, Well, then, were not going to talk about it. Q: Are you talking about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons Dec. 8, 2020, lawsuit? Anderson: No, no, Im talking about well, I think it was Ken Paxton Q: Are we talking about Texas v. Pennsylvania, which included three other battleground states as well? Anderson: Theres a number of suits, sixty-odd suits altogether, and none of them has ever gone forth. And the fact that they (the Supreme Court) did that with prejudice, then the other courts said, Were not going to talk about it either. So that created this controversy and conspiracy. If we had had the Supreme Court deal with that and let the chips fall where they may, we wouldnt have had these problems. When folks had what they considered legitimate evidence but couldnt get it into court, that creates this kind of animosity, particularly in the environment that were in politically, and [so] the charges go right to DEFCON 2. I think a little common-sense approach there would have Q: Im going to offer another version. Benjamin Ginsberg is a longtime conservative Republican lawyer. He helped win Bush v. Gore in 2000 at the U.S. Supreme Court that put George W. Bush in the White House and turned the Bush ranch near Waco into the Western White House. He says many of these lawsuits by President Trump and his allies were in fact decided on the merits. They did go to court. Ill read you a quote from Mr. Ginsberg and other conservative Republicans from their 69-page Lost, Not Stolen report, issued in July this year: Of the 64 cases brought by Trump and his supporters, 20 were dismissed before a hearing on the merits, 14 were voluntarily dismissed by Trump and his supporters before a hearing on the merits, and 30 cases included a hearing on the merits. Only in one Pennsylvania case involving far too few votes to overturn the results did Trump and his supporters prevail. Yet you say none of these suits was heard on the merits. Is Mr. Ginsberg wrong? Anderson: Well, Id say in my thinking anyway. Q: Ive got the report right here. Its the work of several respected conservative Republicans. Anderson: Yeah, I mean, my understanding is they didnt go to trial. I mean, there was a hearing and they dismissed them, but I mean actually getting to trial Q: They were dismissed because they lacked credible evidence. Its one thing to go in and claim something, its another to go in with evidence and say so. Anderson: Right. Q: And thats why the judges, some of them Trump-appointed judges, dismissed these. Anderson: I think a lot of that had to do with the chief justice saying, Were not going to deal with these, and it seemed like everybody else was (consequently) saying, Were not going to deal with these. Q: Well, the Paxton suit [that went to the Supreme Court] came after many of these were decided. Anderson: Well, it may not have been the Paxton suit like I said, it may have been another that first went to the Supreme Court. And if the Supreme Court had sat down and said, OK, were going to deal with this, its going to be a tough deal, you know, because the emotions are so high, but lets take a look at this and decide one way or the other in U.S. Supreme Court, I think that would have eliminated a lot of this. Q: Even constitutional scholar and former federal judge Ken Starr, in testifying before a Republican-led Senate committee, said the Supreme Court was correct in rejecting the suit trying to overturn the votes of millions of U.S. citizens in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia. He said that Texas had no business telling other sovereign states how to run their elections. [NOTE: To quote Starr at the Dec. 16, 2020, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing: The entirety of the decision was based on the legal concept of standing. You just dont, Texas, have standing to object to what happened in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania or whatever. And that is a reasonable ruling. There are those who would quarrel with it in that we are a United States of America and if something bad happens in one state, it ends up having an effect on another state, (but) we have such respect for our states as sovereign entities within our union that the argument is quite reasonable. And I think others think its quite reasonable.] The governor of Texas, without approval of the Texas Legislature, up and added six days to early voting in 2020. Some such issues went to the Texas Supreme Court, again without say-so of the Legislature, and the court approved at least some of these election changes because we were in the middle of a pandemic. I mean, do you consider yourself legitimately elected in 2020, even with such election irregularities in Texas? Anderson: I believe so. Yeah. Q: What evidence (of electoral shenanigans) are you talking about? Anderson: Well, theres a thousand allegations. Q: Name a couple. Anderson: Well, one was the video that supposedly they had taken, and at 11 oclock they had dismissed everyone, or at 10 oclock, or whatever it was, and they brought out some more ballots and then continued to count ballots Q: Where was that? Anderson: Im not sure if it was Arizona or Pennsylvania or wherever it was. But I mean those type things. [NOTE: This appears to involve an allegation involving an Atlanta, Georgia, vote-counting facility and a suitcase full of illicit ballots that turned out to be regular ballots in a standard ballot container, not a suitcase. Georgia election officials and federal investigators say election workers thought they were going home early on election night, only to be told they must stay and count ballots in a timely manner. Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney General William Barr dismissed rumors to the contrary as nonsense: The ballots under the table were legitimate ballots. They werent in a suitcase.] Q: The U.S. Department of Justice looked at all these things and said theres nothing there. Anderson: Well, like I say, that was after the chief justice said, Were not going to deal with this. And I think there was another one where an individual with a tractor-trailer, you know, he signed an affidavit, he put his name on, you know Q: He was doing what? Anderson: That he hauled ballots from ahem Long Island, I think it was, to Pennsylvania or something. [NOTE: This likely refers to a December 2020 allegation by an amateur ghost-hunter and truck driver who claimed he had driven a truck full of completed ballots from Long Island, New York, to Pennsylvania a claim stamped groundless by U.S. Postal Service officials. An inspector generals findings indicated most if not all the mail contents were packages, not letters or ballots."] Q: So you believe that? Anderson: Well, I dont know. But the thing is if none of those [allegations] are addressed, then thats what generates the conspiracies. Q: The McLennan County Republican Party chairman this summer accused the Tribune-Herald of being a liberal propaganda rag of a newspaper because we highlighted this particular resolution about the 2020 presidential election being illegitimate to the exclusion of other party planks, so Im going to bow to his wishes and move on to other planks. Is that fair? Anderson: Yeah. Q: The Republican Party of Texas platform this summer called for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to be repealed and not reauthorized. Do you agree? Anderson: No. Im not sure what the rationale was for that. Im not aware of any particular reason to disavow that or repeal that, you know, so I think thats fine. Q: Lets move to another part of the Republican Party of Texas 2022 platform that may impact you: We urge the Texas Legislature to pass (a) bill in its next session requiring a referendum in the 2023 General Election for the people of Texas to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation. No less a conservative than the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said the question of secession is moot. [NOTE: To quote Scalia: If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede. Hence, in the Pledge of Allegiance, one Nation, indivisible.] Anderson: I agree with Scalia. Its been talked about, year in and year out, over many particular issues, but I dont think itd be in Texas [interest]. We dont turn and run. This is a case of the same thing. We have problems, we deal with the problems. We have the mechanisms to deal with them. Our federal government sometimes its good, sometimes its not so good but we have something called elections and we can deal with problems through them. Q: I now invite you to cite what policies youre proud of in the 2022 Republican Party of Texas platform. Youre welcome to peruse my copy if you wish. What would you highlight? Anderson: Election integrity. We did a lot of that last session, but we can follow up on that. Q: Several election integrity bills passed in 2021. Anderson: I think all in all we did well, but I think there needs to be some penalties for flagrant violations. We need to follow up and make sure, like cleansing the voter rolls. Thats the biggest thing. The Texas Secretary of State needs to be on top of that, such as with people moving and, you know, theyre not cleansed (from voter rolls), or when theyre deceased. You know, I send out birthday cards [to constituents in Texas House District 56] and its amazing the lists we get from the Secretary of States Office. Someone will say [to us in response to Doc Anderson birthday cards], Oh, my husbands been deceased for three years. Yet here he is still on the voter rolls. Q: Right. Anderson: The border is another thing that is super important. We definitely have to do something about the border. Im not sure what the answer is and what Texas can do. Its a federal responsibility and its derelict in its duty. Q: We at the Trib believe if you want to solve a lot of immigration problems, demand enforcement of E-Verify and have stiff penalties for anyone who hires illegal immigrants. I mean, we have people in town who clearly have illegal immigrants working for them. Why doesnt the Texas Legislature demand E-Verify of all employers with stern penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants? Anderson: I agree. E-Verify is coming along. In its early stages it wasnt very effective, but its improved somewhat. Of course, it wouldnt solve the whole problem. Q: Right, but it would solve a big chunk of it because some construction sites use immigrant labor, agricultural operations use them. Its as formidable a solution as building a border wall. [NOTE: State law requires such verification for state agencies and some contractors and subcontractors who work with them. Only eight states have mandatory E-Verify regulations for all private-sector employers. Texas is not among them.] Anderson: Its a tool we could use much more efficiently. Q: Would you introduce such a bill? Anderson: Well, what I will do is look and see what has been done. Q: Well, obviously nothings being done. Anderson: I mean, they may have passed something and I need to look at that. Q: Election administrators statewide are having difficulty finding people who want to serve as election workers because weve so penalized the process. These penalties discourage the retirees who so often volunteer to run our elections. Im not talking about poll watchers but poll workers. Anderson: Theres a number of reasons for this. Everything is so negative, its at DEFCON 2. People come in to vote and theyre hostile or at least theyre aggravated. Our folks are afraid if they do something, theyll be penalized. And so you have all that angst there. The poll watcher should help with that. Q: Really? Anderson: Yeah, one to educate them and, two, if they see something, part of their role is to notify the election judge, OK, were having trouble with this. The other thing is paying a little more [for election workers]. The pay is not the best for that. Q: Is that something the Legislature can do or is that a county responsibility? Anderson: The county more than anything. Q: You say poll watchers can help bolster election integrity. Yet a Republican resolution passed just this spring in several precincts in McLennan County says that poll watchers should be able to use video surveillance in polling places, that they shouldnt have to take an oath to serve and that they dont want to have to undergo any mandated training in election law and protocols through the Texas Secretary of States Office. WAVERLY - Two seats are up for election on the Waverly City Council, but only the Ward 2 seat will be decided in a contested race. The two candidates are Adam Goodman and incumbent Abbey Pascoe, who was appointed to the council in 2020 to fill the seat previously occupied by current Mayor Bill Gerdes. Ward 2 is bounded by Heywood Street on the north, 152nd Street on the east, U.S. Highway 6 to the northwest and Interstate 80 to the south. As the Nov. 8 general election nears, Goodman and Pascoe gave their thoughts on Waverlys future public safety needs, how to manage the citys long-term planning and how to balance Waverlys small-town feel with its growing population. What will be your top three priorities as a member of the Waverly City Council? Abbey Pascoe: My top three priorities that I have worked to accomplish in the last two years were and will continue to be: Work on a new website that incorporated an app for a one-stop shop to know the happenings in our community. Done. Bring in amenities that business owners and residents need to live their lives and run their businesses, i.e. ALLO. I will continue to work on economic development opportunities. Currently, I am setting up an economic development committee that will eventually become its own entity. Its incredibly important for our growth to bring in new businesses that will meet the needs of our current and future residents to make their everyday lives easier regardless of the demographic. Continue to ensure that our public safety agencies meet the needs of our growing community. Adam Goodman: My top 3 priorities as a member of Waverly City Council would be: I would focus on increasing trust between residents and the city. The way to do this is through transparency and honesty. There is a large number of residents that feel like they dont have a voice and their opinions dont matter. I have seen many examples shared with me of the current city government treating these conversations like an inconvenience instead of an opportunity to serve the community they promised they would. I would love to focus on strengthening and protecting the qualities of Waverly that make families want to move here. My current impression is that growth is the most important thing but only for the sake of growth. I havent seen anything that leads me to believe there are proactive steps planned to support the growth and retain the small-town feel that residents enjoy. I would push to take care of and further develop the parks and amenities that make Waverly beautiful and keep the residents outside and active. I would drive further discussion into the need for emergency service expansion with the growth Waverly is experiencing. There comes a point where the limited presence we have isnt enough and recent events suggest we may be there already. Again, this is where the voices of the residents are important to ensure they continue to feel safe and important in the city governments plans. What is your background as a member of the Waverly community? Pascoe: My family and I moved here seven years ago. Since then, I have been an active member of the Greater Waverly Area Foundation Fund and have been the president for the last three years. GWAFFs goal is to spearhead and fundraise for community projects that cannot be funded solely by taxes. I have also been on the city council for the last two years, working on a myriad of projects as you can see in my other responses. I was the community events coordinator last year for the PTO and continue to participate in events and volunteer opportunities. Goodman: I have been a resident of Waverly for just over a year, but I have been a frequent visitor for almost 10 years with plans to move here. My family moved here and we brought a long-time family friend with us. There are fantastic people here, and I want this to be the best possible place to raise my family, the place I thought it could be 10 years ago. I had the pleasure of serving on the mayors Municipal Building/Fire Station Committee in 2021 and 2022, which was a wonderful experience. Opened my eyes to what is important to the residents and how serious safety is taken here. Waverly continues to grow rapidly, but many residents move to town for its small-town feel. How will you ensure Waverly is able to balance its rural roots while continuing to make it an attractive city for families? Pascoe: Community involvement is extremely important to me. It is important to get information out, welcome new people in with open arms, and maintain our small-town feel by keeping the community connected and involved. We must support local events, businesses, and entrepreneurs when they bet on Waverly as a new location to grow. We must continue to build amenities and services young families are looking for when choosing a place to call home. Goodman: We need to have a clear vision for the future. That includes picking and choosing development opportunities while maintaining the existing assets that we already have. Growth and change is inevitable given the geographical location we are in, but we have to be willing to say no to the projects that dont make sense. Having strong leaders in place that will drive deeper conversations about the future rather than just accepting what comes along to get a win and a project under their name. We can be a very successful community with high standards. As Waverly grows, the need for public amenities and local businesses increases. What will you do to make sure Waverly is able to fill these needs? Pascoe: The city is currently working on updating its comprehensive plan to grow. Being the economic development liaison, I am heavily involved in this process and planning for the future. As mentioned above, I am currently working on building an economic development committee that will eventually turn into its own, fully functioning entity to drive business growth and ensure the needs of the community are met. This committee will consist of current business stakeholders that will encourage investment in Waverly to enhance the lives of our citizens. Goodman: I wouldnt let the focus go away from the topic of public amenities for too long at any given time. The city should always be looking for ways to improve the life of residents and listen to what they are asking for. Local business is a tougher conversation. I would look for ways to make owning a local business in the community more achievable. One of the biggest complaints I have heard is that it feels like the chosen businesses get what they need, and everyone else is on their own. I would get more community members involved by reaching out to them, even if they dont have an active presence in council meetings or other involvement opportunities. We should provide more convenient ways to be involved and encourage the community to use their voice. Waverly contracts its policing and some of its EMS needs through Lancaster County, and concerns have been raised regarding outsourced public safety. What (if anything) do you think Waverly needs to do to improve its public safety services? Pascoe: As we continue to grow, there is always going to be a need for continued discussion around our public safety services. Today, we work hand in hand with the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office and contract three deputies to ensure the safety of our citizens. As far as EMS goes, we have an incredible team of men and women who volunteer their time, day and night, when called upon. Will this be enough in the future? Likely not, but it is an ongoing discussion. Goodman: First, Waverly needs to finalize the plans for the municipal building/fire station and get that build process started. Second, there needs to be a real discussion about the need for a permanent law enforcement option. With what Waverly is paying to contract these services, it would make sense to start thinking about what kind of monetary impact localized services would have. We all know it is only going to get more expensive in the future, as everything does. This isnt something that needs to be developed and created in a short pe- riod of time, but a clear plan should be in the works for when it will be absolutely necessary. The second plat of land where the municipal building/fire station is going would be a great investment for the city to make for future plans. With the development of the new waterpark comes increased visits from people who dont have ties to the community or an active interest in the residents wellbeing. In the short term, Waverly is expected to fill in to the west between Highway 6 and Interstate 80. In the long-term, Waverly will likely be factored into NDOTs plans for the future East Beltway. In addition, Lincoln continues its eastward growth, which could eventually cause clashes between the two cities. What should Waverlys priorities be regarding its current and long-term city planning needs? Pascoe: Being on the corridor between Nebraskas two largest cities presents many opportunities, but also challenges. As mentioned above, we are currently in the process of coordinating a new comprehensive plan which will help with all these future plans. Also, the council approved services being built all the way to 120th Street to further spur growth and business development along the Highway 6 corridor. We also currently have a community input survey out (closes on Nov. 1). We sincerely want all feedback to move Waverly forward. With the help of all the responses, I am hopeful we will come up with a wonderful plan to not only capitalize on these opportunities but also overcome any obstacles. Goodman: Waverlys priorities should always be the best quality of life for current residents. Every decision should be made with the residents in mind, not anyones personal agenda. Lincoln will continue its growth, and there needs to be a good relationship amongst the leaders of both places with open communication. The only way to make sure Waverly factors into Lincolns plans is to have a voice in the discussions. Community leaders need to look for what their decisions would impact 20-30 years down the road, not just the length of their term. Sam Crisler is a reporter for The Waverly News. Reach him via email at samuel.crisler@wahoonewspaper.com. CEDAR FALLS The Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley has announced the following needs of local organizations: Contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 883-3015 or information@vccv.org, or go online to vccv.org for a complete listing of volunteer opportunities in the Cedar Valley. WATERLOO Three people have been sent to prison after police found a record amount of a lethal opioid and methamphetamine packed into the walls of a Waterloo home in 2021. We seized enough fentanyl to kill everyone in the state of Iowa, said Jason Feaker, a Waterloo police captain who had been assigned to the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force during the investigation. Authorities said the fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine that was discovered, originated in Mexico, where a supplier in Sinaloa arranged to have it smuggled across the border. The cache of narcotics then made its way to Waterloo and other Iowa communities by rail car, according to court records. Money from the sales was wired back to Mexico. At least one overdose death was directly attributed to the trafficking operation, records state. Last week one of the men behind the local ring, 43-year-old Levi Colin Dull of Cedar Falls, was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. One of Dulls alleged suppliers, Ruben Vasquez, a Mexican citizen, was sentenced to just over 14 years in prison. And the man who stored the drugs, Narciso Chinchillas Sanchez, 23, also a Mexican citizen, was sentenced to just over 13 years behind bars. Methamphetamine and fentanyl ruin lives, and in some cases end them. People who distribute meth and fentanyl in our communities will always be a primary prosecutorial target of our office, United States Attorney Timothy Duax said in announcing the sentences. Broader conspiracy Other Iowa residents connected to the Sinaloa-based operation were detained in separate raids. Jeremy Aswegan, 44, of Van Horne, was sentenced to more than 21 years behind bars on a conspiracy charge in May. Sandra Ann Deyerle, 30, of Jefferson, formerly of Waterloo, was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for drug and firearm charges in December. At least seven people have been arrested on state money laundering charges in connection with the investigation. Many of them used the Western Union services at a Waterloo grocery store to wire drug profits to Mexico. According to court records, one of the men at the top of the operation, Daniel Manjarrez, based in Culiacan, the capital of the state of Sinaloa, has been indicted but remains at large. Investigators called the operation the Manjarrez Drug Trafficking Organization, but a Tri-County Task Force agent involved in the probe testified Daniel Mavjarrez is likely working with the Sinaloa Cartel, the largest drug trafficking and organized crime syndicate in the Americas. Police had been investigating another Waterloo man who allegedly received meth from Manjarrez. The man was never charged, and his involvement apparently ended in January 2020 when he shot a person in the neck and went to prison. His girlfriend, Deyerle, allegedly picked up where he left off with the help of one of his customers, Aswegan, according to court records. She traveled to California at Manjarrezs request to obtain pound quantities of the drug and mail it to Aswegans home, according to court records. In the summer of 2020, Manjarrez had Deyerle move to Jefferson so she could receive meth shipments by rail car. About 300 pounds of meth packed in PVC pipe arrived in June 2020. She and Aswegan inventoried it, and she took 60 to 80 pounds to sell. Another Manjarrez associate took the remaining 220 or so pounds, according to court records. One more train-load of meth arrived in late August 2020, with Deyerle taking a 100-pound cut to distribute with Aswegans help, records state. Sometime in August 2020, burglars hit Aswegans home, grabbing about 10 pounds of meth and a substantial amount of cash. Authorities closed in on Oct. 30, 2020, executing numerous search warrants and raiding Deyerles home and storage unit in Jefferson. They found about 50 pounds of ice meth, which was leftover from the August rail shipment, in the storage unit. Records show that $28,950 in cash was also seized in Jefferson. Also discovered was 100 grams of heroin and a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver at her house. In addition, they found 450 grams of heroin in a Waterloo storage unit, according to court records. At Aswegans home in Van Horne, police found 162 grams of meth, pounds of marijuana and a .17-caliber Savage Arms rifle, records state. Unusual transportion Further details about how the meth was moved by train to and through Iowa werent available. Using the rail system to transport methamphetamine and other contraband is unusual, but it isnt unheard of. In July 2022, Customs and Border Patrol agents found 174 pounds of meth valued at about $314,000 when they X-rayed a train car at the Calexico, Calif., port of entry. And, in 2019, a logistics snafu mistakenly sent 397 pounds of meth hidden in the spare tires and trunks of Ford Fusions made in Hermosillo, Mexico and transported by train to a dozen auto dealerships in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, Canada. In May 2021, Customs and Border Patrol officials announced a $46 million initiative to overhaul X-ray inspections for rail cars at 12 points of entry. Non-intrusive inspection technology is a force multiplier that allows CBP officers to safely and more efficiently process U.S.-bound cargo, said William Ferrara, executive assistant commissioner of the CBP Office of Field Operations. The high-quality images produced by the new rail cargo scanners will enhance CBPs efforts to interdict stowaways, deadly narcotics, and other contraband while facilitating the flow of lawful trade. Leading operations Dull is described in court records as the local Iowa leader for Marjarrezs meth and fentanyl operation beginning in early 2021. Vasquez distributed at least 11 pounds of methamphetamine to Dull to sell. Manjarrez also sent Chinchillas from Arizona to Waterloo in in the late spring of 2021 to help, records state. Chinchillas stored drugs at his rented Ricker Street home and sold pound-quantities of meth to Dull on some 30 occasions, according to court records. Dull allegedly sold from his home on Sunnyside Drive in Cedar Falls sometimes unwittingly to people working with authorities. He used others to receive shipments, distribute the drugs and send proceeds back to Mexico, records state. He also traveled to the Chicago area to drop off large sums of money to others involved in the operation, court records allege. Sometime around Aug. 14, 2021, Dull sold heroin to a person identified in court records by the initials C.H. C.H. shared the drug with a person identified as A.H. Court records state A.H. suffered a fatal overdose. C.H. also overdosed, but survived. Four days later, on Aug. 18, 2021, authorities raided Dulls home, finding a quarter pound of meth in a bag in his basement. They also found psilocybin mushrooms, crack cocaine, a fentanyl/heroin mixture and two guns, one of which was stolen. The investigation continued and culminated in an Oct. 25, 2021, raid at the Ricker Street home. A kitchen drawer at the house held ice meth shards the size of quartz crystals and Ziplock bags of robins egg blue pills that would test positive for a mixture of fentanyl and tramadol. But the mother lode was still to come. In the basement, tucked behind drywall, narcotics agents found meth and the fentanyl mixture in powder form sealed in plastic wrap and stacked like bricks. Police also searched a Cedar Falls home and a storage unit in Waterloo. In all, authorities seized more than 90 pounds of ice meth, 23 pounds of fentanyl and two firearms, according to federal prosecutors. The fentanyl included more than 34,000 pills. WATERLOO The Board of Education on Monday will consider purchases allowing Waterloo Community Schools to expand a manufacturing program and music courses. The board meets at 5 p.m. at the Education Service Center, 1516 Washington St. Manufacturing equipment for the IGNITE program would be purchased for East and West high schools at a cost of $373,910. IGNITE is a foundational skill development program designed to stimulate student interest in manufacturing and industry careers. Waterloo Schools has offered IGNITE for the past two years at TechWorks but the program is limited to 16 students per session. The proposed purchase would open up the opportunity to participate to more than 200 students per year at each school. The program exposes students to career options and lets them earn certifications for the manufacturing industry. The purchase would also create an elective course in the trade sector, which is currently not available, according to a board memo. The purchase would be paid for with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding part of the federal American Rescue Plan. The board will also consider a $51,229 purchase for curriculum to be used in songwriting and composition classes. The class began after a grant from the Iowa Music Educators Association and was piloted in the 2020-21 school year. The course was created to introduce beatmaking, mixing and editing to students. A curricular program and computers are included in the purchase. In other business, the board will: Recognize Maple Lanes Bowling Center as a new Partner in Education with Fred Becker Elementary School. Get an update from the Waterloo Schools Foundation about the organization surpassing $2 million in donations. Hear a presentation regarding school safety audits. CEDAR FALLS Beginning in the spring, the Department of Transportation expects to embark on a two-year, $9.2 million reconstruction and repaving of the Iowa Highway 58 and Ridgeway Avenue corridor. It will improve the pavement condition, and well make some necessary intersection and safety improvements while bettering the overall traffic flow, said Nick Humpal, an assistant district engineer, during a telephone interview Friday. Earlier this month, the Cedar Falls City Council approved a preconstruction agreement with the Iowa DOT outlining the $2.04 million it owes for the work involving Ridgeway Avenue, a city road. The reconstruction project will help the city fulfill the terms of a development agreement it signed in 2018 with the owners of the Fleet Farm retail store at 400 W. Ridgeway Ave. The work will result in Iowa Highway 58/27 being repaved from just south of the U.S. Highway 20 interchange, north to Shawnee Road, and then on Ridgeway from Nordic Drive, to 600 feet east of Highway 58/27. Improvements will include the addition of a second turn lane at each of the four legs of the Highway 58 and Ridgeway intersection. A dual left turn lane also will be added at the Ridgeway and Nordic intersection to aid those traveling westbound and turning into Fleet Farm. If turning right onto Nordic, a designated right turn lane will aid those possibly heading to the Kwik Star or into the industrial park. The traffic signal at the Highway 58 and Ridgeway intersection will be replaced with a new one. The eastbound Highway 20 ramps and Highway 58 intersection will see a new traffic signal added and the eastbound entrance ramp onto Highway 20 will be converted into a dual lane. Additionally, the vertical clearance under the Highway 20 overpass will be improved by lowering the Highway 58 roadway underneath. Box culverts will be replaced under the leg of Ridgeway west and the leg of Highway 58 south of the intersection. A trail will be added to connect the existing trail near Nordic eastward to the existing trail just east of Highway 58. Humpal said the staging will be complicated but he expects no roads to fully close while workers are on the job. He said the project will make the corridor better for the long-term, and no additional improvements are planned for the area beyond the ones slated to be bid out in February and started in the spring. The city will pay the DOT its $2.04 million in three annual sums of $682,806, beginning with the year construction is complete. The development agreement between the city and Fleet Farm also outlined a previous phase of improvements that were completed west of Nordic Drive for about $1.8 million, a city spokesperson said. Fleet Farm is contributing about $1.7 million toward past and future improvements to the corridor. The reconstruction comes a couple years after the massive Highway 58 and Viking Road interchange project was completed about a mile away. Last year, city officials said the Highway 58 and Greenhill Road intersection a mile north of Highway 58 and Viking is among the more dangerous intersections in the state. They had been working with the DOT to program the intersection into plans for future construction. There was a project just programmed this past spring for an interchange reconstruction in fiscal year 2027, said Humpal in a follow-up email. We are just beginning to get this development underway. Options will be evaluated to take Iowa 58 over Greenhill or Greenhill over Iowa 58. Likewise, well consider options for either a single point urban interchange similar to the Viking Road interchange or a dogbone roundabout interchange similar to the University Avenue interchange. There will be a lot more to come on this project in the near future. A scientist friend recently noted that at todays rate of consumption, the world is environmentally and economically sustainable for roughly 1 billion people. That means with the worlds population of 8 billion, he half-joked, youre a goner. Right, just not right now; let nature take its course, eh? Recent population trends, however, show that nature might already be winnowing us a bit faster still too slow for my friend, but winnowing nonetheless. For example, at a recent conference on the U.S. economy, the discussion quickly diverted from the more normal short-term economic outlook to the rarely discussed longer-term view with demography, the science of populations, as the key yardstick. In fact, wrote Bloomberg columnist Niall Ferguson, the main event at the Aspen Economic Strategy Group conference, turned out to be a series of disquieting papers on U.S. demographic trends and their implications. These turn out to be, judged Ferguson, a senior fellow at Stanford University, a big deal and at first sight a rather bad one. Bad for the nations quickly aging population because Americas steadily falling birth rates will, he notes citing research, lead to slower population growth, which in turn [will] cause slower economic growth and present fiscal challenges like Social Security which is banking on a growing population to keep its actuarial deficit manageable. Still, adds Ferguson, the United Nations estimates that if the U.S. birth rate returns to pre-1980s levels (slim chance) and the country reopens its immigration doors (even slimmer chance), its population could rise to 394 million by 2100, or 17% more than today. If, however, the American birth rate remains historically low and the country continues to limit immigration, the U.S. population will drop to 280 million in 80 years, or 16% less than today. The numbers are far more certain if the focus is China, Americas biggest ag importer. By contrast, Ferguson explains, the UN offers no scenario in which Chinas population does not decline. Best case, it falls by a fifth. Base case essentially the median it declines by 46%, to 771 million, from todays 1.4 billion. Worst case, it falls by nearly two thirds, to 494 million. Think what 1 billion less people in China means to both the world and world markets, and think fast because, according to the Bloomberg writer, The Chinese government has stopped denying it has a demographic problem. Last month China admitted that its population would start to shrink before 2025. But thats only if Chinas current population numbers are true. Recent reports strongly suggest that Chinas infamous one-child policy that limited families to one child from 1979 until 2016 actually trimmed todays overall population to 1.2 billion, substantially less than its official count of 1.41 billion. Despite these projected declines, the UN still sees global population at 10 billion by 2059, then entering a generation-long leveling off period. Overall population decline is estimated to begin around 2086. Ninety-five percent of all the population growth until then, says the UN, will occur in the relatively young, relatively poor sub-Saharan nations of Africa. Strikingly, that means that in less than 40 years or about the average length of an American farmers career sub-Saharan Africa will have 2 billion more people to feed, clothe, and shelter; China might have one billion less; and rural America will be emptier than it is today. Another massive shift already in the cards is, again, in China where its recently reappointed leader, Xi Jinping, continues to push farmers to divert resources from profitable agribusinesses to basic staples so the nation will be less dependent on the hostile West led by the U.S., according to the Financial Times. If that shift proves successful, Chinas impact on U.S. ag markets now a $36 billion-a-year customer will change long before its shrinking population shrinks its collective stomach. That is if Mother Nature and her increasingly intense floods, droughts, hurricanes, rising seas, melting glaciers, and other climate-forged scythes dont winnow most of us first. Voters will be asked if we should amend the Iowa Constitution on Nov. 8. First, understand the proposal and then vote no. 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 restriction of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny. Vote no for three reasons. First, we have the 2nd Amendment in the United States Constitution. This is different. The heart of this amendment focuses on the ability of the state to pass laws regulating firearms. Second, the phrase strict scrutiny is a legal term and refers to the highest standard of legal analysis. Strict scrutiny is only applied to fundamental constitutional rights like voting and free speech, considered necessary for our democracy to function. Applying this level of scrutiny to the right of owning and using guns is different. Any and all restrictions adds a layer of protection against reasonable legislation regarding age, secure storage, and restrictions about where people can carry weapons. Finally, Iowans overwhelming support gun safety laws such as requiring background checks, gun safety classes, preventing felons from owning guns, and banning guns while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A yes vote makes it more difficult to pass laws regulating firearms. In 2020, homicides by gun increased 80% in Iowa. While Iowa ranks 38th in firearm deaths, the rate of gun deaths increased 56% from 2011 to 2020, compared with a 33% increase nationwide. Louisiana, Alabama, and Missouri have passed strict scrutiny amendments and all three states rank in the top five states for gun-related deaths. Furthermore, gun laws already on the books could be challenged. A no vote preserves Iowas ability to regulate firearms while honoring the 2nd Amendment. It supports the work of law enforcement to keep Iowans safe and keeps guns out of the hands of those with mental health concerns, since 8 out of 10 deaths by guns are suicides. It protects women and children by preventing domestic abusers from owning guns. Thirty-two organizations oppose this amendment, including the League of Women Voters of Iowa. The League of Women Voters of Black Hawk-Bremer Counties urges you to vote no. Top News Today Russian Aerospace Forces launch Soyuz-2.1v light carrier rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Krasny Liman direction: the Russian troops impeded the ememys attempt to attack the Russian positions in the direction of Chervonopopovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), and Novovodyanoye (Lugansk Peoples Republic). NykolayevKrivoy Rog direction: the Russian forces repulsed the enemys attempt to breach the Russian troops defences in the direction of Pyatikhatki, Sukhanovo, Sablukovka, Bezvodnoye, Bruskinskoye, and Pravdino (Kherson region). Operational-tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down one MiG-29 of Ukrainian Air Force near Peremoga (Nikolayev region). Russian Defence Ministry has published footage of Nona self-propelled artillery gun, Su-30sm fighter crews, a tank unit, Airborne Troops, maintenance units in combat action within the special military operation. Mobilised personnel continue their training courses. #MoD #TopNews #Russia #Ukraine @mod_russia_en WtR The Kiev regime wants to arrange a provocation in Ukraine with a dirty bomb or a small nuclear charge . The main purpose of the action is to accuse the Russian Federation of using weapons of mass destruction. The Eastern Mining and Processing Plant and the Kiev Institute for Nuclear Research with Western curators are already creating a dirty bomb. Work on it is at the final stage. The UK can transfer components of nuclear weapons to Ukraine, according to several sources @rian_en. Representatives of Zelenskys office and British politicians are already communicating behind the scenes about this. About the possibility of Kiev to create a so-called dirty bomb. Now Ukraine has a lot of radioactive landfills and huge reserves of spent nuclear fuel. From Sputnik WtR Weather Alert ...Cold Temperatures, Winds, and Snow Return This Week... After a quiet holiday weekend, a few storms are on track to bring back colder temperatures, periods of windy conditions, and the potential for snow in the Sierra and western Nevada the week ahead. A quick-hitting storm will pass through the region today with gusty winds, colder temperatures, and chances for snow showers. Highest snow potential will be in the Warner mountains, Surprise Valley and northern Washoe County (60% chance of 1 to 2 inches) with lesser potential as the storm slides southward across the Interstate 80 corridor (50% chance of a dusting). Winds will be more impactful than the snow with this early week storm. Widespread valley wind gusts 35 to 45 mph are forecast with Sierra crest winds gusting to 70+ mph. Plan on impacts to activities in the backcountry and on area lakes as well as turbulence for aviators. Latest guidance continues to point to a couple of more impactful storms Thursday through next weekend. These storms will be capable of producing strong winds and more significant snowfall accumulations, with some snow even down in the valleys. Stay tuned in to the latest forecasts this week as travel could become difficult, especially in the Sierra and northeast California. I taught early childhood in public schools for 15 years, earned a Ph.D. in reading, and was a well-published researcher and educator of educators for more than 30 years. I fully support and am part of the 69% of voters that will cast a ballot for Constitutional Amendment 1 to change the distribution of the Land Grant Permanent Fund. Schools have been given the responsibility to fix all that ails our state, but thats difficult to do when there are so many disparities inside and outside of the classroom. We are experiencing a teacher shortage in New Mexico, and the rate of counselors and social workers to students is at an abysmal rate while student-educator ratios remain too high. There are not enough community schools, a powerful model that provides extensive services to the communities they serve. Those are issues inside of the classroom. Outside of the classroom many children suffer trauma as a result of the insecurities they face in their homes, communities and beyond including food insecurity, medical and dental access insecurity, income insecurity and more. Some children come home to empty and unsupervised situations while others are often tasked with babysitting younger family members and even elders. They have lived through a global pandemic and may have lost loved ones to violence, diseases and suicide. This is the reality our educators, families and children are facing. Saying we dont need more money or pointing to current test scores falls flat to someone who has been in the classroom. High-stakes tests hurt children and educators and do little to promote quality curriculum. Assessing learners with high-stakes tests every year is like going for a blood test and having them draw every drop of blood from your body. Well-qualified educators know how to assess children. They need the additional, long term, consistent funding Constitutional Amendment 1 will provide to do their job. The only way to address these complex issues that children bring to school is to fund the programs, processes and procedures that will ensure our children are well-prepared for the complicated world that will be left in their hands. Change takes time and creativity, but we are not cultivating a supportive environment for change. I want my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all that come after to have a deep understanding of their world so they can make it better for all that live on our planet. We need to keep in mind there is a fail-safe built into the amendment so the distribution stops if the balance falls below $17 billion. (We need) to encourage support for public education that is long-term and visionary, rather than blinded by fear, especially when our state has one of the largest permanent funds in the country. Its shameful to protect that money at the expense of our childrens learning. Rick Meyer is a professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico and an education advocate working as a volunteer with the Working Families Party of New Mexico in support of passage of Constitutional Amendment 1. The views shared here are his own. Q: My dad passed away in August. His income was from a pension and Social Security, and a smaller amount of interest and dividends. His medical costs were substantial. In the past two years, he has paid no income tax because his medical care costs were large enough to wipe out his income. I expect 2022 to be the same. My issue is that I paid some medical costs after his death. Am I still allowed to claim these costs as medical costs on Dads 2022 income tax return? If not, is the deduction lost or is it claimed somewhere else? A: I am going to assume that your dad has no obligation to file a federal estate tax return. The post-death payments technically came from his estate and could be claimed as an administrative expense on the estate tax return (Form 706). If your dad has no obligation to file a Form 706, there is no benefit from claiming medical costs as an estate administration expense. You may instead elect to claim the costs on his final income tax return. This is an election, so you need to follow the administrative procedures required to make the election. A professional tax preparer could handle this for you. In the event you choose to file the final income tax return, Ill give you a few references that you can look at to be sure you make the election properly. In general, these costs would be allowed under Section 2053 of the tax law as estate administration expenses. The estate may have to file an income tax return (Form 1041), but the costs cannot be claimed on the income tax return. Section 213(c)(1) allows you to elect to deduct costs paid within one year of death on the final income tax return. Sections 213(c)(2) and 642(g) provide that the medical costs cannot be deducted in two places. This means that, if you elect to claim the costs on your dads final income tax return, you must also waive any deduction on an estate tax return. Since you will not be filing an estate tax return (Form 706), you can waive any deduction for the estate. The election mechanics are found in the Treasury Regulations at Section 1.642(g)-1. You attach a statement, in duplicate, to the income tax return electing to claim the post-death medical costs. The election must state that no deduction will be claimed under Section 2053, i.e., the estate must waive any right to claim the election. The mechanics of the election can be satisfied with a professional tax preparation software program. The election itself can be attached to an electronic tax filing. Q: My medical costs are not large enough to claim a federal tax deduction, but I can claim the New Mexico deduction. My question is whether any over-the-counter medications can be included in the allowed amount. I purchase pills for a UTI and for anxiety. If I need a prescription to claim a deduction, can I just ask a doctor to write a prescription for these items? A: New Mexico follows federal law for the definition of allowed medical costs. Only prescribed drugs may be deducted. A prescribed drug is one that cannot be obtained without a prescription from a physician. A physician is authorized to practice medicine in the state where the service is provided. The answer to your question then is that over-the-counter medicine cannot be included in the allowed deduction for medical costs. This issue can be confusing because over-the-counter medicine may be reimbursed by a health care flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA). Reimbursements from an FSA or HSA are made with pre-tax dollars, so the result is equivalent to claiming a deduction for both federal and New Mexico income taxes. If you have either an FSA or an HSA, check with the administrator to see what items can be reimbursed. If the plan allows, even such things as allergy pills, heating pads, thermometers and the like can be reimbursed. If you are an OTC medicine fan, my advice would be to participate if your employer has an FSA or HSA. James R. Hamill is director of tax practice at Reynolds, Hix & Co. in Albuquerque. He can be reached at jimhamill@rhcocpa.com. New Mexico is at a crossroads. Violent crime is harming, traumatizing and quite literally killing too many New Mexicans. Property crime, paired with the national economic downturn and pandemic closures, continues to hurt residents and business owners financially. Not enough of the record billion-dollar revenues from oil and gas has been invested in lasting infrastructure that will improve lives for decades to come. And four years into her administration, our governors promised education moonshot has yet to launch as our children, especially our minority and low-income children, fall further and further behind. We simply cannot afford four more years of the same. And so in this gubernatorial campaign the Journal is endorsing Mark Ronchetti, a Republican political neophyte with zero management experience, rather than Democratic incumbent Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has along with progressive lawmakers aggressively increased the states spending with little accountability. (Libertarian Karen Bedonie has little name recognition, little funding and is not a viable candidate.) We could not do this if Ronchetti agreed with or even waffled over whether the 2020 election was stolen; unlike most Republicans in the 2022 general election, he answered a straight up no when asked if he believed former President Trumps Big Lie. Ronchetti is a meteorologist and television weatherman who, unlike Lujan Grisham, has not served on a county commission, in a state Cabinet post, in Congress or governed from the fourth floor of the state Capitol. But we have to look at what all her experience has actually delivered. First on too many of the bad lists. Last on too many of the good ones. And the storm clouds show no sign of clearing. While her campaign and to be fair, Ronchettis to an extent as well focuses on abortion (which is a debate firmly in the hands of the Legislature, not the governor, no matter what either camp claims), here are key areas the governor has actual control over: Education Our states public education system was abysmal before the pandemic (the majority of our students could not read at grade level or do grade-appropriate math) and the inevitable learning loss that came with prolonged remote learning made a bad situation worse. But coming out of the pandemic, the plans to catch our students up are sketchy. And her Public Education Departments key programs of extending learning time could only muster legislative support for voluntary participation, with too few taking advantage of them. The governor should have used the full force of her bully pulpit to get a mandate for extra class time passed. Lujan Grisham is now on her third education secretary in four years. The first complete student test results since 2019 show just over a third of our public school students are proficient in language arts and barely a quarter are proficient in math. And while the governor correctly championed better pay for our teachers, many who did yeomans work through the pandemic, history has shown higher pay alone does not translate into better student academic outcomes. PED recently delivered a list of goals to comply with the 2018 Yazzie-Martinez decision that said we do not provide our students with the education guaranteed by the state Constitution. Unfortunately, there are no specific plans to achieve them. Meanwhile, Ronchetti has proposed summer academies, strategic tutoring including for those who are habitually truant, transparency in test results to aid interventions, an emphasis on turning our great teachers and principals into mentors, treating and paying our principals like CEOs, and ensuring more funding goes to classrooms and not administrations. Public safety Under this gubernatorial administration, homicides, suicides, retail theft and homelessness have skyrocketed. There has been an increase in crime nationwide, but New Mexicos outstrips most other states. Efforts to address these issues have not been comprehensive and have been late in coming a few State Police officers to help, an offer to buy Coronado Park, an 11th-hour invitation to the FBI to come help us. Ronchetti says his first priorities as governor would be passing a Citizens Bill of Rights aimed at stiffening criminal penalties, changing the states pretrial detention system for those accused of violent crimes and repealing the 2021 Civil Rights Act that barred the use of qualified immunity as a legal defense in cases involving law enforcement officers. And he is more open to partnering with federal agencies from the outset of his administration. CYFD The states Department of Children, Youth & Families remains a dysfunctional morass crushing caseloads, poor employee morale and an outsized emphasis on preserving family units at all costs when history has shown too many children who are seen by CYFD are seen by them again, with tragic, even fatal, results. Ronchetti would put child safety above family reunification, create an independent child protection division to work with law enforcement, strengthen child-abuse laws and better support foster parents. Emergency powers We agree the state needed strong, nimble leadership in the first weeks of the pandemic, and that Lujan Grisham did an admirable job obtaining, organizing and dispensing COVID-19 vaccines. That unified effort to get shots into arms is an example of government at its best. Unfortunately, weeks of emergency rule turned into months, then years under Lujan Grisham, who seems to have forgotten we are a representational democracy with a legislative branch. She most recently renewed her emergency orders in September. Ronchetti says he would limit emergency powers to 60 days and then seek legislative input. The border Lujan Grisham has been an absentee landlord on our border with Mexico, saying in 2019 I reject the federal contention that there exists an overwhelming national security crisis at the Southern border. She has yet to address the streaming scourge of fentanyl, and only as Election Day approaches has she embraced working with federal agents on crime. Ronchetti would redeploy the National Guard in a support role to the border patrol and partner with Texas, Arizona and the feds to better secure the border against drug and human trafficking. Divisiveness It will be essential for Ronchetti to build bridges, quickly, if he is to help turn our state around. Lujan Grisham has contributed to the toxicity of our politics by name-calling those who have disagreed with her policies. In four State of the State speeches, she has never mentioned the contributions of the oil and gas industry or acknowledged its 42,000 direct and 134,000 indirect workers in New Mexico. Ronchetti can not make the same mistake for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working New Mexicans in our education, renewable energy, film and other industries that have been legitimate priorities of Lujan Grisham. He will need to work with lawmakers in our many areas of need, schools to tax reform, public safety to infrastructure. Checks and balances Finally, New Mexico has been under one-party rule for the past four years. We need checks and balances. In what has become an increasingly blue state, Lujan Grisham has the clear advantage in this election. Recently she spoke of common-sense strategies that have not been in her repertoire pushing for a statewide panhandling law, doubling down on supporting rebuttable presumption to keep the most dangerous defendants behind bars while awaiting trial, and mandating the school year be extended. If elected, we hope she follows through on these potential game changers. If these had occurred during her first term, this endorsement might look very different. But they didnt. And so we ask: Are we better off than we were four years ago? Do we want four more years of the same? We are not and do not. The Journal endorses Republican Mark Ronchetti for governor. 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. An autopsy could not determine the cause of death of a California man who was wounded in a wild gunfight with Albuquerque police in August 2021 and found dead months later in a federal holding cell. The state Office of the Medical Investigator listed the cause and manner of death for 28-year-old James Ramirez of Los Angeles as undetermined, according to the autopsy report released to the Journal on Friday. The autopsy also recovered several bullets and bullet fragments from his body, still embedded from the shootout that left four officers injured, one almost fatally. Ramirez was found dead on Feb. 15 at the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan. He was being held at the facility while awaiting trial on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the police shooting. The Village of Milan Police Department is investigating the death but did not return calls for comment Friday. In March, Milan Police Sgt. Joe Galindo told the Journal the department did not suspect foul play in Ramirezs death. He said Ramirez had been on suicide watch with checks taking place every half hour. Staff at the facility believed Ramirez was using drugs and had repeatedly slammed his head into the cell wall, according to an incident report. He spent five hours in the hospital before being brought back to the facility. The next day, Ramirez was found dead in his cell, his body covered in blood and bruises. Months earlier, on Aug. 19, 2021, Ramirez got into back-to-back shootouts with police in Northeast Albuquerque outside a crowded drive-thru before being shot and detained. The gunfire began when police tracked Ramirez and another man who eluded capture to an alleyway after the pair allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint. The injured Albuquerque Police Department officers Mario Verbeck, James Eichel Jr., Harry Gunderson and Sgt. Sean Kenny were hospitalized and later released. Ramirez had been held at the prison in Milan since September, with a cell to himself. During Ramirezs autopsy, four bullets and one bullet fragment were pulled from his back, chest, leg and butt, but none were associated with acute injuries. OMI said the autopsy revealed an obese man with no major trauma and multiple retained projectiles from remote gunshot wounds. The autopsy found Ramirez had numerous cuts, bruises and other blunt-force injuries to his face and head, including a broken nose, but noted those injuries failed to reveal fatal trauma. A urine screen found PCP and buprenorphine a drug used to treat opioid dependence and a blood screen found Narcan, ketamine and lorazepam, the latter two of which can be used for sedation and anxiety relief. OMI found up to nine times the prescribed dose of the anti-depressant mirtazapine in Ramirezs blood but noted overdoses of the drug are very rare, with people surviving 30-50 times the prescribed dose. In Ramirezs case, according to the autopsy, the drug was not likely the cause of death. A postmortem nasal swab on Ramirez tested positive for COVID-19 but there were no signs of severe pneumonia, the most common serious complication of this infection. OMI also determined microscopic examination of his organs and submission and examination of additional sections beyond routine submissions, did not reveal findings to explain the cause of death. It is possible that Mr. Ramirez had succumbed to a natural event, not elucidated at autopsy, that may or may not be related to the blunt trauma he sustained, according to the autopsy. When staff at the facility found Ramirezs bloodied body he had swollen hands and heavy dark bruising around his eyes and forehead, according to the incident report. Milan police said Ramirezs arms were at a 90-degree angle and his left foot was crossed under his right leg. The facilitys captain told Milan police Ramirez was not acting like himself the day before and they suspected he was using drugs. According to the report, the captain said Ramirez was hospitalized after slamming his head into the wall and beating himself up. The next day, officers were delivering dinner around 5 p.m. when they found Ramirez dead in his cell. By the time facility medics got there, he appeared to already be deceased, according to the report. Santa Fe police made an arrest in an early Friday afternoon bank robbery. The robbery happened at a Bank of America branch in the 1200 block of St. Michaels Drive just before 1 p.m., the Santa Fe Police Department said in a news release. Witnesses said a man entered the bank, demanded money from tellers and left with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to the release. The suspected robber, Amadeo Lailes, 29, was found several blocks away and arrested, Santa Fe police said. Lailes was booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center with a robbery charge. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Diego Chavira gets emotional remembering the night he raced to the Barelas home where his mother lived. She had been babysitting his 2-year-old daughter and he was worried something was gravely wrong. It was. When Chavira arrived he found his mother and her longtime boyfriend had both been shot to death. His little girl was not physically hurt. Chavira immediately told detectives he thought he knew who was responsible. Three months later, that man, 30-year-old John Paul Ballejos, was arrested and charged in an unrelated double homicide police say he shot and killed his downstairs neighbors in an apartment complex on 59th NW because he blamed them for his eviction. Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said homicide detectives did not interview Ballejos in the months following the Barelas homicides. He said Ballejos is the only suspect, although he has not been charged. The investigation is still open. After Ballejos was arrested in September following the other double homicide he chose not to answer questions, Gallegos said. He said bullets and casings found at each scene have been tested and do not match one another. Meanwhile, Chavira and his close-knit extended family are questioning the thoroughness of the investigation and what they said was a lack of communication from the police department. They wonder if more could have been done earlier and whether the September homicides could have been prevented. I want the police and whoever is held responsible I want those people to feel the pressure that I feel to find answers, Chavira said. I want to redirect that pressure on to the people who need to be pressured. Something wrong The first couple times Chaviras 2-year-old daughter called him on the night of May 31 he didnt think much was amiss. His mother was babysitting while he and his wife helped his father and brother pack up for a move. The 22-year-olds hands were full and he was frustrated that his mother wasnt stepping in to stop the calls. The little girl babbled her grandparents nicknames and Im ready. Thats when it hit him. Something was very wrong. I gotta fly over there, just see whats going on , Chavira said. On my way over there, its just like the weight of the world just coming down harder and harder. That phone just kept ringing. We kept answering. Chavira and his wife sang to their daughter on the phone, trying to keep her calm, as they rushed to the home on Eighth SW, across from Tingley field. Chavira said when they arrived he leapt out of the car before it was even in park. A stained glass window in the entrance was shattered. Running into the kitchen Chavira found his mothers boyfriend, 44-year-old Hesiquio Cordova, dead on the floor. In the bedroom was his mother, 46-year-old Virginia Serna. She had also been shot to death and her pit bull Beau was wounded by her side. Sernas gun, holstered, lay between her and the bed. Chaviras daughter was on the living room couch physically unharmed. She had a pretty white dress on, he said, choking up with tears. She had one drop of blood on her. I just grabbed her. The next several hours were a blur. Chavira and his wife called 911 and were put in the back of separate police cruisers to be interviewed by detectives. When they asked who he thought had done this Chavira said he had an immediate answer: Cordovas nephew Ballejos who Cordova had filed a restraining order against in early 2020. But over the following weeks and months Chavira who had become the familys point person said he was seldom able to get in touch with the detective and others at APD. Relatives, many of whom told the Journal they previously had only felt respect for law enforcement and authority, grew frustrated at what they said was a lack of updates and a lack of progress. They worried that whoever did this could hurt them as well. This isnt normal, said Nicole Zamora, Chaviras second cousin who spoke with the Journal alongside him. This isnt something anyone should have to go through. Addressing the familys concerns about the investigation, Gallegos said every homicide case is constantly reviewed to ensure the detective has all the resources they need for a successful outcome. He said at times it can be difficult to give similar updates to several family members, but detectives try their best. Gallegos would not comment on whether anyone in the chain of command raised any concerns about the investigation. Ballejos mother and grandfather did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did his attorney. Eviction notice In mid-July a woman living in the apartment below Ballejos on the 500 block of 59th NW reported that a bullet had been shot through his floor and into her bedroom. No one was in her room at the time. She later told detectives that Ballejos had been texting her telling her she was beautiful and he would like to go out with her. She said after she rejected him she became increasingly afraid and then the bullet was shot into her bedroom. The complexs manager started eviction proceedings, notifying Ballejos that he had violated the rental agreement because of his unlawful use of a deadly weapon. In a police report the officer noted the car he drove was registered to Cordovas father. Gallegos, the APD spokesman, said the detective investigating Sernas and Cordovas deaths was not aware of this shooting until after Ballejos was arrested. Its unclear whether the casings for that shooting have been tested. Then, on Sept. 2 the day after a judge signed a writ of restitution to evict Ballejos there was another shooting at the apartment complex. Daniel Humphrey, the womans 31-year-old brother, and Sonia Tenorio, her 46-year-old aunt, were both shot to death in the apartment the three shared. The womans 11-year-old daughter also lived there. The door to the womans bedroom had been shot and kicked in, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. The woman did not respond to messages from the Journal. Detectives found security camera footage of a man shooting Humphrey twice in the head just outside his door and then entering the apartment, presumably to shoot Tenorio. The man left the apartment 22 minutes later. Both the woman and the apartment manager identified the suspect as Ballejos, according to the complaint. The woman said Ballejos confronted her numerous times and blamed her for his eviction. SWAT team officers searched Ballejos old apartment but it was empty. They found him at the Barelas home where Serna and Cordova had been killed, Gallegos said. Ballejos grandfather lives there now. SWAT officers responded to the home on Eighth Street and eventually convinced Ballejos to surrender, Gallegos said. He was arrested and taken to a local hospital to be treated for wounds he suffered during a fall prior to exiting the home. Ballejos is in jail awaiting trial on two counts of murder and tampering with evidence. Looking at his mugshot, Chavira said Ballejos is much skinnier than he used to be. The words the root of evil are tattooed in cursive across his collarbone. Fears for safety Serna, who multiple relatives described as a free spirit, raised Chavira and his older brother, Ezra, in Ruidoso. She was quick to take in other relatives when they needed a place to live, including her cousin Zamora. About 10 years ago, Serna and Chavira moved to Albuquerque and made the adjustment to big city life. This was somebody who in our everyday life impacted us and made sure to make a difference, Chavira said about his mother. She was just really charismatic, really outgoing, super energetic you almost want her to calm down, you wanted her to relax a little. Serna met Cordova, who went by JR, about eight or nine years ago, and after that Chavira said it seemed like she was in a really good place. The two loved to sing karaoke Cordovas go-to-song was Elvis Presleys Unchained Melody. These days Chavira said its hard for him to hear it. He really became a protector and somebody I looked up to, Chavira said. Somebody I trusted, somebody who I was proud to say wasnt my father but who, you know, helped raise me in a way. He was amazing. Cordovas Barelas house was a family home and Ballejos was family. But Chavira remembered Serna telling him over the years about erratic and frightening things that Ballejos had done and how he seemed to be using drugs. The couple called police at least three times, reporting that Ballejos was threatening to kill them or his mother, according to incident reports. Serna and Cordova bought guns. She was afraid of him and it took a lot for Virginia to be afraid, Zamora said. JR told her to start wearing the gun because he didnt trust him. In 2015, Ballejos shot and killed his girlfriends cousin after the man broke into their home and the two fought, according to a police report. At the time Ballejos told police the man had swung at him, so he shot him. When officers arrived they found a knife next to the dead man, according to an incident report. That homicide was ruled justifiable but was mentioned frequently in later reports once by Ballejos who said it was the source of his post-traumatic stress disorder. In February 2020, Cordova got a restraining order against Ballejos, saying he was threatening Serna and himself and using drugs. He said he wanted Ballejos to get help and become accountable but could no longer have him around. He constantly reminds us that he has murdered someone before and got away with self-defense and that he will not be afraid to kill us, Cordova wrote. A judge granted his restraining order application for the period of one year ending February 2021. A young girl traumatized These days Sernas many relatives say they feel some relief knowing that Ballejos has been arrested, but they want justice for their family as well. Beau, Sernas dog, survived his gunshot wounds and is living with Chavira. Chaviras 2-year-old has been changed by her grandparents violent deaths and is now showing signs of PTSD turning white and going blank in the eyes when a door handle wiggles or she hears anything that sounds like a gunshot or any kind of fighting. Shes still traumatized, shes still super damaged, Chavira said. Shell never be the same kid again and people need to be held responsible for that. ESTANCIA Republican county commissioners in this swath of ranching country in New Mexicos high desert have tried everything they can think of to persuade voters their elections are secure. They approved hand-counting of ballots from the primary election in their rural county, encouraged the public to observe security testing of ballot machines and tasked their county manager with overseeing those efforts to make sure they ran smoothly. None of that seems enough. Here and elsewhere, Republicans as well as Democrats are paying a price for former President Donald Trumps relentless complaints and false claims about the 2020 election he lost. Many Torrance County voters still dont trust voting machines or election tallies, a conspiracy-fueled lack of faith that persists in rural areas across the U.S. Just weeks before consequential midterm elections, such widespread skepticism suggests that no matter the outcome, many Americans may not accept the results. Confidence that that vote is accurately counted and tabulated is not there, said Ryan Schwebach, a grain farmer who is chairman of the three-member, all-Republican Torrance County Board of County Commissioners. After a backlash this summer over the countys certification of its primary results, Schwebach surveyed county residents who dont attend public meetings. They, too, told him they werent sure they could trust election results. Its the overall system that comes into question, he said. So how do you challenge that, how do you get your answers? The belief that voting machines are being manipulated to sway the outcome of races is being promoted by Trump and his allies, many of whom have been spreading conspiracy theories throughout the country for nearly two years. Their messages have penetrated deeply into the Republican Party, despite no evidence of manipulation or widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. That finding has been supported by multiple reviews in battleground states, by judges who have rejected dozens of court cases, by Trumps own Department of Justice and top officials in his administration. The distrust erupted in Torrance County earlier this year, as commissioners were set to certify the results from the states June 7 primary. Torrance was among a handful of rural New Mexico counties that considered delaying certification as crowds gave voice to conspiracy theories surrounding voting equipment. Angry residents denounced the results and the commissioners certification at a meeting a vote taken after the county elections clerk reported that the local election was secure and accurate. Those in the audience hurled insults at the commissioners, calling them cowards, traitors and rubber stamp puppets. The commissioners responded to the vitriol by taking several unprecedented steps in an attempt to restore trust in voting and ballot counting. They ordered an independent recount of primary election results by hand and assigned the county manager to recruit veteran poll workers and volunteers for two days of eye-straining efforts to sort and tally ballot images, with additional recounts. They also had her oversee testing and certification of the countys vote tabulators. Im kind of pioneering this, and Im sure Im not going to be perfect in it, but I can tell you that Im trying, said Janice Barela, the county manager overseeing the recount. How do you know if its the hand tally thats right? How do you know if its a tabulator thats right? What Id like to see in all of this is the election process work. Its not clear whether her efforts will satisfy local doubts about the accuracy of elections or add to them. Bill Mendenhall, a registered Republican nearing retirement age, said anger still smolders in the community over the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Trump won two-thirds of the vote in Torrance County. I dont think it burns that hot, but it does burn, said Mendenhall, a correctional officer at the maximum-security Penitentiary of New Mexico. He was tending to a small herd of goats beneath an old windmill on his 18-acre ranch. Of the people I work with, 90% of them are angry. A lot of people think that Trump was cheated. Brady Ness, a 37-year-old manager of a car dealership who grew up on a ranch in Estancia, said he does not trust Dominion Voting Systems machines that are used to tally paper ballots across New Mexico. The machines are a frequent target of conspiracy theories, and Ness hopes to see a transition to hand counting in future elections, though current state law mandates machine tallies. Even if theyre Democrats or people I dont like or get along with, I would trust them over machines, Ness said. He recently left the Republican Party amid profound frustration with the state and federal governments, which he says are not serving the needs of the people. I wouldnt be shocked if we didnt have a general election, he said. I think things in this country are falling apart very quickly. At the same time, Bill Peifer, a local treasurer for the Democratic Party, warns that not everyone who questions the elections may have the same motive. Some of the people casting doubt I think honestly dont trust the machines, he said. And there are others who just want to make a mess. The dour outlook in the county of 15,000 has been propelled by the same forces at work in many other states. In New Mexico, doubts about the 2020 election were fueled by a lawsuit from Trumps campaign and a fake set of electors willing to certify him. More recently, an assortment of local and out-of-state Trump allies have held forums throughout the state promoting conspiracy theories, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell and the Republican nominee for secretary of state, Audrey Trujillo. At the forefront is David Clements, a New Mexico-based former prosecutor and former college professor. At conventions, church gatherings and local forums, he advocates for eliminating electronic election equipment and exonerating many of the defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. At a presentation last month to about 60 people at a public library in Albuquerque, Clements described voting equipment in New Mexico as intentionally vulnerable to fraud and painted many county officials as complicit. Were never going to stop the bleeding unless we get rid of these machines, he said. Its a foundational issue. Deep-seated distrust in elections has inspired independent challengers in the November general elections for the seats held by Schwebach and Commissioner Kevin McCall. Both of their opponents have stated that Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president. McCall is seeking reelection while working long hours at his pumpkin farm, which features a haunted house for Halloween and employs more than 400 seasonal workers. We care, he said in a recent interview. We put Janice on that to be the one sole job, to evaluate and provide trust in the election. He expressed exasperation that the efforts do not seem to have paid off so far. If they really want to replace me, replace me, he said. Im not doing this for the money. The county released results on Thursday from its hand count of primary ballots, showing discrepancies between those tallies and the machine count in June, though not enough to change individual races. Experts say machine tabulators have been shown to be more accurate than hand counts, which are susceptible to human error. Nevertheless, the results were greeted as vindication by doubters. While the numbers are new information, the fact that machines are untrustworthy is not new, declared Jennette Hunt of Estancia. WASHINGTON The House committee investigating the Capitol riot wont give Donald Trump the chance to turn a possible live TV appearance of his subpoenaed testimony into a circus and food fight as lawmakers try to ensure he complies with their demands, the panels vice chair said Sunday. The committee is demanding Trumps testimony under oath next month as well as records relevant to its investigation. To avoid a complicated and protracted legal battle, Trump reportedly had told associates he might consider complying with the subpoena if he could answer questions during live testimony. When asked if the committee would consider taking his testimony live, Rep. Liz Cheney on Sunday did not directly respond. She said the committee would not allow Trumps testimony to turn into a food fight on TV much as was seen, she said, in Trumps broadcast appearances such as one of his 2020 presidential debates and she warned that the committee will take action if he does not comply with the subpoena. We are going to proceed in terms of the questioning of the former president under oath, Cheney, R-Wyo., said on Meet the Press on NBC. It may take multiple days, and it will be done with a level of rigor and discipline and seriousness that it deserves. We are not going to allow hes not going to turn this into a circus. We have many, many alternatives that we will consider if the former president decides he is not going to comply with his legal obligation, a legal obligation every American citizen has to comply with a subpoena, she said. Her office made clear later that she and the Jan. 6 committee were not ruling out the possibility of live testimony. It did not indicate what form that might take to avoid the food fight or circus that Cheney said would not happen. The subpoena, issued Friday, calls on Trump to hand over documents by Nov. 4 and provide testimony on or about Nov. 14. It is unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond. He could comply or negotiate with the committee, announce he will defy the subpoena or ignore it altogether. He could go to court and try to stop it. Last week, Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally, was sentenced to serve four months behind bars after defying a subpoena from the same committee. He remains free pending appeal. Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro also awaits a trial next month on similar contempt of Congress charges. The subpoena includes requests for any communications referring to extremist groups who were coming to Washington, pressure on state legislators to overturn the 2020 election vote and messages about Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump was pushing to object to President Joe Bidens victory. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Sunday that she doubted Trump would appear for his deposition and that the public should know that no one is above the law. I dont think hes man enough to show up, Pelosi said on MSNBC. I dont think his lawyers would want him to show up because he (would) had to testify under oath. Well see. There remains little legal advantage for Trump to cooperate with the committee at a time when he faces other legal battles in various jurisdictions, including over his family business in New York and the handling of presidential records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Its possible that Trumps lawyers could simply opt to run out the clock on the subpoena if they go to court to try to squash it as the committee of two Republicans and seven Democrats is required to finish its work by the end of the year. Cheney, in the television interview, made her position clear that Trump had committed multiple criminal offenses and should be prosecuted. She cited his repeated efforts as outlined by the Jan. 6 committee to undermine democracy by denying his election loss to Biden and by spurring his supporters in the violent attack on the Capitol. Weve been very clear about a number of different criminal offenses that are likely at issue here, Cheney said. If the Department of Justice determines that they have the evidence that we believe is there and they make a decision not to prosecute, I think that really calls into question whether or not were a nation of laws. Cheney, who lost in Wyomings August primary after becoming Trumps fiercest GOP critic and has signaled a possible 2024 presidential run, expressed dismay over the number of Republican candidates in the Nov. 8 midterms who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election. She acknowledged that the Jan. 6 committees investigation will be permanently ended in January if Republicans retake control of the House. While saying it may take a couple of election cycles, Cheney insisted the Republican Party can find its way back as a defender of democracy and the Constitution, as she put it. She pointed to the 2024 presidential campaign as a pivotal moment. I think that the party has either got to come back from where we are right now, which is a very dangerous, toxic place, or the party will splinter and there will be a new conservative party that rises, she said. And if Donald Trump is the nominee of the Republican Party, the party will shatter and there will be a conservative party that rises in its place. She said Trump has shown his willingness to use force to attempt to stop the peaceful transition of power. And there are simply many, many millions more Americans who, despite any party affiliation, understand how dangerous that is. On whether she could run in 2024, Cheney said: Im focused on what weve got to do to save the country from this dangerous moment were in not right now on whether Im going to be a candidate or not. ___ For full coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that Cheney did not rule out the possibility of live TV testimony by Trump. You know what, buddy? Its a lot of work to take care of him, and I always hope that Im doing it well. He nodded his head, but I could tell he wanted a more precise answer. He wanted a Yes, I do like taking care of Ronan, or a No, I dont like it kind of answer. He did not want a vague holy moley, Ive never been asked that question before kind of answer that Id just given him. Read more below the jump. Autism Age, PO Box 110546, Trumbull, CT 06611Our EIN is 47-1831987 Donate Instant guilt hit me as I took a bite of my dinner. I thought he was going to ask what apps Ronan had on his iPad, or why was Ronan wearing his yellow headphones in the loud restaurant. Chewing slowly on that bite gave me a minute to formulate an acceptable answer to his weighty question. Plus, I was happy for a tiny break from keeping constant eyes on Ronan. While eating my fajita, the friends son and I started talking. Hed watched me make sure Ronan had everything he needed before I sat down. Hed watched Ronan get settled in and also watched my husband get Ronan fed. I like to see typical kids quietly observing Ronan. I can always tell when they are genuinely curious and politely thinking about Ronan and whats happened to him. I like it when they later ask questions that are thoughtful, too. A friends son recently asked me a question. Like what the other young fella said to me, our conversation stayed with me long after it was over. We were out to dinner the night this kiddo and I got a chance to talk. After getting Ronan settled in a seat next to my husband, the only other available chair was at the other end of the table with all the kids. Id miss out on the adult conversation but was happy to catch up with the kids. Ive known them for years, and theyre really fun to be around. Since I do know him and his family pretty well, I added, Well, I dont know if I like taking care of Ronan like how I like something yummy, lets say, like chocolate. I really, really like chocolate, but I do like that I get to be the one who helps keep Ronan healthy and safe. Its hard work to do that. He nodded as I continued, and God mustve known that Mr. Jameson and I would be the best parents for Ronan. Very satisfied with my answer this time, the boy looked at my son and looked back at me. He then smiled and said, I think youre right. Smiling back at him, I tried not to cry as I took another bite of my fajita. Over the next few minutes, he asked more direct questions. I gave more honest answers. Because of his age, and because his parents were not part of our conversation, I did guard some of the information I shared. He didnt need to know that it was certain vaccines that turned my sons life around. He didnt need to know other details, like how seizures have scared us or that diaper changes are still part of our daily routine. But I could tell him that some days are tough for Ronan, and that sometimes, I do get tired because of how very hard those very tough days are. I cant share that with every child who asks about Ronan, like the boy Id met at the picnic. I know this family well, though, so I did offer more personal information. Even so, I know not to share everything, like that I never had one when my children were younger but that I just bought a diaper genie for those adult diapers were still changing. And that I teared up filing important guardianship renewal paperwork last week. And that I still sometimes get nervous when I schedule appointments with Ronans specialists at the childrens hospital, including the ones he has next month. Not that Im hiding anything from him, but this little kid would benefit from seeing a confident me when our families are together. Right now, he is positively curious and genuinely concerned, and at such a young age, too! Id love for him to always be positive and genuine when he thinks about Ronan. Id love it if everyone we encounter could be like that also. Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism. Click the covers to order: The Real Anthony Fauci Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health (Childrens Health Defense) by Robert Kennedy, Jr. Pharma-funded mainstream media has convinced millions of Americans that Dr. Anthony Fauci is a hero. Hands down, he is anything but. Lies My Government Told Me by Dr. Robert Malone Available for pre-order now. With contributions from eminent doctors, scientists, and experts in their fields, Lies My Gov't Told Me offers a comprehensive look at the coronavirus pandemicwhere we are today, how we got here, and what's on the horizon. Challenging the mainstream government-pharma-media narrative, the chapters in this book will not only outrage readers but will also inform and give readers hope. Cause Unknown: The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths in 2021 & 2022 by Ed Dowd Available for pre-order now. What is killing young healthy Americans? Edward Dowd, a former Wall Street analyst and BlackRock portfolio manager, examines the epidemic of sudden deaths in America. When the Nazis were gunning down Jews of the Eastern Polish town of Lenin into trenches, an officer pulled 17-year-old Faye Schulman (then called Faigel Lazebnik) aside. Hed seen her working at a studio earlier. So, he ordered her to take vanity pictures of him and other Nazis; he also told her to develop the negatives of the photos the Nazis had taken of the massacre. Almost 2,000 Jews were shot dead in Lenin. Several others were beaten, stripped naked, and sent to work camps in boxcars. Despite being terrified, the teenager secretly made extra copies of the photos to document the war crimes for future testimony. Camera in hand, she later escaped to the forests and joined a group of Russian resistance fighters to avenge the death of her parents and six brothers and sisters. The group made her the resident nurse, hoping she may have picked up some skills from a brother-in-law who was a doctor. She assisted the groups doctor, actually a veterinarian. Theyd dress wounds with cloth sterilized by boiling. But she was also an unemotional fighter who learned to use a rifle and stalk the forests in her leopard-fur coat. During a raid for food and weapons, she urged fellow fighters to burn her childhood home so that the Nazis wouldnt be able to use it. Her focus, though, remained on building evidence. She was so resolute about documenting Nazi atrocities and the partisans activities that she learned to develop photographs under a blanket. I want people to know there was resistance. Jews did not go like sheep to the slaughter, Schulman, who died last year in Toronto, aged 101, would say. Her more than 100 photographs of the massacre and her partisan years and her life itself are proof of that. Four Winters: A Story of Jewish Partisan Resistance and Bravery in WW2 , a documentary film written, produced, and directed by Julia Mintz, presents Schulmans story, along with that of seven other teenaged fighters like her who lived in the forests of Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine, waging guerrilla warfare against the Nazis. It took Mintz over a decade to track down these fighters in their 80s and 90s for interviews and gather photographs and film footage. The film intersperses photos of their youth with intimate present-day conversations about their exploits as resistance fighters. In the documentary, they speak of their transformation from innocents to ruthless partisans fighting the Nazis who murdered their families. Their singular focus was on seeing the Nazis defeated and staying alive. Its a remarkable tale of the courage and diehard persistence of ad hoc resistance regiments that badgered the Nazi killing machine. From 1941, when Germany violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and invaded Poland, to the very end of the war, some 25,000 Jews escaped ghettos and death camps to fight the Nazis. Some joined non-Jewish resistance fighters, some joined or formed all-Jewish groups. They learned to shoot, survive in the woods, withstand constant hunger, and handle medical problems. Theyd steal arms and ammunition from villagers, German soldiers, and German depots. Theyd blow up railroads and bridges, and sabotage supply trains, power plants, and factories. Many of them engaged in direct combat with German soldiers; for survival, theyd even kill spies and collaborators in cold blood. Eventually, they received support. Help first came from the Russians, who found it expedient to keep them active with air-dropped food, radios, and armaments after the Germans captured hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers. Towards the wars end, the advancing Allies too started helping the partisans. Michael Stoll, a Polish partisan, was obsessed with disproving the notional reputation of Jews not being fighters. In the film, he recounts how, pulling his father with him, he jumped from a train speeding towards the Majdanek concentration camp. A Polish peasant sighted them, but Stolls fears of being handed back to the Nazis were unfounded; the peasant directed them to Jewish partisans nearby. Like Stoll, Isadore Farbstein too survived by jumping off a moving train bound for Treblinka. He says there were many groups of Jewish escapees living in hundreds of square miles of wilderness. For partisans like Luba Abramowitz, whose parents, husband, and one-year-old son were killed by the Nazis, the why for living was vengeance. I have to behave not as a woman, I have to behave as a soldier, Abramowitz told herself when she entered the forests to become a partisan. The braveness, the courage, it grows from you. With humor and a gleam in her eyes, she recounted how she stuffed bullets in her bra when her group would steal guns and ammo from Polish farms and Nazi factories: As you know, women have more places to hide weapons than men, yes? Gertrude Boyarski, also featured in the film, describes the night of terror in 1942, when Nazis entered her hometown of Derechin, in Poland. As the soldiers massacred thousands of Jews, her family escaped into the forests. Her father and brother joined a group to attack a police station to steal arms and ammo. She later saw her mother, father, sister, and brother killed in an attack by German soldiers and antisemitic Poles who routinely hunted for Jews in the woods. Not one to wallow in despair, she joined a Russian partisan group. For three years, they would attack German soldiers in nearby villages. Once, with no supplies whatsoever, she and a friend managed to destroy a bridge used by the Germans. They held up villagers with their rifles and demanded kerosene and straw. Then, under fire from the Nazis, they burnt the bridge. She marvels at her transformation from a spoiled child, whose parents catered to her every whim, to a hard-as-nails combatant who killed the Nazi collaborator who had joined in the murder of her family. She had danced with the young man at a school prom and begged him to spare her life. Youre a Jew, and you have to die, he retorted. Another classmates mother had had the audacity to ask Boyarskis mother for Boyarskis nice clothes for her own daughter, since Boyarski was going to be killed anyway! One survivor recounts the harsh conditions, sleeping without shelter in sub-freezing temperatures and snowstorms. Theyd hollow out places in the ground under trees, often waking to find themselves under two or three feet of snow. Theyd measure the passage of time by the difficult winters they endured in the forest hence the title Four Winters. Disease and infection were rampant, and medical supplies minimal. Schulman, who nursed the wounded, recounts dressing a wound filled with lice and using a stick to scrape them off. Bandages were reused after sterilizing them in boiling water over campfires. Food was scarce, and often had to be stolen or taken by force from villagers, many of them antisemites and Nazi collaborators. The partisans say they didnt think of themselves as brave; its just that circumstances thrust bravery upon them. Besides the Nazi atrocities and the Jewish resistance, Four Winters is also a record of how some Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarussian civilians collaborated with the Nazis. Archival footage of their participation is disturbing, for the Jews had been their neighbors and friends. For this very reason, unfortunately, the film cannot be screened in Poland, the homeland of many of the eight partisans: a Polish law of 2018 bans public discussion of Polish collaboration. Mintz is petitioning the Polish government to reverse the law so the truth can be known. Its her personal contribution to resistance of another kind the struggle of memory against forgetting abominable evil. Years ago, I was writing about Blacks and Democrats and looked at the impact Rudy Giuliani made in New York City. Over the course of his tenure from 1994-2002, there were 3,440 fewer Black murder victims in the city than there might have been had New York simply experienced the average nationwide crime decline during that same period. Thats 3,440 families that did not lose a son, a father, a breadwinner, or a role model. 3,440 Black men still alive to take care of and support their families Saving 3,400 Black lives and keeping 3,400 families intact didnt happen in a vacuum. Those lives were saved by better policing or, more accurately, actual policing, via a program known as Broken Windows. The Broken Windows policing approach was developed by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982. Broken windows theory states that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes. And in the early 90s, the visible signs of crime in New York City were everywhere. Subways were covered with graffiti; Times Square was nothing but peep shows, liquor stores, and vacant storefronts. But New York wasnt just experiencing signs of crime; there was actual crime, and a lot of it, with violent crime and murder rampant. In 1993, there were 2,420 murders in NYC, for a rate of 13.3 per 100,000, almost 50% above the national average of 9.51. With the advent of Broken Windows, the city started cleaning up graffiti, arresting the squeegee thugs who intimidated drivers stopped at red lights, and targeting petty criminals. Image made using Broken windows by Tomas Castelazo (CC BY-SA 3.0) and End broken windows policing by Alec Perkins (CC BY 2.0). Giuliani knew what he was doing. Before his election, he said that he cared about statistics, but the real measure would be whether people actually felt safer. That, he said, was the ultimate test of policing and political leadership. By the time he left office in 2002 he had delivered both the statistics and a feeling of safetyat 960, the murder rate had plummeted by 64% or 4.75 per 100,000, 15% below the national average. As the crime rate plummeted, the city and its citizens thrived. Times Square transformed from a seedy denizen of hookers, pickpockets, and drug dealers into a shining tourist Mecca filled with glistening theaters, hotels, and restaurants. SoHo, Chelsea, and Greenwich Village transformed into vibrant, inviting places. New Yorkers and tourists alike felt like New York was once again a place they could enjoy without feeling as if they were in a war zone. The point of all of this is small things matter. Subways covered in graffiti, people urinating in the streets, homeless camping out on sidewalks, and kids stealing beers and Nyquil from CVSnone of these things by themselves send society into the abyss. But when theyre tolerated, they tell the perpetrators that laws dont matter and, soon, shoplifting turns to burglary turns to robbery which turns to assault and, sometimes, murder. And as criminals and crime proliferate and violence becomes more common, those law-abiding citizens who can flee for safer pastures, and all that remain in cities are criminals and their next victims, the ones who dont have the resources to escape or who can afford their own personal protection militia. Thats when dystopia goes from being the fiction of Hollywood blockbusters to reality. None of this is particularly insightful stuff that requires an above-average IQ to understand. But just because something is common sense doesnt mean its common. The idiocy of the anti-Broken Windows theory, if one might call it that, was demonstrated by the clearly low-IQ mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, in 2015 after Freddy Grays death in police custody. The mayor stated that while we try to make sure that they (protestors) were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well. So, the chief law enforcement officer of a major American city decided to give protesters space to destroy said city. The right of private property owners to retain their property, the desires of citizens to be safe in their communities, and the expectations of taxpayers that their leaders would enforce the law were not important. What mattered were the wishes of those intent on destruction. Small things lead to big things, and the results were predictable (although protesters destroying property are not exactly small things). In 2014, there were 211 murders in Baltimore for a rate of 33.84 per 100,000 citizens. Already high compared to the national average of 4.44, things got a lot worse afterward the Freddie Gray riots. In every year since 2015, the city has had over 300 murders with 2021 coming in at 337 and a murder rate of 58.27 per 100,000. The thing about murder is that it is the most extreme crime, at the top of the crime pyramid. For example, out of a given set of criminals, 80% might be willing to commit robbery, 40% assault and, perhaps, 2% murder. We therefore can assume that, if the tip of that crime pyramid is getting bigger, the lower part is growing in tandem. Fact supports this hypothetical. Additionally, murder is relatively easy to measure, as you usually have a body to count. With most other crimes, its harder to know a crime has been committed as, typically, someone must report it and, increasingly, people are simply not bothering. They know that, when it literally takes hours just to get a response from a 911 call, reporting a crime is a waste of time. Although George Soross DAs are a big part of the problem, on the streets, the problem is clearly less policing, both in terms of actual police numbers and what laws are being enforced. As such, the solution would seem obvious: More police and more enforcement. But theres the rub: As woke cities and states used equity to reduce enforcing and penalizing crimes, they simultaneously eviscerated their police forces. Not only are cops retiring and quitting in droves but, across the country, cities are finding it increasingly challenging to recruit new officers to fill the vacancies. They now find themselves in a situation where they have more crime and fewer officers to enforce the law. Thats a vicious societal death spiral thats extraordinarily difficult to escape. The increase in crime chases more taxpayers and tax-generating employers out of the cities and states just when those bodies must spend more trying to recruit new officers. Eventually, other services suffer, and more people decide to leave, further eroding the tax base and the community. We see that taking place in real-time as citizens escape crime-ridden cesspools in droves. A vicious cycle doesnt start out that way. It starts with words like empathy, tolerance, and equity being used to turn a blind eye to those aforementioned small things. While empathy and tolerance might be laudable as personal characteristics, they, along with the fiction of equity, are cancers as governing characteristics. Democrats leverage voters sympathies to push for policies that sound humane but, in reality, create needle and crime-ridden homeless encampments, eviscerate the criminal justice system, and make life worse for virtually every citizen in the country. Can America pull out of this societal death spiral? Thats a good question. It will take voters deciding that reality trumps emotion and that an imperfect Republican Party trumps a soulless Democrat Party. Well see on November 9 whether Americans 0f 2022 have the courage New Yorkers exhibited in 1993. KOZHIKODE (KERALA): Septuagenarian Janaki Amma relishes her newfound love for Hindi in a small Kerala village, and repeats the brief sentence taught to her as part of an effort by a panchayat to achieve 100 per cent Hindi literacy. At a time when Kerala, along with Tamil Nadu, is opposing any attempts of 'Hindi imposition', and netizens engaging in heated debates over the issue, Janaki Amma is bowled over by the articulation of the sentence Ek tandhi andheri raat sadak pe ja raha hai (going down the road on a cold dark night) and the excited granny repeats several times what the instructor taught her. The need to communicate with the sizeable migrant worker population in the village seems to be the spark for such an initiative. The objective is to declare Chelannur a complete Hindi literate panchayat, the first such civic body in Kerala and probably the first in south India, by Republic Day next year, authorities in the Congress-ruled Chellanur village panchayat here said. The priority of the authorities was to implement a unique project with its limited funds utilising the human resource in the village panchayat. But, the practical reason that persuaded them to finalise the Hindi literacy programme was the huge presence of migrant workers in the panchayat. Of course, long before a Parliamentary panel's recommendations to make Hindi the medium of instructions in higher education institutions triggered a political controversy in the country and states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu strongly opposing the proposal, the Chelannur village panchayat launched its efforts to turn itself completely Hindi literate. The 72-year-old Janaki Amma used to repeat the sentence every now and then, maybe out of excitement to learn something new at the dusk of life, her daughter Athmini, a neighbourhood volunteer, said. Like Janaki Amma, hundreds of villagers, cutting across age, gender and educational barriers are learning Hindi in the village panchayat, where there is a huge presence of migrant workers from northern states, for some time as part of the civic body's ambitious mission to achieve 100 per cent literacy in the language. The immense participation of people in the programme was surely due to the fact that the project would help them equip with basic Hindi skills to communicate and deal with the guest workers, who are now an integral part of their social life, authorities said. Chelannur panchayat president Nousheer P P said the project targeted to make every villager aged between 20-70 years as Hindi literate. There is no connection between our project and the recent controversy regarding Hindi. The conceptualisation and other basic works of the project began last year. Ahead of the launch, a survey was conducted to identify those who are not well-versed in Hindi and those who are interested to learn the language, he told PTI. A series of workshops were conducted and an expert panel of instructors was formed from the village panchayat itself to train the aspiring learners. "Besides Hindi teachers, ex-military personnel, Gulf returnees and homemakers who are fluent in the language were also identified and included in the panel," he said. With the support of the Hindi teachers of the village schools, a module of teaching and study materials was prepared. Thus, the Hindi study classes begun in all the 21 wards of the panchayat using these study materials and instructors, the panchayat president explained. Even the available time in between the weekly meetings of all-women network Kudumbashree and the lunch and tea break amid the MNREGA activities are utilised for Hindi learning in Chelannur these days. Premises of village houses, courtyards and other common platforms in each ward began to bustle with Hindi words and usages. Certain wards were conducting 8-10 classes a week to achieve the target and even evening classes were arranged to benefit both instructors and learners, to ensure their job hours were not affected. The response from the public was beyond words. Though we targeted people up to age 70 only, even people aged 77 and 78 years are part of our project now. For people like Janaki Amma, the learning gave a revived enthusiasm and energy, Nousheer added. Concurring, Janaki Amma said she was really enjoying attending the evening classes with her daughter, son-in-law and friends. I had to stop my studies at fifth standard. After that, now I am learning again. This is really good... They are teaching us necessary words and sentences we can use in daily life. My grandchild, a Plus Two student, also attends the class at times, she told PTI. Besides his love for learning a new language, Abdul Salam, another senior citizen, feels it was the need of the hour to know Hindi to make daily life easier. There was a time when what was acceptable in media was generally policed. This was the time of the three major networks, who were then accused of controlling public discussion. Up until the '90s, ABC, NBC, and CBS ruled the roost, and they tended to keep extreme viewpoints off of the air. Neo-Nazis, conspiracy theorists never got a hearing. The media were sanitized, to be sure. In the late 1980s, the FOX network started rising, but it followed a similar practice. The only difference is that FOX paraded itself as conservative at that time. It was not a total suppression of free speech though some claimed it was but it was a sort of gatekeeping. Dissident/extremist opinions could not get a hearing. Some claimed that the media were controlled by the Jews, but with the arrival of FOX which was owned by the Murdochs, a Christian family that claim no longer held up. Yet the ADL (Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith) addressed the matter in 1999. Steven G. Kellman, a professor at the University of Texas in San Antonio, wrote ... "[o]f the 100 most powerful people in the industry according to a recent survey by Premiere, most, including the top 12, are Jewish," but observed, "Though individual Jews control Hollywood, Jewishness does not." In fact, Hollywood studios are publicly owned corporations and motion pictures are made by the efforts of individual men and women, some of whom are Jewish, many of whom are not. The ADL sort of shot itself in the foot with that explanation. While it was true that the Jewish executives were not pushing Jewishness, they could still be open to the charge of steering the conversation. All of that came to an end in the mid-'90s. With the advent of the internet, anyone could publish what he wanted and get it out to the world. All one had to do was set up a website, which was far cheaper than publishing booklets. Search engines made it easy for the public to find such questionable information. Neo-Nazi websites started sprouting up like weeds. The cat was out of the bag. Prior to the internet, it was hard to find such stuff. With the internet, one could find such stuff in complete anonymity. Then, in 1996, the U.S. government passed Section 230 of the United States Communications Decency Act, which insulated web hosting providers and companies from much of the legal consequences of what was on their servers. In plain terms, the internet was given a free pass. So the internet became the Wild West. The first panic was over pornography, which immediately proliferated with fury. The second panic was over anti-semitism. Already by the mid-'90s, the ADL was sounding the alarm. By 2004, if one entered the word "Jew" in a Google search, the first site to come up was Jew Watch which had been online since 1998. Jew Watch was a grossly anti-semitic website, which functioned as a library of anti-Jewish material. In a few moments, one had access to information that would have taken years to collect before. In 2008, Israel's Foreign Ministry offered a free tool called Megaphone whereby Jewish activists could be marshaled to go to chat rooms and contest antisemitic or anti-Israel comments. [Israel] created Megaphone, a free tool that can be downloaded from their website. Megaphone allows alerts to pop up on users' desktops every time it finds an attention-worthy article, poll or forum on the internet. Students and members of pro-Israel organizations are encouraged to visit the sites and express their opinions. Even at that early date, Israel was aware that control of the internet had been lost and was marshaling efforts for a fight. None of this would have happened could have happened before the internet. The mainstream media kept such nonsense out of the public arena. The internet had given voice to the world's collective id. And the issue of Israel would not go away. By 2015, Israel was accusing Facebook of facilitating violence by tolerating incitement on its platform. Palestinians in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) were using Facebook for nefarious purposes. The Israel Law Center even ran a test to make its point. Social media hid behind Section 230 protections until they came under congressional fire. They then started censoring, but chiefly against the conservatives. The problem grew, and the number of students and academics posting vicious anti-semitism online has become a flood. Campus anti-semitism is also out of control. Also see here. So Jewish groups have started counter-measures, now using the IHRA definition of antisemitism. They hope to rein in academe, and their efforts can be searched ("anti-semitism college") on YouTube. But opponents of the IHRA definition have claimed that its definition of antisemitism is far too broad and conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. One author of the IHRA says it is being used to suppress free speech. Kenneth Stern drafted the "working definition of anti-Semitism" that US President Donald Trump used in an executive order to target anti-Semitism on college campuses. He's also one of the recent order's most vociferous critics. Hence, the IHRA definition is not universally applied. Twitter now bans hateful hashtags such as #Hitlerwasright, but other coded hashtags have arisen, such as #COVID1948. Posters started posting images to get around A.I. word-filtering. The upshot is that there is no way antisemitism can really be suppressed. Suspend Kanye West, and others will arise. Europe has tougher laws under hate crime laws but there are easy workarounds if one knows what one is doing. So what is the answer? There is none technologically. The criminal is usually one step ahead of the law. Human nature is ugly. As Psalm 14:1 warns, there is none that doeth good. The internet, especially social media, has given vast amounts of power to fallen humanity, in the persons of hateful individuals. The answer will be found not technologically, but socially. On the side of good, one consequence of the internet is underreported: the proliferation of Christian websites. Image via Libreshot. Mental health professionals like me often provide services to a variety adults through the life cycle. In my deep blue state, as I listen to their views on culture, it doesn't paint a pretty picture. I'm the confidante for many educated, worried-well individuals, some having advanced degrees, yet these accomplished people seem unaware of the dismantling of Western civilization. Most keep their politics to themselves, but when right-leaning individuals hint about theirs, I allay their trepidation and share mine. Although the focus remains on personal issues, my right-wing clients are well informed and express dismay about the state of the country. We aren't supposed to disclose our political orientation, but I know that my left-leaning and radical-left colleagues seem to have no qualms in expressing their positions. To my knowledge, no psychologists, social workers, or other therapists have shifted their political thinking. Instead, they've doubled down on leftism. Last week, I took part in a virtual seminar to fulfill my CEU requirements. The presenter, a forty-something-year-old woman, pronouns front and center, introduced a case referring to individuals as cisgendered. When I moved my Zoom setting into the gallery view, I saw a few older, white Boomer women displaying their pronouns, she/her/hers. At one point, another white woman commented about Christian nationalists, which caused me to unmute. Quickly, I changed my mind and muted myself. As a political minority, I determined it wasn't worth pointing out the hypocrisy of stereotyping. Mental health professionals also promote this ideology in the written word. Some of my CEUs are derived from reading a magazine oriented to all disciplines of behavioral health. I skim to get through the quizzes. I've seen articles discussing white body privilege. Others describe DEI trainings that point out the need to acknowledge racial disparities, even if none exists. The message? White people, bow your heads in shame for privileged skin color. We know what's happening in the medical schools with the woke and CRT training. What many don't know is the lowering of standards to appease the loud voices, claiming racism, sexism, transphobia, etc. A few months ago, I was informed that an elite medical school altered its testing requirements for a major exam. Grades were replaced with pass/fail. I didn't think twice about this, but recently, a young medical student told me that many dropped out of medical school after receiving their results. I asked why. She informed me certain students thought they could get by with the minimum requirement. In the past, they reached for the higher grade. When I questioned the reason for applying lower standards, her understanding was the new criteria helped marginalized groups and women. Why didn't they offer tutorial services, raising everyone up rather than down, I asked. She didn't respond. Middle- and high-school teachers tell me about the state of behavior and academics in the public schools. The attention to identity politics shines through. One school insisted that teachers remove the LGBT-plus flags and those from a multitude of countries. Uproar occurred. Thus, those flags banner and wave beneath the American flag. Some schools require translating classroom lessons in other languages. Certain schools allow students to look at their iPhones or receive special accommodations for unruly behavior. One teacher told me that a child rocked back and forth in front of him. His only choice was to recite the rules, trying to teach despite this mayhem. Children sent to the principal's office often return to the classroom twenty minutes later. That's the extent of consequences. The more affluent schools bully teachers if parents complain about their cherubs not receiving a high grade, which lowers their chances for admission to an elite college. These parents cry "not fair" to administrators even if their children didn't put in the effort. Another issue is the lack of desire to procreate. We've heard about it in the news. Two of my young clients, one in college and another in her mid-twenties, make it clear they don't want children. The college student, usually a sweet young man, was defiant about ending connections with his parents if he receives pressure about grandchildren. Yes, things appear quite dystopian, but there are some silver linings. One of my clients, whom I haven't seen since the pandemic, asked if I could see her daughter for a few visits. Like her mother, this young woman made it clear she leaned right. Not only that, but she embraces her religion, is pro-life, and defied her college mandate of vaccinations. She graduated and remains connected to many young adults who think like her. Another college student told me she's part of a large, moderate Christian community of her peers. It warms my heart to hear young people embracing some traditional values, including the rare belief in God. I conveyed this sentiment to both women. Each rewarded me with an enormous smile, and I raised my eyes, saying there's still hope for our country. God bless America. Image: Thijs Paanakker via Flickr. Joe Biden is back to fantasyland again, now claiming that three unnamed colleges sought him out after his vice presidency to become their institutional presidents. According to the New York Post: President Biden claimed Friday that three universities reached out to gauge his interest in their top jobs after he left office as vice president in 2017, but that his wife Jill strongly objected. Biden told the story at Delaware State University while speaking about his cancellation of about $400 billion in student debt saying it was a true story. True story: When I left the vice presidency, after Beau died, I wasnt going to get involved in politics anymore. So I became a full professor at the University of Pennsylvania, he said. But before that occurred, three universities came to me and said they wanted to interview me to consider my being a president of the university. The idea was a no-go with his wife, said Biden, who routinely tells false, embellished or unverifiable stories about himself while attempting to connect with his audiences. My wife, whos a professor at a community college, she has two masters [degrees] and a Ph.D. because shes smarter than me. And she looked at me, she said, If you do that, Im leaving you, Biden continued. The video can be viewed at this link here. Biden claims 3 universities wanted to make him their president, but Jill said no https://t.co/oXQH2drGyh pic.twitter.com/P6gdfVNcMa New York Post (@nypost) October 23, 2022 Which is just a little questionable, given Biden's record of bold-faced lies about himself as well as everything else. Biden's lies about himself always have this little Walter Mitty quality about them -- Biden the hero, Biden the ordinary guy thrust into great roles of heroism by chance or fate. Here's a list of his various claims, which I wrote about a couple years ago -- Biden the Parkland massacre consoler in chief, right there on the ground with them, Biden the Iraq war hero, Biden the daring Afghanistan war hero, Biden the participant at lunch counter sit-ins during the Civil Rights era, Biden the coal miner .. plus Biden the truck driver, Biden who was arrested in South Africa over Nelson Mandela, laughable claims which have occurred since. As I wrote here at the time: In every instance, Biden was the underdog, the man of courage, the guy who stood up to evil forces and made himself a hero. Not one of these claims was true, but that's just the point: Biden spends mental time in a fantasy universe, very unlike the one he actually lives in. In reality, he's a man of no accomplishments and nothing but political loyalties. The world Biden inhabits is the Washington swamp, a boring place characterized by big sleazy money deals and family enrichment, cronyism in smoke-filled rooms. Biden's China and Ukraine deals, enacted by his underachieving junior, were abetted by Biden's political muscle in the background. That's the only life Biden can point to. Now he claims he was sought out as college president by multiple institutions even though he can't speak a coherent sentence, has been caught plagiarizing many times, and graduated at the bottom of all his classes. He's so full of garbage. Anybody believe him when he claims he was sought out as president of three colleges, but Jill told him 'no' and threatened to leave him? Would any college like to come forward and name itself as interested in Joe Biden with all his executive "talents" as its president? Would Biden make colleges better? We all know his record as president and had a pretty good idea of it even when he was vice president, back when Barack Obama was saying 'never underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up." Just Biden's trivializing understanding of the job of a college president -- which he claimed was to decide parking spaces and office windows -- pretty well tells us he doesn't know much about the job of college president. Would colleges want a guy like that? Maybe Jesse Watters can go around with his microphone and ask a few of them about this. The knowledge Biden has of the educational establishment is pretty well confined to Doctor-to-us Jill Biden, the one who can't pronounce basic Spanish, despite teaching in community colleges with many Latino kids, and her faculty lounge ethos. But this claim to his audience, supposedly to endear him to them with his devotion to obeying Jill and its attempt to claim to audiences that he is very close to college systems, has a special quality that's worth noting and it's not pretty. Biden has claimed that colleges were after him because he's such a desirable guy and somehow he couldn't do it because Jill said 'no,' but everyone is supposed to be oohing and ahhing about the fact that instead of becoming a college president, he went on to become U.S. president. What a feat. What modesty! We are all supposed to goggle in admiration at Biden's inherent excellence, given that serving as college president is piddly compared to "serving" as president of the U.S. See the point he was making? He was backhandedly praising himself, talking about what a smart guy he was, even as he rightly claimed that Jill was smarter in that "little lady" patronizing way he has. What a disgusting chump. Maybe he can name these colleges that couldn't wait to get their hands on him as their chief executive, so that a coming Republican Congress can investigate them for corruption. The only reason a college would name Biden for a presidential slot would be to exert political influence in Washington. Theoretically, that could be the case, but they'd need to be investigated. No names, though, are forthcoming, because even the corruptest colleges likely knew that Biden would be an idiot. Color me skeptical. And color me disgusted at Joe Biden's amazing eternal vanity. Image: Twitter screen shot Hurricane Ian has passed, but the effects linger on. In addition to the forty billion dollars worth of property damage and the 114 people who died in the hurricane itself, seven people have died from a flesh-eating bacteria whose emergence has been laid at Ians door. Many Floridians are finding they dont have the money to build back after losing their homes. Governor DeSantis has issued an executive order to extend property tax deadlines and reached out to President Biden for assistance from the federal government for those hardest hit. Meanwhile, activists are exploiting the disaster for their climate change agenda. It would be better for all concerned to pause for a moment and contemplate the reality of Florida. Whether or not the climate is changing, whether or not any of that change has anything to do with human activity, the truth is that Florida was never a place where God intended man to live. The first Americans to visit Florida, back in the 1830s, were soldiers who were deployed to harass the Seminole Indians. The men were appalled by the conditions they found in Florida. A typical opinion of Florida can be found in the writings of an Army surgeon who recorded, Florida is certainly the poorest country that ever two people quarreled for.... It was the most dreary and pandemonium-like region I ever visited, nothing but barren wastes. If the soldiers had had their way, they would have left Florida to the mosquitoes. I have been to Florida and, personally, I agree with the anonymous wag who said if he owned Miami and Hell, he would rent out Miami and live in Hell. Image: Great Blue Heron in the Everglades by Matthew T Radar. License: CC BY-SAW 4.0. Florida is a paradise today because more than half of the Everglades were destroyed to create a rather dubious living space for humans. Environmental activists either dont know this fact, or they choose to ignore it. After all, Florida has a $1.3 trillion gross state product, hundreds of miles of sparkling beaches, and Disneyland. The damage to a place that sticks out literally like a sore thumb in the middle of yearly hurricanes, and the injuries and deaths that inevitably occur, are as nothing compared to the artificial paradise created by destroying so much of the environment and rendering it uninhabitable to the animals that actually do belong there. Perhaps it is time for those who are so concerned with the environment to consider returning some part of Florida to its natural state and its natural inhabitants. At least it would save some lives, and the rest of the country would not have to pony up to pay for federal relief for catastrophes that occur on a regular basis. Pandra Selivanov is the author of Future Slave, a story about a 21st century black teenager who goes back in time and becomes a slave in the old south. A few days back it was reported that a GOP super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) would withdraw a significant $5.6 million reserved for TV ads from New Hampshires Senate race. A spokesperson for the PAC claimed they are shifting resources to where they can be most effective to achieve our ultimate goal: winning the majority That follows a similar move made by the Senate Republicans campaign earlier this month to pull its resources from New Hampshire, claiming it was because of other Republican spending going toward the race. Recent polls show both candidates in New Hampshire, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and her Republican challenger Don Bolduc, evenly poised in the contest. Despite Hassan outspending Bolduc by a whopping $9 million during the third quarter. Previously, Hassan had a lead of a wider margin of at least 7 percentage points over Bolduc. That was the phase when pollsters are not reflecting but influencing the minds of voters. But now that the election date is a few weeks away the same polling firms, in order to retain some credibility are being factual. Bolduc, a retired Army general, won the Republican nomination last month over the establishment favorite and state Senate President Chuck Morse, after being endorsed by President Trump. So is this $5.6 withdrawal important? Big spending doesnt always lead to big victories. If that were the case, Jeb Bush, who spent around $130 million on his primary campaign, would have been the GOP Presidential nominee in 2016 while Mike Bloomberg, who spent $900 million on his campaign, would have been the Democrat Presidential nominee in 2020. However, for newer candidates with lesser name recognition, funding is critical. Hassan could fund attack adverts against Bolduc and if Bolduc is unable to respond, it could convince a small but important section of low-information voters to choose Hassan. Quite often elections are decided by a small section of voters. It is hence quite unpardonable for McConnell to withdraw funds at such a crucial juncture. Where is McConnell spending his funds? Why of course in Alaska on Sen. Lisa Murkowski who running against Trump-endorsed GOP challenger Kelly Tshibaka. McConnell's PAC is spending about $9 million on Murkowski. Murkowski voted to impeach Trump in the Senate and voted 66.7% with Biden, a high number for a Republican. She voted to send billions of tax dollars in aid to Ukraine and myriad other Democrat-backed bills. She also voted to approve most nominations of Bidens cabinet members and even his Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Murkowski recently revealed that she will vote for Democrat House candidate Rep. Mary Peltola over GOP challenger former Gov. Sarah Palin during the midterms. NEWS: @lisamurkowski says she is going to pick @MaryPeltola as her first choice on her ballot. Yeah I am, she says when asked by @ZachHughesNews pic.twitter.com/38iv421W0Z Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 22, 2022 Breitbart reported on Thursday that seven Alaska Republican committees issued a scathing rebuke of McConnells financial influence behind 21-year incumbent Murkowski. This isnt the only game that McConnell is playing. In August, McConnells PAC reduced its advertising budget for the Senate candidate Blake Masters in Arizona by around $8 million Masters won the Republican nomination against a wide field of candidates after being endorsed by President Trump Beyond Masters, Senate Republican nominees such as J.D. Vance (Ohio), Mehmet Oz (Pennsylvania), Adam Laxalt (Nevada), and Herschel Walker (Georgia), all endorsed by President Trump during the GOP primaries, also haven't received much financial support from McConnell. Despite that, these GOP Senate candidates are engaged in close contests against their respective Democrat rivals. Hence all donors aspiring to help the MAGA movement, must surgically donate to specific Senate campaigns rather than just the GOP. Back to Mitch. In August, McConnell went as far as to question the caliber of some of the Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate. He even cast doubts on the GOP prospects of winning the Senate claiming that there's probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate." McConnell is an old fox who realizes that if the GOP does win a majority in the Senate, the MAGA wing will attempt to force him out of his leadership position. Hence, he needs Murkowski and the rest of the Never Trumpers to back him. Photo credit: Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0 license However, if the GOP were to not secure a majority in the Senate and even lose a few seats, he is likely to retain his status as Senate Minority Leader. A GOP defeat would also enable him to claim that MAGA has been rejected by the public and it is time to return to normalcy, i.e. placing the needs of the Democrat D.C. establishment before that of the public. For the likes of McConnell working for a Democrat such as Biden is preferable to a Republican such as Donald Trump. His voting record shows he sided with Bidens agenda via his vote in the Senate by around 54.5% of the time. McConnell reportedly told Biden that he wanted to blunt President Trump's influence by conveying to allies in Eastern Europe that "Republicans believe NATO is important" and to "push back against the isolationist sentiment in my own party." McConnell branded his fellow Kentuckian GOP Senator Rand Paul, who merely wanted to add essential transparency and accountability measures to the funds being dispatched to Ukraine, as an isolationist. The US has approved over $60 billion of taxpayer funds to Ukraine since Russia's intervention began in February. McConnell emerged as the staunchest Republican advocate for sending billions to Ukraine via his words, votes in the Senate, and actions. He recently urged Biden to deliver more military support to Ukraine. Such is McConnels enthusiasm that he traveled to Ukraine in May along with a delegation of GOP senators to meet and greet Premier Zelensky. Seldom has Mitch visited any place within the US to meet citizens who are suffering due to Bidens misgovernance. McConnell also voted for a "gun safety" bill that empowers a judge to order the seizure of firearms merely based on someone's suspicion. McConnell hasnt spoken against the Stalinist January 6 Select Committee that intends to criminalize political opposition by pushing the spurious narrative that MAGA Republicans are violent extremists. Theres more! The family of McConnell's wife Elaine Chao has extensive business interests in China and close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and its allies. When Chao was the secretary of transportation under President Trump, she allegedly used her office to promote her family's shipping business, and even tried to include family members in high-level meetings with top Chinese officials. Politico reported that Chao had, designated a special liaison to help with grant applications and other priorities from her husband Mitch McConnells state of Kentucky, paving the way for grants totaling at least $78 million for favored projects as McConnell prepared to campaign for reelection. If MAGA Republicans win during the midterms, they could pass laws that could place restrictions that could topple the gravy train for McConnell. Mitchs opposition to the MAGA movement is hence dictated by personal and pecuniary interests in addition to the usual urge politicians have to hold on to power It is essential that the GOP unseats McConnell from his leadership position which will be a major step in dismantling the self-serving, self-promoting, self-preserving, corrupt, and nepotistic confederacy that is D.C. Democrat Establishment. Rapper Lady Leshurr has been charged with assault following an incident in east London. Police were called out to reports of a fight in Knotts Green Mews in Walthamstow on Saturday at about 5.08am, Scotland Yard said. Two women, both aged 27, were taken to hospital and have since been discharged, police said. Leshurr, real name Melesha OGarro, 34, was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Sherelle Smith, 28, was charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They are both due to appear at Londons Thames Magistrates Court on Monday. The Sun reported the rapper, who has appeared on Dancing On Ice, was seen being led away from the scene by police in the early hours of Saturday. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were said to be locked in talks late into the evening as speculation mounted over whether the pair could strike a deal to lay the foundations for a unified Conservative government. Mr Johnson was lagging behind his former chancellor in public support from MPs as Mr Sunak gained a valuable ally in Kemi Badenoch on Saturday, with backers of the ex-PM challenged over claims he had reached the number required to secure a spot on the Tory ballot paper. Sir James Duddridge, a friend of Mr Johnson, said the former prime minister had the support of the 100 MPs required to reserve his place in the vote. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Gatwick Airport in London on Saturday (Gareth Fuller/PA) But Sunak supporter Richard Holden cast doubt on this suggestion, arguing that the equivalent number of public declarations had not been made because they dont exist. As the day drew to a close, neither Mr Johnson nor Mr Sunak had declared their candidacy, with reports suggesting the pair held talks in the evening to agree on a joint ticket. In a blow to Mr Johnsons campaign should he decide to seek a second stint in Downing Street, International Trade Secretary and former leadership contender Ms Badenoch threw her weight behind the ex-chancellor, insisting it was not the time for nostalgia for the cavalier elan of 2019. She admitted she had on occasion been a member of the Boris Johnson fan club, but she said the Tories are not organising a popularity contest, and stressed the party is not a vehicle for any one individuals personal ambitions. Mr Johnson has returned to the UK to plot a second run for the top job, in a move that has divided opinion among Conservative MPs including his former allies. He arrived at Gatwick Airport on Saturday morning with his family after breaking off from a holiday in the Dominican Republic following Liz Trusss dramatic resignation on Thursday. Meanwhile, an ally of former home secretary Suella Braverman told the PA news agency she had been personally heavily courted by both Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak and was likely to decide who to back for the Tory leadership on Sunday. Despite being the only candidate to declare so far, Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is far behind her potential rivals on public support from MPs, with just 21 to Mr Johnsons 44 and Mr Sunaks 113, according to a PA tally. Setting out her plan to unite the party and the country in the Express, she warned the Tories had let ourselves become distracted by internal disputes. Ms Mordaunt used her pitch to stress the need to make Brexit work, focus on the potential of all our citizens and defend our Union and its territorial integrity, pledging her support for reforming the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol. She insisted she is not seeking the top job for an easy ride, and vowed to build a government which draws from all our best talent. The party needs a unifying figure to do whats right for the UK. At this moment, I believe that person is Rishi. Im a fan of Boris but his return, given all thats happened would not bring people together. We all need to set aside our differences and work for the greater good. https://t.co/xVZdoXU0rw pic.twitter.com/ILxXJoyF0s Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) October 22, 2022 Writing in the Sunday Times, Ms Badenoch said her party must remind people that Conservatives care about the country, not ourselves. The International Trade Secretary suggested Mr Sunak would bring a disciplined approach to Government, citing his fiscal conservativism and stressing that right now, being able to say no is what we need. She said everyone in the party will need to make sacrifices to prove to people the Tories can unite. For her, this means refraining from a second leadership bid, she said, while some will have to forsake a job in government under their preferred candidate so that others can be brought into the tent. Mr Johnsons potential return has divided opinion even among his allies in the parliamentary party, including his former deputy prime minister and foreign secretary Dominic Raab. Mr Raab said we cannot go backwards and pointed out the ex-PM faces an investigation into his actions over partygate. He backed Mr Sunak, saying he was very confident the former chancellor would stand. Rishi Sunak outside his home in London on Saturday morning (Beresford Hodge/PA) Moments after Mr Johnson landed back in the UK on Saturday, ex-home secretary Priti Patel said he had her support but his potential bid suffered a setback as former close allies Steve Barclay and Lord Frost urged colleagues to back Mr Sunak. Mr Johnsons father Stanley predicted that his son would put his name forward and beat Mr Sunak in a head-to-head contest. The former PM has so far won the support of six Cabinet ministers: Ben Wallace, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke, Chris Heaton-Harris, Alok Sharma and Anne-Marie Trevelyan. But his public endorsements fell far short of those for Mr Sunak. Ive been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest. Im running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE.#PM4PM pic.twitter.com/MM0NTHJ5lH Penny Mordaunt (@PennyMordaunt) October 21, 2022 Another supporter of the ex-PM, ex-culture secretary Nadine Dorries, said in a contest between Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak only Boris is a proven winner, adding that if the former chancellor was instead chosen, we would enter unchartered and potentially dangerous waters. Writing in The Mail on Sunday, Ms Dorries added: Any Tory MP who votes for Rishi Sunak tomorrow will be taking a risk with the future of the party. If he is chosen, power would be transferred out of the hands of the people who exercised their choice at the ballot box less than three years ago and placed into their own very privileged and already powerful hands. That would be an untenable and undemocratic position for us to be in. If that happens, I have no idea how we would be able to look voters in the eye and deny them a General Election that Labour is screaming out for A Tory Party led into the next Election by anyone other than Boris Johnson would mean the country would be looking into the face of a Socialist government. In the same newspaper, the former Brexit secretary and Sunak-backer David Davis said the root of many of the Tories problems was that the last two prime ministers had chosen Cabinets almost exclusively from a narrow group of cronies they thought they could dominate. Tory MPs will vote on Monday, and two candidates will be put forward to the party membership unless one pulls out, with a result being announced on Friday. Candidates have until 2pm on Monday to secure the 100 nominations, limiting the ballot to a maximum of three candidates. Supporters of Mr Johnson believe that if he can make it to the last two, he will win in the final online ballot of party activists with whom he remains hugely popular. Some MPs have warned they would resign the Tory whip and sit in the Commons as independents if Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street. Sir Jake Berry wants members, rather than just MPs, to decide the next leader of the Tories (Victoria Jones/PA) Meanwhile, Conservative Party chairman Sir Jake Berry joined the Business Secretary and Johnson-supporter Mr Rees-Mogg in calling for the vote to be decided by members rather than MPs. The Tory chairman told the Telegraph the partys future was in the grip of an existential crisis and if the Tories believed in democracy, members cannot be denied a say on who the next leader of the party is. He added: We have seen two Prime Ministers in a row effectively removed from office by MPs despite the fact that they have won the membership. I fear that it might be a point where members think what is really the point of being a member of the Conservative party. Politics is not delivered in this country by 650 MPs sat in Parliament; it is delivered by thousands of Conservative councillors up and down the country who deliver elections for the party. Shutterstock.com With the cost of living in the United States soaring, more and more people are setting their sights on an international destination that won't break the bank. Some locales are so affordable that with enough savings you may be able to quit your job or just work part time and still live in the lap of luxury. See: The Safest Places To Retire Outside the US Check Out: 8 Undiscovered, Cheap and Beautiful Cities To Retire In International Living released its annual report on the World's Best Places to Retire and the results may surprise you. From coastal getaways to European hotspots, several of the countries are not only beautiful, but they are also extremely inexpensive. So while the list is geared toward retirees, these may be great options for anyone with a healthy savings account or who doesn't mind living on a budget. Here are 10 cheap places to live abroad that have a cost of living considerably lower than in the United States so you can quit your job. Rudimencial / Getty Images Uruguay Currently, the cost of living in the United States is $2,112, with rent for one person costing an average of $1,325 per month. Even with a steady income, living in the U.S. has become unaffordable for many. If you are sick of working your 9 to 5, consider the Latin American destination of Uruguay. The country is exquisite, offering nearly 400 miles of coast, rolling hills and four distinct seasons. The cost of living is nearly half of what it is in the states at $1,090. As noted by International Living, depending on the neighborhood you can find a nice apartment at the reasonable price of $500 per month. Take Our Poll: Are You Struggling To Keep Up With Your Utility Bills? peresanz / Getty Images/iStockphoto Spain Whether you want to spend your days soaking up the sun on the Costa del Sol or are more interested in the vibrant cultural and art scene of Madrid, you simply can't go wrong with Spain. The European country is steeped in history, offers great healthcare and has almost every type of geography imaginable. The cost of living in Spain is approximately $1,141 per month, although it might be more in bigger cities or resort beach towns. Even in the most expensive neighborhoods, it will likely still be somewhat cheaper than the average cost it takes to live in the U.S. Plus, the first-class healthcare will save you big time. Shutterstock.com Malta Looks can be deceiving. A quick glance at the tiny island (archipelago) of Malta may make you think that only the world's elite could afford to live there. Fortunately, the exact opposite is true. The island boasts a surprisingly affordable cost of living at $1,275 per month. The country, surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, is stunning. Rent is somewhat expensive, depending on where you live, but it is worth it considering the 360-degree views. Not to mention the fact that food and other things are significantly cheaper than in the United States. Matteo Colombo / Getty Images France If you have ever wanted to dine on world-famous cuisine, shop in the finest boutiques or visit renowned museums, now is your chance. France is a bargain for someone willing to live on a budget. The cost of living in the country is $1,363 or 1.55 times less expensive than in the U.S. Ex-pats who reside in the country enjoy low-cost healthcare, one-of-a-kind destinations and villas for under $200,000. So, if you have a nice-sized savings or are willing to pick up a part-time gig, you might just be able to drop the morning commute for sipping wine at a chateau in the French countryside. Grigory Ignatev / Shutterstock.com Ecuador For real bargain hunters, a country like Ecuador is cheap and safe with a very comfortable year-round climate. The cost of living for one person in the country is $750. Ecuador is geographically diverse with miles of endless beaches, mountains and rainforests, leaving a little something for everyone. Housing is economical with the average rent for one person costing around $307 per month. Retirees or young adults hoping to quit the corporate grind in favor of a more enjoyable lifestyle can live in the country for far less than the U.S. Starcevic / iStock.com Colombia It is no wonder that ex-pats are flocking to Colombia. The country is rich in biodiversity. The large South American country borders the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Andes Mountains carve through the West while the Amazon rainforest sits to the East. The cost of living in Colombia is almost one-fourth of what it is in the United States at $548 per month. Rent, food and transportation expenses are all markedly less than you would expect to pay in the states. SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto Portugal With an estimated cost of living for one person at $977, Portugal offers Americans hoping to live abroad a low-priced European option. The country itself is minuscule compared to neighboring Spain, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in culture. Portugal oozes Old World charm and is known for its incredible seaside communities. The country's public transportation is second-to-none, meaning you may not have to ever purchase a car. With the money you save you may never have to work again. Morelia_Mexico_iStock-1406825079 Mexico Many Americans, familiar with the tourist-packed cities of Cozumel and Cancun, may shake their head at the idea of living in Mexico, but the country has a lot more to offer. Mexico is an ex-pat's dream. It is close to the states, offers reasonable healthcare and is considerably less expensive than the U.S. The cost of living in the county for one person is $713 per month with the average rent costing only $319. Mexico is more than just a spring break getaway for college coeds. In addition to the white sandy beaches it is known for, the country has luscious jungles and sweeping deserts. For Americans looking for a bargain, healthcare is substantially less costly than in the U.S., and becoming a resident is relatively easy. Mihai-Bogdan Lazar / Shutterstock.com Costa Rica The Central American country of Costa Rica is the perfect place to live abroad without depleting your savings. The cost of living is around $893 and rent for one person runs approximately $406 per month. The tropical destination has cost-effective healthcare and is only a short flight from the Southern United States. The locals, by all accounts, are friendly, welcoming ex-pats with open arms. The weather is gorgeous, the water is warm and the housing is highly affordable. benedek / Getty Images/iStockphoto Panama Panama tops the list of best places in the world to retire, which means it could be a good option for anyone to live cheaply. It is no wonder that it regularly claims the title since the cost of living is under half of what it would cost in the U.S. at $1,040 for one person. Rent runs approximately $530 per month and food takes up another $353, but outside of that costs are minimal. The country is centrally located, has a mild climate and offers world-class beaches. It seems only fitting that this charming retreat makes the list. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Places To Live Abroad So Cheap You Could Quit Your Job Veterinarians have suggested that people can tie a soft scarf on the ears of pets and stray animals to protect them from loud noises during Diwali. Pixabay Hyderabad: With animal rights activists voicing concern over the effect that loud crackers will have on pets and animals, veterinarians have suggested that people can tie a soft scarf on the ears of pets and stray animals to protect them from loud noises during Diwali. They suggested providing them shelter, at least on the festival night. The vets cautioned against overfeeding the animals as they could vomit because of the loud noise of the fire crackers. It has been reported that the loud sound of crackers leaves animals and birds frightened. Some of them suffer burns; trauma and panic attacks are not uncommon. The loud noise of the crackers scares the animals and they try to hide. They cannot think properly. While running for shelter, they get hit by vehicles, said Prashanth Sharma, a veterinarian. Dr J.D. Wilson, deputy director, veterinary section, GHMC, said that the department does not keep a count of animal deaths during the festival. He said that the birds were prone to getting heart attacks when crackers are burst in their vicinity. Dogs are clever and can hide. Mostly we do not see burns cases among them, he said. Veterinarians contradicted him and said they treat several severe burn cases among animals which are brought in rescuers. Other than burns, the dogs and the cats go through severe psychological disturbances that cause seizure, which sometimes last life-long. They go through trauma which lasts for more than a week, said senior veterinarian Vishwanath Raju. Dr Wilson said that his team rescues animals that need help. He added that the police do arrest those who torture the animals. Animal rescuer and activist Akhil Kumar Elipe said that every festive season, he along with his team members would be busy rescuing animals. People burst crackers near trees. birds get injured. Puppies and kittens are hurt, especially kittens and cats as they are territory based animals. Dogs run when they are scared and find a safe spot for themselves," he said. Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/Shutterstock The epitome of elegance, the British royal family lives a life of opulence a commoner can barely fathom. Whether they were born in the spotlight or married into it -- like Princess of Wales Kate Middleton or Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle -- the well-heeled Brits have captivated the world for as long as anyone can remember. Related: How Rich Is Meghan Markle? Cash App Borrow: How To Borrow Money on Cash App The Mountbatten-Windsor clan resides in palaces, has personal staffers at their beck and call and regularly jets off to exotic locales. But in many ways, they're just like regular people. They have bills, like to decorate for the holidays and like to dine out every so often. Take a look at how they spend their money, and get a glimpse of the elite family's financial state. Maureen McLean/Shutterstock Stylish Fits Catherine, Princess of Wales-- more commonly known as Kate Middleton -- is a global fashion icon. She has an enviable wardrobe that's worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. She's been seen in an Alexander McQueen black and green floral gown a few times. Most notably, she wore the piece to the 2017 BAFTA Awards, and the 2019 Portrait Gala. It's no wonder she's reworn the stunning piece, considering it cost $10,605. In 2017, she was spotted wearing a Chanel tweed dress in Paris, which is said to cost $10,891. Harry and Meghan have some luxurious tastes as well. The Duchess of Sussex wore a $75,000 Ralph & Russo gown to pose in the couple's engagement photos. At the wedding, Prince Harry's custom Dege & Skinner uniform cost around $10,246. However, that hardly compares to Meghan's Givenchy wedding dress, which cost around $265,000. Take Our Poll: Do You Think You Will Be Able To Retire at Age 65? Ian Press / Flickr.com Cars He put it up for auction in 2016, but Prince Philip previously owned a 1954 Aston Martin Lagonda 3-Liter Drophead Coupe, one of the rarest cars in the world and worth as much as an estimated $640,000, according to Forbes. As a way to blend in with traffic, the late Queen Elizabeth's husband also purchased an eco-friendly London taxi in 1999, which he donated to England's Sandringham Museum in 2017. Also a car enthusiast, King Charles III owns a rare 1969 Aston Martin Volante DB6 MKII, according to People magazine. Driven by Prince William on his 2011 wedding day, the Hagerty Insurance valuation tool estimates a similar car in mint condition at $427,000. Dan Kitwood / Getty Images Education A public education won't cut it for members of the British royal family. Prince George, the 9-year-old son of Prince William and Princess Catherine, started attending Thomas's Battersea School in London in September 2017. Tuition and fees total $7,809 in U.S. dollars per term for students aged 4 to 7, and there are three terms per calendar year. The price decreases in price for each subsequent child enrolled concurrently per family, so Princess Charlotte's and Prince Louis' tuition will not cost as much. Prince George previously attended nursery school at Westacre Montessori School in East Walton, in Norfolk, England, near Anmer Hall, the family's country home. When he started school in January 2016, tuition cost $55 per day, according to People magazine. George and his siblings began attending Lambrook, an independent preparatory school in September 2022. Tuition ranges from $5,300-$8,500 per term depending on the student's year in school. Twocoms / Shutterstock.com Official Duties and Charitable Activities Members of the British royal family maintain busy schedules filled with official duties and charitable activities. In 2016, King Charles and his wife, Queen consort of the United Kingdom, Camilla Parker Bowles -- joined Prince William and his wife, and Prince Harry to rack up a combined tab of about $14 million, according to the official website of King Charles. Before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, most expenses related to official and charitable duties were paid for by King Charles' private income from The Duchy of Cornwall. Revenues from the private estate, which was founded in 1337,were passed to Charles. REX/Shutterstock Gifts for Loved Ones Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly began dating in May 2016, and he enjoys showering her with lavish gifts. Some of these include a Cartier Love Bracelet -- valued at roughly $6,650 -- and a gold Maya Brenner necklace not-so-subtly adorned with the letters 'M' and 'H', which retails for roughly $300. Shortly before news of their relationship went public in October 2016, the prince reportedly spent thousands on a piece of art titled "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," by British artist Van Donna, 'for an important person,' according to People magazine. And in June 2017, the Daily Star reported the royal was planning to buy Markle an approximately $41,000 Mini Cooper for her birthday. David Hartley/Shutterstock Childbirth When it comes to childbirth, Kate Middleton spares no expense. Prince William's wife has given birth to all three of their children -- Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis -- in the exclusive Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in London's Paddington section. Both Prince William and Prince Harry were also born in the hospital, where suites are said to run $14,0445 a night. After the first stay, mothers reportedly receive a 10 percent discount. Lukasz Pajor / Shutterstock.com Housing, Utilities and Housekeeping Maintaining the royal residences isn't cheap. When the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, Queen Elizabeth had spent nearly $73 million on property maintenance, $3.6 million on utilities, and $1.3 million on housekeeping and hospitality, according to the Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve financial summary published on the British royal family's official website. Established in 2012, the Sovereign Grant is issued to the ruling power annually in exchange for the revenue from the Crown Estate, a real estate portfolio long owned by the reigning monarch. Initially set at 15 percent of the Crown Estate revenue, the grant was increased to 25 percent of profits in 2016 for a 10-year period to cover Buckingham Palace upgrades. Dmitry Kalinovsky / Shutterstock.com Staff You can't be queen without a staff. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, Queen Elizabeth's payroll expenses totaled nearly $24 million, on top of other staff costs of $3.8 million, according to the Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve financial summary. Doing one's own grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry is decidedly unroyal, so Prince William and Kate have a little help. It's unknown who's currently assisting the family, but in May 2017, The Sun reported their housekeeper had recently quit her roughly $46,500-per-year job because it was too demanding. Andrey Bayda / Shutterstock.com Dining Out The Princess of Wales has been known to frequent a swanky London pub called Hollywood Arms, which has caviar on its brunch menu. Kate's also been known to dine with friends and family at Bluebird Chelsea in West London, which has a $67 sea bass on the menu. In 2012, both William and Kate treated their staff to a Christmas lunch at Bumpkin, which was an upscale restaurant in London. mariakraynova / Shutterstock.com Holiday Decor Prince Harry isn't content to let staff do all the holiday decorating for his Nottingham Cottage home. In December 2016, the royal was spotted buying an approximately $86 Nordmann Fir Christmas tree from Pines and Needles in South London's Battersea Park with Meghan Markle. The Daily Mail reported the prince paid for the tree with a credit card. Markle reportedly happily accepted a bunch of mistletoe with their purchase, while the prince wasn't as keen on it. Seemingly in the holiday spirit, staffers told the publication the happy, low-key couple was friendly and largely slipped under the radar. AP/REX/Shutterstock Jewelry The British royal family may be low-key on many accounts, but in one department they tend to gravitate to the finer things: jewelry. Prince William chose a familiar stone -- proposing to Kate Middleton with the 12-carat sapphire given to his mother by King Charles in 1981. The ring, surrounded by 14 diamonds, has only increased its value with age -- appraisers estimate that it was worth approximately $500,000 in 2014 -- about 10 times more than when King Charles first purchased it 40 years ago. Harry decided to design his own ring for Meghan Markle, blending sentiment and his bride-to-be's sensibilities. The ring features three diamonds -- a center stone from Botswana, where the couple visited together, as well as two from his mother's personal collection. Set in a yellow gold band and created by Cleave and Company -- the preferred jeweler of the Queen -- the ring is estimated to be worth "between $300,000 and $350,000 if the ring used perfect diamonds," according to Amanda Winters from Blue Nile. More From GOBankingRates Sam DiSalvo contributed to the reporting for this article. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Heres How the British Royal Family Spends Their Money Boris Johnsons campaign team has told supporters they have secured the nominations needed from MPs for him to get on the ballot paper in the race for No 10, it has been reported. The former prime minister has yet to declare whether he is standing and the number of MPs publicly declaring for him is still well below the 100 needed. However, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has sent a Whatsapp message to supporters claiming they have the numbers, according to the The Suns political editor Harry Cole. Rishi Sunk leaves his campaign office in London (Belinda Jiao/PA) Mr Heaton-Harris told them: OK everyone! Some very good news! Thanks to all your hard work I can confirm we have completed all the paperwork (verified all nominations, with proposer and seconder) to be on the ballot tomorrow. However, supporters of former chancellor Rishi Sunak reacted to the claim with suspicion, suggesting it was a desperate attempt to drum up support. Backbencher Richard Holden tweeted: Very odd to brief this out again (two days in a row). Its what they briefed yesterday. Its almost as if they still need people and are desperate to show momentum, which they cant because no-one will publicly come out. Penny Mordaunt leaves BBC Broadcasting House (Belinda Jiao/PA) Under the leadership rules candidates have until 2pm on Monday to get the necessary nominations. Earlier, Mr Sunak became the second contender formally to declare he is standing, promising to fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country at a time of profound economic crisis. The former chancellor already has more than 140 MPs publicly backing him, according to some reports, meaning his place on the ballot paper should be secure. Meanwhile, allies of Penny Mordaunt who was the first candidate to declare have disclosed that she has been speaking to Mr Johnson. The PA news agency understands that he asked her to stand aside and back his campaign, but she refused, saying most of her supporters would switch to Mr Sunak if she pulled out. The disclosure, however, fuelled speculation that Mr Johnson has been struggling to get the numbers he needs. His supporters have suggested that the shortfall in public declarations was in part due to the fact that some MPs backing him were reluctant to go public until they are certain he is standing. While Mr Sunak remains the favourite to top the ballot of MPs, Mr Johnsons supporters believe can win the final online poll of ordinary party members which will decide the contest. It raises the prospect of another scenario as with Liz Truss where the choice of the activists does not have the backing of MPs potentially leading to more turmoil and division at Westminster. The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis. Thats why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country. pic.twitter.com/BppG9CytAK Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 23, 2022 Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker warned Mr Johnson who still faces a Commons inquiry into whether he misled Parliament over lockdown parties in Downing Street would be a guaranteed disaster. Theres going to be a vote before the House of Commons on this issue of privileges, whether he deliberately misled the House, he told Sky Newss Sophy Ridge on Sunday. In that vote its guaranteed therell be a large number of Conservatives who will refuse, as they see it, to lay down their integrity to save him, and at that moment his premiership will collapse. Mr Baker, an ardent Brexiteer, was one of two senior figures on the right along with former home secretary Suella Braverman to declare for Mr Sunak. The former chancellor also picked up endorsements from cabinet ministers Grant Shapps, Chloe Smith and Michelle Donelan. Announcing his candidacy on social media, Mr Sunak said he had a track record of delivery and a clear plan to steer the economy through the toughest of times. There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done, he said. Meanwhile, Mr Johnson gained the backing of Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Mr Zahawi said the ex-prime minister got the big calls right and argued Britain needs him back. He tweeted: When I was chancellor, I saw a preview of what Boris 2.0 would look like. He was contrite and honest about his mistakes. Hed learned from those mistakes how he could run No 10 and the country better. Despite trailing in the public declarations, with fewer than 30 MPs openly supporting her, Ms Mordaunt, the Leader of the House, insisted she was not out of the race. Im in this to win it. I think its important for our party we have a contest. I am very confident about our numbers, she told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme. J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao face state charges connected to Floyds murder in 2020 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyds death are heading to trial on state aiding and abetting counts, the third and likely final criminal proceeding in a killing that mobilized protesters worldwide against racial injustice in policing. J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao have already been convicted of federal counts for violating Floyds civil rights and begun serving those sentences. Many witnesses expected to testify at their state trial have already done so at both their federal trial and at the state trial against their former colleague, Derek Chauvin. While much of the evidence in this proceeding will look similar, there will be some key differences. Protesters hold signs as they march during a protest over the death of George Floyd in Chicago on May 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) Here are a few things to know as jury selection gets underway Monday: WHAT IS THIS TRIAL ABOUT? Kueng, Thao and Thomas Lane were working with Chauvin on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin, who is white, used his knee to pin Floyds neck to the pavement for more than nine minutes as the 46-year-old Black man said he couldnt breathe and eventually grew still. Kueng knelt on Floyds back, Lane held his legs and Thao kept bystanders back. Kueng, who is Black, and Thao, who is Hmong American, are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Prosecutors will have to prove they intentionally helped Chauvin. They dont have to prove that they intended to kill Floyd or cause him great bodily harm. THE THIRD TRIAL Chauvin was the first officer to face trial in a livestreamed, weekslong proceeding filled with emotional testimony from bystanders, graphic video of Floyds dying moments and expert testimony about use of force as well as the mechanics of breathing. He was ultimately convicted of murder and manslaughter. The second trial in Floyds death came in federal court, where Lane, Kueng and Thao were all convicted of federal civil rights violations. Its going to be, I think, exhaustingly repetitive for the witnesses who have already testified multiple times and dont want to relive this, said Rachel Moran, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. But there will be some nuances. Moran said this case could be more difficult for prosecutors: While Chauvins offense was more direct because he had his knee on Floyds neck, prosecutors in this case have to show what Kueng and Thao intentionally did to help him commit a crime. Judge Peter Cahill has limited expert witnesses to try to avoid repetition. Hes also ordered attorneys not to ask questions designed to elicit emotion. SOME NOTABLE DIFFERENCES Witnesses wont be allowed to ask the jury to take actions and follow along with demonstrations as lung and critical care specialist Dr. Martin Tobin did during Chauvins trial. In that case, Tobin placed his hands on his own neck and encouraged jurors to do the same as he explained how he believed Floyd died. Jurors said later that Tobin provided some of the trials most compelling evidence. Its also unknown if a girl who was just 9 at the time of Floyds killing will testify. Prosecutors want to call her to argue that even a young girl knew something was wrong so the officers should have known as well. The defense has countered that her testimony isnt that different from that of other bystanders and will only play upon jurors emotions. She previously testified at Chauvins trial. Cahill encouraged prosecutors not to call the girl because testifying in a murder trial can be traumatic, especially for children, but he didnt bar them from doing so. WERE PLEA DEALS OFFERED? Yes. Both Kueng and Thao rejected offers for three-year sentences that would have been served at the same time as their federal sentences. Thao told Cahill: It would be lying for me to accept any plea offer. That set them apart from Lane, who pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting manslaughter and got three years. Kueng and Thao are risking significantly longer sentences; the murder charge has a recommended sentence of 12 1/2 years, and prosecutors say they intend to seek more. The reality is, its their right (to go to trial) and Tou Thao in particular seems to just believe that he has done nothing wrong and therefore he cant admit to doing anything wrong, Moran said. JURY SELECTION Hundreds of prospective jurors were sent a 17-page questionnaire that explored how much they know about the case, their views on police and whether theyve participated in civil rights marches, among other things. Sixteen people will be chosen; 12 will deliberate. A protester carries a sign in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles on June 1, 2020, during demonstrations after the killing of George Floyd, which sparked calls for a racial reckoning to address structural racism that has created longstanding inequities impacting generations of Black Americans. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Jurors will be questioned individually about their views and whether they can be fair. An unlimited number of potential jurors can be dismissed for cause, such as when a juror has shown that he or she cant be impartial. Each side may also dismiss jurors with a limited number of peremptory strikes, which dont require a reason but can be challenged if the other side believes its due solely to a potential jurors race or gender. The defense gets 10 such strikes five for each defendant and the state gets six. The key will be finding jurors who can be impartial. Moran said that while diversity on a jury is important, the idea that a jurys racial composition will affect the outcome has been called into question. She noted that the jury that convicted Kueng and Thao of federal charges was mostly white, as was the state jury that convicted Kim Potter, then an officer in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, in the 2021 fatal shooting of Black motorist Daunte Wright. TRIAL LOGISTICS Opening statements begin Nov. 7. The trial wont be livestreamed. Cameras in courts are rare in Minnesota, and Chauvins was livestreamed due to the high public interest and courtroom space limitations because of COVID-19 restrictions. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Kueng and Thao reported to federal prison earlier this month to begin serving their sentences for violating Floyds rights. Kueng is serving three years at federal prison in Ohio and Thao is serving 3 years at a facility in Kentucky. They will be in custody in Minnesota during the trial. Lane, who is white, is serving his 2 -year federal sentence at a facility in Colorado. Hes serving a 3-year state sentence at the same time. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years on the state murder charge and 21 years on a federal count of violating Floyds rights. Hes serving those sentences simultaneously at a federal prison in Arizona. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post 2 cops head to trial for aiding George Floyds killing appeared first on TheGrio. President Joe Biden walks from Marine One upon arrival at the Gordons Pond in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) President Joe Biden joked that it's difficult acknowledging he's about to turn 80, but said he's physically and mentally capable of serving a potential second term in the White House. Biden, who turns 80 on Nov. 20, said its totally legitimate for voters to question whether someone his age can manage the demanding stresses of the American presidency. Biden made the comment in response to a question about his age during an MSNBC interview that aired Sunday. He said people should judge for themselves whether he is up to the task as polls show that voters would rather not see a rematch with Donald Trump, the Republican ousted by Biden in 2020. Biden would be 82 on Inauguration Day in January 2025; Trump would be 78,. A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows only about 3 in 10 people questioned want either Biden or Trump to run for president in two years. Just 5 in 10 Democrats want Biden to seek a second term, while 6 out of 10 Republicans hope to see Trump seek the presidency again. I think the best way to make the judgement is to watch me. Am I slowing up? Am I going at the same pace?" Biden said in the interview that was taped Friday during a visit to the Delaware State University campus to promote his student loan debt forgiveness executive order. Biden has yet to officially announce whether he will run for a second term, but has repeatedly said it is his intention to seek reelection. During his 2020 campaign, Biden often presented himself as a transition candidate who would build a bridge to new Democratic talent. Video: The midterm season's most provocative ads The age and health of both Biden and Trump loomed throughout a race that was decided by a younger and more diverse electorate and at a moment when the nation is facing no shortage of issues of consequence. In the MSNBC interview, Biden said voters should look at his passion for the work as they consider his age in factoring whether they should vote for him. Biden joked that he's still coming to terms with becoming an octogenarian. I cant even say the age I am going to be. I cant even get it out of my mouth," Biden said. Biden went through a battery of blood, physical, gastrointestinal, dental, vision and neurological examinations shortly before his birthday last year. Dr. Kevin OConnor, Bidens primary care physician, wrote in a six-page memo released by the White House after that exam that Biden was healthy, vigorous" and "fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency. OConnor said he investigated Biden for increased instances of throat clearing during public remarks and a stiffening of his gait. OConnor reported that Bidens coughing was the result of gastrointestinal reflux and that the stiffened gait was the result of a new diagnosis of mild peripheral neuropathy, spinal arthritis and compensation for a broken foot sustained shortly before he took office. Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) is facing a potential make-or-break moment Tuesday as he squares off with his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz in the first and likely only televised debate of the states marquee Senate race. Fetterman has faced repeated questions about his health since suffering a stroke in May. But the scrutiny was amplified considerably earlier this month after an NBC News interview showed him using his closed captioning system to communicate. Adding to the pressure are recent polls showing a tightening race, as Oz has hammered Fetterman on not only his health but also his track record on handling crime as the states lieutenant governor and two snapshots of the race show as much. The debate, which is hosted by WHTM in Harrisburg, will be aired nationwide on NewsNation. Both WHTM and NewsNation are owned by Nexstar, which also owns The Hill. How to watch: The local stations and websites that will show the Fetterman-Oz Pennsylvania Senate Debate live An AARP Pennsylvania poll released on Tuesday showed Fetterman leading Oz 48 percent to 46 percent, putting him within the margin of error, while a Fox29-InsiderAdvantage poll showed the two tied at 46 percent. In the sincere hope that John can really hold himself up to the scrutiny that comes with a high-profile debate, and I think he can, said T.J. Rooney, a former Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairman. Through video and things hes done going back to July, hes in such a much better place today than he was then that I hope that strength is able to be better depicted during the course of the debate. You worry anytime anybody goes into a debate. Its not a fear, but its more of a hope knowing what John has gone through, Rooney continued. The stakes are high. Fettermans recovery could be a significant factor in the debate, with critics raising questions about whether he is healthy enough to adequately perform the duties of a U.S. senator. On Wednesday, his campaign released a note from his doctor saying he was in good health and does not have work restrictions. However, Fettermans symptoms of an auditory processing disorder could impact how he comes across to viewers in a high-pressure televised setting. Democrats concede that Oz, who hosted his own television show for over a decade, has the upper hand going into the forum. Obviously this is Ozs turf, said one Democratic strategist. Were talking about a debate between a 20-year TV celebrity and a guy who is still recovering from a stroke. Thats just the reality of this, the strategist added. On top of that, Fetterman faced criticism for his debate performances during the Democratic Senate primary earlier this year, which took place prior to his stroke. The reality is its not his biggest strength, a second Democratic operative told The Hill. One thing that I think is very true if you watch those debates is he starts slow and then improves. Fettermans allies instead are pointing to his reception from voters on the ground in Pennsylvania, arguing that a televised debate will not be the races singular pivotal moment. Actually doing the work is far more important than parachuting in from New Jersey and being really slick on camera, the first Democratic strategist said. Fettermans campaign has touted his own appearances on the trail, particularly at rallies hes held in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the campaign said 443 people turned out at a rally he held in conservative Butler County. Last Saturday, the campaign said it turned out 637 people at a rally in Delaware County. Tactically, I think a televised debate favors Dr. Oz, but overall Id much rather be John Fetterman than Mehmet Oz in this race, the first Democratic strategist said. For Republicans, the main fear heading into Tuesday night centers on the expectations game, as questions have proliferated for months over whether Fetterman can literally speak coherently on stage. If he does clear that low bar, the night may be considered a success for Democrats and their chances to pull out this race. Unfortunately, the expectations are near nothing for Fetterman. If he gets up there and can string sentences, it doesnt matter how crazy they are, thatll probably be enough. But Im not sure hes going to do it. one Pennsylvania-based GOP strategist told The Hill, insisting that Fetterman must show more than that. Fetterman has to land some effective punches because I think Oz is winning right now, and this is the only debate. He has to change the trajectory somehow. Expectations-wise, the situation is reminiscent of the first presidential debate in 2020 when allies of former President Trump for weeks questioned President Bidens mental acuity and sharpness, dubbing him Sleepy Joe. The one-two step of a solid Biden debate performance coupled with Trumps heckling handed Biden a debate win. Of course, there are differences. Biden was a longtime national politician then who had debated for years, including against Republicans in general elections headlined by his vice presidential debates against then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and former Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). For Republicans, the nightmare debate scenario still looms in the back of their minds. The one red flag that I dont want to see is when Fetterman f- up, Oz should not pile on. The moment that would suck is when a guy is clearly struggling and Oz says See! This guy cant be our senator, the Pennsylvania-based GOP strategist added. That could come across as a little callous. Theres a temptation to do it. Theres a want to put a period on the sentence. But also, you have to trust the viewer that theyre able to see it themselves, the strategist said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday on securing an unprecedented third term as leader, and said he looked forward to further developing a "comprehensive partnership" between their two countries. "The results of the Party Congress fully confirm your high political authority, as well as the unity of the party you lead," Putin told Xi, according to the Kremlin's website. Xi and Putin signed a "no limits" partnership agreement in February, three weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since then, China has taken a careful line, criticising Western sanctions against Russia but stopping short of endorsing or assisting in the military campaign. Last month during a face-to-face meeting between the pair, Putin said he understood Xi had "questions and concerns" about the situation in Ukraine, a surprising public acknowledgment of differences between them over the war. Moscow increasingly sees Beijing as a key geopolitical and economic partner in the face of Western sanctions and isolation, and Putin has sought to foster warm personal ties with Xi. The Russian president said he was confident that Xi's reappointment would "strengthen China's position in the international arena" and help the country realise its vast domestic investment and development plans, the Kremlin said. (Reporting by Reuters) A decade has come and gone but the pain, heartache and the musty odor of mold remains. Like many New Yorkers impacted by Superstorm Sandy, the devastation wrought by the wind and rain is more than just a memory for Donna Simbo. The mother of two is still suffering from health issues and dealing with ongoing mold and foundation problems in the Rockaways home she cant return to. The situation is the house is unlivable, Simbo told the Daily News. Donna Simbo outside her home, destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. Donna Simbo outside her home, destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The 55-year-olds home was one of the nearly 70,000 damaged by Sandy 10 years ago as rain and flood waters inundated low-lying neighborhoods across the city. After moving back in shortly after the storm Simbo developed an immune system disorder and struggled to keep up with the bureaucratic nightmare that was the citys bungled Build It Back program. Since 2018, shes been living in a nearby rental as contractor after contractor attempts to clear her house, bought in 1999, of mold and other ongoing issues. So much they put me through, she said. I just want my home back. Its where my children were born, where I raised them. Donna Simbo Donna Simbo The two-story semi-attached home, a stones throw from Jamaica Bay in Arverne, will be the site of a vigil planned by environmental advocates to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Sandy on Oct. 29. The gathering will follow a week of protests meant to raise awareness about how climate change is making storms like Sandy, which killed 43 New Yorkers, more severe and to push state officials to do more to address the issue. We really want to draw attention to two of the biggest crises that are facing us today in New York: the climate crisis and inequality crisis, said Alice Hu, a climate campaigner and activist with New York Communities for Change. Donna Simbo's storm-damaged home in Arverne, Queens. Donna Simbo's storm-damaged home in Arverne, Queens. Studies have shown that the destructive winds and deadly storm surge that slammed into the state and wreaked havoc on the citys oceanfront communities was likely worsened by man-made climate change. Last year, the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast found that simulations indicated approximately $8.1 billion of Sandys damages were attributable to human-caused sea level rise. New York City again experienced records rains and flooding last fall when the remnants of Hurricane Ida inundated the five boroughs, leaving 13 dead. The increase in deadly storms has prompted the city to ramp up efforts to overhaul outdated sewers and bring the citys basement apartments up to code. Activists argue that progress has been slow and more needs to be done to draw attention to the seriousness of the issue. People will say that climate activists are radical and theyre doing really crazy, bizarre things in order to get attention, Hu said. But when youre faced with the fact that were about to careen into climate catastrophe the real radicals are those who continue to do nothing. Cracks and mold in Donna Simbo's house. Cracks and mold in Donna Simbo's house. Protesters plan to descend upon Park Ave. beginning on Tuesday, calling on Gov. Hochul to raise taxes on the rich and fund environmentally-friendly programs meant to cut pollution and carbon waste. Supporters argue that a 5% tax on the top one percent in the Empire State could raise $10 billion annually. The groups say the funds could be used to help transition all buildings from fossil fuels to green energy, create thousands of union jobs, and subsidize affordable, energy-efficient housing. Demonstrations and marches, organized by groups including Extinction Rebellion NYC, New York Communities for Change, Sunrise NYC and others, will take place each day leading up to the Sandy anniversary. Environmental groups are also hoping to draw attention to several climate-related bills that stalled in the Democrat-controlled Legislature this year including a measure that would require all new buildings be fossil fuel-free. A United Nations climate report released in April noted that an increasing share of carbon emissions can be attributed to cities, large towns and overall urbanization. Another bill, the Build Public Renewals Act, would authorize the New York Power Authority to build, own, and operate more renewable energy projects and get the state closer to goals set out in 2019s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The bill passed the Senate but stalled in the Assembly. Lawmakers hosted a hearing on the measure over the summer, sparking hope among supporters that it will be revisited when lawmakers return to Albany in January. The CLCPA commits New York to reaching 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 and a reduction of at least 85% below 1990-level of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. hurricane superstorm sandy anniversary Long time neighbors Linda Strong (left) and Lucille Dwyer hug on Oct. 31, 2012, after seeing their homes destroyed for the first time since Hurricane Sandy hit Breezy Point, Queens. (Julia Xanthos/) The demonstrations next week will target not only elected leaders but also corporate headquarters for companies such as Blackrock, the worlds largest investor in coal production. Park Ave. will serve as the focal point of the week-long protest to highlight the divide between the citys wealthiest residents and everyday New Yorkers like Simbo who are still struggling in the wake of Sandy. People are still suffering and the climate is going to make it worse and worse for others for each disaster coming, Simbo said. Voters, meanwhile, will have a chance to weigh in on New Yorks climate focus on Nov. 8 as a proposed $4.2 billion dollar environmental bond act is on the ballot. The proposal will give the state the ability to borrow funds for major environmental projects, including $1.1 billion for flood risk reduction, coastal rehabilitation and shoreline restoration projects across the state. Another $1.5 billion will be dedicated to climate change mitigation including zero emission school buses, reducing or eliminating air or water pollution in environmental justice communities. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned his Russian counterpart against any attempt to escalate the war in Ukraine. Mr Wallace spoke to Sergei Shoigu in a rare telephone call initiated at the request of the Russians, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. According to an MoD readout, Mr Shoigu accused the UK and other Western powers of seeking to assist the government in Kyiv in trying to escalate the conflict. A statement on Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's call with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu: pic.twitter.com/BbQ9muxKeC Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) October 23, 2022 Mr Wallace rejected the claims and warned Moscow not to try to use them as a pretext for its own efforts to step up the conflict. In a statement, the MoD said: Minister Shoigu alleged that Ukraine was planning actions facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. The Defence Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation. The Defence Secretary also reiterated UK and wider international support for Ukraine and desire to de-escalate this conflict. It is for Ukraine and Russia to seek resolution to the war and the UK stands ready to assist. The call comes after Mr Shoigu spoke to US defence secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday to discuss the ongoing war. Few details of their discussion were made public although the Pentagon said they emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the conflict. Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk. Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen. If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned. I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country. It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously. Vote View Results Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, governing the state for the past three years, has started meetings with party leaders and cadres to review the situation from the grassroots level, to prepare the party for the polls. (Photo: DC) VIJAYAWADA: The ruling YSR Congress is enthused by the success of its Visakha Garjana mass mobilization in support of the 3-capitals plan that offers decentralised development of the state and shifting of the Executive Capital to Visakhapatnam before the 2024 elections. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, governing the state for the past three years, has started meetings with party leaders and cadres to review the situation from the grassroots level, to prepare the party for the polls. To start with, he started resolving the partys internal issues by suspending two ex-MLAs from the YSRC for anti-party activities. Groupism and internal bickering were serious problems that posed a threat to the partys plans and strategies towards achieving the Mission 175-Elections 2024 target. Jagan received complaints against former MLAs DY Dasu of Parmarru and Raavi Venkata Ramana of Ponnur, who were allegedly working against the party and local MLAs. After inquiries, the CM suspended the two senior leaders, which gave a strong warning to other leaders in the party against such groupism in future. Sources said the CM received reports from other segments about internal squabbles in the party and instructed the party in-charges to resolve these. The success of the Visakha Garjana raised the confidence of the YSRC vis-a-vis public support to the concept of decentralization and the 3-capitals plan. The party has decided to conduct a similar Rayalaseema Garjana rally and meeting in Tirupati on October 29, in support of the 3-Capitals. MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and other leaders held a meeting with Rayalaseema leaders on the Rayalaseema Garjana, and the leaders opined that the 3-Capitals plan would give a chance for development of Rayalaseema. The Rayalaseema leaders sought implementation of the Sri Bagh Pact in both letter and spirit and decided to form a Joint Action Committee to take the message of decentralised development to the masses. These leaders decided to hold a massive Rayalaseema Garjana Rally from Krishnapuram Thaana to Municipal Corporation Office centre and a public meeting on October 29 in Tirupati, on par with the event in Visakhapatnam. Leaders from various walks of life would address the gatherings. Adviser to the government (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has clarified to the party leaders and cadres that the state administration would start working from Vizag as early as possible. Decentralization of the administration will come into force before the elections by shifting government offices to Vizag, he said, and urged the party leaders and cadres to work dedicatedly for a clean sweep for the YSRC in the 2024 elections. Revenue minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, playing an important role in North Andhra JAC, said section 6 of AP Reorganisation Act called for decentralisation and hence there was nothing wrong in having three capitals. The people went to Kurnool capital travelling 850km and Hyderabad and now got a good chance to have the capital in Vizag. During the Angelus, Francis and two young Portuguese registered for World Youth Day in Lisbon in August 2023. The pontiff also expressed heartfelt concern for the conflict in Ethiopia and the suffering caused by floods in Africa. He mentioned the interfaith meeting on peace set to take place at the Colosseum next Tuesday. The Pharisee and the Publican in the Gospel parable exemplify the movement of rising and descending. Vatican City (AsiaNews) During the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis spoke about World Mission Sunday, centred today on the theme "You shall be my witnesses. For the pontiff, this is an "important opportunity to reawaken in all baptised people the desire to participate in the universal mission of the Church through the witness and proclamation of the Gospel". To this end, I encourage everyone to support missionaries with prayer and concrete solidarity, so that they may continue their work of evangelisation and human promotion throughout the world. Afterwards, he invited two young Portuguese, who were with, to look out from the window of the Apostolic Palace, to remind everyone that the World Youth Day is set to take place in Lisbon (Portugal) in August 2023. Registration for the event begins today. Thus, Francis took the opportunity to register online. I have invited two Portuguese youngsters (pictured) to be here with me while I register too, as a pilgrim, Francis said. The pope then addressed the boys and girls of the whole world, urging them to register after being kept apart for so long by the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that this will help us rediscover "the fraternal embrace between peoples and between generations, which we need so much. In his long address after the Marian prayer, the pope praised the witness of the new blessed, like the Redemptorist martyrs of Spain. Fr Vincenzo Nicasio Renuncio Toribio and eleven others were killed in 1936 as a result of anti-Christian persecution during the civil war. The example of these witnesses of Christ, he said, ought to spur us to be consistent and courageous in proclaiming the Gospel. The pontiff also expressed his heartfelt concern over the conflict in Ethiopia, where violence will only increase tragic consequences rather than resolve "discord. Instead, he urged the parties to find equitable solutions for lasting peace throughout the country. Francis offered his prayers for the victims of floods in Africa, as well as Italys new government that took office today. He also mentioned that next Tuesday (25 October), the Colosseum in Rome will serve as a venue for an interfaith prayer for peace, especially for martyred Ukraine. Earlier, at the start of the Angelus, the pontiff turned his thoughts to the passage in the Gospel of Luke about the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, centred on the movements of rising and descending. Two very different men are involved, a religious man and an avowed sinner, but only the second "truly lifts himself up to God" because he presents himself to Him with humility and in the full truth of himself and his limitations. The verb to rise, the object of the first part of the reflection, appears in many passages in the Old Testament, from Abraham to Moses, and in the New Testament when Jesus experiences the Transfiguration. To rise, Francis says, expresses the need of the heart to detach itself from a flat life in order to go towards the Lord; to rise up from the plateau of our ego to ascend towards God, freeing oneself of ones own I; to gather what we live in the valley to bring it before the Lord. This is rising, and when we pray, we rise. Then there is the second movement, that of descending within us to live the encounter with God looking honestly at our frailties and our inner poverty. Indeed, in humility we become capable of bringing what we really are to God, without pretence: the wounds, the sins and the miseries that weigh on our hearts, and to invoke his mercy so that he may heal us, restore us and raise us up. It will be he who raises us up, not us. The more we descend with humility, the more God raises us up. Starting with these two verbs, the pontiff analyses the opposite attitudes of the Pharisee and the Publican. The former is "convinced that he is fine and begins to praise himself like a priest (here the pope cites an example from Argentina) who When he incenses, he does it backwards towards himself. By contrast, the second, instead, "asks for forgiveness". These attitudes concern us closely. Thinking of them, let us look at ourselves, Francis asks us, wondering whether in us too like in the Pharisee, there is the conviction of ones own righteousness that leads us to despise others. Let us beware of narcissism and exhibitionism, based on vainglory, that lead even us Christians, priests and bishops, always to have one word on our lips. Which word? I. Finally, Where there is too much I, there is too little God, Francis said. For this reason, we must turn even more to Our Lady who is the living image of what God likes to do, namely, overthrow the powerful from their thrones and raise the humble. When youre part of one of the most famous families of our times, throwing regular parties may be too mainstream, as luxurious as they may be. So, for Kim Kardashian, one of her birthday parties was on Kylie Jenners private jet on her way to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the jet couldn't land because of high winds and had to go back. 13 photos One Welsh driver at the wheel of an old, blue Volkswagen Beetle was caught speeding 57 times in just two months earlier this year. He also ran a red light, which brought the number of driving-related offenses to 58 and launched a national manhunt, Wales Online reports.The drivers favorite offense was speeding through 30 mph (48.2 kph) zones, which hed often cross at double that speed, and not once going below 45 mph (72.5 kph). According to the publication, officers from Staffordshire Police appealed to GoSafe, the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership, to try and track him down. Using footage from surveillance cameras, GoSafe was able to track down the speeding blue Beetle to the driver.The vehicle was seized in April for having no insurance, outside a home where the owner was believed to reside. Police issued 58 citations in his name, and not a single one received a response. The police then referred the case to the courts, which is why were hearing about this now.The driver didnt show up in court, but all his 58 offenses were proved, so that did little in terms of helping him avoid accountability . The court ruled that he would be banned from the roads for 36 months and will have to pay a fine of 47,000 (approximately $53,200 at the current exchange rate), which is probably a new negative record for such a small and cutesy car.Jokes aside, dont be this guy. No matter the kind of rush youre in or how inefficient you consider speed limits in certain areas to be, drive safe and abide by the law. If you do mess up, doing the grown-up thing of taking responsibility is a nice idea. The KIMBO is constructed out of aluminum and can be easily taken off with the removable jack lifts. This camper is made of tiny removable panels, which reminds us of a LEGO set. This way if one panel gets damaged you do not need to change the whole camper, but only a tiny piece.Walking inside, we get into one big room with a propane-powered Dickinson heater, a Dometic 12V fridge, and a small sink.On the other side of the kitchenette , Jesse arranged a working space area with a small table that goes from underneath the raised storage shelves. A solar generator and air conditioning can also be found here.The bedroom hosts a double-size bed with a big window that lets you sun gaze. To combat the heat that is produced in a metal box like this, an air fan was added on the roof, and also an air system underneath the bed.A few LED lights illuminate this whole tiny camper, while also creating a cozy and warm atmosphere.Between the kitchen and bedroom, there is a small hidden compartment underneath the floor. A pull-out shower was added here. The shower curtain attaches to the roof hooks that are all around the air fan. The compartment also has a floor with many drain holes; this way the water is taken out of the camper through a tube.For the owner's electricity and hot water needs, a few solar panels have been installed on the roof, and a 7-pound propane tank can be found on the rear side. Living off-grid might be an annoyance, but it is worth the pain for taking care of our planet.As you can see, this is not your usual small house; it is very compact with limited space to even move around, but it works well for people who only need a tiny space to live in while traveling around. KAKINADA: Amid dramatic developments, the Maha Padayatra of Amaravati farmers came to a temporary halt at Ramachandrapuram town in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district on Saturday for four days. It all started on Saturday morning when police reached the function hall in Ramachandrapuram where the Amaravati farmers had halted the previous night. Police asked the farmers to show their identity cards pointing out that only 600 of them will be allowed to continue on their yatra in keeping with the AP High Court orders. Further, only five cars will be allowed to be part of the yatra. Subsequently, only 75 farmers could produce their identity cards. There were arguments between police and the yatris and a tussle ensued. Police also did not allow Telugu Desam leaders, including Peddapuram MLA Nimmakayala China Rajappa and former deputy chairman of AP Legislative Council Reddy Subrahmanyam into the function hall. Amid these developments, Amaravati farmers held discussions among themselves and decided to halt their padayatra at Ramachandrapuram till AP High Court delivers its final verdict. Meanwhile, BC welfare minister Chelluboyina Srinivasa Venugopalakrishna, who is also Ramachandrapuram MLA, claimed that people of the town had prayed to Goddess Manikyamba at Draksharamam in favour of three capitals on Friday. In response, the Goddess had intervened and halted the fake yatra using which TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu is cheating the people in the name of a single capital. Later, Ramachandrapuram DSP Balachandra Reddy made it clear that police had not intervened because of political pressure. He pointed out that High Court had listed out the names of 600 farmers who will be in the yatra and they were checking the same. The DSP maintained that their aim is to give protection to farmers going on the yatra and no political motives should be attributed to actions of the police. He said they are prepared to allow former home minister China Rajappa, Reddy Subrahmanyam and other leaders to be part of the yatra. But they will not be allowed to take their large number of followers and supporters with them. In other words, they still believe that Google Maps is, first and foremost, a piece of navigation software , and without a doubt, they arent wrong.Google Maps offers an impressive feature lineup on this front, as its able to get you from point A to point B safer, faster, and more convenient. And with features like eco-friendly routing, Google Maps can also reduce the carbon footprint of each vehicle, therefore, contributing to fuel saving and more economical driving.But on the other hand, what truly makes Google Maps the best navigation app is the satellite mode.While some people out there might think otherwise, satellite navigation makes the experience behind the wheel a lot more convenient. And its all because of the way it works.As everybody knows already, the satellite mode that Google offers provides access to high-resolution images that allow you to inspect any place on Earth from the comfort of your sofa. And you can imagine how useful this feature can be, especially when driving in a region youve never been to.Why is satellite navigation so special?It all comes down to how easy it makes to figure out which way you need to go. With satellite navigation, the orientation part of the driving experience is significantly simplified, as you can see the surrounding builds, points of interest, and so on, in a more convenient way. Furthermore, each street is a lot more visible than in the standard mode, and the traffic information is much more clearly displayed on the map.One of the best things about the satellite mode in Google Maps is that its available not only on mobile devices but also on the likes of Android Auto and CarPlay. And as far as Apple users are concerned, the satellite mode also works on the dashboard.If you want to activate the satellite mode, you can do this easily from the dedicated layer on CarPlay , just tap the gear (settings) icon in the main UI, and you should see a dedicated Satellite toggle that lets you enable this feature. The traffic information must be activated separately, but you can use the satellite mode with or without such data.I personally think the traffic information somehow makes the satellite mode more cluttered, and I often prefer to keep it disabled, especially when Im not in a rush. But of course, you are the one to decide how you want to use the feature.Another great thing about Google Maps is that it allows users to jump from one mode to another almost instantly. Just look at how easy it is to activate the satellite layer, and youll understand that everything is just a matter of seconds, regardless of platform.This means that you dont always have to use the satellite mode if you dont like it, so, for instance, you can enable it only when driving to a new destination.The satellite layer is also available in other apps (such as Apple Maps ) and missing from others (like Waze), but in Google Maps, it certainly makes the navigation more straightforward from one to another. Theres not much Google can improve on this front other than maybe adding more high-resolution images.One thing that Google, however, could copy from rival Apple is the 3D navigation system, as the Mountain View-based search giant can use its satellite imagery and mix it with 3D models to create an even more advanced navigation experience that would be exclusive to its users. Initially, the helicopter wasnt a helicopter at all, but a simple read non-flying test bench for tip-jet rotors. Drastically simplified, this concept means a helicopter with jet burners mounted inside the propeller blades at the far ends. This design would allow in theory for extensive cargo lifting capabilities.You might have guessed that the client for such a fantastic machine was none other the Uncles Sam himself. Or, more accurately, the US Air Force wanted an air crane with outstanding capabilities: lifting and transporting an external payload of 8x8x20 feet (2.4x2.4x6.10 m) weighing up to 10,000 lbs. (4,536 kg) at a top speed of 56 knots (65 mph, 105 kph).Moreover, the heavy hauler needed to hover at an altitude of 3,000 feet (915 m), have a tactical range of 87 nautical miles (100 miles / 160 km), and have 30 minutes of autonomy. The military wanted the new aircraft to move several types of payloads from radar trucks to troops, supplies, ammo, or equipment to and from areas where even a conventional helicopter would not be able to land. And finally, the flying lifter had to be easy to assemble and dismantle to be transported with relative ease using standard military air, land, and sea equipment.Such unseen or unheard braveries could not have passed unnoticed by Howard Hughes, the eccentric aviator and billionaire, so in 1949 he got the contract to build the experimental helicopter. A scaffolding-like landing gear duly borrowed from two airplanes, Douglas C-54 and a North American B-25 provided the frame which would accommodate the cargo.Since crew comfort wasnt a priority of the project, a Waco CG-15 military glider cockpit was deemed suitable for the job. However, the fuel came from the other end of the avionics spectrum: a 635-gallon (2,404-liter) B-29 Superfortress tank was fitted to the XH-17. (If you need a scale of things, know this: Enola Gay had the same fuel cell when it flew over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945).The most critical aspect of this heli-monster was, undoubtedly, its engine and rotor assembly . Twin General Electric modified J35 turbojets turned the 130-feet-long (40 meters!) dual-blade propeller. The burners would also send bleed air to the rotor hub from the compressors. This air jet traveled through the hollowed-out blades and fed the fuels combustion at the tips.The jet engine duo would thrust 3,480 hp at the nominal rotor RPM of 88 (half of the typical helicopters of the day), but it was enough to meet the requirements of the Air Force. Work on the XH-17 began in 1949, but some financial difficulties of Hughes associate postponed the project for two years. Finally, in 1952, on October 23, the massive Frankensteinian aircraft was ready (you can admire it in the gallery).With the newly licensed tail number 50-1842, the XH-17 made its maiden flight with pilot Gale Moore at the stick. The event occurred in Culver City, California, but lasted for a bare minute because of overwhelming directional control forces. Hughes engineers ran into more challenges while trying to fix the initial mishaps, and the project never made it past the prototype stage.However, in 1953, it took off again and proved its worth (watch it in the videos). At that time, it was the heaviest rotor-flown aircraft in the world, with a combined weight of over 50,000 lbs (23 tons). But there was a fatal drawback: fuel consumption was devastatingly exceeding all estimates, and the XH-17 couldnt fly for more than 26 nautical miles (30 miles / 48 km).It was far less than what the Air Force required, and no technological solution managed to overcome this issue. So, in December 1955, the project was scrapped, but it did serve an essential purpose: it demonstrated that an airlift of enormous proportions was possible and practical.At the time of its construction, the XH-17 had quite impressive specs : 53 feet long (16 m), 30 feet tall (9.2 m), and an empty weight of 28,562 lb (13 tons). Three crew (pilot, mechanic, and in-flight engineer) operated the massive flying machine.Although never tested, the XH-17s calculated performance was impressive: a top speed of 78 knots (90 mph, 140 kph) at 8,000 ft (2,438 m). Cruise speed was a steady 74 knots - 85 mph (137 kph), and it could climb to 13,100 ft (4,000 m) at a rate 1,650 ft/min (8.4 m/s). While it never passed the test stage, the XH-17 remains one of the most illustrious aircraft ever to honor the flying forces of the world. Robert Price is an Emmy-winning reporter-commentator for KGET-TV. His column appears here Sundays; the views expressed are his own. Reach him at rprice661@gmail.com or via Twitter: @stubblebuzz. BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is fully confident and capable of creating new and even greater miracles on the new journey of the new era, Xi Jinping said as the 20th CPC National Congress came to a conclusion Saturday. The CPC congress has realized its goals of unifying thinking, fortifying confidence, charting the course and boosting morale, Xi told 2,338 delegates and specially invited delegates present at the closing session of the weeklong congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. "This has been a congress of holding our banner high, pooling our strength, and promoting solidarity and dedication." At the closing session presided over by Xi, the congress elected a new CPC Central Committee, with 205 members and 171 alternate members, and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) consisting of 133 members. Xi Jinping presides over the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) The congress passed a resolution on the report of the 19th CPC Central Committee, a resolution on the work report of the 19th CCDI, and a resolution on an amendment to the CPC Constitution. The congress noted that the establishment of Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has set the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on "an irreversible historical course." The report of the 19th CPC Central Committee charts the course and establishes a guide to action for the new journey for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for realizing the Second Centenary Goal, Xi said. Hailing the report "a guiding Marxist document," Xi said it is a political declaration and a program of action for the CPC to rally and lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in securing new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics. The CCDI work report underscores the significance of using the Party's own transformation to steer social transformation, and declares the Party's firm resolve to keep improving conduct, promoting integrity and fighting corruption with sober-minded determination to make this an unceasing endeavor, Xi said. On the revised CPC Constitution, which came into effect as of the date of adoption, Xi said it encapsulates the theoretical, practical and institutional innovations made by the Party. The revised CPC Constitution sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership, promoting the Party's full and rigorous self-governance, continuing and improving Party building, and advancing the Party's self-reform, he said. The new developments in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era since the 19th CPC National Congress have been incorporated into the Party Constitution. Advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization has been designated as the central task of the Party on the new journey of the new era at the 20th CPC National Congress. This central task has been included in the revised Party Constitution. Also added to the Party Constitution are statements on gradually realizing the goal of common prosperity for all, pursuing high-quality development, developing a broader, fuller and more robust whole-process people's democracy, elevating the people's armed forces to world-class standards, resolutely implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems, and resolutely opposing and deterring separatists seeking "Taiwan independence." Holding dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom was also included in the Party Constitution. On the newly elected CPC Central Committee, Xi said it is a broadly representative and well-structured body with highly qualified members who meet the standards for Central Committee membership, match the expectations of ordinary officials and the general public, and reflect the realities of the Party's leadership teams and contingent of officials. The new CPC Central Committee will definitely be capable of shouldering the historic mission of rallying and leading the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and in advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts, he said. "We believe that all the decisions and plans set out at the congress and all its outcomes will play a significant role in guiding and underpinning our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects, advance national rejuvenation on all fronts, and secure new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics," Xi said. Xi called on the delegates to firmly keep in mind the Party's original aspiration and founding mission and the country's most fundamental interests, and firmly keep in mind that "this country is its people; the people are the country." During the congress, the central committees of other political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce as well as public figures from all ethnic groups and all sectors in China offered their congratulations, as did members of the public through various means. Political parties and organizations in many countries around the world also sent congratulatory messages. "The presidium of the congress wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them," Xi said. Having come through a century of great endeavor, the Party is once again embarking on a new journey on which it will face new tests, Xi noted. "We are fully confident and capable of creating new and even greater miracles on the new journey of the new era -- miracles that will amaze the world." Xi urged all Party members to stay closely rallied around the CPC Central Committee and hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics. "We must remain confident in our history, exhibit greater historical initiative, and have the courage to fight and the mettle to win," he said. Xi called on the Party to stay focused, determinedly forge ahead, and unite and lead all Chinese people in striving to fulfill the goals and tasks set out at the 20th CPC National Congress. (Video reporters: Wu Yao, Ma Xiaodong, Jiang Hanzhang, and Huang Aiping; video editors: Zhu Cong, Luo Hui, and Miao Zhuang.) Most of the lands have been grabbed by TD leaders: health minister Vidadala Rajini (Photo: Instagram) VISHAKHAPATNAM: All land irregularities that have surfaced now date back to the Telugu Desam regime led by TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, health minister Vidadala Rajini, who is also Visakhapatnam district in-charge minister, underlined here on Saturday. Speaking to media after conducting the District Review Committee (DRC) meeting in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, the minister said several land records had been tampered with during the TD rule. Following an uproar, the then Telugu Desam government itself constituted the SIT to go into the land scams. Most of the lands have been grabbed by TD leaders. None of ruling YSRC ministers, MLAs or party workers are involved in the land issues, Rajini maintained. On the DRC meeting, she said 40 developmental issues had come up for discussion and 21 of them have been solved. The remaining will also be resolved soon. An action taken report in this regard is being sought from officials of various departments, the minister stated. When asked about the poor conditions prevailing in King George Hospital in Vizag, the minister maintained that she has made it a point to visit KGH regularly. The hospital administration is focusing on facilities for patients and their attendants. A shed with toilets and drinking water facilities is being built for the convenience of patients attendants. Rajani asserted that the YSRC government has so far appointed 46,000 medical personnel, including doctors, which has never been done in the past. On housing for poor, the minister said pattas for house sites have been distributed to 1,19,680 of total 1,35,265 eligible families. Total 1,42,784 plots have been created in 73 layouts in the new district of Visakhapatnam. TD MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu said many names have been deleted from the list of families eligible for allotment of house sites. He asked the minister to prepare a new list of those who had been allotted sites as also those who have been denied the same after having been on the list. GVMC Commissioner Raja Babu said he would revise the list as suggested by the MLA. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Rain showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. High 43F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 24F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. BOISE - The latest statewide results for the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) show students scores in English language arts are back at pre-pandemic levels, while results in mathematics are markedly better than last years and come close to 2019 scores. This is great news and reinforces our faith in Idaho educators, who have worked hard to reverse pandemic learning loss and get students back on the path to success, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said. The onset of COVID-19 in spring 2020 disrupted the ISAT along with all Idaho school operations, so we werent surprised when last years results declined from pre-pandemic 2019 rather than continuing the gradual upward trend of previous years. But we also arent surprised that this year shows student achievement is on the rebound. The Idaho Standards Achievement Test is administered each spring (except in 2020) to all public school students in grades 3 through 8 and 10, gauging their proficiency in ELA/literacy and math. Scores are sorted into four categories: below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. This past spring, more than 169,000 students took the ISAT, up from about 163,000 students in 2021. Results show that overall, 54.8 percent of students scored as proficient or better in ELA/ literacy (31.4 percent were assessed as proficient, and 23.4 percent scored in the highest category, advanced). That advanced tally is 1.2 percentage points higher than in pre-pandemic 2019 and 1.8 percentage points higher than in 2021, when 32.5 percent scored as proficient. In math, 41.9 percent of students scored as proficient or better (19.5 percent were advanced and 22.4 percent proficient up from 17.7 percent and 21.9 percent in 2021). However, the most recent scores still fell short of 2019 levels (20.7 percent advanced and 23.7 percent proficient). Proficiency rates varied by student grade level, demographic group and subject area. The results showed that students from military families increased their math proficiency rate by 6.3 percentage points, nearly tripling the statewide improvement of 2.3 percentage points. And while almost all subgroups dropped their proficiency rates between 2019 and 2021, students from military families increased their ELA proficiency rate by 5.9 percent, with a cumulative increase of 8.8 percent during the three years ending this past spring. Students from foster families also improved their ELA/literacy proficiency rate by 5.3 percentage points from 2021 to 2022, while the statewide improvement was 0.7 percentage points. Proficiency is only one measure of achievement, and it is important to remember that results from different years reflect separate cohorts of students, Superintendent Ybarra said. Still, these latest ISAT results are significant, and encouraging. Also for the first time this year, students in grades 5, 8 and 11 took the newly developed science ISAT. A total of 70,029 students took the new science assessment, and 40.8 percent of students scored as either proficient or advanced. Note: The results cannot be used to gauge student progress because there are no previous results for comparison. BOISE - The candidates for Idaho superintendent of public instruction, Republican Debbie Critchfield and Democrat Terry Gilbert, will square off in a televised debate next week as they gear up for the November 8 general election. Mondays debate, which will air at 8 p.m. MDT and 7 p.m. PDT, is this election cycles third televised matchup in the Idaho Debates, a long-running statewide series held in partnership between Idaho Public Television, the Idaho Press Club, Idaho Votes, the League of Women Voters of Idaho and the states public universities. The two candidates will field questions from a panel of reporters. Their answers will be restricted to 90 seconds, with 60 seconds for rebuttal. The debate will be broadcast live on Idaho Public Television and its Youtube page. Superintendents debate is a go, but other debates were canceled The superintendents debate will be one of four televised matchups in the Idaho Debates series. In recent weeks, candidates for attorney general and U.S. Senate faced off in the debate series. Candidates for lieutenant governor will debate on Oct. 28. Past debates are on demand on IPTVs website. But IPTV canceled debates for governor, controller, treasurer, secretary of state and both U.S. House seats after too many candidates declined to participate. Prior to the gubernatorial debate, incumbent Gov. Brad Little declined to face opponents Steven Heidt and Ammon Bundy, leading Heidt to follow suit. U.S. Rep.s Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher pulled out of their debates as well, the Idaho Capital Sun reported. Democratic candidates for controller, secretary of state and treasurer also declined or did not respond to IPTV. For more on the debates, listen to the most recent episode of the Kevin Richert Podcast, where IPTV debate moderator Melissa Davlin discusses the process leading up to this seasons debates. Around 200 villagers tried to encroach on the forest land in compartments 57 and 58 in Gubbagurthi by cutting down about 120 trees. (Photo By Arrangement) HYDERABAD: The Podu land issue in Khammam district took an ugly turn on Saturday when forest officials faced off in Gubbagurthi of Konijerla mandal with villagers in an effort to prevent encroachment. Officials said that early on Saturday, around 200 villagers tried to encroach on the forest land in compartments 57 and 58 in Gubbagurthi by cutting down about 120 trees. Senior officials reached the spot and with the help of the police evicted the locals. Forest officials have set up camp int he area. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, district forest officer Siddharth Vikram Singh said Non-ST people are attempting to encroach the forest land so that even they could get pattas. We are doing Podu surveys of the lands and only ST people, who have been cultivating farms from before December 2005 are eligible to receive them. Most of the people who came on Saturday morning are non-STs. Five days back on October 17, around 40 people from Gubbagurthi village had tried to encroach the same forest land. It was foiled by forest officials and local police. Circle inspector of Wyra T. Suresh said that 10 people were taken in remand after the incident. Suresh said, Similar attempts were made earlier also. We counselled 10 persons and the sarpanch against such illegal felling of trees. The average household paying more for heat this winter, the White House urges Americans to wear facemasks, Covid causing a surge in alcoholism, a new survey ranks the unhappiest places in the country. Plus, the true story of the pilgrims and the voyage of the Mayflower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Researchers study microbial interactions taking place in International Space Station Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the US) Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers have studied the interactions between microbes in the International Space Station (ISS). The study will help devise strategies for the disinfection of space stations to minimise any potential impact of microbes on the health of astronauts. Crews, during spaceflight, may have altered immunity and limited access to terrestrial medical facilities. Therefore, studying the microbes inhabiting the space station becomes important to understand the risks associated with short-term and long-term space travel on the health of astronauts. The present study was motivated by the earlier observations of the dominance of Klebsiella pneumoniae on the surfaces of the ISS. This pathogen has been known to cause pneumonia and other nosocomial infections. The researchers were broadly interested in understanding how this bacteria affects the growth of other microbes in the vicinity and the possible implications it could have. Kasthuri Venkateswaran, Senior Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said, One of the ways the microbes are introduced in the sealed and closed space station is through crew members. However, the environment at the space station is different from that on Earth. The interaction between the microbes is also affected by these adverse environmental conditions in space, necessitating such studies. More knowledge on the microbes in space can help devise appropriate safety measures for long-term space travel. Is AMR Modern-day FRANKENSTEINS MONSTER? Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) continues to pose a significant public health problem in terms of mortality and economic loss. The rising AMR is a matter of huge concern that needs to be tactfully handled and health authorities of several countries, including India, have formulated action plans for its containment. Significant efforts by the government, an active involvement of startups and diagnostic players is a good start. The question remains, whether this will be enough. For Feedback, please email us at: communications@mmactiv.com District Court Judge Terry Doughty granted a request by the National Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) for depositions in the lawsuit, State of Missouri ex rel. Schmitt, et al. v. Biden, et al. The court has granted our request to depose Dr. Anthony Fauci, former White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Elvis Chan, and other Biden Administration officials relating to collusion with social media to suppress free speech. AG Jeff Landry (@AGJeffLandry) October 21, 2022 The NCLA joined the states' lawsuit in August, representing renowned epidemiologists Drs. Jayanta Bhattacharya and Martin Kulldorff, as well as Dr. Aaron Kheriaty and Jill Hines. Earlier interrogatories in this lawsuit identified 45 federal officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the CDC, Dr. Faucis NIAID, the Office of the Surgeon General, and others who communicated with social media companies about misinformation and censorship. ... The plaintiffs believe those named have specific individual details by virtue of their position. For example, CDC Chief of the Digital Media Branch Carol Crawford leads the agencys digital media activities. Interrogatory responses revealed Crawford was holding regular Be On the Lookout meetings with staff from the social media companies. In these meetings, attendees reviewed specific social media posts containing misinformation. -PJ Media For example, a look at the timeline shows that in February of 2020, Fauci, former NIH Director Francis Collins, and several other advisers were discussing a ZeroHedge article on a pre-print paper out of India suggesting that Covid-19 had similar features to HIV. Within a day, Twitter suspended us for publishing evidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology - which was conducting NIH-funded experiments to make bat Covid more transmissible to humans - might have something to do with the exotic new Covid-19 strain that broke out across town at a wet market. Twitter's excuse? That we 'doxxed' a Chinese scientist, using publicly available information (i.e. not doxxing), who created a job posting related to his research on bat Covid. And then of course there's the case of Alex Berenson, who sued his way back onto Twitter and obtained evidence of top-down censorship of his opinion (and receipts) that mRNA vaccines were a failure. Also notable is that Peter Daszak, head of New York-based nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, was both deeply involved in manipulating bat Covid at the WIV - and also wanted to create 'chimeric viruses, genetically enhanced to infect humans more easily,' but his $14 million request to DARPA was declined for being too risky. And after Sars-CoV-2 broke out in the same town where Daszak was manipulating Bat Covid, The Lancet published a screed by Daszak (signed by over two-dozen scientists), which insisted Covid could have only come from a natural spillover event, likely from a wet market, and that the scientists "stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin." The Lancet only later noted Daszak's conflicts of interest. Did Fauci or the NIH play a role in Daszak's attempt at damage control and narrative-shaping? In the case of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the plaintiffs seek specific underlying information regarding some communications that are already public. Younes cited the email exchange between Fauci and former NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins discussing a takedown of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration and NCLA clients Drs. Jayanta Bhattacharya and Martin Kulldorff. Fauci also did not complete or sign his own interrogatory as is customary. Judge Doughty noted this breach of custom in his ruling (emphasis added): Lastly, Plaintiffs argue that Dr. Faucis credibility has been in question on matters related to supposed COVID-19 misinformation since 2020. Specifically, Plaintiffs state that Dr. Fauci has made public statements on the efficacy of masks, the percentage of the population needed for herd immunity, NIAIDs funding of gain-of-function virus research in Wuhan, the lab-leak theory, and more. Plaintiffs urge that his comments on these important issues are relevant to the matter at hand and are further reasons why Dr. Fauci should be deposed. Plaintiffs assert that they should not be required to simply accept Dr. Faucis self-serving blanket denials that were issued from someone other than himself at face value. The Court agrees. -PJ Media "For the first time, Dr. Fauci and seven other federal officials responsible for running an unlawful censorship enterprise will have to answer questions under oath about the nature and extent of their communications with tech companies," NCLA attorney Jenin Younes told the Epoch Times. More via The Epoch Times; Faucis Self-Serving Blanket Denials In his ruling, Doughty said he agreed with plaintiffs that Faucis previous self-serving blanket denials about his role in censoring views on social media couldnt be taken at face value. Plaintiffs argue that even if Dr. Fauci can prove he never communicated with social media platforms about censorship, there are compelling reasons that suggest Dr. Fauci has acted through intermediaries, and acted on behalf of others, in procuring the social-media censorship of credible scientific opinions. Plaintiffs argue that even if Dr. Fauci acted indirectly or as an intermediary on behalf of others, it is still relevant to Plaintiffs preliminary injunction motion. The Court agrees. Lastly, Plaintiffs argue that Dr. Faucis credibility has been in question on matters related to supposed COVID-19 misinformation since 2020. Specifically, Plaintiffs state that Dr. Fauci has made public statements on the efficacy of masks, the percentage of the population needed for herd immunity, NIAIDs funding of gain-of-function virus research in Wuhan, the lab-leak theory, and more. Plaintiffs urge that his comments on these important issues are relevant to the matter at hand and are further reasons why Dr. Fauci should be deposed. Plaintiffs assert that they should not be required to simply accept Dr. Faucis self-serving blanket denials that were issued from someone other than himself at face value. The Court agrees, Doughty said in his ruling (pdf). Censoring Lab Leak Theory The plaintiffs argued that Fauci allegedly insisted on the censorship of speech backed by great scientific credibility and with enormous potential nationwide impact that contradicted Faucis views. Fauci, for example, communicated in a long-shielded phone call with some scientists to discredit any theory that COVID-19 was the result of a lab leak in Wuhan, China. The scientists went on to write a paper severely reprimanding others who were open to the theory. If the lab leak theory were true, in turn, it would mean Fauci could be potentially implicated in funding the research on viruses that caused the pandemic which killed millions worldwide, plaintiffs argued. This is because Fauci funded risky gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through intermediaries such as EcoHealth Alliance. In late January 2020 and early February 2020, Fauci was also in touch with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in oral communications about the governments COVID-19 response. Facebook then allegedly went on censor the lab leak theory, plaintiffs argued. Overwhelming Need to Depose Officials The court also found that Flaherty, Slavitt, Psaki, and other officials also have personal knowledge about the alleged censorship issues and ordered them to be deposed. Doughty said there is an overwhelming need for Flaherty to be deposed to determine whether fundamental rights to free speech were abridged as a result of alleged collusion between senior Biden administration officials and Big Tech. Plaintiffs argued Flaherty had extensive oral meetings with Twitter, Meta, and YouTube on vaccine hesitancy and combatting misinformation related to COVID-19. The judge said there is a substantive need for the deposition of Slavitt, who served as the White Houses senior COVID-19 advisor. Doughty noted Slavitts remarks on a podcast which showed he has specific knowledge as it relates to the issues in the lawsuit. The court order cited a series of public comments made by Psaki when she served as White House press secretary, including calling on social media platforms for consistency in banning disfavored speakers. Psaki has made a number of statements that are relevant to the Governments involvement in a number of social-media platforms efforts to censor its users across the board for sharing information related to COVID-19, Doughty said in his ruling. * * * Of course, nothing like a realist to put things in perspective... The 101st Airborne Division of the US Army has been sent to Europe for the first time in almost 80 years amid rising hostilities between Russia and the NATO military alliance, which the United States commands. CBS News reported that the Screaming Eagles light infantry force is trained to arrive on any battlefield within hours and be prepared to engage in combat. The 101st Airborne Division is a modular infantry division of the United States Army that is particularly trained for air assault missions. It gained notoriety during World War II for participation in the Battle of the Bulge and the Normandy landings. The 101st Airborne Division was reclassified twice during the Vietnam War, first as an airmobile division and then as an air assault division. NASHVILLE, Tenn.Some 2,000 people turned out for the Rally to End Child Mutilation held in downtown Nashville Friday as a host of conservative speakers vowed to make gender transition for children illegal. The mainly conservative crowd gathered at the War Memorial Plaza near the state capital in support of stopping surgery and chemical castration of minors. A group of protesters favoring transgender rights for children tried to shout down the speakers by chanting, screaming profanities, and using sirens. Matt Walsh, a conservative commentator for The Daily Wire, was greeted like a rockstar as he took the stage to give the keynote speech. He called the group of protestors cowards because they didnt want anyone to hear the truth about the cult of gender ideology. Walsh said attempting to shut down those speaking up for children wouldnt work. Were still here, he shouted. We are fighting for truth. He said that if parents dont take a stand, Americas children will be subjected to hormones and genital mutilation. Were not going to rest until every child is protected from this madness, he added. Walsh said the woke culture preys upon children and tries to cover their actions with lies, adding that this battle is one of good versus evil. Walsh first drew attention to a doctor at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville touting the profitability of transgender procedures for minors with gender dysphoria. The expose caused an uproar among conservatives nationwide. On Oct. 7, Vanderbilt announced it would temporarily pause gender surgeries on patients under 18 after Tenn. Republican Gov. Bill Lee called for an investigation into the clinic. Walshs appearance was followed by 11 speakers, including detransitioners and GOP lawmakers. Detransitioners are people who came to regret going on the irreversible path of chemically and surgically altering their bodies. Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) and state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said they planned to introduce legislation to ban gender surgeries on minor children. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said she would work to stop the practice on the federal level. Blackburn said she asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to launch an investigation into the long-term effects of hormone replacement therapy. We are going to carry this movement. We are going to take it to every state in the country, she said. Scott Newgent, a woman who transitioned to appear like a man, told the crowd that gender surgery for children has nothing to do with human rights but everything to do with money. Newgent said surgery could not change people from one sex to another. The truth is Im a woman and will never be a man, Newgent said. Newgent said the medical establishment was putting children on puberty blockers and butchering them for money. Once they start transitioning, they become patients for life, he added. He said that the transgender industry is expected to hit $5 billion by the end of the decade. California detransitioner Chloe Cole captivated the audience with her cautionary tale. Cole said she loved being a girl until she got older and began associating more with boys. By the time she was 11, she was bombarded by transgender content on the internet and began transitioning at 13, she said. She remembers her parents taking her to a therapist for help. Instead, the therapist told her parents if they didnt go along with her desire to become a boy, she was in danger of suicide. It effectively silenced the people who cared most about her. These doctors and therapists were just butchers and liars, she said. Christians and patriots carrying flags were on one side, while protesters with brightly colored hair and signs gathered on the opposite side. Most people stood quietly, waiting for the speakers. Luke Teague, 19, came from Dallas because hes a fan of Walsh and wanted to support him. He said something needed to be done to protect children from transitioning. A 34-year-old nonbinary man who declined to give his name said he grew up in Nashville and remembers feeling alienated growing up with gender dysphoria. So he decided to come out to support children who may feel alone. Amy Dickinson Campbell of Bruceton, Tenn., sees things from both sides. She is against children transitioning and has told teens to wait and see how they feel when they are adults. On the other hand, her 21-year-old daughter is nonbinary and wants to be called they or them. Campbell said worse things could happen and loves her daughter regardless. Im 51. I couldnt imagine being a kid in todays society, she said. Imagine a company that knows everything about everyone. A company that is equally at ease helping banks identify fraud as it is helping intelligence agencies track down enemies of the state. A company that can combine pictures of you with cell phone location data, emails you've written, health records, credit card purchases and thousands of other pieces of electronic data to paint an intimate portrait of your life that any would-be investigator can pull up with a few keystrokes. A company that can target you anywhere in the world at any time. Now stop imagining that company, because it already exists. It's called Palantir Technologies. Founded by billionaire PayPal co-founder and Facebook early investor Peter Thiel, this plucky little Silicon Valley startup has long been the darling of the military and the intelligence community, and it's increasingly the darling of the corporate world. Andgiven Palantir's ability to surveil, track and, ultimately, control every aspect of your daily lifeit isn't hard to see why. Even so, few in the general public have ever heard of Palantir, and those who have know little beyond the fact that it's a bad company that does creepy things. But this is The Corbett Report. We can do better than that. Today, let's explore the roots of this threat to humanity, expose the extent to which it has already laid your life bare to the all-seeing eye of the would-be world controllers, and peer into the magical seeing stone to see what the future holds for Palantir Technologies. WHAT IS PALANTIR? So, what is Palantir, exactly? As it turns out, that question is surprisingly easy to answer. Palantir is a front company for a once-secret military and intelligence program to collect and data mine every available piece of information about you. The hard part is extracting that simple answer from the mass of lies, obfuscation, untruths, half truths and contextless facts that are presented in the lamestream media's coverage of the company. You see, the official story of this Silicon Valley surveillance specialist outfitregurgitated in any number of mainstream puff piecesis that Peter Thiel founded Palantir Technologies in 2004 as a vehicle for turning PayPal's fraud detection software into a marketable product. The dream was to assist the growing national security leviathan in creating a system for analyzing financial activity for signs of terrorist activity. But, according to the "libertarian" Thiel (who works with and profits from the national security state, promotes warmongering politicians, writes paeans to Leo Strauss and Carl Schmitt, and, oh by the way, just happens to be a member of Bilderberg's steering committee), Palantir's software is not about constructing the most intrusive system of electronic surveillance ever devised. No, of course not! It's all about protecting civil liberties! From its inception, Palantir was conceived as "a mission-oriented company," Thiel told Forbes in a 2013 profile of the company and its founders. "I defined the problem as needing to reduce terrorism while preserving civil liberties." This is such a bald-faced and easily debunkable lie that it could only be regurgitated by the mockingbird repeaters of the dinosaur media. But it's easy to see why the dutiful stenographers of the lapdog press would repeat it. When it comes to Palantir, there are always more interesting things to report on than how it came to be founded or what it actually does. Just take the name of the company: Palantir. It is a reference to the magical seeing stones that the wizards of J. R. R. Tolkein's mythical The Lord of the Rings universe use to see through space and time. This whimsical naming convention carries over into what one reporter has labeled a "casual, nerdy culture" that permeates the company: Its offices are named after locations in the Tolkein fable. Thus, Palantir's Palo Alto headquarters is The Shire, its office in McLean, Virginia (located just six miles from the CIA) is Rivendell; its Washington, D.C., branch is dubbed Minas Tirith, etc. It has a hotline called the Batphone that allows engineers to anonymously report to company officials any customer requests that they consider to be unethical. Two of its core analytic software programs, Gotham and Metropolis, are named after cities in the DC Comics universe. One of the conference rooms in The Shire has been converted into a ball pit. Oh, how delightfully quirky! Surely no Silicon Valley startup with such an eclectic working environment could be involved in anything evil, could they? To be fair, a number of the company profiles in the corporate press-a 2012 corporate profile from The Washingtonian, for example, or a 2013 profile of the company's eclectic philosophy grad CEO in Forbes, or a 2020 New York Times Magazine piece on "Does Palantir See Too Much?"-do gesture to the creepier facets of Palantir. Why does Palantir's CEO, Alex Karp, insist on two-way mirrors for his office windows? Why does the company use acoustic transducers to vibrate the glass of their office windows, creating white noise to disrupt possible electronic eavesdroppers? Was Palantir's Prism program related to the NSA's PRISM program? (SPOILER: It sure wasn't! Nothing to see here, folks!) But still, one is left wanting after reading these MSM articles. It's as if they have the pieces of a puzzle sitting in front of them but they still haven't actually put those pieces together. In order to complete that puzzle, you need to turn to an independent reseracher like Whitney Webb. As Webb points out in her new, must-read, two-volume tour de force, One Nation Under Blackmail, Palantir was not founded in 2004as the corporate presstitutes continually assertbut in May 2003. (The professional journos probably missed this small detail because they'd have to actually read through SEC filings to discover that Thiel's origin story of Palantir is a demonstrable lie, and what dinosaur media "reporter" has time to do that?) Now, whether the company was founded in 2003 or 2004 may seem like a small detail at first glance, but, upon closer inspection, this data discrepancyand the fact that Thiel has so often lied about the true founding of the companyprovides a clue to Palantir's actual origin. You see, it just so happens that May 2003 was the exact time when the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began officially backing away from its proposed Total Information Awareness (TIA) program, renaming it the Terrorism Information Awareness before Congress defunded the program altogether. Never heard of the Total Information Awareness program? Well you probably remember the friendly little logo of the the Information Awareness Office (IAO), the DARPA department under which it operated: Lest that image leave any doubt, the IAO and its TIA program were indeed committed to collecting, storing and analyzing every piece of data on as many people as possiblefrom personal e-mails to social networks, credit card records, phone calls, medical records and numerous other sourceswithout so much as a warrant. The program's goal was to "develop data-mining or knowledge discovery tools that would sort through the massive amounts of information to find patterns and associations," and it even included funding for "the development of biometric technology to enable the identification and tracking of individuals." It's a testament to just how incredibly creepy and over-the-line the TIA program was that, even then, in 2003at the absolute pinnacle of War of Terror hysteriait was immediately denounced by almost everyone in the public as the most draconian system of surveillance ever proposed. This bipartisan, widespread public backlash led to the second downfall of the IAO's director, John Poindexter (who had previously been convicted for his role in the Iran-Contra affair), and to the defunding of the TIA program. Thus, once we discover that Palantir was in fact incorporated in May 2003, not in 2004 as nearly every account of the company falsely asserts, we encounter a remarkable "coincidence." We discover that at the exact same moment as the TIA was being dismantled (and transferred deeper into the bowels of Uncle Sam's bureaucracy), Peter Thiel just decided to create a company that could do exactly what the TIA had been attempting to achieve. That alone would make it the most remarkable coincidence in the world since Facebook was launched on the very same day that DARPA's LifeLog program was scrapped. But, amazingly, it gets even more coincidental. Do you want to guess who it was that Thiel and co. turned to when they were looking to find their first customer for their new TIA-like company? You guessed it: One day not long after Palantir was launched in 2004 [sic], Poindexter received a call from his friend Richard Perle, ex-chair of the Defense Policy Board, asking if hed come to Perles house for a meeting with two entrepreneurs he knew from Palo AltoAlex Karp, Palantirs CEO, and his fellow cofounder Peter Thiel, a billionaire venture capitalist whod helped start PayPal and was an early investor in Facebook. That's right, Thiel and Alex Karpan eccentric philosophy grad and fellow Stanford Law School alum who Thiel appointed Palantir's CEO despite having no corporate experiencejust so happened to secure a meeting with the recently-ousted chief of the TIA program. And it just so happened that Poindexter was so impressed by the duo's presentationthey had "elegantly accomplished what the TIA had set out to do" as one popular account put itthat he referred them to In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital arm. The CIA ended up pumping the first $2 million of outside money into the company and, more importantly, helped the company get its foot in the door with many other government clients, from intelligence agencies and military departments to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Centre for Disease Control and the IRS (among others). And the rest, as they say, is history. . . . . . . History written by the winners, that is. After all, "intrepid" lamestream "reporters" now have a ready-made narrative to regurgitate for their profiles of the company: these weird, scruffily-dressed Silicon Valley outsiders arrived on the CIA's doorstep like a band of invading barbarians to tear down the protocols of stuffy bureaucracy. Heck, they even sued the US Army over its procurement practices and ended up winning Army contracts! Lost amid the gee-whizzery of this story are the niggly little details connecting Palantir to its TIA predecessor. But that leads us to the next question in today's exploration . . . WHAT DOES PALANTIR DO? OK, so Palantir is some kind of surveillance system thing-y? What does it actually do? How does it actually work? Good questions. Glad you asked. As noted above, the original impetus behind the founding of Palantir was the idea of turning PayPal's fraud detection software into a data mining product that could be sold to national security clients to help them find "terrorists" (broadly defined). Although the PayPal system worked specifically on data surrounding financial transactions, the Palantir idea quickly expanded to include all sorts of data. From the content of your emails to the subject of your phone calls to the details of your credit card transactions to your social media ramblings to your cell phone GPS logs, if it can be digitized, Palantir aims to feed it into a database and data mine it to discover relations and connections that are not immediately obvious to the average analyst. It then presents that data in a visually intuitive way and makes it easily searchable even by the non-tech inclined. Well, that's the idea, anyway. How it works in reality depends on who you ask. Some give glowing reports of the incredible results that it can achieve. Others contend that it's all smoke and mirrors and the products success comes from good old-fashioned manpower. If the company sends teams of software developers to essentially embed themselves in clients' companies and fine tunes the generic Palantir software to their specific needs, is it really a magical "AI-driven" all-seeing-eye-in-a-box after all? We in the general public might never know. Exactly how the software functions and what it looks like for its intelligence community clientslet alone how those clients actually use the softwareis, needless to say, hidden behind layers of secrecy and classification. Palantir, of course, uses this secrecy to their advantage. In his account of the killing of Bin Laden, journalist Mark Bowden asserted that Osama bin Laden was caught less by the torture-and-courier Hollywood theatrics of Zero Dark Thirty and more on "an unfathomably rich database." He then goes on in the same passage to recount the founding of Palantir. For years thereafter, every feature article or company profile in the mainstream press implied that Palantir had been used to find bin Laden. Eventually, the lamestream repeaters realized they were engaged in a game of telephone, repeating a story that started as a baseless implication that was never even asserted as fact let alone reported. But the story still looms large in the mythos of Palantir and most "deep dives" on the company in the dinosaur press will include a repetition of the rumour that Palantir killed bin Laden. When questioned about it, Karp simply insists that he can't comment, adding even further to the Palantir mystique. Here's what we do know: since its founding, Palantir has developed a range of products to serve its various clients, including: Palantir Gotham - The original software developed by Palantir for the intelligence community, Gotham is billed as a "commercially-available, AI-ready operating system that improves and accelerates decisions for operators across roles and all domains;" and Palantir Foundry - Palantir's latest product, Foundry, is focused on the company's corporate clients and is sold as an operating system that "leverages an open architecture to inform closed-loop operations connecting data, analytics, and business teams to a common foundation," which only sounds innocuous if you don't know about what what Ptech did on 9/11. How precisely the company's products are used is, again, a combination of classified information and trade secrets, but we do know that Palantir has: But simply listing Palantir's contracts or noting the lowlights of the creepy surveillance and database projects it has been involved in over the years is not enough. Palantir is not just a database. It is not simply software. It is a weapon. As should be plainly evident by now, the power to see into every nook and corner of someone's life is the ultimate power. To know where someone lives, where they work, who they talk to, what they talk about, what they buy, what they eat and drink, where they go and what they do online is to have total control over them. Sauron himself couldn't ask for anything more. As CEO Alex Karp has bluntly stated: "our product is used on occasion to kill people." So, that only leaves one question . . . WHERE IS PALANTIR GOING FROM HERE? There are signs that cracks are showing in the Palantir facade. As soon as Trump was out of office, CDC officials were lobbying for the new Puppet-in-Chief to stop using Palantir's software, telling Biden's transition team that Palantir's COVID tracking system "had problems from the very beginning" and it "never functioned in the way we thought it was going to." Some have even come out to claim that Palantir is all hype and little substance. A 2017 Buzzfeed article on Palantir's relationship with the intelligence community, for instance, contends that the company's relationship with the NSA has been more fraught with tension than is commonly reported. Later, a 2020 report from New York Magazine's Intelligencer questioned whether Palantir is all smoke and mirrors, pointing out that the software's "magical" ability to tease out useful leads from reams of data is in fact made possible by the company's army of software engineers, who have to laboriously tailor the program to each clients' needs. More worrying for investors in the company, Palantir's stock price has plummeted this year, from a years-long trading range around the $25 mark to $8.29 today, a point actually lower than its initial trading price when the stock went public in 2020. But reports of Palantir's demise (or its fall into irrelevance) may be premature. Just this past week the company inked a multi-year deal with Hertz to use the Palantir Foundry operating system to manage its 500,000 vehicle fleet and announced it will be opening a second UK office, this one near Britain's National Health Services digital headquarters. But this hand-wringing about the future of the company completely misses the point. Palantir Technologies did not start the drive to collect, analyze and act on every possible scrap of digital information in the world. It isn't Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, or any of the other characters inhabiting the offices of The Shire who are the masterminds of this global surveillance grid. They are simply presenting a product to their customer, the deep state. Palantir does not write the checks, it cashes them. They have served their role well for decades now, providing a convenient third-party cutout for the intelligence agencies to continue their work constructing the digital panopticon. Make no mistake: as soon as Palantir no longer serves that role to their paymasters' likingas soon as the company becomes too burdened by the baggage of scandal or just too creepy to effectively perform their role as a front company for the deep state surveillance agendathe "Shire" will be scoured just as thoroughly as Tolkein's mythical village was. And, like Main Core, PROMIS, Ptech and the Information Awareness Office before it, Palantir will be relegated to a trivia question for conspiracy nerds. Meanwhile, all of Palantir's capabilities will be rebuilt elsewhere under different corporate offices, operated under a different name and run by a different crew of willing dupes who will be only too eager to do their paymasters' bidding. Yes, regardless of whether or not Palantir's fortunes are rising or falling, we can be sure of one thing: the idea behind Palantirthe dream of capturing, storing, analyzing and weaponizing data from every possible data source in order to better control the populationwill not be going away anytime soon. In the final analysis, the true threat is not Palantir itself but the deep state that has given rise to it. Our one saving grace is that the technocrats' wet dream is in fact a pipe dream. Technocracy is, after all, insane, anti-Human and it will fail, but not without a hell of a fight. In the meantime, there are things we can do to stop the construction of Our Digital Gulag. We can salt our data, for one. More fundamentally, we can begin taking the steps to unplug from the matrix and reject the electronic currency that is increasingly being used to track, trace and control our lives. But, in the end, the Palantir nightmare isn't going to end until the deep state that created it is removed from power. What if we were really at the point where the arrow indicates on the bar-code cartoon below? Or, it could be much worse, we could already be just a tiny little speck on the all-encroaching and dominating QR code. The QR code is everywhere. In some places you cant even open a toilet door without using a QR code, first downloaded on your smart phone. There is hardly a restaurant anywhere in the western world where its menus are not loaded onto a QR code. Screw those who do not have a smart phone, or do not want to use their smart phone to be invaded by QR codes. See this for a more ample description of the dangers of the QR code. * In some cases, when you are lucky, a restaurant may offer you as a temporary feature, a printed menu, or the waiter is kind enough to use his own smartphone to show you the choices of meals. Its the smartphonization of humanity. It is also the stultification, or dumbing-down of our minds, and eventually our intelligence. It is likely the smartphone was invented to eventually deaden the brains of society. Because human beings tend to go for comfort, for the ways of least resistance. The smartphone offers all that. Once we have it, we get hooked. About 20-30 years ago, we still lived happy with the fix phone at home, with the phone booth at the street corner. We were not missing anything. What would eventually become a smartphone, was gradually introduced as a portable telephone. First, they were the size of a brick, then they became smaller and smaller, so, they would fit in our breast pocket, or in a ladys purse; no problem. A real convenience. In the course of the last two decades, smartphones became slimmer and slimmer; their screens became larger and larger, progressively resembling a small computer. They started having the features of a computer, were connectable to internet internet became universally available, not only in restaurants and shops, but in the streets and even in the forests. Everywhere, or almost. The cell phone could be synchronized with your computer at home. Bingo! You were connected walking and crossing the streets, taking a nap or kissing your partner. Pretty invasive. Dont you think? But never mind its fantastic! You have access to your internet account anytime, everywhere, you are connected even in your sleep. You are walking across the street, not watching out for traffic dangers, but deeply lost in the profoundness of the screen of your little smart phone succumbing to a drug-like habit that has caused already myriads of accidents, some deadly. Not too long ago, when we were traveling to foreign or new places, we had a map to orient ourselves. No longer. The Global Positioning System (GPS) tells you just about everywhere your geographic position on earth. And its now on your smartphone. Younger generations have totally lost or never knew the skills of reading a map. And older people, loving the comfort of being told where to go will increasingly lose their intellectual capacity of map-reading, becoming further dependent and enslaved to the digital world. An exaggeration? Just think about it, next time you need to orient yourself in a foreign city and you have the choice between a map and asking your smartphone. You will see, the choice is easy. Why? No need to use our brain cells. There is the smartphone and GPS. Our brains are being primed for robotization or more adequately said, transhumanism, a term already used by Klaus Schwab in an interview with Swiss French TV in 2016. According to Mr. Schwab, by 2025 we should all have reached that level of transhumanism that is, if we survive that long. Under normal circumstances, I would have referred to this two-minute video clip of the interview. But it has been suspended, or better censured away. See for yourself, what world we have become (unfortunately, the video has already been deleted). Like with everything, connect the dots. What most people do not realize is that the convenience of letting an electronic, digital brain do our work, dumbs us down. It routes our brain into a digital world. Our capacity to think independently will increasingly disappear, as we hand our brain-power over to digitization, algorithms and eventually to robots which gradually have full reign over our brain capacity. Its convenient. The connected dots show you, its a strategy. Communicating by letter writing is gone. Even e-mails are no longer IN. Too banal. There is now an entire complex of IT-digital corporations controlling your personal data. They work hand in hand with the gigantic financial complex which, controlled by BlackRock, Vanguard and StateStreet, boast some US$ 25 30 trillion worth of assets. They have majority shareholdings in every means of production and every service industry in the western world. May this serve as an example: The IT-complex offers you Facebook, connecting you with the entire world, or with any number of admirers you choose. Its a means to show them WHO you are, often with the most intimate details if you so desire. With photos and personal stories. Its all about Me-Me-Me. The IT complex loves it. Their algorithms build your profile from which you wont be able to escape. Ever. Even if one day you decide to quit Facebook. You are registered for good. You are their property. Your data will be stored, and if they so wish, used against you, until death will part you from this digital tyranny and probably beyond. Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Snapchat, LinkedIn and whatever they are called follow the same principle. Once you are with them, you are owned by them. Your personal communications are gone, the touch of warmth, talking to a friend, a loved one is gone. If s/he wants to know about you, there are the social media. Its like the mass-media. Only much more intimate, personal and revealing to the IT-monsters that control the social media and through them control you. They know you better than you know yourself. You are profiled, so to speak. By being profiled, your mind can be guided into a certain direction for example with fashion clothing, or fashion-behavior, eating habits. If Bill Gates has his ways, algorithmic designed propaganda may soon get a hold of you, and indoctrinate your brain, maybe while you sleep as a transhuman, that you LOVE the taste of grilled insects. Im not kidding. In Europe, there are already entire broadcasts dedicated at how to prepare insects as a culinary delight. After all, the Japanese, Chinese and other peoples of this globe eat insects and enjoy them. * For mind manipulation, diversity is complex. Black-and-white thinkers are welcome, as they are easier to control. Take car colors. For the last twenty some years you could find on western roads almost exclusively cars of black and white and shades in between. Real colors, like red, blue and yellow, are rare. Coincidence? Remember there aint no coincidences in todays world. Its all planned. A car dealer once told me, I can get you a red car, but I have to order it, and it may take several months to deliver. Then he went on explaining the reason. The globalist matrix loves black-and-white thinkers. Its the Great Reset and the build-up to it directing the human mind towards a one-way thinking, or a One World Order OWO. In case an OWO will not happen which is likely and hoped for you still got a multi-polar world, trained in uniform thinking. We are not far from it right or fake, but youll have an answer. Anything we dont know right away, just ask Google and you will get a response right or fake that spares you from thinking and form looking further. Google is your counterpart of the directed answers all uniform, a black-and-white picture, like fashion, like car colors. You may not know it, but you or we are already primed. So, no problem. Soon, we are all going to be lined up to think in lockstep. Next stage is a simultaneous gentle phasing in of 5G-led and oriented mind-control. You may not even notice. As you have been gradually and quietly, but steadily prepared for it. You are about to transit from a human to a transhuman compliments Klaus Schwabs (WEF), 4th Industrial Revolution, and of KSs top adviser, the Israeli Yuval Noah Hariri (books: Homo Sapiens and Homo Deus). Yes, him, the one who has already decided that most of us will be useless eaters. If we dont stop it NOW, he may be right. Because, with the onset of the 4th Industrial Revolution, we enter the realm of Full Digitization of Everything. Our daily chores can be done by algorithms, or robots. The vaxxes you got, especially the highly electromagnetic graphene oxide-type, has you prepared for quick reactions from 5G irradiated algorithmic signals telling you how to think, what to do, how to react to adverse interference from your fellow citizens, those who have not yet gone through the transhumanization process. Those who survive, the next ten years the UN Agenda 2030 or the Great Reset may become willing, joyful slaves owning nothing but with an eternal smile of utter happiness. * This may indeed happen, if we stay impassive, imbibed by our oh-so wonderful comfort, the 24/7 media-streamed comfort. We know something is not quite right but we choose not to see it. Its called Cognitive Dissonance. Its a psychological affliction that affects people wo are scared and especially those who do not want to see reality and who are afraid to act against this monstruous imposition. We are exposed to an outright lawless tyranny that might be upon us, sooner than we think, even in our most nightmarish dreams. Its not too late. We can wake up. In fact we have to wake up. For the sake of our children. We owe it to our children, to the future generations. The evil cult must be muted, made useless its strength, whatever it is, the power over everything exerted with money, lots and lots of money trillions and trillions and more trillions of current dollars or their equivalent, appropriated with the laws made by a corrupt Cult-owned Matrix System. So much so, that under the present societal structure of greed and mind-control, where God is Money we are all going to be doomed. But that shall not happen. We have to and will resist the enslavement of digitization. Even if we have to construct a parallel society. Starting modestly, with means that make us free and with a mindset of Peace and Happiness. The European Nordic countries in particular and the west in general, are drastically advanced in digitization of money. If not stopped, it is leading us towards a Digital Central Bank Currency (DCBC) that can be turned on and off and expire at the rulers will. Yet, there are ever more institutions and shops, not yet a majority, but a modest and positive beginning, that do not take any kind of digital or electronic money, no credit cards only cash. A new consciousness. It will evolve dynamically dialectically according to our societal will power and collective strength. We can and will do it. It is in our common and shared interest and power to exit this tyrannical Digital Matrix and to create a NEW society. And remember if not for us, then for our children. We the present survivors owe it to them. * Note to readers: Please click the share buttons above or below. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles. Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for online journals and is the author of Implosion An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed; and co-author of Cynthia McKinneys book When China Sneezes: From the Coronavirus Lockdown to the Global Politico-Economic Crisis (Clarity Press November 1, 2020). Peter is a Resea Think twice before you call the cops to carry out a welfare check on a loved one. Especially if you value that persons life. Particularly if that person is disabled, mentally ill, elderly, autistic, hearing impaired, suffering from dementia, or might have a condition that hinders their ability to understand, communicate or immediately comply with an order. According to an investigation by The Washington Post, cops sent out on welfare checks ended up shooting or killing the very people they were supposed to assist in at least 178 cases over the course of three years. Atatiana Jefferson was neither disabled, mentally ill, elderly, autistic, hearing impaired, suffering from dementia. The 28-year-old Fort Worth resident was merely awake at 2:30 am, playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew in a house with its lights on and the front door open. A neighbor, noticing the lights and open door, asked police to do a welfare check on the household. Instead of announcing themselves at the front door, police crept quietly around the house. Hearing noises outside, Jefferson approached her bedroom window to investigate. Seeing Jefferson through the window, police yelled, Put your hands up! Show me your hands! Within seconds of issuing that order and without identifying themselves, police fired a single shot. Jefferson died on the scene. Atatiana Jeffersons death is yet one more grim statistic to add to that growing list of Americansunarmed, impaired or experiencing a mental health crisiswho have been killed by police trained in the worst-case scenario and thus ready to shoot first and ask questions later. The officer who fired the shot claimed he did so because he perceived a threat. Be warned: to the armed agents of the America police state, we are all potential threats. At a time when growing numbers of unarmed people have been shot and killed for just standing a certain way, or moving a certain way, or holding somethinganythingthat police could misinterpret to be a gun, or igniting some trigger-centric fear in a police officers mind that has nothing to do with an actual threat to their safety, even the most benign encounters with police can have fatal consequences. For those undergoing a mental health crisis or with special needs whose disabilities may not be immediately apparent, the dangers posed by these so-called wellness checks are even greater. For example, Walter Wallace Jr.a troubled 27-year-old black man with a criminal history and mental health issuesdied in a hail of bullets fired by two police officers who clearly had not been adequately trained in how to de-escalate encounters with special needs individuals. Wallace wasnt unarmedhe was reportedly holding a knife when police confronted himyet neither cop attempted to use non-lethal weapons on Wallace, who appeared to be in the midst of a mental health crisis. In fact, neither cop even possessed a taser. Wallace, fired upon fourteen times, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Gay Plack, a 57-year-old Virginia woman with bipolar disorder, was killed after two police officerssent to do a welfare check on herentered her home uninvited, wandered through the house shouting her name, kicked open her locked bedroom door, discovered the terrified woman hiding in a dark bathroom and wielding a small axe, and four seconds later, shot her in the stomach. Four seconds. Thats all the time it took for the two police officers assigned to check on Plack to decide to use lethal force against her (both cops opened fire on the woman), rather than using non-lethal options (one cop had a Taser, which he made no attempt to use) or attempting to de-escalate the situation. The police chief defended his officers actions, claiming they had no other option but to shoot the 5 foot 4 inch woman with carpal tunnel syndrome who had to quit her job at a framing shop because her hand was too weak to use the machine that cut the mats. This is what happens when you indoctrinate the police into believing that their lives and their safety are paramount to anyone elses: suddenly, everyone and everything else is a threat that must be neutralized or eliminated. In light of the governments ongoing efforts to predict who might pose a threat to public safety based on mental health sensor data (tracked by wearable data such as FitBits and Apple Watches and monitored by government agencies such as HARPA, the Health Advanced Research Projects Agency), encounters with the police could get even more deadly, especially if those involved have a mental illness or disability. As Steve Silberman writes for The New York Times Anyone who cares for someone with a developmental disability, as well as for disabled people themselves [lives] every day in fear that their behavior will be misconstrued as suspicious, intoxicated or hostile by law enforcement. Indeed, disabled individuals make up a third to half of all people killed by law enforcement officers. People of color are three times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts. If youre black and disabled, youre even more vulnerable. A study by the Ruderman Family Foundation reports that disabled individuals make up the majority of those killed in use-of-force cases that attract widespread attention. This is true both for cases deemed illegal or against policy and for those in which officers are ultimately fully exonerated Many more disabled civilians experience non-lethal violence and abuse at the hands of law enforcement officers. For instance, Nancy Schrock called 911 for help after her husband, Tom, who suffered with mental health issues, started stalking around the backyard, upending chairs and screaming about demons. Several times before, police had transported Tom to the hospital, where he was medicated and sent home after 72 hours. This time, Tom was tasered twice. He collapsed, lost consciousness and died. In South Carolina, police tasered an 86-year-old grandfather reportedly in the early stages of dementia, while he was jogging backwards away from them. Now this happened after Albert Chatfield led police on a car chase, running red lights and turning randomly. However, at the point that police chose to shock the old man with electric charges, he was out of the car, on his feet, and outnumbered by police officers much younger than him. In Georgia, campus police shot and killed a 21-year-old student who was suffering a mental health crisis. Scout Schultz was shot through the heart by campus police when he approached four of them late one night while holding a pocketknife, shouting Shoot me! Although police may have feared for their lives, the blade was still in its closed position. In Oklahoma, police shot and killed a 35-year-old deaf man seen holding a two-foot metal pipe on his front porch (he used the pipe to fend off stray dogs while walking). Despite the fact that witnesses warned police that Magdiel Sanchez couldnt hearand thus complywith their shouted orders to drop the pipe and get on the ground, police shot the man when he was about 15 feet away from them. In Maryland, police (moonlighting as security guards) used extreme force to eject a 26-year-old man with Downs Syndrome and a low IQ from a movie theater after the man insisted on sitting through a second screening of a film. Autopsy results indicate that Ethan Saylor died of complications arising from asphyxiation, likely caused by a chokehold. In Florida, police armed with assault rifles fired three shots at a 27-year-old nonverbal, autistic man who was sitting on the ground, playing with a toy truck. Police missed the autistic man and instead shot his behavioral therapist, Charles Kinsey, who had been trying to get him back to his group home. The therapist, bleeding from a gunshot wound, was then handcuffed and left lying face down on the ground for 20 minutes. In Texas, police handcuffed, tasered and then used a baton to subdue a 7-year-old student who has severe ADHD and a mood disorder. With school counselors otherwise occupied, school officials called police and the childs mother to assist after Yosio Lopez started banging his head on a wall. The police arrived first. In New Mexico, police tasered, then opened fire on a 38-year-old homeless man who suffered from schizophrenia, all in an attempt to get James Boyd to leave a makeshift campsite. Boyds death provoked a wave of protests over heavy-handed law enforcement tactics. In Ohio, police forcefully subdued a 37-year-old bipolar woman wearing only a nightgown in near-freezing temperatures who was neither armed, violent, intoxicated, nor suspected of criminal activity. After being slammed onto the sidewalk, handcuffed and left unconscious on the street, Tanisha Anderson died as a result of being restrained in a prone position. And in North Carolina, a state trooper shot and killed a 29-year-old deaf motorist after he failed to pull over during a traffic stop. Daniel K. Harris was shot after exiting his car, allegedly because the trooper feared he might be reaching for a weapon. These cases, and the hundredsif not thousandsmore that go undocumented every year speak to a crisis in policing when it comes to law enforcements failure to adequately assess, de-escalate and manage encounters with special needs or disabled individuals. While the research is relatively scant, what has been happening is telling. Over the course of six months, police shot and killed someone who was in mental crisis every 36 hours. Among 124 police killings analyzed by The Washington Post in which mental illness appeared to be a factor, They were overwhelmingly men, more than half of them white. Nine in 10 were armed with some kind of weapon, and most died close to home. But there were also important distinctions, reports the Post. This group was more likely to wield a weapon less lethal than a firearm. Six had toy guns; 3 in 10 carried a blade, such as a knife or a machete weapons that rarely prove deadly to police officers. According to data maintained by the FBI and other organizations, only three officers have been killed with an edged weapon in the past decade. Nearly a dozen of the mentally distraught people killed were military veterans, many of them suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their service, according to police or family members. Another was a former California Highway Patrol officer who had been forced into retirement after enduring a severe beating during a traffic stop that left him suffering from depression and PTSD. And in 45 cases, police were called to help someone get medical treatment, or after the person had tried and failed to get treatment on his own. The U.S. Supreme Court, as might be expected, has thus far continued to immunize police against charges of wrongdoing when it comes to use of force against those with a mental illness. In a 2015 ruling, the Court declared that police could not be sued for forcing their way into a mentally ill womans room at a group home and shooting her five times when she advanced on them with a knife. The justices did not address whether police must take special precautions when arresting mentally ill individuals. (The Americans with Disabilities Act requires reasonable accommodations for people with mental illnesses, which in this case might have been less confrontational tactics.) Where does this leave us? For starters, we need better police training across the board, but especially when it comes to de-escalation tactics and crisis intervention. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that Crisis Intervention Team-trained officers made fewer arrests, used less force, and connected more people with mental-health services than their non-trained peers. As The Washington Post points out: Although new recruits typically spend nearly 60 hours learning to handle a gun, according to a recent survey by the Police Executive Research Forum, they receive only eight hours of training to de-escalate tense situations and eight hours learning strategies for handling the mentally ill. Otherwise, police are taught to employ tactics that tend to be counterproductive in such encounters, experts said. For example, most officers are trained to seize control when dealing with an armed suspect, often through stern, shouted commands. But yelling and pointing guns is like pouring gasoline on a fire when you do that with the mentally ill, said Ron Honberg, policy director with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Second, police need to learn how to slow confrontations down, instead of ramping up the tension (and the noise). In Maryland, police recruits are now required to take a four-hour course in which they learn de-escalation tactics for dealing with disabled individuals: speak calmly, give space, be patient. One officer in charge of the Los Angeles Police Departments mental response teams suggests that instead of rushing to take someone into custody, police should try to slow things down and persuade the person to come with them. Third, with all the questionable funds flowing to police departments these days, why not use some of those funds to establish what one disability-rights activist describes as a 911-type number dedicated to handling mental-health emergencies, with community crisis-response teams at the ready rather than police officers. Increasingly, funds are being directed towards technologies that support predictive policing and behavioral and health surveillance. For instance, HARPA (a healthcare counterpart to the Pentagons research and development arm DARPA) would take the lead in identifying and targeting signs of mental illness or violent inclinations among the populace by using artificial intelligence to collect data from Apple Watches, Fitbits, Amazon Echo and Google Home. It wouldnt take much for these nascent predictive programs to give rise to healthcare versions of red flag gun laws, which allows the government to preemptively take action against individuals who may be perceived as potential threats. Where the problem arises is when you put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies, the courts and the police. In the end, while we need to make encounters with police officers safer for people with suffering from mental illness or with disabilities, what we really needas I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diariesis to make encounters with police safer for all individuals all across the board. WC: 2423 The mission marks Indias entry, via NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), in the global market to launch heavier satellites. Twitter Nellore: Indias heaviest rocket the Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3)-M2 launched its heaviest payload of 5,796 kg to space on Sunday, following a textbook launch at 12.07 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Nellore. The 43.5-metre 644-tonne rocket previously called GSLV Mk3 launched into low earth orbit (LEO), 36 broadband satellites for a UK-based customer, Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb). Indias Bharti Enterprises is a major investor in OneWeb. At 12.28 am, the rocket had successfully placed eight satellites in space according to Isro. The rocket took 19 minutes to complete the job, even as scientists cheered at the control room. Earlier, hundreds of people watched the rocket making its way to space at the head of a bright pillar of fire and smoke. The rocket can launch 10,000 tonnes of payload into the low earth orbit. The LVM3-M2, a three-stage rocket, is emerging as the workhorse for the larger missions: Its four previous missions have been successful. Its first two stages carry liquid fuel, and the third is the cryogenic engine. The two strap-on motors are powered by solid fuel. The mission marks Indias entry, via NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), in the global market to launch heavier satellites. Isro has launched 345 foreign satellites till date, and Sundays launch took the total to 381. Isro will launch another 36 OneWeb satellites in January next. Sravanthi and other Congress activists sat on a dharna, holding black flags on Nampally's main intersection, demanding immediate action against BJP leaders and activists. (Twitter/@kkc_munugode) Hyderabad: With only 10 days until the Munugode byelection on November 3, the constituency appears to be on the boil. On Sunday, with a clash broke out between BJP and Congress supporters during Congress candidate Palvai Sravanthi's campaign. Tempers flared when Sravanthi, accompanied by hundreds of her supporters, entered Nampally mandal for her campaign and BJP leaders and activists allegedly blocked her path. Her convoy was halted due to traffic congestion. With police personnel not deployed in force, and only three officers present, the situation spiralled out of control after heated arguments between the two groups. The BJP activists were reportedly unyielding when Congress activists demanded that their path be cleared. Sravanthi reportedly got out of her vehicle at this point and entered into an argument with the BJP leaders and activists. This soon deteriorated into a scuffle between both side, and some persons threw stones at Sravanthi's car. As the situation went out of control, Sravanthi called Nalgonda superintendent of police (SP) R. Rema Rajeswari and filed a complaint against the BJP activists for trying to disrupt her election campaign. Later, Sravanthi and other Congress activists sat on a dharna, holding black flags on Nampally's main intersection, demanding immediate action against BJP leaders and activists. She claimed that BJP leaders had halted her convoy and humiliated her cadre by using foul language. Condemning the incident, TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy stated that the party would file a complaint with the Election Commission to prevent the BJP candidate from contesting the byelection, and that the attack on Sravanthi's convoy is an indication that the BJP will lose in Munugode. If Lachlan Murdoch is a media Goliath, then Crikey just might be his David. Murdoch, one of the worlds richest and most powerful men, is suing Private Media, the publisher of news website Crikey over a column that he says falsely suggested he illegally conspired with Donald Trump to incite the deadly January 2021 US Capitol riot. The case has piqued public interest for the same reasons that many high-profile defamation cases do, but Murdochs position as one of the heads of the worlds most powerful media empire makes him a very different plaintiff to all others. And in bringing this case, Murdoch have may laid a trap for himself, or at least for the Australian publications his family owns. Lachlan Murdochs defamation case against Crikey could come back to bite his media empire. Credit:Getty Murdoch sued after Crikey waged a public campaign where it took out full-page advertisements and billboards that baited Murdoch to either sue them or back down after the publisher had refused to apologise for its article. It is one thing for a news website to stand by its journalism, but repeatedly publicly daring a billionaire to sue is like stomping barefoot on a bullants nest: eventually youll get stung. And so they did. The ads were so prominent and continuous that Murdoch felt he had no alternative but to sue. While none of this is all that remarkable in the peculiar galaxy of defamation litigation, what is unprecedented is the rock and hard-place between which Murdoch now finds himself. It was, of course, a coincidence that Faultlines, an independent review of Australias response to COVID-19, was released on the same day as the Australian Bureau of Statistics released its analysis of 2021 causes of death. But sometimes coincidences simply make connections more visible. The Faultlines review finds that the children already most susceptible to despair in adulthood are now even more vulnerable to it because of their pandemic experience. Credit:iStock In this case, the ABS headline finding that alcohol-induced deaths increased in 2021, together with the review finding COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing inequalities, invited a connection to the work of Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton on deaths of despair. The economist couple published Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism in March 2020, just as the COVID pandemic struck. As such, the analysis of the growing mortality of poor white Americans did not include pandemic factors. But it did presciently identify the ways in which economic inequality would affect different populations as the virus spread. In September 2020, the authors wrote a preface to the paperback edition of their influential treatise, noting the parallels between the two epidemics, both of which disproportionately affected low-income people without a university degree. At the same time, they highlighted the differences. The deaths of despair tracked by Case and Deaton are concentrated among young and middle-aged adults, while COVID deaths disproportionately hit the elderly. HYDERABAD: TRS working president and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao asked Munugode voters to take 10 gram gold from BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy if he distributed them while seeking votes but to vote for the TRS candidate Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy on November 3 to get development programmes and welfare schemes back on track. Rao was speaking at a massive road show at Ghattuppal in the constituency on Sunday. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to credit Rs 15 lakh into the bank accounts of each citizen during the 2014 election campaign but had failed to fulfill it in over eight years. "Has anyone of you received the amount? Where did this money go? It should have been transferred to people from Nalgonda and Yadadri districts. It has been transferred to only a single account. Do you know who that single person is? It is Rajgopal Reddy. He got Rs 18,000 crore from Modi in the form of a contract, Rama Rao said. So take the 10 gram gold if Rajgopal distributes it for votes. It's not his money. It's the money earned through shady deals," Rao remarked amid thunderous applause from the gathering. He asked voters to think about the third bypoll in Nalgonda district in as many years. "The Huzurnagar bypoll was because Uttam Kumar Reddy resigned after he was elected to the Lok Sabha. The Nagarjunasagar bypoll was because of the death of MLA Nomula Narasimhaiah. They were imminent. But the Munugode bypoll is because of the greed and selfishness of Rajgopal. He won as MLA from Congress in 2018 but worked for the BJP. After negotiating for three years, he struck a deal with the Centre for a Rs 18,000 crore contract, resigned as an MLA and forced the byelection," Rama Rao alleged. He promised to ensure noticeable development in Munugode constituency in the remaining one year tenure of the Assembly by adopting the constituency if voters elect the TRS candidate in the ensuing by-election. Are you craving an adventurous Second Act but worried about how to finance it? Especially if youre female. Unequal pay and unfair pensions leave women in a much worse financial position than men as we face retirement. So how can we indulge our travel lust without breaking the bank? The answer is a new trend called grey hostelling. I discovered this phenomenon when my girlfriend invited me for a break in the historic Portuguese seaside city of Porto. I pictured myself sipping vinho verde on the balcony of some plush hotel, overlooking the Douro River as it sweeps into the Atlantic. So you can imagine my horror when our taxi drew up outside a youth hostel. I immediately got out my compact and made my girlfriend look into the mirror. See those things on your face? Theyre wrinkles, not pimples. We are way too old to stay here. Kathy Lette: After four days in the historic Portuguese seaside city of Porto, Im a hostel convert. One of the best things about getting older is never again having to slum it in youth hostels. Years of youthful backpacking has left me forever hostile to hostels. Most establishments were so crummy the staff stole towels from the guests. Bedrooms were so cramped, the cockroaches were hunchbacked and the bed bugs were round-shouldered. There was so much dust beneath those soggy bunk beds, the mice got around on stilts. I still have nightmares about peeling stray pubes off communal soap with cringing fingers. I glanced up at a pockmarked tenement so decrepit it was clearly only still standing because the woodlice had linked arms. With limbo-low hopes, I followed my soon-to-be-ex-friend up the rickety stairs, but was pleasantly surprised to enter a spacious, comfy sitting room. The high windows overlooked Portos big, broad river, where multicoloured houses cluster like barnacles up steep banks to a city summit bristling with church spires. This story is part of a series examining how billions of dollars are being rorted from Medicare each year. See all 24 stories . One of corruptions more insidious aspects is the way it gets explained away and diminished. The medico lobbies squealing about Adele Fergusons expose on Medicare rorts no doubt believe there is no problem because the practice is widespread and normalised. This collective mentality is the gateway to rationalisation fabricating a moral excuse or disengaging from the consequences because the behaviour has become normalised. But no matter how loud the lobbies shout or how powerful they are in the halls of power, Fergusons evidence is impossible to ignore. A cottage industry has emerged to help practitioners milk the system. Credit:iStock Dead people are being billed and patient records falsified. A cottage industry has emerged to help practitioners milk the system. No one even denies Medicare is being rorted. Indeed, the debate is now about the scale of fraud. My own organisation went through a well-publicised episode of fraud and corruption a decade ago. The pain of that exposure was felt beyond those guilty of rorting. Members, delegates and staff were humiliated and shamed. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In the days before 4000 Afghani refugees descended into the UAE crammed on a C-17, Warren King and his team assessed the situation. For those fleeing the violence, there was a glimmer of freedom. The possibility of a new life. Hope. Australian citizens and visa holders evacuate to the Australian Defence Forces main Middle East operating base on a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III aircraft after leaving Afghanistan. But for the Australian government and its partners, the fates of hundreds of families rested in their hands. The decisions would alter history and they needed to be made with accuracy. Warren King says Australians have continued to travel to the UAE for business opportunities. As Australias deputy ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, King was behind a lot of those decisions. Advertisement King is calm and pragmatic as he talks about the humanitarian missions hes helped. Theres almost no indication that throughout his career, hes handled life and death. Hes worked as both the First Secretary and Counsellor at the Australian embassy in Washington DC, as a policy exchange officer in the US Department of State and, more recently, as Counsellor in the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. His experience forging a once-contested relationship between Japan and Australia remains one of his proudest achievements. But despite his extensive career, this is Kings first interview. The well-spoken University of Queensland graduate turned public servant is humble, referencing army officers, DFAT and government employees who do the groundwork and make a mission possible. A family of evacuees from Afghanistan arrives at Australias main operating base in the Middle East on board a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster in August 2021. Years before the Afghan evacuation, King helped save at least 15 people kidnapped between 2016 and 2019, as director of the Kidnap Response and Special References Section of DFAT. He also coordinated the Australian governments response to sensitive arbitrary detention cases and terrorism-related consular cases, including releasing and repatriating several kidnapped Australians. King was also responsible for the repatriation of multiple Australian minors from camps in Syria. Advertisement You do everything that you possibly can to assist them, King explains over a video call from the Abu Dhabi-based embassy. From our perspective as officials, we treat it professionally as a job, as do other people from other agencies who are involved in the response, such as the AFP and even the Defence Force, which can, in an extreme case, sometimes be involved. The Afghan evacuation in August last year was considered one of Australias largest humanitarian airlift operations in history. At the time, then defence minister Peter Dutton praised Australian troops, who had operated under extraordinary circumstances, conducting airlifts from Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul and working around the clock. Were here to promote and defend Australias interests, and Australias interests always have to come first. Warren King, deputy ambassador in the UAE Behind the scenes, King says the entire embassy in Abu Dhabi under the leadership of ambassador Heidi Venamore rushed into action. This is just one aspect of the vast amount of consular work that our department does overseas in helping people in difficulty, which involves a lot less dangerous situations than kidnapping but is sometimes still quite distressing, he says. Advertisement The work those officers do really should get more recognition in the media. Its stressful, and sometimes its dangerous. It requires a lot of emotional and mental fortitude. The region continues to deal with violence, with hundreds killed in recent weeks following widespread anti-government protests in Iran. Teenage girls and children were among those killed. While defence was the basis for the relationship between Australia and the UAE, with the ADF now stationed at the Al Minhad Air Base, King says there is still room to grow, particularly with more Australians expected to move to Dubai. From October 2021 to March this year, Dubai held World Expo. More than $280 million in trade outcomes were secured for Australian companies during the expo. The nation is considered to be the Middle Easts third-largest economy, with a 2021 GDP of about $A650 billion ($US410.2 billion), representing continued financial opportunities for Australia. The UAE also holds 6 per cent of the worlds oil reserves. Advertisement King considers the alliance between our two nations economically vibrant. Theres virtually no issue that is really important in politics in Australia at the moment that cant be informed in some way by the experience of other countries, or by learning about how another country does it. Warren King The Middle East has a reputation of being a place where only bad things happen, being about war and conflict and terrorism, and its very apparent to me that while that is part of the history, theres a lot more thats really positive thats going on here, he says. We are in the process of considering negotiating what is effectively a free-trade agreement with the UAE, so were going to call that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Dubai remains a popular holiday and business destination for Australians, particularly those travelling from the Gold Coast. Credit:Bloomberg The previous trade minister in the former government announced that we were thinking about that earlier in the year, and the current government is considering how to take that forward. We havent formally begun a process yet, but its certainly on the agenda. Advertisement Police have laid charges including murder against a 19-year-old man after the body of a woman with whom he had been in a recent relationship was found in bushland. It was not known how long the pair had been partners, but police said it ended recently. Park Road in Nambour, where police found the body of an 18-year-old Petrie woman on Sunday. Credit:Google Maps Police believe the 18-year-old Petrie woman had met the man, from Kallangur, at a car park off Bells Pocket Road in Strathpine on Saturday afternoon. Her family raised concerns with police at 7pm when she didnt return home. The Loddon River has peaked at Kerang but the town will be isolated for days, while Echuca is bracing for the Murray River to hit the highest level in a lifetime. It comes as thousands of residents who have chosen to defend their homes against the deluge face being trapped. Echuca residents are bracing for the Murray River to peak. Credit:Jason South Victorias SES chief officer of operations Tim Wiebusch said while the flood situation was evolving, there was some good news on Sunday. We have now seen a peak on the Loddon River at Kerang of 77.97 metres (above sea level), just below the 78-metre mark that was being forecast for this event, he said. Read more of our climate change coverage. See all 15 stories . Premier Daniel Andrews said voters would decide if they wanted a publicly owned power company to generate electricity after former premier Jeff Kennett lambasted him for quickly sending Victoria broke and said his energy plan was heartbreaking. Last week Andrews announced a re-elected Labor government would revive the State Electricity Commission (SEC) and spend $1 billion to create 4.5 gigawatts of renewable energy, about 30 per cent of the states electricity. Victoria would have a 51 per cent stake in the revived commission, and its wind and solar projects. Andrews said the superannuation industry was the preferred investor in the remaining share. Kennett, who carved up and sold off the commission during the 1990s, tweeted on Saturday that Andrews was quickly sending Victoria broke and must be stopped. Now he wants to raid your superannuation funds to invest in a new energy company which the government owns. The Victorian election will be fought against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis and parts of the global economy facing recession. Battling these issues with a budget deficit baked into your starting point will be no small task for whoever wins government in November. But take a deep breath there is a path through. Victoria can avoid the recession that threatens to engulf the UK. Credit:Eddie Jim Deloitte Access Economics latest Business Outlook, released last week, suggests Victoria (and Australia) can work its way through the economic challenges without tipping into recession. Helping our state along will be the strength of the national economy. Its not all good the cost of living has increased rapidly, with inflation expected to peak in the current December quarter at a whopping 7.3 per cent. This, combined with rising interest rates, means well soon see consumer spending pull back. Australias national broadcaster is considering reducing the amount of money it spends on traditional television and radio broadcasts and allocating the funding to its digital sites such as ABC iview as part of a refresh of the five-year strategy it unveiled in 2020. Media sources familiar with the changes, who requested anonymity to speak freely about confidential meetings, said ABC staff were reviewing the five-year plan with intention to provide more rigor around efforts to engage younger audiences. The internal strategic talks have coincided with separate plans by the government to move the ABC and SBS to five-year funding period, which is expected to be announced at the federal budget on Tuesday. The ABC declined to comment. ABC managing director David Anderson is reviewing the five-year strategy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen ABCs five-year strategy was released publicly more than two years ago. It canvassed more than 250 job losses, a slight reduction in episodes of high-profile shows Australian Story and Foreign Correspondent and the removal of the 81-year-old flagship 7.45am radio news bulletin. ABC managing director David Anderson also announced ambitions to move at least 75 per cent of its staff who make content to be based outside of its headquarters in Ultimo. He said at the time the strategy was a work in progress and signalled that further adjustments would be made with time. Melbournes $125 billion Suburban Rail Loop has been panned by shadow federal treasurer Angus Taylor as a waste of money, as he identified the flagship Andrews government infrastructure project as undeserving of funding in the federal budget. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King last Sunday announced a $2.2 billion contribution towards the orbital rail link through the suburbs, which is not expected to be finished until 2085. The first section of the Suburban Rail Loop is due to cost $35 billion and be finished in 2035. Credit:Jason South The outer suburban Melbourne rail network, it was rejected by the Auditor-General in Victoria, Taylor told ABCs Insiders. For every dollar you spend, you only get 51 back. Projects like that dont make sense. It is not coincidental that this was announced ... before the Victorian election. They are absolutely not necessary. The $2.2 billion was pledged by the prime minister to honour an election promise, as Treasurer Jim Chalmers signals plans to rein in spending and cancel Coalition projects identified in a waste audit. After being hidden for centuries, a lost medieval star chart was found intact in St Catherine's Monastery on Egypt's the Sinai Peninsula. The map is the star catalog of Hipparchus and is the first record to document the existing night sky. Star Chart Discovered on Old Parchment A student of eminent biblical scholar Peter Williams at the University of Cambridge made a surprising discovery while examining a Christian text, reported Science Alert. Jamie Klair, a student, came across a well-known Greek passage credited to Eratosthenes, an astronomer and the chief librarian of the Library of Alexandria. In 2017, an investigation of a document with nine pages of foil was thought to be written over. Scholars say that re-using an ordinary parchment, noted Nature. Williams was examining the pages during the pandemic and came upon odd numbers from the St. Catherine's Monastery folios. He passed off the suspected pages to a French scientific historian, and researchers were surprised. Historian Victor Gysembergh contacted the French national scientific research center CNRS in Paris and informed Jo Marchant that the coordinates were star coordinates. Greek Astronomer Recorded the Coordinates Who the author of the star chart is unclear, but Hipparchus, a Greek astronomer, had been mapping the western sky between 162 and 127 BCE. In a few ancient writings, Hipparchus is referred to as the father of astronomy and is credited with discovering the precession of the planetary axis. Another achievement was the first mathematical calculation of the Earth's and Moon's relative orbits. Read Also: Kim Jong-un Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is North Korea's Leader? Analyzing the lost medieval star chart in the codex of St. Catherine's Monastery parchments located in the Sinai Peninsula, the exact position of the precession was found. These numbers showing the relative points of stars in the night sky were traced back to 129 BCE, all in the lifetime of Hipparchus, citing the Archaeologist. Before its relevant discovery, another star catalog by astronomer Claudius Ptolemy of the 2nd century AD, about three centuries after Hipparchus died. The Corona Borealis is the only constellation that can be taken from the collection in Egypt, but scholars think the mapping was finished. I guess work with no telescope was hard to do. These numbers correlate to terms from classical Greek. The term "length" is based on the East-West extension of a cluster, whereas "breadth" explains the North-South expansion of the cluster. Hipparchus' Work Compared to Ptolemy Like Ptolemy's later work, Hipparchus' arithmetic seemed far more dependable, within one degree of what contemporary astronomers might later find. This implies Ptolemy did not just duplicate Hipparchus' work. Another document, the Latin transcription of Hipparchus' Phenomena from the eighth century AD, seems identical in form and language to the passage on the Corona Borealis, suggesting perhaps it too was inspired by Hipparchus. This text mentions the Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and Draco, which correspond to the comments of Hipparchus. One conclusion is the first cartographer of the stars wrote the coordinates mentioned in the Egyptian codex. Mathieu Ossendrijver, a historian of astronomy at the Free University of Berlin, adds the fragment mentioned is proof that Hipparchus was correct. This lost medieval star chart that is supposed to be the work of Hipparchus hidden in the St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula is the start of more finds. Related Article: Methyl Bromide Gas Detected on Exo-Worlds Is a Sign of Possible Life in Other Planets, Study Posits @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. One of the most important differences between the Liberal Party and the Labor Party is a historical one. Labor traces its roots to the trade union movement of the late 19th century; it does not point to any one great figure as its founder. The Liberal Party, by contrast, is unquestionably the creation of a single man, Robert Menzies its founder and longest-serving leader and Australias longest-serving prime minister. Both sides of politics acknowledge this: Paul Keating, in a savage speech, once spoke of his desire to destroy Menzies creation. Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies with his portrait painted by Ivor Hele in 1954. Credit: The political machine Menzies assembled from the wreckage of non-Labor politics in the mid-1940s became Australias most successful party 19 wins out of 30 elections since 1946, including seven of the last 10. And so, whenever the party engages in one of its periodic bouts of soul-searching about its future direction, it is invariably Menzies whom the protagonists of every point of view invoke to their cause. His posthumous approval is the ultimate court of appeal. Recently, we have seen right-wing elements attempt to conscript Menzies name and memory to justify positions which are actually antithetical to his beliefs, and to the purposes for which the Liberal Party was founded. Whether this was done through ignorance or deliberate falsehood I suspect an unattractive combination of both it was much in evidence at a conference of conservative activists in Sydney recently, modelled on the Trump-influenced American Conservative Political Action Committee or CPAC. The star turn at the conference was chief Brexit rabble-rouser Nigel Farage. A number of prominent National Party politicians, including Matt Canavan, also spoke, although the only sitting Liberal politician given a speaking slot was an obscure South Australian backbencher in the Cory Bernardi mould. So let us set the record straight about what Menzies believed and what he meant the Liberal Party to be. Nick Cater, Director of the Menzies Research Centre, has written, accurately: The Whigs, not the Tories, were Menzies political antecedents; his thinking drew from classical liberalism, the post-Enlightenment reforming forces in Britain and Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Read more of our population pressure coverage See all 12 stories . Streets in Melbournes eastern suburbs are dotted with yellow posters decrying residential developments. We never voted for Labors plan for high rise, they state. Locals campaigning against higher density in parts of the marginal new electorate of Ashwood have been organised by an unlikely ally the former spokesman for the Victorian property and building industries. Asher Judah, the Liberal candidate for Ashwood, is mobilising residents to campaign against planning proposals. Credit:Simon Schluter Asher Judah, the Liberal candidate who formerly worked for the Property Council and Master Builders Victoria, insists he is still pro-development even though he is arguing against planning proposals to densify the suburbs. I see this as a battle for the future of Melbourne suburbs, Judah says about the campaign in Ashwood. Do we want to protect Melbournes unique housing culture? The suburbs are magnificent. Apartments can be wonderful too, but they dont belong in every street. London: Boris Johnson has terminated his hopes of a political comeback, saying that he would not stand to be reinstated UK prime minister, less than 24 hours before the deadline for nominations. Just a few days earlier Johnson had flown home from his holiday in the Caribbean after Liz Truss abruptly ended her six-week reign, throwing open the contest for the prime ministership. Former prime minister Boris Johnson. Credit:AP Johnson had not formally declared he would run, but supporter cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said he would clearly stand just hours earlier, while his chief numbers man Chris Heaton-Harris insisted the former prime minister had the backing of the 100 MPs required to get him on the leadership ballot. But on Sunday night (UK time), Johnson said in a statement he would not enter the contest even though he had cleared the very high hurdle for nomination and could be back in Downing Street by the end of the week. Report Oct 11, 2022 Education is Power for Peace and Security in Afghanistan Take action to support the rights of Afghan women and girls The pre-expression of interest (EoI) road show for the divestment of Container Corporation of India (Concor) has seen as many as five showing interest-I Squared Capital, Sojitz Corporation, Adani Group, D P World and PSA Singapore. Sources indicate that Dipam is all set to come out with an EoI by the first week of November. In the Diwali week, domestic airlines are in seventh heaven, propped up by robust demand. But this time around their fortunes are mixed. While passenger demand remains strong, cargo loads have dropped as e-commerce firms have switched to trucks and trains to transport consignments. This comes on the back of tie-ups between e-commerce and the Indian Railways, and the expansion of fulfilment centres, which have enabled increased storage and quicker deliveries. Manish Tiwary, vice president and country manager, Amazon India says the company has been working with Indian Railways since 2019. Today you get faster delivery in a city like Ratnagiri or Kolhapur because of the way we've connected [by] leveraging Indian Railways, says Tiwary. There has been a five times growth in railway lanes, he adds. For example, Bengaluru to Mysuru can be described as a lane. Using the engagement with Indian Railways, Amazon India now has more than 325 intercity transportation lanes, he says. Sourabh Pandey, chief experience officer (CXO), fulfilment & experience at Meesho says they work with multiple third-party logistics partners like Shadowfax, Delhivery, Ecom Express and Xpressbees. The e-tailer primarily opts for road transport as its both reliable and cost effective. During the festive season, we have been able to reduce transit times by making more direct connections instead of aggregating loads to reach our customers quicker, he said. Flipkart didnt respond to queries sent by Business Standard. While e-commerce firms are reaping gains through this change in strategy, passenger airlines and air cargo firms are despondent. The shift from air cargo to surface transport was anticipated but not to the extent that we are seeing now, says Amit Bajaj, chief executive officer (CEO) (air cargo and trucking) of global freight platform Cogoport. Air cargo volume for us would double ahead of Diwali because of festive shipments but this year, there is reduced demand for air cargo from e-commerce companies, he said. An increase in air freight rates too has proved to be a dampener, he added. Vistaras chief commercial officer Deepak Rajawat echoed the sentiment, saying the industry had anticipated a surge in air cargo demand, especially on the back of relaxed pandemic curbs. However, the reality has been contrary to the expectations. Overall capacity in the market has increased making the space more competitive for all airlines, he added. IndiGo said that changing market dynamics and a shift in consumer preferences have impacted transportation patterns. International business is also sluggish due to various geopolitical and economic factors exacerbated by the increase in aviation turbine fuel cost, a spokesperson for the airline said. Between April August, domestic airlines carried over 554,000 tonnes of freight, a growth of 23 per cent over the same period last year. While volumes have grown due to an increase in flights, average loads are dipping. An industry executive said domestic cargo loads have declined 6-8 per cent in the last 3-4 months as e-commerce are transporting more and more parcels by road or rail. Rajawat, however, said despite industry-wide challenges Vistara has managed to carry good loads. Railways. on the other hand, are looking at better days ahead. We had a flat trajectory until recently when it came to e-commerce parcel revenues due to the old tendering policy. With e-auctioning, our revenue has increased especially during this festive time. There is a significant boom, a senior railway ministry official said on the condition of anonymity. The railway ministry also plans to capitalise on the launch of new initiatives such as Vande Bharat parcel trains to attract more freight volume. While there is a pronounced shift, not all is lost for the air cargo industry. When required, we would leverage both air and ground transport and we have a complex algorithm which works on it. Both air cargo and surface transport are a significant part of the firm, Amazons Tiwary says. Pandey from Meesho concurs. We use air transport as well for certain locations like Port Blair to serve our customers on time," he adds. Limited (RIL) posted the proceedings of its Q2 FY 2022-23 earnings call on the late on Friday. This is the first time in the history of corporate India that a company has used to engage with its stakeholders. The RIL was produced in partnership with GMetri, a no-code metaverse creation platform. One doesn't need to wear an AR/VR headgear to access it. The metaverse contains nearly an hour of results commentary, featuring Group Joint CFO V. Srikanth (covering consolidated financials and business summary); Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL) President Kiran Thomas (covering Jio Platforms and digital services); RJIL Head of Strategy Anshuman Thakur (covering Jio digital services - financials); Strategy and Business Development head, Reliance Retail Limited, Gaurav Jain (covering Reliance Retail); and Senior Vice President, E&P, Sanjay Roy (covering Hydrocarbons - Exploration & Production). Using it, analysts across the world tracking the company can toggle with slides and graphics placed on different screens as per the multiple buckets in the results presentation. They can also download the RIL Q2 22-23 media release and the transcript of the media and analyst call in PDF formats. The RIL metaverse also has a special section comprising quotations from RIL Chairman and Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani. The metaverse is a virtual space that is built with the idea to immerse users within the online experience, mainly via virtual and augmented reality, while enabling them to interact with each other virtually. Due to its ongoing evolution, the term 'metaverse' currently has no single definition. There are many types of metaverses, and one can engage in any of them, depending on their preferences - metaverse being the broad term for a virtual experience or virtual environment one typically enters as an avatar. --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.) The Sukhoi Su-57 Felon has taken part in the Ukraine conflict, but it was also used in Syria to detect the F-35. Russia Used Felons To Attack Ukraine On Tuesday, October 18, General Serhiy Surovikin, commander of Ukraine's united group of forces, issued a statement and confirmed this, reported Bulgarian Military. The commander asserted that every time the Su-57 took off and was engaged in armed conflict in Ukraine, it struck air and ground targets, per Air Force Technology. He stated that the fifth-generation planes perform numerous functions and are armed with various armaments. The media reported in June that the stealth fighter was gathering intelligence from the battlefield. As said by Vladimir Gutenev, a member of the Russian Duma's expert council, the Su-57 was already used in Syria. There were four fighter jets deployed in Syria in 2018. Russia had just four prototypes at one point, although the first mass-produced Su-57 had been prepared at the end of last year. Gutenev emphasized that in Syria, the Russian Air Force and Space Force employed Felons to detect American stealth fighters in the same area of operations. He added that even with the claim that the war in Ukraine has provided a fresh outlook on the functionality of the Su-57, which had never been evaluated in Syria. Russian specialists say that Moscow is using its Sukhoi Su-57 Felon with prudence because it does not yet have comprehensive experience and expertise compared to the F-35. For this reason, analysts believe that Surovikin has been talking solely about remote attacks, information gathering, and tactical documentation on the channel. Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Net Worth 2022: How Did Facebook Founder Lose $30 Billion in 1 Day? Russian Fighter Encounters Ukrainian Air Force The general stated that the 5th generation fighter had fired its air-to-air missiles. It could have made its first kill, but it has not been confirmed if it was done by another Russian aircraft, such as the Su-35 or Su-34. The lack of evidence that the Felon made the aerial kill stems from several reasons, like no signals, proof, or contact data that the Russian stealth fighter was active when the UAF fighter jet got shot down. The Russian stealth fighter is armed with various air-to-air weapons to attack or defend itself. Types of air-to-air missiles include the R-37M and K-77M, with two more shorter-ranged missiles for closer engagements. They are the R-74M2 and K-MD; the R-74MD is an update of the older R-74, noted Eurasian Times. New Additions to the Felon Fleet In 2022, by August's end, approximately four more units were added to the present number. Yuru Slyusar, executive director of United Aircraft Corporation, told TASS this. It stated that four units of the 5th generation stealth fighters had already been built with a contract provided by the Ministry of Defense of Russia. The loss of supplies of Western technology, that is mainly microchips, is having its repercussions, although it has evidently not stalled the manufacturing of the Russian model. BulgarianMilitary.com revealed just one week ago, at the end of August, that Moscow is building new manufacturing facilities for the total production of its Felon. It is said to be different from the F-35, but the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon has to be tested to know its limits. Related Article: IRST Technology Makes the F-35 and F-22 Stealth Feature Vulnerable @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung India's revenue from operations increased 8.6 per cent to Rs 82,451 crore in the financial year 2021-22 (FY22), reported The Economic Times. The jump in revenues was primarily driven by the companys division, the Tofler filings revealed. The declaration to the Registrar of showed that the cell phone business alone contributed Rs 55,201 crore to revenue. Industry executives claimed that aggressive pricing of mobile phones and TVs on ecommerce portals to gain market share, however, caused a decline of 4.9 per cent in the net profit of the company, which came at Rs 3,844 crore against Rs 4,040.8 crore reported in the year-ago period. In the mandatory filings, the company did not give explanations for the increase in revenue or the decline in profit. Maruti Suzuki, a Japanese automaker, which announced revenue of Rs 88,295 crore in FY22 has overtaken Samsung as the largest consumer-facing MNC in the nation. had edged Maruti to the top rank in FY21. In FY22, the South Korean company's overall revenue in India, including other income, increased by 10 per cent to Rs 85,324 crore. Mobile phones are Samsung's major business segment in India accounting for 67 per cent of total revenue despite a slight decline in sales in FY21. Apart from mobile phones, Samsung also sells televisions, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. Samsungs competitors include such as Xiaomi, LG, and Whirlpool, among others. As many as four people including a seven-year-old girl were killed and 42 others were injured after a sleeper bus in which they were traveling met with an accident on Agra-Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district on Sunday. All the injured have been admitted to Saifai's PGI Hospital for treatment. "A sleeper bus en route to Ajmer from Gorakhpur with passengers met with an accident on the Agra-Lucknow under Saifai PS. 4 people were killed & about 42 who are seriously injured have been admitted to Saifai's PGI Hospital," said Additional District Magistrate (ADM). At around 2:30 am today, the sleeper bus en route to Ajmer from Gorakhpur met with an accident. "At around, 2:30 am the sleeper bus collided with the truck. The bus hit the truck from behind. Four people including a seven-year-old girl died in the accident, Two bus drivers and two passengers are among the deceased. All the injured are admitted to the hospital," said Jay Prakash Singh, Superintendent of police (SSP), Etawah. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives in a road accident in Etawah. "UP CM Yogi Adityanath has expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in road accident in district Etawah. While praying for peace to the soul of the departed, the Chief Minister has expressed condolences to the bereaved families," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a tweet. The Chief Minister has instructed the district administration officials for proper treatment of the injured and also wished for their speedy recovery. "Along with this, the District Magistrate and senior police officers have been instructed to go to the spot and get relief work done on a war footing," CMO added. Further details are awaited. Earlier on Friday, 15 people were killedin a tragic road mishap in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district in which a passenger bus collided with a truck. At least 40 people were injured in the accident. Most of the passengers on the bus were residents of . The accident took place between 10:30 pm to 11 pm on Friday when the bus with about 100 people on board, headed to Gorakhpur in from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, collided with a truck trolley in the Suhagi Pahari area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the death of 15 people in a road accident in the Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh and also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 to the injured from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund (PMNRF). (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 police in have busted eight key supply networks of Maoists and arrested at least 38 people in the last couple of years, choking the aid of medicines, explosives and logistics to the outlawed outfit to a great extent, a senior official said on Sunday. The establishment of more than 40 new police camps mostly along the supply corridor of Maoists during this period also helped in the task and to keep a tab on the inter-state movement of couriers, he said. According to police, cracking the supply networks is crucial in the fight against Left Wing Extremism as it is the key strength of Maoists active in since more than three decades. The region comprises seven districts - Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Bijapur and Sukma. In the last couple of years, the police have made a significant dent into the supply network of various formations of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the CPI (Maoists), Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI. The DKSZC, which handles activities in Bastar division, has been instrumental in executing several deadly attacks on security forces. At least eight key modules have been busted so far since early 2020 wherein 38 people, including businessmen, cops and local politicians allegedly engaged in providing medicines, explosives, weapons and essentials to Maoists, have been arrested, he said. These modules were mainly active in north and south Bastar, he said. When the coronavirus-induced lockdown (in 2020 and 2021) paralysed the supply chain of Maoists, some key modules tried to meet their requirements and came under the police scanner, he said. The same period helped police to crack down on their "over-ground operatives" who played a significant role in the supply of medicines, electronic gadgets and equipment to Maoists, the IG said. Between March and May 2020, a major Maoist supply network was busted with the arrest of 14 people, including three construction contractors and two businessmen, from separate places in the state, as per police records. This module was proactively working in Kanker district of north Bastar to provide shoes, clothes, walkie-talkie sets and other essentials to Maoists. In June 2020, the Sukma district police arrested four Maoist couriers from two places and recovered a huge cache of ammunition from them, according to the data. Later, two policemen posted in Sukma were also apprehended in the same case for their alleged involvement in the supply of ammunition to Maoists. Two more persons, including a local BJP leader, were also arrested for allegedly playing an instrumental role in providing several items to Maoists in Dantewada in June 2020, as per police data. In July this year, another key module of Maoist supply was busted. Nine people including a 51-year-old man hailing from West Bengal were arrested and materials used in explosives were seized from them, police records said. Maoists generally try to exploit the grey areas along the interstate borders for their activities as well as to operate their supply network. But police and paramilitary security forces across these borders have jointly cracked down on many supply teams of Maoists, pushing them on the back foot, the IG said. The police worked with their Telangana counterparts during COVID-19 and after the pandemic to check such activities, he said. More than 40 new police camps were opened in the last three years, mostly along the supply corridor of Maoists. This also helped the police in effectively choking their supply chain, the official said. We have achieved success in this direction and hopefully would do even better in the near future, he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday claimed that the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of (MCD) suffered a loss of Rs 6 crore due to irregularities in the collection of parking fees. The party said that it would write a letter to Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena, urging him to order a detailed investigation and take strict action against the culprits. "BJP-led gave tender to a company to collect parking fees; people paid Rs 1.5 crore in total but the collected amount never reached . The matter went to the court; the company did not pay the money despite court orders, and the suspended its licence. The owners of that company opened several companies to defraud MCD, and as a result, MCD suffered a loss of Rs 6 crore," AAP legislator Durgesh Pathak said at a press briefing. He said: "Today is the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras and people of should know how the MCD got bankrupt on this day. They do not have enough money to pay the salaries. They do not have enough funds to perform their basic duties, despite the fact that they receive tax from people of for the same." There was a company who was given the tender from MCD to manage the parking lots across the city and to collect the parking fees from the people and to deposit that fees to MCD's exchequer, he said. However, the company started running the parking lots, although the fees they charged were very high. They should have charged Rs 20, but instead they charged between Rs 40-60 to park a vehicle. After collecting the parking fees, they did not deposit that money in MCD's account, he said. "The matter reached the court and in 2022, the court ordered the company to pay the money by a certain date and, in case of default, the MCD can blacklist the company. The company did not deposit the money by that date and MCD blacklisted them along with cancelling their licence," Pathak claimed. He further added: "Although MCD suffered a loss of Rs 1.5-2 crore because the company did not pay the money, the matter should have ended here. But the same set of people who were running this blacklisted company formed another company, and they again got the tender. Earlier where the dues were up to Rs 1.5 crore, now they have reached the amount of Rs 6 crore." Pathak further said the BJP has been ruling in the MCD for the past 15 years. "Is it possible to pull off such a massive act without senior BJP leaders taking bribes in return?" he questioned. "We will write a letter to the L-G to convey this information. We are optimistic that he will order an investigation in all the matters and take strict action against the culprits," Pathak said while addressing the media. --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.) As the index (AQI) dips into the poor category and is expected to drop further into the severe category in Delhi-NCR after Diwali, the sub-committee of the Commission of Management (CAQM) has enforced Stage II measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR. The 12-point action plan under GRAP II, among other measures, includes banning diesel generator sets and use of coal and firewood, including in tandoors in hotels, restaurants and open eateries. Additionally, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also announced a 15-point Winter Action Plan to combat air pollution. While announcing the Winter Action Plan, Kejriwal had said that air pollution due to stubble burning remains a top concern at this time of the year. Among other preventive measures, Delhi government has banned sale, storage and bursting of firecrackers in the capital city. Delhi is also going to start a 'Red Light on, Gaadi off' campaign to curb vehicular pollution for one month from October 28. However, all these efforts do not seem to be enough to give respite to those living in Delhi-NCR. Despite a ban on stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, the farmers continue to burn stubble in the fields, which envelopes the capital city with pollutants during the winter season. Environmental experts term all these efforts as 'temporary measures' which cannot give long-term results. Talking to IANS, Chandra Bhushan, founder-CEO, International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST), said that all such efforts to curb pollution can give results, but only for a short time. "Instead, we need to think over the solution of this problem in long-term perspective as it has become an every year affair now. Solution to this problem is simple, but no one wants to go to the origin to eradicate the problem permanently. We need to understand where pollution comes from," he said. Two main reasons for pollution are - what we burn and the dust that emanates from construction sites that mixes with the air, Bhushan said. "We burn over 80 per cent of coal and biomass in the country. As long as we don't reduce the level of coal burning, air pollution can not be controlled. Secondly, the government should come out with an approach to control dust," Bhushan said. Talking about pollution in Delhi-NCR, he said around 300 km radius is the air shed of Delhi-NCR which also includes the neighbouring states. "If Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal wants to fight pollution, first he should stop burning of wood which is used for cooking by the weaker sections of the scoiety and provide them with LPG," Bhushan said, adding that installing smog towers will not help. "Because of Delhi's proximity to Thar desert, the dust comes during the winter and envelopes the region. On this aspect, the government has to intervene to stop dust transition. We must also reduce fuel dependency on coal. As long these two issues are not resolved, air pollution will continue to envelop the region," Bhushan said. Apart from health, air pollution also impacts human productivity that ultimately leads to the nation's productivity, Ranjeet Mehta, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI, told IANS. Talking about the impacts of pollution, Mehta said that we should not ignore the fact that it also impacts the productivity of humans living under polluted environments that have adverse impact on the economy too. "Pollution impacts health first, which in turn affects an individual's productivity that in turn affects the city's industrial production and later the productivity. Whenever there is an imbalance in the ecosystem, it creates disorder that ultimately leads to negativity, affecting our productivity," Mehta said. --IANS avr/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.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has opened a front against the Modi government by getting a resolution passed in the state Assembly against the "imposition" of Hindi. The development has heated up the state politics, which could possibly escalate the dispute over language. Criticising the report submitted by the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to President Droupadi Murmu, the DMK leader has warned of a repeat of the 1960s agitation in the state against the . Rita Bahuguna Joshi, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language and Lok Sabha MP, has accused the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister of "misleading" the people, while Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has accused Stalin of doing politics over the issue. "Hindi is our official language but there is no intention to impose it on the whole country," Joshi told IANS. Describing as a colonial language, she said, "Our intention is not to impose Hindi, but to promote regional languages along with Hindi and constrain the use of . "Each state is free to promote its own regional or mother tongue, but all should focus on minimising the use of the language," Joshi further said. The BJP MP also asserted that the promotion of Hindi and regional languages would benefit the people living in rural areas of different states. Slamming the hate campaign against the Hindi language, Joshi said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is "misleading the people by making it a political issue" and his attitude is "unfortunate". Similarly, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while speaking to IANS, accused Stalin of doing politics and said, "All the languages of India are the languages of the country, Tamil is also a language for us and the government is not trying to impose one language on another, rather it is trying to promote the mother tongue of every region." Commenting on the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Pradhan said that he neither wants to give any political response on the issue nor does he want to do any politics. "Those who want to do politics on this issue may do so," he added. Clarifying the Centre's stand over the issue, Pradhan said that no language will be imposed on the other language; even in the new Education Policy, stress has been laid on imparting education in the mother tongue itself. Efforts are being made to promote the in Hindi-speaking areas, and regional and local languages in other areas. --IANS stp/sha (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In September this year, the Special Cell of Delhi Police nabbed one of the biggest hauls of from Mumbai. The heroin, which was coated with licorice, and in a massive container, amounted to around 345 kilograms (kg), valued at Rs 1,725 crore. Between April 2021 and May this year, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is reported to have seized 3,800 kg of heroin, worth around Rs 26,000 crore. The last big haul was in July 2021, from the NhavaSheva port of 239 kg of heroin, worth Rs 1,625 crore. Sanjay Kumar Singh, deputy director-general (operations) at the Narcotics Control Bureau, says drug abuse across the board has increased. The consumption of among the is increasing. I think roughly around 100 million Indians consume drugs, said Singh. Singhs statements corroborate data from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which estimated the number of opioid users in India at 23 million in 2018 - a 600 per cent increase since 2004. The number of users stood at 31 million in India. The ministry also found that heroin, pharmaceutical opioids, and opium were the most commonly-abused opioids in India. Source: NCRB, Narcotics Control Bureau, Delhi Police Farmers in have begun to set their paddy fields on fire as harvesting has picked up. On an average, 100 fire cases are reported per day across the state and this number will multiply in the days to come, with Kaithal, Karnal and Kurukshetra being hotspot districts. The farmers blame the government. They say the machines provided by it are costly and not easily available for in situ management of stubble, a major cause of air pollution in Delhi and surrounding cities. The impact of farm fires has been visible on Delhi's air quality. The AQI of the Delhi-NCR region is getting worse and will deteriorate post- . To discourage the farmers from burning the residue, the government has been giving incentives and taking punitive steps. It offers an incentive of Rs 1,000 per acre for baling the stubble along with transportation charges of bales at Rs 500 per acre. In Haryana, where incidents of are significantly lower than that in Punjab, paddy is grown in about 4,800 villages. These villages largely fall in Karnal, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Jind and Sirsa districts. Under in situ management, 23 lakh metric tons (MT) crop residue is being utilised through various machines and decomposers, and 13 MT under ex-situ management. The Manohar Lal Khattar-led government is planning to buy paddy straw at the minimum support price (MSP). Farmers are being continuously made aware of the ill-effects of stubble burning, a spokesperson for the Agriculture Department told IANS. Paddy is currently sown over 34 lakh acres in . Out of this, 57 per cent of the area is under basmati which matures two weeks later than the non-basmati type. Incidents of farm fires suddenly spiked in the past one week and will continue to rise as the state has reported 664 incidents of till October 20. However, the incidents were far less than the 1,237 that were reported till this day last year. State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) data says the state reported 6,987 incidents of farm fires in the Kharif harvesting season of 2021 against 9,898 in 2020, registering a dip of 30 per cent in one year. Farmers in the state, however, are showing the way in stubble management. Taking the lead, a handful of farmers are opting for traditional manual methods of harvesting that are enabling them to protect the environment by minimising burning of crop residue. This is also helping the farmers earn additional income. Farmers of several villages in Karnal district are not burning the wheat and paddy stubble. The reason -- they are manually harvesting it and selling it to other farmers for use as fodder. In this way, each is earning Rs 5,000 per acre from selling paddy straw, say agricultural experts. The manual harvesting is helping meet the demand for dry fodder. Since 2020 the state government's scheme "Mera Pani Meri Virasat" is helping to minimise the burning issue. Under the scheme, farmers are provided Rs 7,000 per acre if they diversify more than 50 per cent of the land that they use to grow paddy. While the scheme is aimed at saving water, experts say crop diversification from rice will help the stubble problem. Grower Naresh Kainth of Kurukshetra told IANS that the machines provided by the government are not easily available for management of stubble. He said: "The farmers are aware about the ill-effects of . They also fear action for violation. The solution to the problem lies with the government to incentivise small and marginal farmers for hiring or purchasing machines to manage the residue." As per the government, a total of 72,777 machines have been provided to farmers through custom hiring centres and individually for stubble management in the past four years. This year 7,146 machines have been made available and these include baling unit, super seeder and zero till seed-cum-fertilizer drill. Like "Mera Pani Meri Virasat", the state has introduced "Kheti Khaali, Fir Bhi Khushali" scheme. The latter scheme fetches Rs 7,000 per acre incentive to farmers, if they do not grow any crop in their field during the paddy season. In another push towards switching over to alternative crops in place of water guzzler crops, the government is providing Rs 10,000 as incentive to farmers adopting agroforestry for three years. The schemes are basically aimed at saving water. Experts told IANS that crop diversification from rice will largely help solve the stubble problem. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) --IANS vg/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister of the Kingdom of and Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is expected to visit India next month, according to reports. The Saudi Crown Prince is likely to visit the country on November 14 while on his way to the G20 summit in Bali (Indonesia), reports quoting sources said. He is visiting India on Modi's invitation, they added. It would be a day-long visit. Earlier, Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman had visited India last week, which had coincided with the OPEC+ taking a decision to cut oil production. --IANS ans/uk (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 UK Queen consort Camilla has arrived in Bengaluru health centre along with King Charles III, police sources said on Sunday. She travelled by the British Airways flight and landed at the Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Thursday. The authorities are tight-lipped about the visit as they have been instructed not to reveal any information about it. The sources state that the UK Queen consort is undergoing holistic therapies for about 10 days. She is presently staying at the Soukhya, Holistic Health and Wellness Centre located close to the Whitefield. Royal Protection Squad members of elite force of the Scotland Yard had escorted them from the airport to the health centre, the sources said. The sources at the Soukhya said that Dr Issac Mathai, the Chairman, is the personal holistic physician for the visiting dignitaries. She has been visiting the health centre since 2010. --IANS mka/svn/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Elon Musk is now under censure by the Biden administration via a national security probe directed at his enterprises, despite his beneficial activities. The White House is questioning SpaceX, Starlink, and Twitter, which are major thrusts of the billionaire whose efforts benefit the US. US Government To Probe Elon Musk's Deals When Musk threatened to cut the use of his satellite service, which cost him $80 million, the Biden administration viewed it as friendliness to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The tweets of the SpaceX billionaire threatened the government, which had peace proposals that were good for Russia, and the move to buy Twitter with the help of foreign investors. Though the talks are underway, for now, the government and intelligence agencies are alarmed that the actions of the Tesla founder as contrary to the Biden administration, and measures to curb the billionaire are sought. One path Washington wants to take is to use the law on foreign investment in the US to stalk the self-made billionaire Elon Musk, noted Bloomberg. An inter-agency panel called CFIUS that looks into foreign investors' purchase of US businesses would assess the matter. The sale of Twitter for US $44 billion to foreign investors could prompt a CFIUS review with a national security probe. Part of the buying platform includes Saudi Arabia, Binance Holdings, and Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. CFIUS To Conduct Review The panel meets behind closed doors with no notification if reviews are done and can even probe finished deals. Read Also: Kim Jong-un Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is North Korea's Leader? According to a US Treasury Department spokesperson, the body does what it wants without notifying the subject of its probes, citing the Money Web. Recently the world's richest person posted on Twitter how to end the Ukraine conflict and made it clear that the satellite service, free of charge, will be shut down. Musk's public comments have frustrated US and EU officials but drew applause from adversaries. Musk Retains Satellite Link Services After much pressure from the Biden administration, SpaceX relented and will continue servicing the Ukrainians with free internet, but there is no assurance it will last, as it will continue to incur the cost of $20 million a month, reported SCMP. Sources said Musk's satellites are the only way to communicate in Ukraine when telecoms go down. The chief executive officer of the Tesla electric car brand is no stranger to Washington power plays and top contracts. After corporate lobbying in Congress, he entered the military and intelligence satellite operations industry, petitioning the United States Air Force for such a capability to compete with such a long-standing partnership between defense behemoths Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Through 2019, the Pentagon said it would evaluate Musk's federal security clearance after he smoked cannabis on a podcast. However, the outcomes of that inquiry are uncertain. A SpaceX official just at the moment, who asked not to be named, said that the review never had an influence on the firm. Musk's Starlink is crucial to NASA for its activities and the Pentagon, including the US Agency for International Development or USAID, when it paid a bit for satellite service. Elon Musk has proven to be a willing card that the Biden administration can't afford, so the national security probe is their means to reign him in. Related Article: US Attempts To Destabilize Tehran via Chaotic Actions To Compromise Government, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi Claims @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The district administration here has issued orders to attach three plots of land worth Rs 7.5 crore of gangster Mukhtar Ansari. Additional Superintendent of police (ASP) Tribhuvan Nath Tripathi said, "Gangster Mukhtar Ansari had bought three plots of land in the name of her mother using money earned from criminal activities." "The district administration issued orders for the attaching the plots under the provisions of Gangster Act on Saturday. The attachment will be done soon," he added. Mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is currently lodged in Banda jail of . (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of the Indian diaspora in France, along with friends of India, took to the streets in large numbers to demonstrate outside the embassy in to demand peace in Kashmir. The protest was organised on October 22 to mark the 75th year of the invasion of Kashmir by in 1947. The protest demonstration was led by elected representatives of Indian origin from local governments of cities near the region as well as members of various Indian diaspora associations. The elected representatives who spoke at the occasion were Selva Annamale, Municipal Councillor from the city of Montmagny and Freddy Patter, Municipal Councillor of the city of Eragny. Both called on to stop exporting terror to Kashmir. Similarly, the demonstrators condemned Pakistan for its continued policy of disrupting peace in Kashmir and spreading Islamist radicalism in the region. They also displayed posters on the timeline of Pakistan's invasion of Kashmir, and its attempts to obstruct development activities in the Kashmir region. Speakers highlighted the fast-paced development activities undertaken in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Indian and French flags were flown on the occasion and the national anthem of both countries were sung. October 22 is observed as the Pak Army-backed Tribal invasion in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. The intervening night of October 21-22, 1947 is considered the "Black Day" in the history of JK, which left a grim mark on the fate of the region. The tribal invasion of October 22, known as Operation Gulmarg, resulted in the death of thousands of innocent people and changed the course of Jammu and Kashmir's history. United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) organised protests in PoK and other parts of the world to mark Oct 22 as "Black Day." Protests were held around the world against the tribal invasion, looting, and massacre of state residents on October 22, 1947, which is the basis for the partition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Demonstrations were held worldwide, including the capital Muzaffarabad, in Europe, Britain, the United States and North America. (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 stepped away from the lectern outside No.10 Downing Street after resigning as leader of her party, it probably occurred to her that her time as prime minister will have been only as long as the leadership campaign that got her there. When Boris Johnson walked away from No.10 there was a sense in the United Kingdom that the time had come for stability, competence and the benefits of a boring politician who could steady the ship of state. Truss's sea legs have proved remarkably shaky. She has pulled off arguably the biggest coup in British political history by making Johnson's tenure look boring by comparison. Truss began as prime minister in September, proposing a radical agenda that she claimed was designed to kick start economic growth. But she had to row back on those plans almost immediately after the polar opposite happened. Her proposals triggered an immediate economic meltdown from which she never recovered. The shortness of her tenure does at least make it relatively easy to sum up where it all went wrong. I suggest there were five key elements at play in her rise and fall. Poor Truss practised poor from the very beginning of her tenure. She refused to appoint anyone into government that had not supported her campaign, leaving her with a limited pool of talent. Her stance that you were either a friend or an enemy (and enemies were out) gave her a reputation for revenge. Not a good start. There was an obvious lack of talent in her cabinet and after less than two months in office, Truss had to fire her chancellor and home secretary the two most senior positions in government below the PM. Poor party process But the cracks were emerging even before Truss took office as a direct result of the way the Conservative party elects its leaders. Truss ended up in the final round of the contest as much by default as anything else and did not enjoy the enthusiastic support of her parliamentary party. In order to win the leadership election, she sold herself to the rank and file of party members by offering them tax policies that were tailored entirely to their needs rather than reflecting the needs or priorities of the wider country. She adopted an awkward Thatcherite persona in presentational terms and a red meat strategy in policy terms. The overall effect was a new prime minister who was badly misaligned with both the public and her parliamentary party. Poor policy The level of misalignment was clear from the minute Truss's self-mutilating mini-budget was announced. Removing barriers on bankers bonuses and reducing business taxes was never going to land well in the middle of a cost of living crisis. The optics were all wrong, as any first-year student would know. Poor presentation Politics is, at the end of the day, a people business. You need to be able to communicate, resonate, connect and empathise. The most important form of intelligence for a prime minister is not therefore intellectual (we have experts) or financial (they have advisers) but emotional. The simple fact is that Truss never seemed to be able to relate or relax. The interview responses were always too mechanical, the body language too cardboard. Poor positioning If the troubles of Truss reveal one thing it is most probably the dangers of the British constitution. It remains a power-hoarding constitution where an incredibly small number of people can make massive decisions with very little, if any, scrutiny. Her sidelining of the Office for Budgetary Responsibility being a case in point. Poor, poor, poor might well provide a fitting epitaph for Truss's time in office but I cannot help but wonder if her experience is symptomatic of a far bigger issue. Is it too easy to blame Truss? If anything the last month has exposed a vacuum at the centre of British politics about ambition, imagination and vision. There really isn't any. In a post-Brexit context, filling this vacuum has to be the core concern of whomever next decides to accept the keys to No.10. (The Conversation) SCY SCY 10230848 NNNN PRI GEN INT .LONDON FGN5 UK-TRUSS-DOWNFALL-EXPLAINER resigns as prime minister: the five causes of her downfall explained By Matthew Flinders, Founding Director of the Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics, University of Sheffield London, Oct 23 (The Conversation) (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.) Norwegian oil and gas workers normally don't see anything more threatening than North Sea waves crashing against the steel legs of their offshore platforms. But lately they have noticed a more troubling sight: unidentified drones buzzing in the skies overhead. With replacing as Europe's main source of natural gas, military experts suspect the unmanned aircraft are Moscow's doings. They list espionage, sabotage and intimidation as possible motives for the drone flights. The Norwegian government has sent warships, coastguard vessels and fighter jets to patrol around the offshore facilities. Norway's national guard stationed soldiers around onshore refineries that also were buzzed by drones. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre has invited the navies of NATO allies Britain, France and Germany to help address what could be more than a Norwegian problem. Precious little of the offshore oil that provides vast income for is used by the country's 5.4 million inhabitants. Instead, it powers much of Europe. Natural gas is another commodity of continental significance. The value of Norwegian gas to Europe has never been higher, Stle Ulriksen, a researcher at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, said. As a strategic target for sabotage, Norwegian gas pipelines are probably the highest value target in Europe. Closures of airports, and evacuations of an oil refinery and a gas terminal last week due to drone sightings caused huge disruptions. But with winter approaching in Europe, there is worry the drones may portend a bigger threat to the 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles) of gas pipelines that spider from Norway's sea platforms to terminals in Britain and mainland Europe. Since the start of the war in Ukraine in late February, European Union countries have scrambled to replace their Russian gas imports with shipments from . The suspected sabotage of the Nordstream I and II pipelines in the Baltic Sea last month happened a day before Norway opened a new Baltic pipeline to Poland. Amund Revheim, who heads the North Sea and environment group for Norway's South West Police force, said his team interviewed more than 70 offshore workers who have spotted drones near their facilities. The working thesis is that they are controlled from vessels or submarines nearby, Revheim said. Winged drones have a longer range, but investigators considered credible a sighting of a helicopter-style bladed model near the Sleipner platform, located in a North Sea gas field 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the coast. Norwegian police have worked closely with military investigators who are analyzing marine traffic. Some platform operators have reported seeing Russian-flagged research vessels in close vicinity. Revheim said no pattern has been established from legal marine traffic and he is concerned about causing unnecessary, disruptive worry for workers. But Ulriksen, of the naval academy, said the distinction between Russian civilian and military ships is narrow and the reported research vessels could fairly be described as spy ships. The arrest of at least seven Russian nationals caught either carrying or illegally flying drones over Norwegian territory has raised tensions. On Wednesday, the same day a drone sighting grounded planes in Bergen, Norway's second-biggest city, the Norwegian Police Security Service took over the case from local officers. We have taken over the investigation because it is our job to investigate espionage and enforce sanction rules against Russia, Martin Bernsen, an official with the service known by the Norwegian acronym PST. He said the sabotage or possible mapping of energy infrastructure was an ongoing concern. Stre, the prime minister, warned that Norway would take action against foreign intelligence agencies. It is not acceptable for foreign intelligence to fly drones over Norwegian airports. Russians are not allowed to fly drones in Norway, he said. Russia's Embassy in Oslo hit back Thursday, claiming that Norway was experiencing a form of psychosis causing paranoia. Naval academy researcher thinks that is probably part of the plan. Several of the drones have been flown with their lights on, he said. They are supposed to be observed. I think it is an attempt to intimidate Norway and the West. The wider concern is that they are part of a hybrid strategy to both intimidate and gather information on vital infrastructure, which could later be targeted for sabotage in a potential strike against the West. I do not believe we are heading for a conventional war with Russia, Ulriksen said. But a hybrid war I think we are already in it. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) has requested to rollover its USD 6.3 billion that is maturing in the next eight months as part of its overall plan to arrange USD 34 billion in the current fiscal year to meet its and external trade-related obligations, according to a media report on Sunday. Another proposal was also under consideration to seek a fresh Chinese loan to repay the maturing bilateral during the fiscal year 2022-23, ending on June 30, the Express Tribune newspaper reported. The issue of rollover and refinancing of nearly USD 6.3 billion commercial loans and the central bank debt was discussed in a meeting between Chinese Ambassador to Nong Rong and Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday, the paper said. The USD 3.3 billion Chinese commercial loans and USD 3 billion worth of Safe deposits loans were maturing from now till June next year, according to the Ministry of Finance officials. The Safe deposit is on the balance sheet of the central bank. In addition to this, over USD 900 million in bilateral Chinese debt was becoming due during the current fiscal year. For the current fiscal year, the Monetary Fund and the Ministry of Finance have estimated Pakistan's gross external financing requirements in the range of USD 32 billion to USD 34 billion, excluding the impact of the recent devastating floods. has already obtained USD 2.2 billion in loans during the July-September quarter while Saudi Arabia has announced to rollover USD 3 billion debt maturing in December this year. The country still needs to arrange USD 29 billion and it is looking for a minimum of USD 6.3 billion to USD 7.2 billion rollover from in addition to any fresh lending. Citing sources, the paper said that this time the government was seeking rollover of the USD 3 billion Safe deposit for more than one year, preferably for three to five years. has extended a total of USD 4 billion in Safe deposits and out of this USD 1 billion has already been rolled over in July this year. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is visiting Beijing on November 1 with a long list of new projects and requests to rollover the existing debt, considering sanctioning new debt and preferential trade treatment for certain exportable goods. The cash-strapped country is under pressure from western institutions and the governments to seek rollover of Chinese debt, currently standing at USD 26.7 billion including public and publicly guaranteed debt. Chinese commercial loans cannot be rolled over but can be refinanced, which requires the government to first pay the maturing debt and then get it back. This consumes significant time, which in turn puts pressure on the foreign exchange reserves until the transaction is not reversed. China had taken three months' time in refinancing a USD 2.3 billion commercial loan that Pakistan paid back in March. Pakistan's gross foreign exchange reserves currently stand at USD 7.5 billion. The finance minister also appreciated the support extended by the Chinese leadership for flood relief and refinancing of syndicate facilities of RMB 15 billion (USD 2.24 billion) to Pakistan," according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance after the meeting. The statement suggests that both sides discussed the issue of commercial loan refinancing. Fitch -- the credit rating agency -- on Friday highlighted the contradictory debt rollover statements given by Pakistani policymakers. The previous finance minister said before resigning that Pakistan would seek debt relief from non-commercial creditors. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also appealed for debt relief within the Paris Club framework. More recently, however, the Minister of Finance (Ishaq Dar) publicly ruled this out, Fitch stated. Fitch downgraded Pakistan to the highly risky debt category. Dar took the right decision to withdraw the motion of seeking Paris Club debt restructuring. The Paris Club debt rescheduling decision was unnerving the global markets. The finance minister further highlighted the economic challenges and policies of the present government with the aim to bring about economic and fiscal stability, his ministry stated. Sources said that both sides also discussed the issue of outstanding Chinese dues on account of payments to the Chinese Independent Power Producers for the cost of the electricity purchase. Pakistan is expected to solve the lingering issue of opening a bank account to save Chinese companies from the vicious cycle of circular debt before the prime minister's visit. The proposed visit of Sharif to China was also discussed in the meeting and both sides hoped that it would enhance bilateral relations between both countries, the finance ministry said. Dar assured his full support for the successful implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, according to the statement. Rong reaffirmed the Chinese government's continued support to Pakistan and thanked Islamabad for facilitating Chinese companies in various projects in the country, it added. Rong also assured full support and cooperation of the Chinese government in developing Special Economic Zones as part of CPEC. The issue of changing the design and scope of a much-delayed 300 megawatts Gwadar imported coal-fired power plant also came under discussion. Pakistan wants to shelve the plan due to the high cost of imported fuel and its preference for local resources. The China Communications Construction Group (CCCG) had planned to set up the plant at a cost of USD 542 million. But diplomatic sources said the Chinese government was not keen to either change the fuel to LNG or use Thar coal due to its high cost. Pakistan cannot make any unilateral change in the project and will have to place its decision before the JCC for endorsement, which makes strategic planning for CPEC. The JCC meeting is scheduled to be held on October 27, according to the paper. The Monetary Fund (IMF) on August 29 approved the release of a USD 1.17 billion tranche to the cash-strapped country, providing much-needed budgetary support to meet fiscal and external deficits. Despite the disbursal of the IMF tranche, the economic situation remains precarious. The devastating floods, which have left more than 1,700 dead and displaced more than 30 million persons, added to Pakistan's forex woes, with an estimated loss of over USD 30 billion to the . (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-installed authorities in Ukraine told all residents of the city of Kherson to leave immediately Saturday ahead of an expected advance by Ukrainian troops waging a counteroffensive to recapture one of the first urban areas Russia took after invading the country. In a post on the Telegram messaging service, the pro-Kremlin regional administration strongly urged civilians to use boat crossings over a major river to move deeper into Russian-held territory, citing a tense situation on the front and the threat of shelling and alleged plans for terror attacks by Kyiv. Kherson has been in Russian hands since the early days of the nearly 8-month-long war in Ukraine. The city is the capital of a region of the same name, one of four that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month and put under Russian martial law on Thursday. On Friday, Ukrainian forces bombarded Russian positions across the province, targeting pro-Kremlin forces' resupply routes across the Dnieper River and preparing for a final push to reclaim the city. The Ukrainian military has reclaimed broad areas in the north of the region since launching a counteroffensive in late August. It reported new successes Saturday, saying that Russian troops were forced to retreat from the villages of Charivne and Chkalove in the Beryslav district. Russian-installed officials were reported as trying desperately to turn Kherson city a prime objective for both sides because of its key industries and ports into a fortress while attempting to relocate tens of thousands of residents. The Kremlin poured as many as 2,000 draftees into the surrounding region to replenish losses and strengthen front-line units, according to the Ukrainian army's general staff. The wide Dnieper River figures as a major factor in the fighting, making it hard for Russia to supply its troops defending the city of Kherson and nearby areas on the west bank after relentless Ukrainian strikes rendered the main crossings unusable. Taking control of Kherson has allowed Russia to resume fresh water supplies from the Dnieper to Crimea, which were cut by Ukraine after Moscow's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula. A big hydroelectric power plant upstream from Kherson city is a key source of energy for the southern region. Ukraine and Russia accused each other of trying to blow it up to flood the mostly flat region. Kherson's Kremlin-backed authorities previously announced plans to evacuate all Russia-appointed officials and as many as 60,000 civilians across the river, in what local leader Vladimir Saldo said would be an organized, gradual displacement. Another Russia-installed official estimated Saturday that around 25,000 people from across the region had made their way over the Dnieper. In a Telegram post, Kirill Stremousov claimed that civilians were relocating willingly. People are actively moving because today the priority is life. We do not drag anyone anywhere, he said, adding that some residents could be waiting for the Ukrainian army to reclaim the city. Ukrainian and Western officials have expressed concern about potential forced transfers of residents to Russia or Russian-occupied territory. Ukrainian officials urged Kherson residents to resist attempts to relocate them, with one local official alleging that Moscow wanted to take civilians hostage and use them as human shields. Elsewhere in the invaded country, hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up on Saturday to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire. In its latest war tactic, Russia has intensified strikes on power stations, water supply systems and other key infrastructure across the country. Ukraine's air force said in a statement Saturday that Russia had launched a massive missile attack" targeting critical infrastructure, adding that it had downed 18 out of 33 cruise missiles launched from the air and sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said that Russian launched 36 missiles, most of which were shot down. Those treacherous blows on critically important facilities are characteristic tactics of terrorists, Zelenskyy said. The world can and must stop this terror. Air raid sirens blared across Ukraine twice by early afternoon, sending residents scurrying into shelters as Ukrainian air defense tried to shoot down explosive drones and incoming missiles. Several rockets targeting Ukraine's capital were shot down Saturday morning, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging service. The president's office said in its morning update that five suicide drones were downed in the central Cherkasy region southeast of Kyiv. Similar reports came from the governors of six western and central provinces, as well as of the southern Odesa region on the Black Sea. Ukraine's top diplomat said the day's attacks proved Ukraine needed new Western-reinforced air defense systems without a minute of delay. Air defense saves lives, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Telegram that almost 1.4 million households lost power as a result of the strikes. He said some 672,000 homes in the western Khmelnytskyi region were affected and another 242,000 suffered outages in the Cherkasy region. Most of the western city of Khmelnytskyi, which straddles the Bug River and had a pre-war population of 275,000, was left with no electricity, shortly after local media reported several loud explosions. In a social media post on Saturday, the city council urged local residents to store water in case it's also gone within an hour. The mayor of Lutsk, a city of 215,000 in far western Ukraine, made a similar appeal, saying that power in the city was partially knocked out after Russian missiles slammed into local energy facilities and damaged one power plant beyond repair. The central city of Uman, a key pilgrimage center for Hasidic Jews with about 100,000 residents before the war, also was plunged into darkness after a rocket hit a nearby power plant. Ukraine's state energy company, Ukrenergo, responded to the strikes by announcing that rolling blackouts would be imposed in Kyiv and 10 Ukrainian regions to stabilize the situation. In a Facebook post on Saturday, the company accused Russia of attacking energy facilities within the principal networks of the western regions of Ukraine." It claimed the scale of destruction was comparable to the fallout earlier this month from Moscow's first coordinated attack on the Ukrainian energy grid. Both Ukrenergo and officials in Kyiv have urged Ukrainians to conserve energy. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy called on consumers to curb their power use between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. and to avoid using energy-guzzling appliances such as electric heaters. Zelenskyy said earlier in the week that 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been destroyed since Russia launched the first wave of targeted infrastructure strikes on Oct. 10. In a separate development, Russian officials said two people were killed and 12 others were wounded by Ukrainian shelling of the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region near the border. (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.) Indian-origin former chancellor on Sunday formally declared his candidacy to contest the Conservative Party leadership election to replace Liz Truss as British Prime Minister and fix the economy. The 42-year-old is the clear frontrunner as he raced ahead with the backing of at least 128 Tory members of Parliament, even as loyalists of his former boss Boris Johnson claimed he has the necessary 100 MPs needed to make it to the shortlist. While the former Tory leader and prime minister is yet to officially declare his candidacy, the contest is shaping up as a three-way fight including third-placed Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt. The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis, Sunak tweeted in his campaign pitch. That's why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country, he said. In an accompanying vision statement, the former finance minister highlighted his track record of serving in the Cabinet, helping to steer the economy through the toughest of times with the COVID pandemic. The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities if we make the right choice are phenomenal. I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto, he writes. There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done. I am asking you for the opportunity to help fix our problems, he said. The much-anticipated declaration came following reports of so-called power-sharing talks between Sunak and Johnson, which supporters say sought to find common ground within a deeply divided Tory party. I don't think there's any issue around deals here and that's not the right way to proceed, former deputy prime minister and Sunak supporter Dominic Raab told the BBC. What they [Sunak and Johnson] did have is a very good conversation around the need for unity and the momentum and growing number and also range for Rishi, that he is the best placed because he has got the breadth of support, he said, adding that support for Sunak from within the party was growing by the hour. Candidates have until 2pm local time on Monday to be included on the ballot paper, with successful candidates requiring the support of at least 100 Conservative MPs. The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis. Thats why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country. pic.twitter.com/BppG9CytAK (@RishiSunak) October 23, 2022 If any one candidate crosses the 156-MPs mark before then, the shortlist would automatically shorten to two candidates given the Tory House of Commons tally of 357 MPs. If there is a three-way clash, MPs will hold an indicative ballot on Monday to put forward the final two shortlisted candidates for an expedited online vote by around 170,000 Tory members, with the new leader elected by next Friday. In case the party can internally unite behind one candidate, then the new leader and Prime Minister could be in place by Monday evening. A number of Tory ministers, including former leadership contenders Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Security Minister Tom Tugendhat who had backed Truss in the last race, have come out in support of Sunak. It is reflective of the overwhelming support he received from his colleagues back in July, soon after Boris Johnson resigned in the wake of the COVID lockdown law-breaking partygate scandal. Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy, recently adopted a low-key stance after losing out in the wider party membership vote to Truss last month. But his allies, analysts and media reports have been very vocal in pointing out how his campaign forewarnings of much of the economic chaos that followed Truss' tax-cutting mini-budget had come to pass. During the previous Tory leadership contest which ran between July and early September, Sunak called the tax cuts proposed by Truss as "immoral" and warned about the need for fiscal responsibility as opposed to fairytale economics. Meanwhile, the Opposition parties have been clamouring for a general election in order to give the electorate a say in the wake of the governing party's shambles. All those that are going to literally go along with this chaos, rather than allowing us to transition to a stable Labour government, are putting party first not country first, and that's the wrong way around, said Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer. The Scottish National Party (SNP) have called on Labour to call a vote of no confidence in the Conservative government and force a general election. However, the governing party insists it has the electoral mandate from the 2019 general election, won by Boris Johnson, and any vote on an early poll is unlikely to be forced through given the Tory majority in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Truss on Thursday announced her resignation after an open revolt against her leadership in the Conservative Party. Brexiteer Baker says Johnson premiership would implode (Bloomberg) A prominent member of the Tory right has come out in support of as the UKs next Prime Minister and declared that if former premier Boris Johnson won the contest it would be a guaranteed disaster. Steve Baker (pictured), a Northern Ireland minister and prominent Brexiteer who backed Johnson in the 2019 general election, told Sky News that an ethics inquiry into issues including parties during coronavirus lockdowns meant that a Johnson premiership would be bound to implode. Baker said that was needed now was stability and professionalism and that he had spoken to Sunak, the former chancellor of the exchequer, three times in the last 24 hours. (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.) Two Dallas hospital employees were killed in a shooting inside the hospital and the suspected gunman was shot and wounded by police, authorities said. The shooting occurred about 11 am Saturday inside Methodist Health System, according to hospital spokesperson Ryan Owens. A Methodist Health System Police Officer arrived on the scene, confronted the suspect, and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him, Owens said in a statement. The names of the victims and their positions at the hospital were not immediately released. The hospital system said in a statement that it was mourning the deaths. The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members, according to the statement attributed to the system's leadership. Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy. The suspect, whose name also was not immediately released, was taken to another hospital in undisclosed condition and under police custody, Owens said. Dallas police referred questions to hospital police, who did not return phone calls for comment. The shooting follows hospital shootings in September in Little Rock, Arkansas, that killed a visitor and one in June in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that left four dead. (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 United Kingdom has decided to move Sri Lankan seeking asylum from the British-claimed Chagos Islands to 'a safe third country,' unless they returned to 'voluntarily'. UK has told the asylum seekers that if they cannot be returned to they will instead be removed to another undisclosed country. Atleast 120 Sri Lankans are believed to be housed in a fenced encampment in Diego Garcia, an island in Chagos Archipelago, reported The Island. Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is disputed between Mauritius and the United Kingdom. The United Nations ruled belonged to Mauritius and ruled it should be handed back to Mauritius. Those who represent the interests of the Sri Lankans want the UK to allow them to settle in the UK. Over the issue, Global Tamil Forum, an independent, advocacy organization, which adheres to the principles of democracy and non-violence, and works in solidarity with Tamil-speaking people in and other communities in Sri Lanka said it will not get involved in the ongoing controversy. The Island sought the GTF's response to the hotly disputed British action of refusing asylum in UK. It asked whether the issue at hand would be raised at the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Responding to this the GTF spokesperson, Suren Surendiran, said, "The GTF, as an organization that functions internationally and not specifically in a specific country as such, doesn't usually get involved in country-specific matters, outside of Sri Lanka. The GTF is predominantly an advocacy organization. There are various country-specific Tamil organizations. There are also Tamil institutions/organizations, including legal firms, acting and lobbying on immigration policies in the UK and in various other countries." The Maritime Law Tribunal of the United Nations, the United Nations General Assembly and the Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Chagos Islands belonged to Mauritius, reported The Island. Some who had been 'held' in the disputed UK territory returned "voluntarily" to Sri Lanka. UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister, Jesse Norman, recently told Parliament so far over 60 Sri Lankans voluntarily returned home. Meanwhile, Australia has reiterated that illegal Sri Lankan immigrants wouldn't be tolerated, under any circumstances. In separate statements, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil, Australian Border Force Commissioner, Michael Outram, and Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) Joint Agency Task Force (JATF) Commander Rear Admiral Justin Jones, have issued dire warnings that those who violated their laws would be dealt with, reported The Island. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President for South Asia, Martin Raiser on Sunday advised to take internal measures along with help from the community by implementing to recover from the cataclysmic . In an interview with Geo News, Raiser talked about Pakistan's situation after facing heavy flooding and said that the country has been badly affected by climate change. He said that the depth of the crisis is unprecedented and added that needs a roadmap for flood recovery. "In order to recover from the devastations caused by floods, needs a roadmap," said Raiser. The vice president of the global lender said that the community needs to help Pakistan, however, Islamabad also needs to implement financial reforms, reported Geo News. Raiser said Pakistan would have to take internal steps as the citizens are already disturbed by massive electricity bills. "This is why the [authorities] are facing losses in distribution and the prices are high," he said. In this regard, he suggested that it was imperative for Pakistan to bring reforms to its energy sector. The vice president also said that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has assured implementation of reforms as they are important for long-term investment, reported Geo News. On Friday, the said that Pakistan will have to take "tough" decisions for and hoped that the country will focus on reforms as promised. "We acknowledge that it will be difficult for Pakistan to work on the reforms considering the country's economic situation after the as they have caused enormous damage," said the . This year's unprecedented flood situation has left one-third of Pakistan underwater and affected approximately 33 million people. The ongoing crisis has left many regions uninhabitable and unsafe and also caused estimated damage of USD 10 billion. (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 criminal tax-fraud trial for the Trump Organization commences on Monday, and the verdict may deliver a serious blow to the family business and the political career of former United States President Donald Trump. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has accused two Trump Organization businesses of a 15-year tax fraud conspiracy, according to Time. Prosecutors say the method permitted CEOs to underreport income by receiving huge chunks of their salary in concealment. In its not-guilty plea, the Trump Organization has denied the allegations. The corporations might be hit with significant fines if proven guilty. Allen Weisselberg, 75, the longstanding CFO of the Trump Organization, has also been accused by prosecutors of being behind the plan. Weisselberg admitted guilt on all 15 counts of felonies on August 18. These crimes included colluding with the Trump Organization, Bloomberg reported. Depending on his evidence in the New York City trial that starts on Monday, Weisselberg was given a sentence of five months behind bars and five years probation. The Manhattan District Attorney's office has not filed any criminal charges against Donald Trump or any of his children. This trial, however, has the potential to shed new light on the internal workings of the firm that occupied much of Trump's life before he became president. Weisselberg's Involvement The Washington Post reported that Weisselberg has been portrayed by prosecutors as the case's central figure because of his alleged role as the core of a 15-year tax dodging conspiracy including untaxed goodies such as fancy automobiles and pricey houses for business officials. In 1973, Weisselberg started working for the Trump Organization. Weisselberg started as an accountant and comptroller before working his way up to CFO. A lawsuit was filed on July 1, 2021, naming Weisselberg and other executives who "earned considerable percentages of their income through roundabout and "disguised means." Read Also: Boris Johnson Leads Race To Replace Liz Truss as Prime Minister Trump Organization attorneys have argued this action is politically motivated "selective prosecution," but the judge supervising the case has dismissed such claims. Both the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Cyrus Vance, who launched the probe, are Democrats. The Trump Organization's legal team also claims that the government provided no proof of payroll tax evasion to the grand jury that issued the indictment. A number of the firm's officials reportedly neglected to record fringe benefits on their individual tax filings, which is why prosecutors are pursuing punishment for the firm. Expert Sees Strong Case Against Trump's Company According to Bridget Crawford, a law professor at Pace University in New York who specializes in income tax and companies, the fact that the Trump Organization was making off-the-books payments for so many years may assist prosecutors to establish their case to the jury that they aimed to break the law, per Reuters. Crawford noted that it could be a mistake not to file a report at least once, adding that "failure to report over some time is fraud" because ignoring tax responsibilities deliberately. All seasoned and smart individuals are aware of their tax responsibilities, thus ignoring them deliberately constitutes fraud against the government, the expert added. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil fraud lawsuit on September 21 against the Trump Organization, Trump, and three of his adult children, alleging that they had inflated the value of their assets and their father's net worth to obtain more favorable terms from financial institutions and insurance providers. This case is unrelated to the criminal investigation. According to Donald Trump, both the civil lawsuit launched by James and the criminal charges sought by Bragg are motivated by politics. Related Article: Donald Trump's Ex-Adviser Steve Bannon Sentenced To 4 Months Jail Time For Contempt of Congress @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Official Language Committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, submitted a report regarding the to President Droupadi Murmu in September, following which voices of protest have started rising in some states. Expressing displeasure, the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala said that Hindi is being imposed on their states by the central government. Bhartruhari Mahtab, Vice-Chairman of the Official Language Parliamentary Committee, spoke exclusively with IANS that the Chief Ministers of both the states are giving statements on misleading news and that the committee would not do anything like this. Q: The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have said that Hindi is being imposed on them. What does the committee have to say? A: I can give my views and feedback, but not on behalf of the committee. This talk is baseless. Tamil Nadu is exempted under the Official Language Act, hence the rules are not applicable there. It is not that they do not know this, yet they are still raising this issue. As for Kerala, Hindi is not being imposed on any state. Both Hindi and English have been included in the 1976 Act. It has only been said from our side that (a) the use of Hindi should be increased in the central government institutions. The terminology used by some media houses is misleading and wrong. Q: What changes are being made by the committee this time in the new report? A: The Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu who hold constitutional posts must know this. Why will something that has not been changed for 46 years, change now? There is no scope for any change. We have sent the 11th clause of the report to the President. Nine clauses have already come into force. The remaining 10th and 11th are under consideration of the President. Our new report is confidential as of now. Q: If there have not been some changes in the report, then why are some states raising this issue? A: They may have a desire to take some political advantage. I cannot comment, they are aware of this, yet are raising the issue. Q: Are the states divided into 3 categories? A: We did not make this arrangement. It has been in existence since 1976, since Indira Gandhi's government. No changes have been made to this. Q: What provisions are being made in this report regarding Hindi for the non-Hindi speaking states which have been kept in the third category? A: In non-Hindi speaking states like Kerala, Telangana, Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, it has been said that at least 55 per cent of the work in central government institutions should be done in Hindi. This arrangement has already been in place. No changes have been made to this. The state government can work in their own language as this is only for central government offices and institutions. Q: Is Hindi being made the medium of instruction in the educational institutions of the central government located in the states? A: This is happening, the process has been going on for years. (The Committee of Parliament on Official Language was constituted in 1976 under Section 4 of the Official Languages Act, 1963. It was formed to review and promote the use of Hindi in official communication.) --IANS spt/fs/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The has come up with a new political strategy to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Assembly elections to be held in next year. While the is keen to teach a lesson to those MLAs who toppled its government in the state by defecting to the BJP, the grand old party's political chances will rest solely on state president and former Chief Minister . The Congress came to power in in 2018 after a decade-and-a-half but its own MLAs toppled the government after 22 Congress MLAs along with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party, taking the total number of Congress MLAs quitting the party to 29. has promised to defeat those MLAs who defected from the Congress and toppled its government in 2019. The Congress has increased deployment of its party workers in those constituencies won by the defected MLAs. Recently, the state Congress president visited the Malhara Assembly constituency in Chhatarpur district and slammed the BJP-led state government. The current BJP MLA from the same constituency is Pradyuman Singh Lodhi. Lodhi had quit the Congress in 2020 and joined the BJP. In 2003, Uma Bharti was also elected as an MLA from the same constituency. Congress sources say that Kamal Nath's primary emphasis is on those Assembly constituencies where the sitting MLAs quit the Congress, joined the BJP and won the Assembly elections. has started the poll campaigning from Malhara constituency and in the coming days he will visit those areas whose MLAs quit the Congress and joined the BJP. 'Ek Nath, Kamal Nath' is the slogan. The Congress is preparing to fight the upcoming Assembly elections unitedly. Nath is making all efforts to unite the Congress leaders. However, the presence of many prominent Congress leaders is not visible on the ground. Nath is the only visible Congress leader ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Political analysts believe that there will be a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP in the Assembly elections. The party organisation of both the political parties will play a major role in this election. While the BJP is continuously campaigning at the booth level, the Congress will also have to strengthen its presence there. The BJP has a long list of poll campaigners while Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are the only prominent Congress leaders. In such a situation, whichever party is successful in deploying its party workers and prepares an effective strategy will ultimately win the 2023 Assembly elections. --IANS snp/khz/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The debate on Hindi imposition has been raging in ever since the Committee of Parliament on Official Language headed by Union Minister Amit Shah submitted its report to the President. Kannada groups and political parties are raising concern over Hindi imposition and especially the fear that alleged Hindi obsession of the ruling BJP would ruin the 'centres of excellence' run by the Central government. Since, the recommendations by the committee are not found in the public domain, the fear of Hindi imposition is being debated. Various groups are suggested the government should emulate the Tamil Nadu model of passing a resolution in the state legislature against imposition of . Sanneerappa, General Secretary of Rakshana Vedike, told IANS stated that initially, the Central government talked about the language of the land. Later, because the institutions are funded and run by the Central government, indirectly will be imposed. "There shall not be any doubt about it. That is what happened with the railways, banking and post office. Likewise, the imposition will be made here as well. Our government should also pass a resolution against Hindi like the Tamil Nadu government headed by the ruling DMK party," he explains. "We can only believe the present government should bring a resolution in the assembly session, like how they did with other issues," he underlined. He further said that gradual attempts will be made to say that since the central government provides funds, their diktats have to be followed. It will be brought under legal framework also, he adds. Sanneerappa said that currently, the Central government will not "dare" on the Hindi imposition as the parliamentary elections are nearing. "If BJP comes to power again, they have one line agenda, one nation, one language and one religion," he observed. Their intention is to finish off regional parties and they are carrying out. Hindi imposition will face stiff resistance, Since political parties like JD (S) have taken up the issue and opposition leader Siddaramaiah is very vocal about Hindi imposition, things won't be so easy. Ruling BJP in Karnataka will be forced to support the cause of Kannada language, Sanneerappa explains. Arun Javagal, who is a part of Banavasi Balaga, a group of professionals working towards Kannada language and State Organizational Secretary of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike says the official report is nowhere to be found in public domain. "They have said would be used in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) institutions in Hindi states. "Nowhere they have stated that it would be there for non-Hindi states. It is not clear. How to give an opinion without seeing the report is the question. The process of providing education in local regional languages -- if it is brought slowly, might help. It is not possible to implement the policy immediately," he said. If the attempts are made to give education in centres of excellence only in Hindi and not in other regional languages, it would become a crisis, he underlined. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has spoken about many things. In Karnataka also it should be done. Otherwise, it would be assumed that there is no one to question and it would give license to do whatever comes to mind, Arun Javagal said. Article 344 of the Indian Constitution clearly suggests how to minimize English and bring Hindi in its place. The backing for the committee headed by Amit Shah comes from the constitution, he stated. "Today Congress is talking against the committee. But, they have given similar recommendations earlier. Out of 11 recommendations made so far, eight recommendations made by Congress governments are more dreadful. They recommend issuing advertisements by the Indian government only in Hindi and railway tickets to be issued only in Hindi. They are working as per the constitution. The root case is not identified," he explained. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah had taken to social media and launched an attack on the ruling BJP over Hindi language imposition and neglect of local Kannada language. He chided that the government headed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is trampling Kannada language repeatedly and glorifying Hindi language only to please the central BJP leaders and "this is highly condemnable", Siddaramaiah stated. Former Chief Minister from JD (S) party H.D. Kumaraswamy had come down heavily on the central government by stating that ruling BJP at the Centre is conspiring to make Bharat into a Hindistan by imposing Hindi language. Kumaraswamy had slammed that the report submitted by the Committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the President is shocking. It will ensure destruction of federalism in the country. The Union government had continued its old habit. It is enacting a fake drama to control the whole of India through a hidden agenda, he said. "After reading about the recommendations, I was shocked," he maintained. "The recommendations of the report have potential to break the federal structure into pieces," he reiterated. If Hindi is imposed on India just because BJP has got a majority, India is going to suffer in the name of language. Bharat does not stand for Hindu and Hindi. It belongs to all, Kumaraswamy had stated. --IANS mka/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.) The on Saturday alleged that the Left Front could rule for long years because of a "backdoor understanding" with the . state president Rajib Bhattacharjee said although the two parties dominated since its statehood in 1972, the saffron party changed the state's "political arithmetic" by winning 36 seats in the 60-member House in the 2018 assembly elections, thus pushing to the margins. "During elections, CPI(M) used to assert that the Left Front will win 50 seats, while claimed it will return to power. When results were declared, the Left's assertion came true, while leaders of the grand old party went incommunicado," he said at a party programme in Gandacherra in Dhalai district. "People of the state are well aware of the tricky of both the Left and the Congress. The political alignment between the two parties, that are advocating for an alliance among the secular forces, is not new in the state," he said, while urging the party leaders and supporters to "remain alert" about the poll tactics of CPI(M), Congress and the newly floated Tipra Motha. Asserting that the will sweep the 2023 assembly election with a massive mandate, Bhattacharjee said the saffron party doesn't believe in terror tactics but "will not spare those trying to create trouble". Bhattacharjee shot back at the opposition's allegations of deterioration in law and order, saying, "The opposition forgets the murders of Left Front minister Bimal Sinha and Sub-divisional Magistrate Sukhram Debbarma that took place during the Left rule. Their families haven't got justice yet." As many as 1,504 supporters of other parties joined the BJP at the rally. Rubbishing the BJP state president's allegation as baseless, CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury said, "We don't have any direct or indirect understanding with the Congress. We are calling for all democratic forces to come forward to restore democratic values in the state. We never appealed for an alliance with the Congress." Senior Congress leader and former MLA Asish Saha said, "The Congress has a long tradition of fight against CPI(M) in . The BJP was nowhere when we fought the Left in the state." The Left Front ruled the state for 35 years in two separate terms from 1978-88 and then from 1993-2018. The Congress ruled from 1972-78 and from 1988-93. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) will be attending President-elect Mallikarjun Kharge's coronation as chief on Wednesday while the Bharat Jodo Yatra has taken a Diwali break. "A large number of Bharat Yatris have gone home for Diwali beginning 10 a.m. today. @RahulGandhi will be attending the AICC function for Khargeji on Oct 26th. #BharatJodoYatra will resume on Oct 27th from Mahbubnagar district in Telangana," Jairam Ramesh tweeted. For the function, an invite has been sent by party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, "Function for the presentation of certificate of election to the newly elected President Shri will be held on Wednesday the 26th October 2022 at 10.30 a.m. at AICC Headquarters, 24 Akbar Road, New Delhi. You are cordially invited to attend the function." The Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra that is being led by former party president will take a "Diwali break" from October 24 to October 26, and resume on October 27. "#BharatJodoYatra will be taking a break for Diwali on Oct 24th and 25th, and on Oct 26th for the presentation of the election certificate to Mallikarjun Kharge-ji. The Yatra will resume in Telangana in the early hours of Oct 27," general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet on Thursday. after completing the 22-day leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka attacked the state government and alleged that "40 per cent commission government" was running in the state, and its diverse culture was being distorted. In a statement on Sunday, he said, "The state that once spearheaded India's growth story is now known all over for the '40 per cent Commission' government that exemplifies the BJP's model of suit, boot, loot sarkar. Corruption at an unprecedented scale-pay for jobs, pay for contracts, pay for public services...there is nothing that is not up for sale for the BJP in Karnataka. The erosion of social harmony and the public sector is paralysing economic progress and hitting the poor and vulnerable the hardest." --IANS miz/uk (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 Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra has either stayed or reversed at least half a dozen decisions taken by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime including shifting of the Aarey Metro car shed and restoring general consent to the CBI to probe cases in the state. The latest decision of the state government, which completed 100 days in the office earlier this month, vis-a-vis the Central Bureau of Investigation was significant given the then Shiv Sena-led MVA government had withdrawn the consent to the probe agency citing its "misuse to settle political scores". The incumbent government was formed after rebelled against Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and walked out with at least 40 of the 55 MLAs, leading to the collapse of the MVA government. Shinde took oath as the chief minister with Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy in June this year. Notably, after coming to power in November 2019, the then MVA government comprising Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress scrapped certain policy decisions of its predecessor BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Fadnavis. The Shinde government decided to bring back the four policy decisions taken by the Fadnavis government during 2014-2019 but were subsequently scrapped by the MVA regime. These decisions include restoring the voting rights of farmers to Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) markets, restarting pension for the people jailed during the Emergency, and electing village heads and municipal council presidents directly from the people. The Maharashtra Agriculture Produce and Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act 1963 allows only members of gram panchayats, agriculture credit societies, and multi-purpose cooperative societies, to elect the members of APMCs. In August 2017, the then BJP-Shiv Sena government brought an amendment to the legislation and gave farmers the right to elect the members and chairpersons of APMCs in the area where they sell their produce. In January 2020, the MVA government cancelled this provision and went back to the older procedure wherein members of gram panchayats, multi-purpose co-operative societies, and agriculture credit societies elected the APMC board, claiming the APMC does not have enough funds to conduct elections on such a large scale. The Shinde government decided to restore the voting rights of farmers who own 0.25 acre (1,000 square metres) of land and have sold their produce in the APMC market at least three times in the last five years where he or she seeks to be a voter. The electoral changes were seen as a bid by the government to break the stronghold of the NCP and Congress in the cooperative sector and local bodies. Pension for activists who were jailed during the Emergency was also reinstated by the Shinde government. Those who were jailed for more than a month during the Emergency will get Rs 10,000 pension from August 1. If the person is deceased, his/her spouse will get Rs 5,000 as a pension. In case the jail term was less than one month, then the figures will stand at Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,500 respectively. The decision was first implemented by the Fadnavis government in 2017 but was reversed by the MVA government in 2020 which claimed that most of the beneficiaries were affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The new government also revoked the MVA's decision to scrap the direct election of sarpanch and municipal council president. It also decided to allow the direct election of the sarpanch (village head) for local self-government bodies (gram panchayats). The state government has decided to add a provision that the gram panchayat will not be able to move a no-confidence motion against the sarpanch or deputy sarpanch in the first two years after the election and six months before the next election. Similarly, the incumbent government also decided to elect municipal council presidents directly from the people by bringing an amendment to the Maharashtra Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat, and Industrial Towns Act, 1965. The erstwhile Fadnavis government in 2017 made the amendment to make way for the direct election of sarpanches. This was done to make inroads in village panchayats, traditionally controlled by the Congress and NCP, even though the elections are rarely contested on party symbols. In January 2020, the then MVA government decided to overturn this decision claiming the differences between ideologies of sarpanchs and members of gram panchayats were a hurdle in developmental work. In the first cabinet meeting after taking over, the Shinde government stayed the shifting of the Metro car shed from green lung Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg in Mumbai. Incidentally, shifting the Metro car shed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg was the first decision taken by the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA dispensation in 2019. In March 2021, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) told the High Court that the Kanjurmarg plot was better suited than the Aarey as the land admeasuring 102 acres from survey No. 275 of village Kanjur was required for constructing the car shed for Metro lines 3,4 and 6 and also an interchange station for proposed line 14. The incumbent government has also cancelled development projects worth Rs 850 crore from the rural development department and fund allocation from district planning committees, which were decided by the previous MVA government, arguing the allocation of funds and projects was unequal as only NCP MLAs were favoured. (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 recommendation of a parliamentary committee that the medium of instruction in technical and non-technical higher educational institutes such as IITs should be Hindi has met with strong opposition from the state's ruling party, the Rashtra Samithi (TRS). As a party which fought for state and claims to be the only true representative of the sentiment, the TRS was quick to oppose the recommendation saying it is against any move to impose Hindi. The party is of the view that India does not have a language and Hindi is one among the many official languages. The TRS, which recently decided to go by changing its name to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), was quick to latch on to the issue as political analysts say it gels well with its focus on federalism. A bitter critic of the Narendra Modi government, the TRS believes that the Centre is flouting the federal spirit. It is of the strong view that Indians should have a choice of language. Telangana is considered as a mini-India because of its true cosmopolitan nature and the language sentiments here are not as strong as in Tamil Nadu or Karnataka but in recent times attempts to impose Hindi have evoked strong opposition. Not confining itself to merely issuing a statement, the TRS this time wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to oppose the move. TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao wrote to Modi strongly opposing the move to make Hindi a medium of instruction in all technical and non-technical educational institutions including central universities. Rama Rao (also known as KTR) termed the recommendation of the parliamentary committee as unconstitutional and demanded that it should be withdrawn. KTR detailed the far reaching disastrous impact of the unconstitutional recommendation on the future of current and future generations, the division it could create between various parts of India, and other crucial aspects. The son of TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao highlighted how indirect imposition of Hindi is currently ruining the lives of crores of youngsters. He wrote that students who pursue education in regional languages are losing out on central government job opportunities as questions in qualifying tests for the central jobs are in Hindi and English. He pointed out that there are around 20 central recruitment agencies which conduct the exams in Hindi and English. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts 16 recruitment exams for posts in the two languages. The minister said job announcements from central recruiting agencies are scarce and the limited recruitment drives are discriminatory against the students who pursued education in regional languages. He termed this as injustice to the crores of youngsters eagerly aspiring for jobs. He demanded that the Centre conduct the exams in regional languages for the benefit of the job aspirants. "In this highly competitive globalised world, the recommendation of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language could take us backwards in terms of the nation's development," KTR wrote. Pointing at the huge non-Hindi speaking population in India, he said that the central government's move to make Hindi mandatory will lead to socio-economic divisions in the country. Former member of the Legislative Council Professor K. Nageshwar also believes that the move is against federalism and national unity. "The Amit Shah led panel recommends mandatory Hindi medium in IITs and compulsory test in Hindi in lieu of English in central government recruitment. Should we, who speak Telugu and other Indian languages not oppose this Hindi hegemony? The move is against federalism, national unity," said Nageshwar Rao. This is not the first time the Hindi issue has evoked strong reaction in Telangana. Earlier, Amit Shah's statement that Hindi should be the alternative to English for communication among Indians had drawn the ire of all. Political parties and academicians saw this as an attempt to impose a particular language on India though unity in diversity is the country's strength. They warned that this regional chauvinism will boomerang. Some political leaders have slammed the BJP for what they call its double-standards on the language issue and dared the party to start imposing Hindi from Gujarat. TRS came down heavily on the BJP for doing over language saying the saffron party wants to decide not only what one should eat and wear but also the language one should communicate in. "Already our students in different states are missing the English language to be competent. While it is the wish and will of citizens to practice what they want, imposition is not right," said TRS leader Manne Krishank. He believes that the 'one nation one language' idea is more dangerous as it questions the identity of the states and different regional languages. Krishank, who is the convenor of the social media wing of the TRS and also chairman of the Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation (TSMD), has accused the BJP of adopting dual standards on language. "In February, the Gujarat government took a decision that all signboards should be in Gujarati. The government of India headed by the BJP is pushing states that they should practice Hindi whereas Gujarat is speaking about Gujarati. Instead of preaching to states down south they should start from Gujarat if they really believe in practicing what they preach. Let them start from Gujarat," Krishank said. --IANS ms/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An 'escalating tussle' between the constitutional head and the democratically elected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in has turned murkier with the former reminding the government that he took an oath to protect the Constitution and will not allow violation of rules. Without mincing words, Governor Banwarilal Purohit reminded the Bhagwant Mann-led government that in the past one year he didn't utter one word against any person. Rather he has been praising the Chief Minister. The latest in a series of confrontations is Governor Banwarilal Purohit's directive to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to remove Satbir Singh Gosal from the post of Ludhiana-based Agricultural University (PAU) Vice-Chancellor. In a letter to the Chief Minister, the Governor termed Gosal's appointment as "totally illegal", saying he was appointed by the state government "without following UGC norms and approval of the Chancellor". The Governor is the chancellor of the PAU, the country's premier agricultural university established in 1962. The previous "tussle" between the duo was over the appointment of cardiologist Gurpreet Wander as Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, with the Governor saying the government violated the rules by recommending only one name. Wander later withdrew his candidature as Vice Chancellor. Justifying his decision to ask the government to withdraw the appointment of Gosal as Vice-Chancellor of the PAU, Purohit on Friday told the media in a formal interaction at Raj Bhavan that as the Chancellor of the universities he is performing his duty. "Rather the government is interfering in his functioning. "I will perform my duty. I have taken an oath to protect the Constitution. The Chief Minister should realise this. In fact, I administered the oath of office to the Chief Minister. He should not forget that." A day earlier the Chief Minister in a letter accused the Governor of "constantly interfering" in the government's functioning. Missing no opportunity to take a dig at the AAP government, currently facing Opposition pressure to drop cabinet minister Fauja Singh Sarari on corruption charges, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said the government has played fraud with the constitutional head of the state as well as Punjabis by sending a letter to the Governor in English but releasing its forged and fabricated version in Punjabi on social media. SAD former minister Daljit Singh Cheema said the fraud had been perpetrated in the name of the Chief Minister along with his signature. "The Chief Minister should disclose whether he was party to this act and whether it had his acquiescence. If not then the Chief Minister should get an FIR registered in the case and institute a high-level probe into the entire matter. "Since the issue is also one of constitutional propriety, the SAD also urges the Governor to direct the Chief Minister to order an independent inquiry into the issue and ensure exemplary punishment for those guilty of forging documents as well as their dissemination." Cheema said the fact that neither the Chief Minister nor the had issued a clarification on the issue despite the matter being pointed out by the Governor himself indicated that the AAP was playing on the issue. The letter written by the Chief Minister to the Governor in Punjabi justifies the appointment of the PAU Vice-Chancellor. The signed letter, in circulation with the media, says the appointment of Gosal was done in accordance with the and Haryana Agricultural University Act of 1970. The Chief Minister said the appointment was the prerogative of the PAU board. Hence the Chief Minister or the Governor have no role. "For the past few months, you have been constantly interfering in the functioning of the government, which was elected with a huge mandate. People of Punjab are very upset because of this," the letter quoting Mann said. Raj Bhavan responded on October 20 by clarifying that "there is a letter in circulation in the media. This letter has not been received in Punjab Raj Bhavan till this moment". However, it says, the letter received is in English and the contents of both the letters are materially different. Raj Bhavan has sought a clarification from the Chief Minister as to which of his two letters is authentic and why the letter written in Punjabi has been circulated to the media before and without sending it to Punjab Raj Bhavan. A day after the Governor asked the government to remove Gosal, Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal defended the appointment and accused the Governor of interfering in the government's functioning. Dhaliwal told the media here that the order of the Governor challenging the appointment was 'illegal' and said the appointment was made following all norms. Accusing the Governor of acting at the behest of the BJP, he said the Governor is taking unconstitutional action and his letter sent to the government was actually drafted at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. The minister said the would not tolerate any interference in its work. Dhaliwal said the PAU comes under the Haryana and Punjab Agriculture University Act 1970 and it does not come under the University Grants Commission. He said before taking any action, the Governor should have read the university Act and if it is an 'illegal appointment' then he should clarify why the post of the Vice Chancellor has been vacant for one year. "The Governor is violating the dignity of his constitutional office. If he wants to do then there are elections in Gujarat and Himachal, he must contest elections there," Dhaliwal said. He added that the government appointed the two most deserving candidates for the post of two Vice Chancellors but both were objected to by the Governor, which clearly shows that he doesn't want the AAP to function for the development of Punjab and its people. Earlier, the 'rift' between the Governor and Chief Minister Mann was the former taking strong exception to the absence of the Chief Minister at the civic reception organised by him in honour of visiting President Droupadi Murmu. Reminding the Chief Minister of his constitutional obligations that have to be met on such occasions, the Governor, in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, had said publicly from the stage: "I had personally called him (Chief Minister) 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." Mann was also conspicuously absent at the Indian Air Force's 90th Air Show here on that day as he was on a political tour to poll-bound Gujarat along with AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Earlier, the government took exception to the Governor's decision to seek details of legislative business for the Assembly session beginning on September 27. "I want to ask the Governor to check the record of his office and tell the people how many governors have asked the government to provide information about the purpose of summoning an assembly session. Till today, no governor did it. Only he is doing so, because he is working at the behest of the BJP," Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had said. Responding to the purported 'war of words', the Governor in a missive to the Chief Minister had said, "Perhaps your opinion about me will definitely change after reading the provisions of Article 167 and 168 of the Constitution, which I'm quoting for your ready reference." Chief Minister Mann had clarified that the Governor or President's consent before any session of the legislature is a formality. "In 75 years, no President or Governor ever asked list of legislative business before calling a session. Legislative business is decided by BAC (Business Advisory Council) and speaker. Next Governor will ask for all speeches also to be approved by him. It's too much," Mann had tweeted. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) --IANS vg/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Apple has started paying out $100 million cash reserve created as part of a class-action settlement to its App Store developers. The tech giant agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the US developers concerned with App Store policies, in August 2021. The company agreed to create the Apple Smart Developer Assistance Fund as part of the settlement, which would pay out cash to affected developers, reports AppleInsider. As per the report, several developers claim on Twitter that the company has begun distributing payments from the fund. Developers had until May 20 to request to become "Settlement Class Members" from a separate administrator. The developers stood to get paid from $250 to $30,000 if they met the requirements. All US based developers who sold paid apps or in-app purchases and subscriptions through the App Store between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021 were eligible for the fund. Additionally, they had to generate revenue from the US storefront in each of the years between 2015 and 2021 that they held a development account that was equal to or less than $1 million. Along with the fund, the settlement also brought about several changes to the App Store's policies, such as new pricing tiers, modifications to developer and consumer communication, and a commitment by the tech giant to maintain its 15 per cent reduced App Store commission for at least three years. --IANS aj/uk (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.) China's governing Communist Party closed its Congress on Saturday with significant revisions to the party constitution that would strengthen President Xi Jinping's role as China's leader. A total of 2,300 delegates, all staunch party members, attended the Congress's weeklong gathering at the Great Hall of the People. Since Xi's "core" position in the country's leadership was solidified by Congress, he would be able to run for a third term, which would be extraordinary, according to DW. However, the announcement of a third term will be made during the March parliamentary meetings. Xi abolished the two-term restriction for the presidency in 2018, ensuring his continued control. The delegates also approved a constitutional amendment that would make it illegal to recognize Taiwan's independence. Following that, Taipei stated that Beijing was stuck in its "old" mentality." In a statement, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council stated, "We urge on the new leadership of the Chinese Communist government to forsake its old attitude of "invasion and confrontation" and to address issues by peaceful, reasonable, and practical measures." A work report, similar to a state of the country speech, was presented by Xi at the beginning of the Party Congress, and it was unanimously approved by the delegates present. After the first meeting of the new Central Committee concludes on Sunday, Xi is anticipated to be named general secretary. Xi Warns on New Global Tensions Xi has warned his party members to be ready for new global tensions.Specifically, he mentioned foreign attempts to coerce, confine, and "block" China as a result of changes in the world scene. Xi Jinping proclaimed that China must pursue "national interests first." Wen-Ti Sung, a Taiwan Studies lecturer at the Australian National University (ANU) located in Taipei, told DW the scenario has become winner-take-all that if the outside world had hoped for a divide of power or factional power struggle within China today or coming future, Xi's actions prove that such a thing will not happen. The expert underscored that the effort to gain favor with one group by compromising with the other has become history. However, while the Chinese Communist Party Congress was on-going, a rare one-man rally against Xi Jinping in Beijing has sparked sympathy rallies throughout the world. Banners accusing Mr. Xi of being a dictator were hung over a bridge in China's capital city last Thursday, BBC reported. Images of his Anti-Xi act went viral, even though he was swiftly apprehended. Read Also: Boris Johnson Leads Race To Replace Liz Truss as Prime Minister Anti-Xi Protests Grow Worldwide Similar posters and inscriptions of Anti Xi protests have appeared on campuses in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, and worldwide. One sign at Colby College in the US state of Maine praised the Beijing man's action and said: "We, people of China, want to spread this message that speaks our mind in places without censorship. Anti-Xi slogans like "Not My President" and "Goodbye Jinping" appear on several posters as well. Some Anti-Xi protests accounts on Instagram and Twitter have asked their followers to take action during the week of the Communist Party Congress, echoing the call of the Beijing protesters to "strike." Social media reports indicate that protest placards have been spotted at institutions in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including Stanford University, Emory University, and Parsons School of Design. CNN reports that anonymous Chinese nationals are operating several pro-democracy Instagram profiles that are tracking anti-Xi graffiti and banners. About half of the three dozen reports from mainland China that were sent to Citizensdailycn, an account with 32,000 followers. With 42,000 followers, Northern Square reported that it received eight reports of restroom slogans. Users claimed that these allegations came from Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. Outcries online and rallies in the streets have occurred before in response to policies and acts taken by the Chinese government. However, much of the outrage has been directed at regional officials, and few have made overtly personal attacks on Xi Jinping. The expense for Xi's critics has been high. In 2016, Ren Zhiqiang, a Chinese businessman who had previously criticized Xi's response to China's original COVID-19 outbreak and branded the top leader a tyrant "clown," was sentenced to 18 years in prison on corruption cases. Related Article: US Charges 7 Chinese Nationals Accused of Forced Repatriation Campaign, Harassment @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. No one is questioning that Mitsubishi Motors Philippines (MMPC) has been relatively quiet when it comes to new products of late. With the ex...